There will be many new rules coming to MLB in the 2023 season. A pitch clock, banning of the shift and bigger bases will be introduced to help improve the game. San Francisco Giants star Joc Pederson is one of the many players happy to hear about the MLB shift ban.
Pederson didn't mince words about the shift, saying that it “sucks” and that he is in favor of the rule changes. Joey Gallo is among the many players who agree with the Giants outfielder.
Joc Pederson has beaten shifted defenses before by bunting down the right-field line. However, defenses changing in ways that never happen at the lower levels of the sport (at least not as frequently as they do in MLB) can be extremely frustrating for hitters. Although the shift is just a natural progression of baseball in the age of analytics and players can change their swings to distribute their hits more evenly, MLB has decided to implement change.
Batted balls will have a greater shot of becoming hits when the MLB ban shift becomes reality. Joc Pederson should benefit from the shift ban. He has already been one of the best hitters in baseball this season. He has an OPS of .867 to go along with 86 hits and 22 home runs in 114 games. The Giants are hoping to bring him back next season.