Joey Gallo thought it was over. The Minnesota Twins' powerful left-handed slugger has been shifted against in most of his at-bats during his career. But with the new MLB rules taking effect in 2023, Gallo and other pull-heavy hitters were expected to not be shifted against. However, the Boston Red Sox found a way around the new rule on Friday, per Barstool Baseball and Codify.
Joey Gallo: Finally teams aren’t allowed to shift on me anymore.
*First week of Spring Training* pic.twitter.com/VcCaV2BPfx
— Barstool Baseball (@StoolBaseball) March 3, 2023
Defensive shifts have not been banned.
Defensive shifts have been restricted.
Check it out. 👇 pic.twitter.com/w99NA7q0po— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 3, 2023
The new rule states that infielders must remain on the infield dirt. Additionally, there must be two infielders on either side of second base. The rule doesn't directly impact outfielders, so the Red Sox moved their left fielder to center and their centerfielder to shallow right field, daring Gallo to hit the ball the other way.
This strategy comes with risk, as a ball hit to left field will likely result in a triple, if not more. The centerfielder would have no shortage of ground to cover, with left field wide open.
Nevertheless, it wouldn't be surprising to see teams follow in the Red Sox' footsteps, especially against hitters like Gallo. For his career, Gallo has pulled the ball more than 40 percent of the time, while going the other way in under 13 percent of his at-bats, per Baseball Reference.
Gallo struggled mightily in New York with the Yankees last year before getting traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He ultimately signed with the Twins this past offseason. He's looking for a bounce back 2023 campaign, but that may prove to be difficult if teams consistently find ways to shift against him despite MLB's new rules.
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