Shortstop: who needs one?

Sunday evening the I was watching the Yanks play Mets on ESPN. The announcers were speculating on the defensive future of Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter. Should he remain at shortstop, move to the another infield position, the outfield?

How about this: Derek Jeter retires as the last Yankee shortstop? How cool would that be? Jeter takes the position with him and transforms it into a new radical defensive paradigm.

A non baseball fan would approach the game differently than we do. That person might assume that the defensive basemen play at or near their respective bases. Maybe that's what they should do. And the so-called shortstop can go his separate way. Maybe to the outfield where he may do more good.

Four across. That's how 10 player softball teams play it, especially if they play with no fences behind the outfielders. MLB plays wall ball, i.e., fences behind the outfielders that limit the playing area. The TWO center fielders will now play in the two power alleys.

The catcher must stay in the catcher's box until the pitch is released and the pitcher must be in contact with the pitching rubber during his pitching motion. After that all defensive players may move wherever they want, unlike NFL and NBA players. Baseball players are free to play where they want. So why do they all stand in the same place? Why doesn't one team try SOMETHING DIFFERENT?  Yikes! The dreaded phrase!

SOMETHING DIFFERENT! Fear and loathing in baseball land!

Let's move the shortstop the heck out of there! Derek Jeter is the perfect candidate to try this. He's been blasted for years about his defensive range, juxtaposed to that perfect defensive shortstop Adam Everett who is playing for his third team in three years.

Let's play defenders on each of the three bases. They will always be in position to take throws to their bases. The second baseman can catch many of those hits that go right past the pitcher.

You say that this will leave big holes in the infield? The pitcher is almost a non factor on anything hit with any speed, so that hole is being plugged. There would be different holes in the infield but fewer in the outfield where holes go for more than one base.

There are two options for defenders on the infield corners:

1. hug the line and prevent doubles;

2. play off the line and plug the current holes.

Playing off the line makes the most sense. Why? Because we now have FOUR outfielders! The corner outfielders can prevent almost all of those annoying doubles and triples that simply roll into the outfield corners.

Fielders can be moved into new formations, including baseball's version of the old Dallas Cowboy flex defense.

Base stealers will always find a defender waiting to take the catcher's throw, not doing it on the run. How many errant throws will be prevented?

Outfielders, especially those in flex position, can rifle throws to first, second or third for force plays that would otherwise go for singles.

The dreaded steal of home will become more difficult with the third baseman holding the runner close.

How about somebody, anybody, trying the damn thing? Somewhere. Maybe D ball. Would it kill them? They might find that it works. Worst case: they return to wearing out the grass in the same position as everybody else.