Joe Girardi's Achilles heel: the shift.

Yankee manager Joe Girardi may have some culpability in the failures of his team. Below is a reference to an article showing that the Yankees are the most inept in dealing with the shift. But first a few references to my tirades about this dumb phenomenon, which is becoming even more ridiculous through recent discussions about banning the shift.

Shift fear: why are managers afraid to order their batters to bunt against the shift? Thursday, April 10, 2014

Managers are no longer afraid to deploy the shift on defense but they are afraid to order their batters to bunt against the shift. What gives?
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Shift fear up the chain of command: why are general managers afraid to order their managers to order their batters to bunt against the shift? Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Maybe former players like Oakland GM Billy Beane should not be general managers any more than field managers should not be former players. That's the next logical conclusion ...
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Does Mark Teixeira think he's better than Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams? Bunt the damn ball into the ocean! Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Bunt. There are no fielders there! Just bunt and get on base!
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Mark Teixeira, John Smoltz says lefty batters can easily bunt for hits against the extreme shift. Sunday, March 1, 2015
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For Girardi, Yankees' shift woes may be behind call for ban on strategy

BY JAY JAFFE Wed April 27, 2016 si.com/mlb

"It is an illegal defense, like basketball. Guard your man, guard your spot. If I were commissioner, they would be illegal." Girardi, though, conceded he wouldn't stop using shifts so long as the tactic remains legal.

Girardi's frustration is understandable, but only because the Yankees have had considerably less success when it comes to shifting than any other team, on both sides of the ball. They’re among the game’s most frequent shifters, but they have far less success than other teams once they deploy them. Meanwhile, their hitters face more shifts than any other team but are suppressed to a much greater degree when they put the ball into play....

Since 2010, Girardi has deployed shifts for 2,988 balls in play, more than all but five other clubs, but his team has allowed the majors' fourth-highest BABIP in that context at .312 ...

Girardi's troops are practically laughingstocks relative to the other frequent shifters; the other nine teams above have combined for a .287 BABIP when shifting, 25 points lower than the Yankees' mark. For 2015 and '16—years in which New York moved on from the aging, oft-injured Alex Rodriguez/Derek Jeter combination on the left side of the infield in favor of the more nimble Headley and Gregorius—the Yankees are fifth in total shifts, but their .323 BABIP in such instances is the majors' highest by 12 points! ...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, New York's batters—a group that includes frequent shift candidates Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran (respectively fifth, seventh and 27th in total shifts against since the start of 2010)—have been shifted against more often than any other team over both the 2010 to '16 and '15 to '16 ranges. And what do you know, their BABIPs bring up the rear, with an MLB-low .256 mark over the longer range and .261 over the shorter one (note that this does not count when players beat the shift by homering)...

Going forward, general manager Brian Cashman and the rest of the organization may want to target batters that do better jobs of using the whole field ...
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Who knew Girardi is a moron? And with the Yankees in last place Girardi could be the fall guy.

Joe Girardi: not to blame for Yankees demise. Saturday, April 23, 2016

Manager Joe Girardi may be the scapegoat for the failure of the Yankees
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