San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Scottsdale, Ariz. — After a roller-coaster offseason, the San Francisco Giants have settled into spring training with a lineup that will include new faces who need to contribute in big ways.
Taking a look at the projected Opening Day lineup for the Giants reveals Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto slotted in to take the places of Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria, both of whom leave plenty of experience in the Bay Area behind. However, while there’s plenty of focus on the new arrivals, Brandon Crawford enters his age-36 season as the longest-tentured member of the franchise, starting his 13th season in the orange and black.
Along with the changes in the clubhouse come the changes in the rules as well, and the disappearance of the shift could impact Crawford both in the field (as shortstop) and at the plate (as a left-handed hitter).
San Francisco Giants spring training: Brandon Crawford could take advantage of shift rule
Ask Crawford about the new shift rule and he’ll answer the question from both sides of the diamond.
“I obviously liked it from the defensive side because we as a team usually did a pretty good job of knowing when to do it and be in the right spot,” Crawford said. “But as a left-handed hitter, I’m definitely okay with there being two guys on each side to not take away those hits because I feel like lefties are typically affected a little bit more by the shift.”
When facing the shift last season, Crawford’s wOBA (Weighted On-base Average) was .280. When the shift was not employed, the number crept up to .294.
And what about as a shortstop with double plays with the shift not in play this season?
“It should be a little bit better for double plays I think,” Crawford said. “With the shift, you got some ground balls that became tough to turn where maybe, in the past, if the guys were playing straight up, we turned it pretty easy.”