Two years into the shift ban, the batting average recovery is measurable: league-wide BA has gone from .243 in the final shift-allowed year to .251 in 2025 and early 2026 tracking suggests continuation. The 8-point improvement is real but below the 15-20 points some analysts projected. The reason: fielders adapted. Rather than shifting alignment, teams now use aggressive positioning adjustments within the rules and smarter pitcher-catcher game planning to push the same hitters into pull-side grounders that are converted at higher rates regardless of shift. The hitters most helped by the ban are those who legitimately went the other way โ their .260 BA would have been .230 under heavy shifting.
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Two years into the shift ban, the batting average recovery is measurable: league-wide BA has gone from .243 in the final shift-allowed year to .251 in 2025 and early 2026 tracking suggests continuation. The 8-point improvement is real but below the 15-20 points some analysts projected. The reason: fielders adapted. Rather than shifting alignment, teams now use aggressive positioning adjustments within the rules and smarter pitcher-catcher game planning to push the same hitters into pull-side grounders that are converted at higher rates regardless of shift. The hitters most helped by the ban are those who legitimately went the other way โ their .260 BA would have been .230 under heavy shifting.
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