Will the Cleveland Indians’ Carlos Santana Beat “The Shift”?

Yes, folks, that is the great

bunting against the shift for the Boston Red Sox. Williams, of the career .344/.482/.634 triple-slash, 525 doubles, 521 home runs, and 123.1 WAR (Baseball-Reference), was able to find a way to beat the shift.

I wrote earlier this week about the struggles of Carlos Santana. He, of course, is currently on the 7-day disabled list due to a concussion, which he sustained on Sunday in the 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. We all know that he is struggling, but which issue is causing it: “The Shift”, the low BABIP (.177), or is it something else?

So, if Ted Williams can do it, should teams be forcing the likes of Santana, Joey Votto, Adam Dunn, and David Ortiz to attempt the same thing? With so much field open on the left side of the infield for these dead-pull hitters, when does strategy overcome the status quo?

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(GIF courtesy of http://gfycat.com/BestFreshGrunion)