St. Louis Cardinals fans know a ban of the shift will transform one former player back into an All-Star — Matt Carpenter.
After Twitter learned the new collective bargaining agreement between the MLB owners and players association may include the banning of the shift, Cardinals fans knew this meant a potential return to greatness for Matt Carpenter.
Carpenter’s club option was not exercised for the 2022 season after a steep decline in performance. Carpenter’s decline could easily be attributed to other clubs implementing the shift. The strategy proved successful for opponents when Carpenter came to bat. Carpenter never could beat the strategy leading to a massive decline in performance.
Matt Carpenter and the Shift
In 2018, Carpenter hit .257/.374/.523 with 36 home runs and 42 doubles. In 2021, Carpenter hit .169/.305/.275 with three home runs and 11 doubles. Most of this decline can easily be attributed to Carpenter’s failure to beat the shift. In recent reporting, it was learned Carpenter “never bought into analytics” which could have helped him to figure out ways to beat the shift.
With the shift being banned, this provides one less concern for Carpenter as he goes to bat and try to regain his form. It’s not a certainty that he would return to that 2018 form, Cardinals fans have a great sense of humor at took to Twitter to consider what may be for Carpenter. He lost his role as an everyday player with Nolan Arenado taking over at third base and Tommy Edman taking over at second base. With the designated hitter becoming universal, some on Cardinals twitter believe this could give Carpenter a potential role with the team.
Some Cardinals fans wonder if Carpenter could be the next Barry Bonds..
https://twitter.com/fofailuretwt/status/1500865626826493964?s=27
Another Mark McGwire …
One thing is certain, this Cardinal fan believes Carpenter will return to baseball with some more confidence…
While it is seriously doubtful Carpenter would return to the St. Louis Cardinals even with a universal DH, if Carpenter gets some at-bats without facing the shift, it should be interesting to watch.