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3 LA Angels who will benefit most from MLB banning the shift

By Evan Desai |
Apr 21, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Mike Trout, LA Angels
Apr 21, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Mike Trout, LA Angels / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 1, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Jared Walsh, LA Angels
Oct 1, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Jared Walsh, LA Angels / Abbie Parr-USA TODAY Sports

MLB and MLBPA have agreed to banning the shift in 2023, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. This will benefit certain teams more than others, and it will likely be on the more beneficial side for the LA Angels. There are a few heavy hitters that see the shift consistently.

And as far as things go defensively, I'm not too worried about this negatively affecting the Halos. They look to be great defensively even without the shift. They have great players on defense at first base, second base, third base, center field, and right field. They don't need shifts to have elite defensive performance.

This article explores the three Angels who will be most affected by the banning of the shift, and that is, most affected positively by the banning of the shift. There are of course going to be many surprise beneficiaries of the shift too, so be on the lookout for breakout performers across the league next year.

No. 3 LA Angel who will benefit most from MLB banning the shift: Jared Walsh

Jared Walsh has been shifted on a good amount in these beginning stages of his career with the LA Angels. The interesting thing for Walsh is that he has actually done a solid job of hitting through the shift at times. It was a sign that he has a good stroke, and high IQ up at the plate.

He's such a talented pure hitter in general that he's going to go crazy when the shift is banned. And defensively, he's going to get to show off more of his elite range now that the shift will be banned in 2023.

Apr 21, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Mike Trout, LA Angels
Apr 21, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Mike Trout, LA Angels / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 LA Angel who will benefit most from MLB banning the shift: Mike Trout

Mike Trout has been shifted on his entire career with the LA Angels, and he too is pretty good at hitting through it. And again, even if a player has proven that he can hit through the shift, it's still going to be a game-changer for them if the shift is banned, because them being able to hit through the shift only proves how much of a pure hitter they are.

Now if they have the chance to really hit it wherever they want, they're going to flourish. Also, Trout's coming off of the best baseball he's ever played. It's why it was such a shame that he got hurt last year. While he was playing in 2021, Trout recorded career-highs in batting average (.333), on-base percentage (.466), and OPS (1.090).

He'll be able to strike this rule change while the iron's hot. While this change won't be happening this upcoming season, and not until the next season, the points is that it's clear that he surely isn't slowing down. He's only trending up, which is great news considering he'll soon be able to hit it wherever he wants with no repercussions.

Sep 19, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Shohei Ohtani, LA Angels
Sep 19, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Shohei Ohtani, LA Angels / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 LA Angel who will benefit most from MLB banning the shift: Shohei Ohtani

All LA Angels fans remember just how dominant Shohei Ohtani was in 2021, correct? Of course they do--he had the greatest season in not only baseball history, but sports history. Now imagine him being even better, which will be the case for Ohtani once the shift is banned. Check out these numbers from Ohtani's season last year:

Can you imagine how dominant Ohtani will be once the shift is no longer in place? It won't be fair to face Ohtani. It already isn't, so just imagine how electric Ohtani will be once the new rules are set. Imagine the TV ratings on Angels games. We won't be able to see him bunt for hits against the shift, like he did last year, but we will likely be able to see something even greater.

dark. Next. 10 stars you forgot were LA Angels

The Angels will be a better team when the shift is done with. Not only will three of their best hitters benefit from it at the plate, but their defensive performance won't dip one bit. Anaheim can't wait to get back on the field for 2022, but 2023 will likely be even better.

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