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Which Remaining Free Agent Hitters Were Shifted The Most In 2022?

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It was announced back in September that Major League Baseball would be implementing some new rules for the 2023 season. One such change will be the limiting of defensive shifts, with teams required to have two infielders on each side of second base and all four on the near side of the outfield grass at the time the pitch is released.

The exact ramifications of these changes will be discovered as the 2023 season progresses, but the hope is that some routine grounders turn into hits instead. Those players who have been shifted the most could stand to reap the most benefit from the new environment. The prototypical example of the hitter that is the most harmed by the shifts has been a plodding and pull-happy left-hander who can be neutralized by having an infielder in deep right field. However, each player is unique and will have been attacked in different ways, so let’s look at the data, with a minimum of 100 plate appearances required to be considered here. Which free agents were shifted the most in 2022? (Quick note that Stephen Vogt has been excluded since he previously announced 2022 would be his last season.)

1.  Rougned Odor – 93.8%
2. Kole Calhoun – 93.4%
3. Zack Collins – 88.9%
4. Brett Phillips – 88%
5. Brandon Belt – 85.2%
6. Mike Ford – 84.6%
7. Jed Lowrie (as a lefty) – 83.5%
8. Robbie Grossman (as a lefty) – 82.6%
9. Michael Perez – 81.8%
10. Mike Moustakas* – 81%
11. Tommy La Stella* – 80.5%
12. Josh VanMeter – 79.7%
13. Luke Voit – 76.9%
14. Colin Moran – 75%
15. Adam Duvall – 71.7%
16. Gary Sánchez – 70.5%
17. Dominic Smith – 70.4%
18. Jackie Bradley Jr. – 64%
19. Jurickson Profar (as a lefty) – 63.8%
20. Didi Gregorius – 60.3%

(* – Moustakas and La Stella technically aren’t free agents right now. However, they were both recently designated for assignment and are likely to be released given their onerous contracts.)

Odor has been quite awful at the plate recently, with his batting average finishing at .207 or below in each of the past four years. However, his batting average on balls in play has been at .244 or below in each of those seasons, well below his earlier career marks and the .290 league average in 2022. Perhaps the shift bans could get him closer to his earlier career number when he hit between .259 and .271.

Belt hit .285/.393/.595 over 2020 and 2021, good enough for a wRC+ of 162 which trailed only Juan Soto and Bryce Harper among all MLB hitters in that time. He was actually shifted more in those two seasons than he was in 2022. Injuries limited him to just 78 games and tepid production this year, but perhaps better health and some more open space on the field could help him return to being one of the best hitters in the league.

As for the rest, some of these guys are role players or aging veterans, but a few of them could be sneaky value pickups in the latter half of the offseason. Like Belt, many of them are coming off disappointing and/or injury-marred years and will be looking to bounce back in 2023. Grossman posted a 118 wRC+ over 2020 and 2021 but just an 82 this year. Voit had a 153 wRC+ in the shortened 2020 season but dipped to 112 and 102 in the past two campaigns. Duvall had a 108 wRC+ over 2019-2021 but an 87 here in 2022. Sánchez recorded a 143 wRC+ in his first two seasons but just a 96 in the following five years, including an 89 in the most recent campaign. Smith posted a huge 150 wRC+ over 2019 and 2020 but has slid to just 82 since. Profar is coming off a decent campaign and is arguably the best free agent still unsigned.

Mets Outright Michael Perez

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The Mets have sent catcher Michael Perez outright to Triple-A Syracuse, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Perez was designated for assignment last week.

Perez, 30, made his MLB debut with Tampa in 2018 and spent his first three seasons there. He went to the Pirates on a waiver claim after the 2020 season and was with them until July of this year, when he was designated for assignment and then flipped to the Mets for cash considerations.

Perez has never been given an extended stretch of playing time in the big leagues, with last year’s 70 games a career high. He hasn’t produced much with the bat in those small samples, producing a career batting line of .174/.244/.301 for a wRC+ of 51. This year was roughly the same, as he hit .149/.214/.298 between the Bucs and Mets. He’s generally fared better in Triple-A, however, hitting .260/.341/.445 across parts of four seasons at that level.

Players with more than three years of MLB service time or those who have previously been outrighted in their career can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. Perez qualifies on both counts and will likely opt for the open market, though there’s no official word that he has done so just yet.

Mets Designate Michael Perez For Assignment

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The Mets have designated catcher Michael Pérez for assignment, according to their transactions log at MLB.com. The move opens a 40-man roster spot for righty Tylor Megill, who’d landed on the COVID-19 list earlier this week. Megill is on New York’s Wild Card roster.

New York acquired Pérez from the Pirates in mid-July. The lefty-hitting backstop had been designated for assignment by Pittsburgh, and New York brought him aboard for cash considerations. He spent most of his tenure as upper minors depth, appearing in just six major league games with the Mets. Over 17 contests at Triple-A Syracuse, the 30-year-old backstop hit .183/.231/.317.

Pérez has never been a great hitter. He’s appeared in each of the past five MLB seasons, suiting up with the Rays, Pirates and Mets. Over 591 plate appearances, he owns a .174/.244/.301 line with 15 homers and a 27.9% strikeout rate. That includes a rough .149/.214/.298 mark across 132 trips to the dish with Pittsburgh and New York this season.

The Mets will place Pérez on waivers in the next few days. He’s likely to go unclaimed and elect minor league free agency, as is his right as a player with three-plus years of major league service. He’s likely to be limited to minor league offers with invitations to big league Spring Training this offseason.

Mets Place Luis Guillorme On Injured List

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The Mets are placing infielder Luis Guillorme on the 10-day injured list due to a groin strain, the team announced. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reported the diagnosis and the potential 3-4 week recovery period that Guillorme will need shortly before the team made it official (Twitter link). Once Guillorme recovers from the injury, he’ll need some time to build back up and go out on a rehab assignment, so he could be on the shelf as long as six weeks, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets.

There’d already been some speculation about top prospect Brett Baty joining the Mets to make his big league debut in place of Guillorme, but manager Buck Showalter quashed those rumors in meeting with reporters today. Neither Baty nor Mark Vientos are viewed as options to take Guillorme’s spot on the roster at this time, DiComo tweets.

The loss of Guillorme is tough for the Mets, whose infield mix has thinned out a bit recently. Eduardo Escobar isn’t on the injured list but has been battling oblique discomfort. He’s in the lineup tonight, but the veteran switch-hitter is limited to batting left-handed for the time being. J.D. Davis, meanwhile, was traded to the Giants prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

Guillorme has been solid on both sides of the ball in 2022, batting .283/.355/.357 while taking a career-high 289 plate appearances. He’s offered next to no power but has also shown strong bat-to-ball and plate discipline skills, evidenced by a career-low 13.5% strikeout rate and a sharp 10% walk rate.

It’s not yet clear how the Mets will handle filling Guillorme’s spot on the roster, though Showalter indicated that someone is on the way to take that spot, specifically mentioning a need to add a player who can cover some middle infield work as needed, as well. (Guillorme is the team’s lone backup to shortstop Francisco Lindor.) Speculatively, the Mets have both JT Riddle and Deven Marrero as veteran options in Triple-A Syracuse, though there’s been no indication from the team that either is being selected to the MLB roster.

Guillorme isn’t the only player the Mets will be without for the time being, either. Showalter indicated that catcher Tomas Nido is away from the club due to illness, which has prompted the Mets to recall catcher Michael Perez from Triple-A. Perez, acquired from the Pirates in late July, will make his team debut if he gets into a game while Nido is unavailable.

Mets Acquire Michael Perez From Pirates

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The Mets are acquiring catcher Michael Perez from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post (via Twitter). This is the second deal consummated between these two sides in the past two days (Yesterday, the Pirates sent designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach to New York for Colin Holderman). In this case, Perez was designated for assignment yesterday, so the acquisition cost for the Mets was negligible.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mets have designated Travis Blankenhorn for assignment, per Tim Healey of Newsday Sports (via Twitter). Blankenhorn was called up to the active roster yesterday, so his designation clears an active roster spot for either Perez or Vogelbach.

In the short run, Perez serves as catching depth, should Tomas Nido require a stint on the injured list for his bruised hand. In that case, Perez would join with Patrick Mazeika to form the Mets’ catching tandem. In the long run, Perez can be optioned to Triple-A, so he can remain in the Mets’ organization to serve as depth once Nido and/or James McCann return.

For the Pirates, this is simply a way to pick up some extra cash for a player they might have lost anyway. They have Jason Delay and Tyler Heineman handling catching duties with Perez now out of the organization. Veteran Roberto Perez remains sidelined after hamstring surgery back in May.

Pirates Designate Michael Perez For Assignment

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The Pirates announced this evening they’ve designated catcher Michael Pérez for assignment. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for outfielder Greg Allen, who has been activated from the 60-day injured list.

It’s not the biggest move of the day for the Bucs, who announced the transaction alongside their trade of designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach to the Mets for reliever Colin Holderman. It does mark a transition behind the plate, though, as Pittsburgh is down to Tyler Heineman and Jason Delay as the two backstops on the 40-man roster. The Bucs lost starting catcher Roberto Pérez to a season-ending hamstring injury in May, selecting Michael Pérez to the majors at the time their primary backstop went down.

It was the second straight season in black and gold for Michael Pérez, but he’s struggled mightily at the plate. After hitting .143/.221/.290 through 70 games last year, he owns a .150/.209/.318 showing this season. Pérez has hit six homers (three of which came in one game against the Brewers last month) in 116 plate appearances, but he’s collected just ten other hits (all singles) over 39 contests.

The Bucs will have a week to trade him or, more likely, run him through waivers. If he passes through unclaimed, Pérez would have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of free agency, as he has both surpassed three years of MLB service time and previously been outrighted in his career.

Allen, meanwhile, is finally lined up to make his team debut. Pittsburgh grabbed the switch-hitting outfielder off waivers from the Yankees last winter, but he suffered a left hamstring injury in Spring Training and wound up missing the first three and a half months of the regular season. Once a well-regarded prospect coming up in the Cleveland farm system, Allen has struggled to a .241/.307/.348 line in 666 plate appearances as a big leaguer. The 29-year-old raked at a .326/.442/.465 clip in 73 games with the Yankees’ top affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, however, catching the attention of the Bucs front office.

Pirates Place Roberto Perez On 10-Day IL

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MAY 8: Roberto Perez may be facing a long absence, as a source tells Jason Mackey of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link) that the catcher’s hamstring injury is “very severe.”

MAY 7: The Pirates have placed catcher Roberto Perez on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain.  Catcher Michael Perez’s contract has been selected from Triple-A, to provide the Bucs with more depth in time for the nightcap of a doubleheader with the Reds.  To open a 40-man roster spot, left-hander Sam Howard was designated for assignment.

Roberto Perez suffered the injury in Game 1 of the doubleheader, injuring his hamstring while rounding second base in the eighth inning.  Perez was in obvious pain as he left the field, and his absence forced a rare “emergency catcher” situation since backup Andrew Knapp had been ejected earlier in the game.  This forced Josh VanMeter behind the plate for his first professional game as a catcher, and having an inexperienced backstop surely played a role in the Pirates surrendering seven runs to Cincinnati in the bottom of the eighth.

The 33-year-old Perez signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Pirates last winter, after the Guardians declined their $7MM club option his services for 2022.  Known much more for his defense than his bat over nine MLB seasons, the two-time Gold Glover has also provided a bit of pop for Pittsburgh in the early going — Perez’s two singles in today’s game improved his slash line to .233/.333/.367 (109 wRC+) over 69 plate appearances.

Unfortunately, it now looks like the veteran will miss more than just 10 days, gauging by the apparent severity of his injury.  This opens the door for Michael Perez (no relation) to get his first Major League action of the 2022 campaign.  The Pirates claimed the 29-year-old Perez off waivers from the Rays in October, and it now appears that Perez and Knapp will handle the catching duties while the elder Perez recovers.

Howard has spent much of the season on the IL with a back sprain, only pitching two innings over three appearances.  A pair of IL stints (most notably a six-week absence due to an oblique strain) limited Howard to 45 innings and 54 games in 2021.  Control problems have limited Howard’s effectiveness over his 91 career MLB innings with the Rockies and Pirates, as despite a solid 27.2% strikeout rate, Howard also has a 14.1% walk rate and 5.34 ERA.

Pirates Outright Michael Perez

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The Pirates announced this afternoon that catcher Michael Pérez has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Indianapolis (via Rob Biertempfel of the Athletic). He’ll have the right to refuse that assignment in favor of minor league free agency.

The Bucs designated Pérez for assignment last week in order to open 40-man roster space for prospects whom they didn’t want to leave available in the Rule 5 draft. That could end his Pittsburgh tenure after just one season, as Pérez joined the organization after the 2020 campaign via waiver claim from the Rays. The 29-year-old tallied 231 plate appearances as Jacob Stallings’ primary back-up, hitting just .143/.221/.290 with seven home runs.

Pérez hasn’t hit much over his four-season MLB career, owning just a .181/.253/.302 cumulative line. He’s rated as a slightly below-average pitch framer, per Statcast, but his career 26.8% caught stealing rate is almost three percentage points higher than this year’s league average mark.

Pirates Designate Michael Perez For Assignment

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The Pirates announced they’ve selected four prospects — infielder Liover Peguero and outfielders Canaan Smith-Njigba, Travis Swaggerty and Jack Suwinski — to the 40-man roster. To create space, the club designated catcher Michael Pérez for assignment.

A waiver claim out of the Rays organization last offseason, Pérez saw 70 games worth of action with the Pirates behind number one catcher Jacob Stallings. Unfortunately for both player and team, Perez continued to struggle at the plate despite providing serviceable defense behind it. Through 231 plate appearances the left-handed catcher produced at a .143/.221/.290 clip, though he did hit a career-best 7 home runs. He’s likely to latch onto an organization this winter as catching depth.

Liover Peguero, acquired in the trade that sent Starling Marte to Arizona, is ranked the #5 prospect in a solid Pittsburgh farm system. The speedy 20-year-old performed respectably last season across 90 games at the high-A level, setting a new high watermark in home runs with 14 to go with 28 steals (in 34 tries). The resulting .270/.332/.444 output, plus what scouts consider to be above average defense at shortstop, gave Pittsburgh ample reason to protect their up-and-coming prospect.

The 22-year-old Canaan Smith-Njigba was a 4th-rounder by the Yankees in 2017 before they traded him to Pittsburgh as part of the Jameson Taillon deal. A solid .274/.398/.406 led to a cup of coffee at Triple-A, and a terrific showing in the Arizona Fall League has the left fielder knocking on the Major League door.

Centerfielder Travis Swaggerty, a first-round draft pick by Pittsburgh in 2018 and a one-time top 100 prospect in the eyes of some evaluators, saw little action this past season. The left-handed hitter produced a decent .220/.333/.439 line in 12 Triple-A games before incurring a season-ending shoulder injury. Well-rounded tools at a premium position, plus his pedigree, will keep him in the Pirates organization for awhile longer.

Lastly, Jack Suwinski, acquired in this past summer’s Adam Frazier deal, had a decent 2021 season in his own right. The 23-year-old popped 19 home runs across 111 games at the Double-A level, culminating in a strong .262/.383/.485 slash. Though most of that production came prior to the trade, MLB.com lists Suwinski among the Pirates top prospects (#29) and projects him as a bat-first option in right field.

Pirates Claim Michael Perez Off Waivers From Rays

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The Pirates have claimed catcher Michael Pérez off waivers from the Rays, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Fellow catcher Kevan Smith and right-handers Andrew Kittredge and Chaz Roe each cleared waivers and elected free agency.

Pérez has hit .221/.286/.314 in 228 plate appearances over parts of three seasons in Tampa Bay. The 28-year-old has a pair of option seasons remaining and isn’t yet eligible for arbitration, so he’s an affordable piece to either back up Jacob Stallings or perhaps get the lion’s share of playing time behind the plate if Stallings is dealt this winter.

Between the declination of Mike Zunino’s club option and the losses of Pérez and Smith, the Rays are set to completely revamp their catching mix this offseason.

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