In late May, an interesting situation brewed between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets in a 3 game series at Citi Field. The Dodgers were accused of bending the rules by executives from the New York Mets organization by using an electronic positioning device to assist in the defensive positioning of their outfielders. If you have ever stepped onto a golf course fairly recently you have seen what these devices are, they use lasers to measure the distance from where you are standing to a location that you are aiming at. No doubt after compiling a bunch of data and crunching the numbers they have determined that there are exact spots that they feel will give them an advantage on defense. The fact that the Mets are crying foul over this is just another example of how ancient some of the mindsets are in the game. Keep in mind there are people in baseball, including MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, that are currently lobbying to try to ban the defensive shifts that you see all over the game these days.
You would think instead of fighting the idea of positioning outfielders based on statistics, the Mets would jump on this idea themselves to gain their own competitive edge. The question should not be why are the Los Angeles Dodgers using electronic positioning devices to assist their outfielders, but rather why aren't all teams using these devices? Keep in mind that the Dodgers have been using these devices for more than a month already and the Mets are the only ones that have made a complaint about it.
These devices just give you an exact yardage from one point to another. It is hard to imagine how they can help a team while actually on the field. Yes, they are lasers, but it is not like Yasiel Puig is whipping out his laser range finder in right field and aiming it at Yoenis Cespedes while he is at the plate to try to get him to whiff at an incoming fastball. It's not like Howie Kendrick is using it to affect the spin rate of the ball coming off the bat to let it hang in the air for a bit longer so he can run over there to make the catch. In fact, no electronic devices are allowed on the field at all once that game has started. However, no evidence of Los Angeles using an electronic device during the actual game has been presented, despite what some people may want you to believe.
It is like if you consistently made money through online sports betting sites with the help of spreadsheets and data analytics. The house may not like what you are doing, but in no way shape or form would that be considered cheating. It is not your fault there is new technology that you can you use to your advantage without cheating. After all, these methods will not guarantee you anything. A batter can still hit the ball in the opposite direction of where the outfielder has shifted.
MLB has determined that the use of GPS and laser range finders are allowed during practice before the game, and have cleared the Dodgers of any wrongdoing after their investigation. They have, however, issued a statement that marking the field in any way to set positions is against the rules. Allegedly, when the Dodgers requested to mark the grass at Citi Field is when the Mets organization decided to have MLB look into the matter. Altering the field to your advantage is definitely crossing the line. Using a laser range finder should fall under the same umbrella as using a defensive shift. Anyone against it, is just uncomfortable with how the game is changing in the modern age.
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