I don’t know where Carlos Correa will play in 2023, but one thing is certain: he will do so in a context where special defense will be prohibited.
Carlos Correa, who will indeed be a free agent this winter, recently said he was very happy to see MLB ban the special defense starting in 2023.
Why?
In particular because it will allow him, as a shortstop player, to play in his natural position and to stop playing everywhere on the field.
Remember that in 2023, infielders will have to be “on the right side of second base” depending on their position and they will have to have their feet in the sand.
Obviously, he likes the fact that it will generate offense (especially when he hits from the left), but it’s the fact of playing defensively that he appreciates.
I will be able to make the beautiful games that we see on repeat on TV.
The special defense works, but I also want to be an athlete. I want to make the beautiful games that fans want to see.
– Carlos Correa
In his eyes, it is therefore a double victory: there will be more offensive in the sport and there will be beautiful defensive games as well.
I am against the end of the special defense because I find that we cannot prevent the natural evolution of the sport. To adapt, in sport as in life, is to evolve.
There, we prevent the batters from evolving by giving them a ready-to-go exit. The defense had adapted… but it was in vain.
That said, even if I maintain my point, that does not prevent me from finding that Correa is right in his remarks. And that is something that excites me for the 2023 season.
