To watch the Tampa Bay Raysor the Pittsburgh Pirates play the field these days is to understand the future of baseball.

Forget the idea of nine guys arrayed on the diamond, each patrolling their own assigned territory. A left-handed hitter is up. The shortstop moves to the other side of second base. OK, you see that shift once in a while. It has been an occasional way to face extreme pull-hitters since at least the days of Ted Williams.

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