What are your thoughts? Read an interesting article:
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19104405/book-excerpt-smart-baseball-keith-law
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19104405/book-excerpt-smart-baseball-keith-law
To Bunt, or not to bunt?
- Thread starter you_dont_know_me
- Start date
He's pretty much right - the bunt has situational value, but in a vacuum wasting an out is generally a bad idea unless your hitters really suck.
The value of bunting a guy from 1st to 2nd also declines in a league where hitters are more powerful (i.e. more likely to hit for extra bases) but are also more likely to strike out (i.e. less likely to move the runner over to 3rd or get him home after the bunt.)
Players are also not as good at bunting as they used to be - the success rate of the play is lower, which hurts the value even more.
The value of bunting a guy from 1st to 2nd also declines in a league where hitters are more powerful (i.e. more likely to hit for extra bases) but are also more likely to strike out (i.e. less likely to move the runner over to 3rd or get him home after the bunt.)
Players are also not as good at bunting as they used to be - the success rate of the play is lower, which hurts the value even more.
I just feel like a great way to beat the shift is the bunt...and not even for fast players...case in point that bunt by schwarber the other night. If you have the third baseman playing short stop...why wouldn't you push bunt that way?
I think Keith Law would argue that falls in the category of bunting for a hit, not bunting for a sacrifice.
He's talking about a scenario where the hitter expects to make an out 90%+ of the time.
Oh agree. I guess I worded like I disagreed. I just wish I saw it more often.
If more people would bunt against the shift they have to stop doing it. They don't just shift on big power hitters to make them try to do something besides hit a HR like they did when it first became the thing to do. They shift on anybody with a bat in their hand nowadays. If you bunt the bases loaded they'll have to get out of it for the next guy. The lefties could actually slap it to LF like softball players, and Ichiro, do and they might even get a double out of it. Carp should bunt or slap it every time they shift on him until they stopped doing it.
I somewhat agree with this. I'm not a big bunt guys over supporter. But have literally never understood why the lefties don't drop it down, especially leading of an inning. Baserunners create pressure on the defense. Seems like a no-brainer at times. I'm guessing a lot of it has to do with a combination of egos and inability to actually get the bunt down.
That does seem to be a lost art. I think they make it too hard when there is NO one to field it on the left side. Just get the bat out in front of the plate with the barrel facing between the pitcher and 3rd base. It does NOT have to be a perfect bunt when they shift so far over. My computer seems ti insist on changing what I type a lot of the time these days. I promise you I did NOT type 'boost art' instead of lost art.
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Robinson Cano did this last year where he did a hard push bunt down the 3rd base line. Because the LF was shifting hard toward center, he was able to get a double. The bunt for a hit with the shift doesn't even have to be that good.
A little practice should allow about anyone to direct a bunt/punch towards one side of the infield. I don't know why they don't all do it. Just get on base. Any way possible. But that's like swinging at the first pitch after a walk or two. Hitters today get themselves out way too much instead of taking advantage of what they might be given.
Seriously...This. I about tore my TV off the wall yesterday when everybody's favorite new Erin Miles (Greg Garcia) did just this very thing. Piscotty and Grichuck walk on nine freaking pitches. Then Garcia, on the first pitch, muscles a fly ball about 50' short of the warning track THE OPPOSITE FREAKING WAY, on a first pitch fastball. If Marp or Piscotty does this I'm still ticked, but at least they have the ability to hit it far. When a Greg Garcia type does it, it blows my ever loving mind.
Agreed. And down three runs in the 9th swinging at the first pitch for an infield popup also drives me nuts. We need baserunners.
The new theory is swing at the first good pitch you see because it might be the best one you get. I actually wish Grichuk would subscribe to this theory. He'd have a better change hitting one right down the middle than his normal 2 strike count pitch off the plate in the dirt.
It's a good theory if you hit for power. But when you're Greg effing Garcia, and eight of the last nine pitches have been balls, it's probably best to take one or two. I'm not much on every hitter having the same theory. Sort of like Kelvin Sampson's philosophy on offense at OU. Shooting isn't equal opportunity. And since Hollis here is our best shooter, he's going to get the most shots.
Oh I agree. There's only a few I would give the green light to. Some who think they're power hitters will make their mind up it's going to be a good one and swing no matter where it is. lol
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