Is bunting overrated?
May 30, 2013 by Coach McCreary
Filed under Coaching
At the Major League level, bunting has become a thing of the past with the exception of pitchers in the National League. Old school people hate this modern trend against bunting but statistically speaking,
bunting at the Major League level does seem to be a bad strategy in general. The reason for this is that the defensive team in Major League baseball almost always get an out on the play. Sometimes two outs when the ball is bunted poorly by slow runners (pitchers). Defenders footwork, timing, transition quickness, accuracy, and arm strength all conspire to make the sacrifice bunt’s success rate of leading to runs pretty poor.
But is this also true at the lower levels? I say NO and I say it emphatically.
I don’t know what the statistics at the lower levels say but I guarantee they are not the same as they are at the Major League level. An out on a sac bunt at the lower levels is most definitely not guaranteed. Just watch a ball that is bunted a few feet in front of home plate. What happens next will sometimes amaze you. Fielders trip and fall. They collide with other players. They can’t pick up the ball. Balls are thrown down the right field line. Basically, anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the lower levels.
If you coach at a lower level, don’t make the mistake of thinking that Major League statistics apply to you and your team. No matter how you do it, consistently forcing the other team to make the plays will go a long way in helping you score runs and win games.
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