Tell me theorys on bunting....

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Sep 28, 2021
59
8
Last tournament our coach was calling bunts every inning.......no reason in my eyes. Runner at first, two outs.....bunt. Nobody on base, two outs...bunt. Ive always thought of a bunt as a sacrifice, to sacrifice an out to move a runner. But what good is it with two outs in any situation. 14U, 16U level......what am I missing here? Let me know your thoughts, please!
 
Mar 20, 2019
115
28
Depends how was the the other team at defending them? How were your hitters fairing against their pitcher. Some teams have a hard time defending the bunt so you use it as a weapon against them. Sometimes when you have a hard time hitting a pitcher you use it to either throw her off a bit or get the bat on the ball anyway you can. Just calling it for the hell of it not a good idea but it can be a very effective weapon and not just a sacrifice. Used to be a lot more common in softball.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
 
Sep 28, 2021
59
8
Depends how was the the other team at defending them? How were your hitters fairing against their pitcher. Some teams have a hard time defending the bunt so you use it as a weapon against them. Sometimes when you have a hard time hitting a pitcher you use it to either throw her off a bit or get the bat on the ball anyway you can. Just calling it for the hell of it not a good idea but it can be a very effective weapon and not just a sacrifice. Used to be a lot more common in softball.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
For the most part its defended really well... now back in the days of our 8 to 10 year old teams not so well. But at 14 and 16U, these girls defend well. Ive always thought if your team cant hit off of a pitcher theres no way bunting is going to win it. I would rather see the girls attempt hitting the ball so they know they have work to do, instead of thinking I layed down a bunt and that didnt work. I can see a bunt used in a close scored game as a surprise play to put a player in scoring position.
 
May 1, 2018
659
63
Couple of things come to mind when there is two outs: He doesn't trust the batter, pitcher is dominating and he is trying anything, or he thinks it's the best chance to get on base. (Also excuse me for just saying "he")

But situations for me: Defense is back. or runner on 2nd and 3rd with less than two outs.
 
Sep 28, 2021
59
8
Couple of things come to mind when there is two outs: He doesn't trust the batter, pitcher is dominating and he is trying anything, or he thinks it's the best chance to get on base. (Also excuse me for just saying "he")

But situations for me: Defense is back. or runner on 2nd and 3rd with less than two outs.
I agree with that situation with less than two outs, if you have two outs its worthless to me.
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
We would have to be at the game to give you a real opinion.

Death by Small Ball. Puts pressure on the defense to execute. I have seen many games over the years where the opposing team just starts bunting and the defense couldn't do anything about it. Death by a thousand cuts.

Maybe the coach wanted to see something different. Who knows?

The OP view on bunting is very baseball.
 
Sep 28, 2021
59
8
We would have to be at the game to give you a real opinion.

Death by Small Ball. Puts pressure on the defense to execute. I have seen many games over the years where the opposing team just starts bunting and the defense couldn't do anything about it. Death by a thousand cuts.

Maybe the coach wanted to see something different. Who knows?

The OP view on bunting is very baseball.
It is, but honestly Im not sure the last time I watched a baseball game and someone bunted....or is the desired outcome any different?
 
Last edited:
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
It is, but honestly Im not sure the last time I watched a baseball game and someone bunted....

Because they understand math in that unless you can bunt for a double you are better off trying to hit a home run.

Same goes for softball. Against good teams you are just giving away outs if you are bunting.
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
Same goes for softball. Against good teams you are just giving away outs if you are bunting.
Not if you do it right and with the right player. Yes, a plain ol' bunt without any strategy will yield outs. DD has a teammate that will get on base 95% of the time if she taps and goes. Nearly impossible to defend, even if you know it's coming. There is a reason players like this bat .485. This player will rarely get an XBH, but dang it's fun to watch.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
It is, but honestly Im not sure the last time I watched a baseball game and someone bunted....or is the desired outcome any different?

I saw it multiple times as a way to beat an IF shift. It's not terribly uncommon to see pitchers bunt in 0-out situations with a runner at 1B.
 

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