Bunting is to a large degree a lost art, or at least a faded one.
But Bunting Matters.
Take 1969 for example.
Catcher JC Martin laid down a bunt in 1969 in the 10th inning of a World Series game. It worked, they won, then they - in Bob Murphy's immortal words - WON THE DAMNED THING. The World Series - the whole kit and caboodle.
The Mets had 82 sacrifice bunts in 1969, 25 by pitchers. Small ball helped them win 100 games.
In 1970, the pitchers had 40 of their 74 sacrifice bunts.
2019? Just 28 sac bunts, the least of any team in baseball, with 17 by pitchers, 11 by position players. Who didn't have a single sac bunt that year? Ramos, Cano, Alonso, Conforto, Frazier, Davis, Smith, and McNeil, to name 8.
This year, the Mets have won, and they fired the dude - Billy Hamilton.
Say Hey, man, even Willie Mays had 13 career sacrifice bunts. The moody Bryce Harper, on the other hand, has had one sac bunt after 2014. Bud Harrelson, as one would expect, laid down many - 94 to be precise. But even that's nothing - a guy named Ray Chapman in 1917 laid down an incredible 67 sac bunts.
Anyway - whatever happened to shared sacrifice?
Andres Gimenez is a guy who, back in the 1960s, would have been bunting a lot - he had 20 sac bunts over his last 3 seasons in the minors - I'm sure that sooner or later, he will be asked to do likewise for the Mets.
Me? I hope we have a DH forever...sorry, you purists.
I like professional hitters performing the profession of hitting, but that's just me. Pitchers in baseball went to the plate 5,098 times and fanned 2,218 times while hitting .128. Boring. But they had more sac bunts by far than the rest of the hitters did.
That lack of pitchers' hitting clearly will reduce sacrifice bunting levels much further. Probably to fairly close to zero. 87 so far in 1,215 total games by all teams.
But that doesn't mean hitters shouldn't be ready to SUCCESSFULLY lay down a sac bunt...if they want to get to the playoffs, that is.
As they say...be ready to use ALL tools in the toolbox.
Lastly, John From Albany might be surprised at this, but I looked up the Brooklyn Cyclones' 2019 stats, and they had just 11 sacrifice bunts, led by SS Angel Manzanarez with 3 - but he did it in just 15 games! Who does he think he is - Ray Chapman?
YESTERDAY’S LOSS:
So this is what having terrible pitching and strong hitting is like. The Mets are digging themselves a playoff eligibility hole, and running out of games, but any Mets team that could score 23 runs on 30 hits in games started by Wheeler and Nola shows that this team can still pull it together and make the playoffs. One can make the case that this is the best Mets hitting team ever, although they still have a long way to go to claim that title.
But the team’s batting average is climbing faster than California‘s temperatures. I am enjoying that robust hitting part a lot.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI think you may be looking at Brooklyn’s 2018 stats when they had 11 successful bunts (sacrifice hits). https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=db58be8e
Last year they had 18 bunts second in the league to 26 from Batavia (Marlins). https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=90ee2fa3
The real amazing this about the 2019 NY Penn League stats is that 8 of the 14 teams had less than 10 bunts. Pittsburgh’s West Virginia Black Bears had 1 and Houston’s Albany-Troy Tri-City Valley Cats had ZERO!
Baseball analytic experts have adopted the Davy Johnson mindset and have determined that the bunt is no longer a worthwhile offensive option. Just another group of experts that have killed baseball.
And while they did have just 18 bunts in the regular season last year, Fonzie did hold bunting drills everyday and the Cyclones had some key bunts in the playoffs last year. That could of been part of the reason why Brodie's new analytical department decided he had to go even though he won a championship proving them wrong.
ReplyDeleteMack - when you talk to Steve Cohen - be sure to tell him that the baseball analytic guys are not always 100% correct.
You do know Ray Chapman is the only MLB in-game fatality? Don't know if was attempting a bunt but the thwack was loud enough for Carl Mays to field the ball (thinking it hit the bat) and throw to Wally Pipp. Chapman sank to his knees mumbling.
ReplyDeleteHe's remembered mostly for the tragedy but was an excellent SS who hit over .300 and held the Cleveland SB record (52) for a long time.
No, didn't see hime play.
Homie, cool insight there. Of course, had he not died like that, he would have played long enough for you to see him.
ReplyDeleteJohn, everyone should be prepared to bunt. Maybe it is not I was good a tool as they once thought, but in key spots, it can make or break.
ReplyDeleteWith no designated Hitter, though, there is no doubt that Bunting will be more of a lost art than ever.
I meant to say with a designated hitter though, there is no doubt that Bunting will be more of a lost art that ever.
ReplyDelete