1) Bunting is incredibly difficult to master. 2) The median age of baseball fans

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Oct 22, 2021
9:48:52am

BigD Coug All-American

1) Bunting is incredibly difficult to master. 2) The median age of baseball fans

is now 53. Turning Freddie Freeman into a bunter would be disastrous for the game. Every pitcher is now Nolan Ryan, so eliminating the shift seems like a worthwhile concession to make the game appealing & minimize 3-outcome baseball, which is highly unappealing.

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BigD Coug

Bio page: BigD Coug
Joined: Dec 14, 2004
Last login: Apr 30, 2024
Total posts: 21,572 (235 FO)

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Messages

Author

Time

Question for baseball guys about the shift. I've had the thought for a year too, so I'm sure a reason this isn't being

unctoothman To extract or not to extract..

10/22/21 9:43am

They could. Some players actually do with success. Most don't. They play for

777

10/22/21 9:45am

So I hear that argument that batters are worried about their own OPS from a contract standpoint. But most of that is

unctoothman

10/22/21 9:49am

The HR is from a metrics standpoint. Most every team plays for the long ball to

777

10/22/21 9:51am

Bunting is hard, many great players have tried but never mastered it. Plus it’s

BigD Coug

10/22/21 9:50am

A fast player outrunning a bunt is exciting.

HighHorse

10/22/21 9:52am

Maybe compared to a slower player being thrown out on a bunt...

Tricky

10/22/21 9:59am

Yes, but even then it's a good play if it advances the runners on base.

HighHorse

10/22/21 10:01am

Which is a good thing. I'm just challenging the idea that its that EXCITING

Tricky

10/22/21 10:02am

True, unless the batter is fast and puts down a decent bunt.

HighHorse

10/22/21 10:02am

Absolutely. Freeman & other great hitters trying to outrun a bunt is not

BigD Coug

10/22/21 10:17am

But at the end of the day, after all the analytics and matchup strategy that goes into the game oh, I don't see a good

unctoothman

10/22/21 9:55am

A good bunter against the shift will turn into a .450-.600 hitter most likely, not a 1.000 hitter.

shimmy

10/22/21 10:12am

That makes sense. Wonder what the value of scoring a run with a guy on 1st 50% of the time and one less out are compared

unctoothman

10/22/21 10:43am

A couple years ago George Brett said that if they had done the shift back when he was playing

HighHorse

10/22/21 9:47am

With all due respect to George Brett, when he played maybe a handful of pitchers

10/22/21 10:11am

They never would have shifted against George Brett.

shimmy

10/22/21 10:11am

True. One of the greatest pure hitters in history.

HighHorse

10/22/21 11:38am

1) Bunting is incredibly difficult to master. 2) The median age of baseball fans

BigD Coug

10/22/21 9:48am

But you don't have to turn Freddie Freeman into a bunter. If he does it once the series, it serves it's purpose

unctoothman

10/22/21 9:51am

Hitting is incredibly difficult to master, and these guys have done that being

777

10/22/21 9:54am

The team with the shift on wants guys to bunt…. They’d take a bunt single 30%

kotacoug

10/22/21 9:53am

The shift does nothing to prevent a guy from jacking it over the fence. All it's preventing is a single.

unctoothman

10/22/21 10:00am

I’m saying if he bunts that’s what the fielding team wants him to do, if he

kotacoug

10/22/21 10:08am

It's preventing everything but the HR. You get less singles and doubles against the shift.

shimmy

10/22/21 10:13am

Maybe less doubles from a hard hit ball on the ground in the gap. But dor the balls more than ten feet off the ground

unctoothman

10/22/21 10:45am

there is a lot less gap total.

shimmy

10/22/21 11:52am

Pitchers are athletic enough to field a decent amount of bunts.

tarzan15

10/22/21 9:55am

It’s much easier for lefties, because they start 6 feet or so closer to 1st base

StantonMac

10/22/21 10:07am

Of course they can... but most people who defense play the shift

tarzan15

10/22/21 10:19am

Correct, which makes it harder for righties to bunt for a base hit against the

StantonMac

10/22/21 10:31am

Because analytics say a bunt single is less likely to end up in a run

StantonMac

10/22/21 10:05am

Good.explanation, thanks.

unctoothman

10/22/21 10:40am

If he did, the defense would consider that a win anyways

10/22/21 10:41am

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