Why all the hate for small ball?

[logan82]

paul253 wrote:

The main reason I would think they are unprepared is because they dont practice it enough. I realize some of the power hitters havent bunted for years, but they should know how to do it.......I cant see many scenarios in which I'd ask Fielder or Braun to bunt, but Hart, Hall, Hardy, Weeks, certainly all of the pitchers should be able to do this.

You shouldn't ask players to start doing something they haven't done all season 150 games in. We really only have few good base runners/stealers. Bunting is something that should be worked on in spring training if you intend to do it during the season. There isn't much time to work on much of anything once the season starts.

[twobrewers]

I love small ball. I just don't like asking people to do things that haven't practiced or prepared for.

 

I wouldn't ask my accountant to perform surgery either.

 

If the Brewers need to bunt a player over - Suppan would do a much better job that Hart, Hardy, or Hall.

[rluzinski]

BTW, the only except from The Book:... that I have been able to find just had a chapter preview:

 

Go to this link:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/...ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

 

Then, do search for "sacrifice or not"

 

You'll need an account but you can read much of the chapter. They break down all the odds beautifully. The success of the bunt is greatly affected by who attempts it and whether or not the defense is ready for it.

[Phenomenal Smith]

Buried in the comments of this post on Richard Justice's blog is a long piece on bunting by Mitchell Lichtman (one of The Book guys).

Did you catch Justice's response a few posts down (edited into someone else's comment):

 

Yes, that was quite an interesting exchange. The Book blog also had a post about the Justice/MGL blow up. Interestingly enough, Justice had Lichtman on his radio show a few days after the exchange and he was very nice to Lichtman. Justice is some piece of work. He writes things just to pussh people's buttons and since he always filp-flopping he pushes a lot of buttons.

[Phenomenal Smith]

It seems like the failures of small ball are mostly ignored. Perhaps this is why it gets more support than it deserves?

Failures to get bunts down are simply excused as bad execution, but all strategies have to factor in the general probability of such failures.

[paul253]

The more I watch this team, the more frustrated I get. Its not even the lack of "small ball". Its their complete inability to score the important runs. They've been doing it all year long, and tonight, in the most important game of the year, nothing changes. Bases loaded with one out down by a run in the 8th. Hardy tries pulling a ball and hits a weak grounder to third, forcing out the runner at home. Next hitter, bases still loaded, Hart swings at a slider nowhere near the strikezone. Next pitch, a weak grounder to short ending the inning. This team is way too aggressive and its killing them. Braun cant lay off the high pitches. Fielder cant lay off the high pitches. Cameron cant lay off the high pitches. Hart and Hall cant lay off the low and away pitches. I never thought I'd say this, but i wish more people would approach an at bat like Rickie Weeks. He'll take a pitch or two at least. Opposing pitchers arent even throwing strikes, and the Brewers are constantly bailing them out.

 

I'd love a guy on our team like Ryan Theriot, someone who gets hits, doesnt swing as hard as he can, and gets on base. But the fact is, unless you replace everyone, nothing will change. Braun will always swing at the high pitches....same with Fielder, same with Hart. The more i think about it, the more i think it is coaching that is failing. If they cant get the players to stop swinging at balls, then they'll never see strikes and they'll continue to get themselves out.

[Baldkin]

I know he's Prince Fielder and I know he's our best hitter, but my gosh, why can't the man square up and push a bunt down the 3rd base line when he leads off an inning and the 3rd baseman is playing almost up the middle?

[rluzinski]

Looks like Svuem-ball is dead, according to comments from Melvin in the paper today.

[TooLiveBrew]

Can you elaborate or provide a link?

[logan82]

Thank goodness. Link

 

But as Sveum soon discovered, asking his players to play "small ball" was akin to putting a tuxedo on a hobo.

[TooLiveBrew]

Linky no worky

[paul253]

Corey Hart had better learn how to bunt in a hurry because he'll sure as heck isnt doing anything else. That at bat in the final game of the season when he came up with the bases loaded and two outs was pathetic.

 

Or wait? Maybe there was just one out.....I remember screaming at the tv when he came up...PINCH HIT!!!!!!!! Strikes out on 3 pitches, none of which were even close to strikes. I dont mind the team not bunting, but to watch them swing at the pitches they are swinging at is very frustrating. It seems like every player is where they are based on pure ability. Imgaine if someone actually taught them something.

[TooLiveBrew]

Working link to Haudricourt JS article "Sveum ends small talk"

 

"If we don't hit home runs, we don't score," general manager Doug Melvin admitted during the team's wild clubhouse celebration Sunday after clinching the National League wild-card berth.

"What about singles teams? If they don't hit singles, they don't score. We hit home runs. End of being a small-ball team. We're not a small-ball team."

[1992casey]

Linky no worky

 

logan3825's link works now; it goes to the same place as TooLive's one reply above. Somehow, logan3825 didn't paste in any destination. All that was there was http://.

[TooLiveBrew]

DFA logan! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/devil.gif

[logan82]

TooLiveBrew[/b]]DFA logan! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/devil.gif

Oops. Sorry, I was hurrying off to work. Thought I had the link copied.

[rluzinski]

I know he's Prince Fielder and I know he's our best hitter, but my gosh, why can't the man square up and push a bunt down the 3rd base line when he leads off an inning and the 3rd baseman is playing almost up the middle?

 

The same reason other LH sluggers don't (at least successful) when they face the same defensive alignment? Maybe it really isn't as easy as people think.

 

Corey Hart had better learn how to bunt in a hurry because he'll sure as heck isnt doing anything else.

 

He's bunted plenty of times in his career... usually trying for a base hit. Seems like he completely whiffs on those attempts as well though, these days.

[jeffy]

Thank goodness. Link

 

But as Sveum soon discovered, asking his players to play "small ball" was akin to putting a tuxedo on a hobo.

 

That's funny after the gushing that went on over the supposed small ball success in the game they won with 2 hits, which actually had nothing to do with small ball it was just about balls...as in taking 4 of them for a walk nine times.

 

Maybe Melvin told Sveum to knock off the bunting or he'd be fired http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.