Zero bunts this year with a dreadful O? how many tight games ?

[trwi7]

So they bunt runners over, then what? Because we're known for our prowess of getting hits with RISP or getting a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs?

[Underachiever]

 

There was a complete lack of situational awareness--a night game in late September in LA against Kershaw--you might get one or two balls the whole game with an exit velocity over 100, and even with the right launch angle it might die in the cool, stable air and be another out. When you can only hit singles and doubles moving baserunners becomes incredibly valuable. And hopefully someone in MLB eventually realizes that. But more likely Manfred will juice the ball again and we'll go back to 2019 home run rates.

 

I also don't buy the argument about not being able to bunt 95 mph pitches. MLB pitchers historically were able to sacrifice with 50% success. Maybe it's 40% with 100 mph pitches with movement?

 

This story is on the side of anecdotal, but there may have been a change in how pitchers are treated:

 

Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson offered another explanation for pitchers having trouble bunting. "Guys don't just feed you a heater to let you get the bunt down anymore," Hellickson said. "It's changed since I've come into the league. We try to strike a guy out instead of giving him a pitch to bunt."

[Madhawk23]

They don't call him "Stormin Gorman" for nothing!

[jerichoholicninja]

So they bunt runners over, then what? Because we're known for our prowess of getting hits with RISP or getting a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs?

 

Exactly this. Why give up an out to move a guy over when it's likely the next two batters aren't going to put it in play anyway.

[owbc]

So they bunt runners over, then what? Because we're known for our prowess of getting hits with RISP or getting a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs?

 

Exactly this. Why give up an out to move a guy over when it's likely the next two batters aren't going to put it in play anyway.

 

It seems like the argument here is that it's a personnel problem. Which is fair. Maybe the conclusion is simply that the Dodgers are headed to the World Series and there's nothing our weak/injured roster could have done about it.

[nate82]

Bunting is still a bad idea. There is a time and a place for bunting but those times are so rare. Basically bunting to get a runner over to third in the bottom of the ninth where one run wins you the game sure bunt.

 

During the early innings? No that is just dumb you are trading away an out for a low chance of scoring the one run. You only have 27 outs to play with and sacrificing one to just maybe get one run seems foolish at best.

[ctmyers]

So they bunt runners over, then what? Because we're known for our prowess of getting hits with RISP or getting a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs?

 

The second part could also be attributed to the 3TO mantra. If these guys are swinging for the fences with RISP, rather than trying to get a base hit, it feeds into the narrative that maybe they should be trying a different brand of baseball.

[TURBO]

What exactly does 3TO mean?

[jerichoholicninja]

So they bunt runners over, then what? Because we're known for our prowess of getting hits with RISP or getting a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs?

 

The second part could also be attributed to the 3TO mantra. If these guys are swinging for the fences with RISP, rather than trying to get a base hit, it feeds into the narrative that maybe they should be trying a different brand of baseball.

 

That's totally it. The vast majority of hitters never change their approach. No matter the situation or count they swing from their shoes and hope they hit it.

[ctmyers]

What exactly does 3TO mean?

 

Three True Outcomes - Home Run, Walk, Strikeout

[homer]

What exactly does 3TO mean?

 

[Gorman19]

Garbage, guys have thrown in the 90's for 40 years if not longer.

[Gorman19]

Watch tyrone taylor (who should be enjoying the river walk most of the year) swing at 3 pitches like he's Mike trout when the Crew needs baserunners in the 7th. Its not just bunting, its the complete lack of the ability to even attempt to manufacture runs when your O blows

[sveumrules]

The Rays also had zero sac bunts this year, they are generally regarded as a pretty smart organization. The Reds also had zero, so it wasn't like the Brewers were alone on some sort of no sac bunt island.

 

There were seven more teams with exactly one sac bunt all year, three more with two, two more with three, four more with four.

 

Who had the most? The Orioles with 15.

[Gorman19]

So let me get this straight, we cant bunt because guys cant make any contact? Really?

 

Perhaps the players should stop playing HR derby all summer during BP? Do they make less if their exit velocity and barrel up % goes down(what garbage BS that is in general). Give me rod Carew or tony Gwynn's "exit velocity" all day.............

 

Also, I love to chuckle at those who argue stats on say, only a 7-8% chance more likely a guy scores from third with one out yet FAIL to see how many DP's we see when it's 1st and 2nd or man on first late with no one out.

 

 

This is not an "all or nothing" argument yet no attempt whatsoever to adjust is like the Packers running their same O with Rogers one year and utah state aggie the next. Not the best analogy yet a a manager has to adjust to his talent, PERIOD.

 

Letting these guys swing from their heels hoping? ridiculous in a game where its 2-1, 1-0 etc. 5-1, 0-1 in early innings, sure.

 

Given the margin of error is so small with this amazing bullpen, need to play small ball at times and CC refuses

[Gorman19]

How hard did Bob feller throw? Nolan Ryan? Tom Seaver? Bob Gibson? Billy wabger? and so many more......................... 95 MPH fastballs were not invented in 2015-ish

 

lame argument...................

[sveumrules]

Garbage, guys have thrown in the 90's for 40 years if not longer.

 

Sure, 40 years ago a small handful of guys threw in the 90s. Maybe a couple two tree even threw high 90s. Now multiple guys on every team do & with nastier breaking stuff than ever.

 

Pretending pitching hasn't evolved in 40 years is just being willfully obtuse.

 

The average MLB fastball in 2002 was 89.0 MPH & thrown 64.4% of the time, this year it was 93.1 MPH & only thrown 50.5% of the time.

[ThisIsMyCrew]

What exactly does 3TO mean?

 

 

Picture summed it up well!

[LouisEly]

So they bunt runners over, then what?

Wild pitch, passed ball, balk, error, catcher's interference...

[LouisEly]

There was a complete lack of situational awareness

The key word there is "situational". While bunting in general is not a good idea and I agree that bunting runners over from first to second isn't a good idea, there certainly are situations where getting one run wins the game or at least makes a big difference.

 

The new rules for extra innings, for starters. If the away team fails to score and you start a runner at 2nd with nobody out, all you need is one run to win. Nothing wrong with bunting that runner over to 3rd. Same if you have a stud closer and it's tied in the bottom of the 8th/top of the 9th and you get a runner on 2nd with nobody out, get that one run and put it in the hands of your closer. Or even if you are up by one, give your closer a little breathing room with a second run so he can attack hitters and not be afraid of giving up a solo home run.

 

Yeah, most of the time bunting isn't a good strategy, but there are a few situations where it's not a bad strategy at all.

[trwi7]

So they bunt runners over, then what?

Wild pitch, passed ball, balk, error, catcher's interference...

 

So a bunch of things that have like a 1-2% chance of happening?

[rickh150]

If the guy is swinging and missing anyway, hitting .211 (our hitter with the most hits, by the way), laying down a bunt to move runners might not be such a bad idea once in a while. If nothing else, it keeps the 3B and 1B honest and up a bit at the corners at times, opening the field up.

[SomewhereInTime]

Its not so much bunting to sacrifice that I wany to see, its bunting to beat these insane shifts. The Justin Smoakes of the world have no place in the game if they're trying to pull the ball to right with no one standing on the left side of the diamond.

 

Contact hitters are today's undervalued commodity.

[mtrebs]

If the guy is swinging and missing anyway, hitting .211 (our hitter with the most hits, by the way), laying down a bunt to move runners might not be such a bad idea once in a while. If nothing else, it keeps the 3B and 1B honest and up a bit at the corners at times, opening the field up.

 

This. I assume most of the statistics that went into the idea that bunting a guy over isn’t the best approach were based on the idea that someone will be likely to hit an extra base hit or home run. With the offense that barely could put together a couple hits a game, it would seem like those statistics no longer apply, and manufacturing a run would be a better approach.

[sveumrules]

Contact hitters are today's undervalued commodity.

 

Here are the qualified batters (with enough service time for the market to have had an opportunity to value them) who struck out with the lowest frequency in 2020, along with their 2020 salary...

 

DJ LeMahieu | 9.7 K% | 12 million

Nolan Arenado | 10.0 K% | 35 million

Didi Gregorious | 11.8 K% | 14 million

Kyle Seager | 13.3 K% | 19 million

Anthony Rendon | 13.4 K% | 25.5 million

Freddie Freeman | 14.1 K% | 22 million

Manny Machado | 14.6 K% | 30 million

Justin Turner | 14.9 K% | 19 million

Michael Brantley | 15.0 K% | 15 million

Mookie Betts | 15.4 K% | 27 million

 

That looks like a pretty appropriately compensated player group to me.

 

Tommy LaStella (5.3 K%, 129 wRC+), DJLM, Yuli Gurriel (11.7 K%, but only a 79 wRC+), Didi, Jurickson Profar (13.9 K%, 111 wRC+), Turner, Brantley & George Springer (17.1 K%, 146 wRC+) are all contact hitting free agents this winter, so there are definitely a number of options out there, though I'd guess LaStella & Profar are the only ones realistically in the Brewers price range.