I just don't get the bunting obsession

Every kid needs to know how to bunt, because you never know when you are going to come up in a situation when you need it. If you only bunt "when the situation calls for it" not only is the defense ready but your team may not always be able to execute it. I've seen plenty of 12U and 14U kids come up when they needed to get a bunt down and couldn't.

Was your #4 hitter successful on the bunt? Did you score runs? Every parent wants to see their DD come up with a big hit - it's an ego booster for the parents. Nonetheless, it's not about your particular kid - it's about the team and what is best for the team in the long run.

Out in Left Field said:

I call one bunt every couple of games max* (and usually if the hitter is not hitting). Not many this year, but the games this year have been up in scoring. *That is not counting the stupid international tiebreaker stuff.

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Everyone hates ITBs until they are playing in a tournament that gets 2 hours behind schedule because two teams played a 14-inning game.....

I coach a young 12U team and we use the bunt often. In 10U it was a very effective strategy. Now it is a common call to ensure all our players can do it on call. When they get older it will be used less however when it is called for they will need to lay it down without pause.

On our high school team we use bunts and slaps as a major tool in our offense. We do not have a lot of pop in our lineup, so the short game is as way for used to move runners setting up RBI situations for our three and four hitters. We also love to put the game in motion and make the defense make plays. It's worked so far.

bucket pinata said:

Every Batter needs to get good at bunting, they need to practice it and get good at it. The reason is the dreaded International tie Breaker. That is pure short game and your number 3-4-5-6 could all be leadoff. When we go into a tie breaker and the other coach is having the team swing away I'm pretty sure we are winning. Not there are other times to bunt but without a good short game thru out your roster your toast in a tie breaker.

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Funny, my experience last summer was just the opposite. We wound up in four ITBs, each time as the home team. In every one of them the opposing coach followed the script and bunted his leadoff batter. None of those runners who started on second came in to score.

We, on the other hand, took full cuts. Won all four ITBs in one inning.

If you can hit, then hit.

Wow,you must have had a great D and their offense must not have practiced it much.after sacraficing the first bunter.runner on third Its really hard to stop a good bunting team from loadiing the bases.then swing away.atleast thats how we play it.I really like itbs.were those high or low scoring games.99% of the time when we are on tie breakers they are 1-1 or 2-2 games so swinging away did not get much done up to then.great job Ken.cant do much better than 100%.

Ken Krause said:

Funny, my experience last summer was just the opposite. We wound up in four ITBs, each time as the home team. In every one of them the opposing coach followed the script and bunted his leadoff batter. None of those runners who started on second came in to score.

We, on the other hand, took full cuts. Won all four ITBs in one inning.

If you can hit, then hit.

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Country Boy said:

Since they are subjective terms, I am assuming 'Good' means the style that you and the American League favor. While 'Bad' is anything else?

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Absolutely not. And frankly, that is a very insulting comment and not called for at all. I'm trying to express my opinion while maintaining decorum. Try not to be a dick (see the difference in style?) and not put words in my mouth.

To me, "Good" is learning the game. All of the game; and yes, that includes bunting. But it also includes strategy. I understand that specifics will determine strategy. I understand that there will be times that heavy hitters need to mix up their game to keep defense off balance. I want my DD (and other players) to know this as well. "Good" is understanding the game.

"Bad" is doing things without reason or strategic thought behind it. "Bad" is a coach saying "do this because I said so", rather than "do this because of the following reasons" (no practical in a game, granted, but the strategy should be conveyed to the players during practice.)

When a coach calls for a bunt 15+ times during a game, and the players and the spectators see no rhyme or reason for the calls, then I'd say it doesn't exactly qualify in the "good" category; would you?

In the future, try not to put words into other people's mouths and you might not come off as such a jerk.

Osric said:

Absolutely not. And frankly, that is a very insulting comment and not called for at all. I'm trying to express my opinion while maintaining decorum. Try not to be a dick (see the difference in style?) and not put words in my mouth.

To me, "Good" is learning the game. All of the game; and yes, that includes bunting. But it also includes strategy. I understand that specifics will determine strategy. I understand that there will be times that heavy hitters need to mix up their game to keep defense off balance. I want my DD (and other players) to know this as well. "Good" is understanding the game.

"Bad" is doing things without reason or strategic thought behind it. "Bad" is a coach saying "do this because I said so", rather than "do this because of the following reasons" (no practical in a game, granted, but the strategy should be conveyed to the players during practice.)

When a coach calls for a bunt 15+ times during a game, and the players and the spectators see no rhyme or reason for the calls, then I'd say it doesn't exactly qualify in the "good" category; would you?

In the future, try not to put words into other people's mouths and you might not come off as such a jerk.

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Sorry. I always forget that players and spectators know everything and we coaches are lucky to have them keeping us in line.

I am a jerk. Mostly because of dealing with parents for decades. In general, they show up at a game without having seen a minute of the preceding weeks of practice. Instantly, they know exactly what I should be doing and how I should do it. They have watched baseball for years after all. They are able to see every mistake I make. But when their precious DD stares at strike 3 or drops a fly ball, somehow, that's ok. If I would just quit coaching thier DD to drop that fly ball, my life would be much easier...

PA SB Dad said:

Was your #4 hitter successful on the bunt? Did you score runs? Every parent wants to see their DD come up with a big hit - it's an ego booster for the parents. Nonetheless, it's not about your particular kid - it's about the team and what is best for the team in the long run.

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No, they didn't score, which was jaw dropping in its context. #1 hit a hard ground ball for an out. #2 and #3 hit line drives to the outfield for base hits, batter goes to 2nd on the throw; so 3 batters in a row hit the ball with some authority. #4 gets the bunt sign, doesn't get it down (she is the stereotypical "heavy hitter"), coach keeps bunt on until she has 2 strikes and then she has 1 pitch to swing at and strikes out. #5 hits a ground ball for out #3. 2 runners in scoring position with 1 out and no runs scored. (for the record, my daughter was not one of the players involved in this inning.)

I don't completely buy into the "every kid needs to know how to bunt" argument. So many coaches assume that anyone who can hit a ball can also bunt a ball. Bunting is a skill. It takes work to be able to do well. Most people can bunt the ball back the the pitcher, but that is not really bunting imo. Bunting (and bunting well) is being able to read your defense and offense and get the ball in the appropriate area of the field so that your goal is accomplished. This is hard. This takes practice. And some kids who can do other things well just are not going to be able to execute a good bunt as well as others. Saying "every kid needs to know how to bunt", to me, is akin to saying "every kid needs to know how to pitch". Sure, you never know when your pitchers are going to get hurt or not be able to find the plate; but that doesn't mean that your center fielder needs to spend time in every practice learning how to pitch. The odds of need that person in that role aren't very good and it is a waste of time to be working on a skill that will rarely be used.

Bunting, imo, is in a similar category. Some kids will excel at bunting. Some should know how to do it because "you never know". But for some, it is just a waste of time to have them work on a skill when their time could be better spent improving other areas of the game with skills that they will use frequently.

Country Boy said:

Sorry. I always forget that players and spectators know everything and we coaches are lucky to have them keeping us in line.

I am a jerk. Mostly because of dealing with parents for decades. I

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No, you are a jerk because you put words into other people's mouths. You could have just as easily asked for clarification for what I mean by "good" and "bad", but instead you decided to make your own conclusion of what I meant and then pontificate on how I should just relax or stay home. I asked a question that OTHER forum members also asked for reasoning behind, and rather than offering your "coaching insight", and explaining why bunting is important to the game (as other people have), you decided to twist my words into something that fits YOUR view.

That is why you are a jerk.