Value of bunting with second hitter

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JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
So it's just a question of how we construct our lineups, or possibly which metric we use to determine which player meets our perceived needs within the lineup. But the worst case is nobody on, 2 outs lol!

Below is my MS team from this past season, not in lineup order. What does your lineup look like given these players?
View attachment 9209

How many games are used to calculate the stats? Which girls are the fastest on the team? Slowest? Speed does not slump! Which girls can lay down a bunt? Are any of the batters slappers? We like to use slappers in the #2 hole because if they can put the ball on the ground it is as good as a bunt with a good chance for a base hit. Slappers are also hard to strike out since they can take a 3/4 swing. By seeing more pitches (fouling off a lot of strikes) there is a greater chance for the base runner to advance on a passed ball/wild pitch or straight steal.
 
Last edited:
Jun 7, 2013
984
0
I am not big on the sacrifice bunt, especially in the described situation with 0 outs and the top of your lineup batting. Besides a sacrifice, there are so many ways to move the runner to second (i.e. base hit, ground ball, deep fly ball, error, walk) without bunting. However, knowing how easy it is to freak out an infield with a fake bunt I might call that play. This can, potentially, do many things such as making a steal of second easier and moving the infield in so that it would be easier to hit a ball thru them into the outfield and a force at second base less likely. It'd be interesting to see those variables calculated and put into a chart.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
I am not going to read all the replies, there seemed to be some math involved.

Why would the 2nd place hitter be dictated by the 1st inning and the assumption that the leadoff hitter will get a single or walk?
 
Jul 10, 2014
1,283
0
C-bus Ohio
With that limited amount of info, I would bat them ...

Teresa
Ally
Sophia
Delaney
Holly
Lexie
KT
Red
Claire
Jessica

And the straight Saber lineup would be:

Holly
Teresa
Ally
Sophia
Delaney
Claire
Red
KT
Lexie
Jessica

So not hugely different, but we'd likely have different strategies given the leadoff on 1B and 2-hole at bat.

Oh, and FWIW, I did bat Teresa 1st. She was the sparkplug for us, just a stellar kid all the way around.
 
Last edited:
Jul 10, 2014
1,283
0
C-bus Ohio
I am not going to read all the replies, there seemed to be some math involved.

Why would the 2nd place hitter be dictated by the 1st inning and the assumption that the leadoff hitter will get a single or walk?

I think JAD and I kind of migrated the discussion a bit to the technical side lol!
 
Jun 12, 2015
17
1
I'd like to see this explored and researched. I'm not disagreeing w/ you. But not enough information. A closer look might show the time-honored tradition of automatic bunt here is not that smart.

Note Buckeye's NCAA stats that show that a runner at 2nd w/ 0 outs yields more runs per inning (1.49) than runner at 3rd w/ 1 out (1.17). However, you might be a little less likely to score 1 run. In other words, no bunt means you're more likely to get 2, but also more likely to get 0. The bunt is safer to get 1.

My gut tells me that the bunt should be used in the ITB only when you feel that runs are hard to come by. I'd say it's overused at 14U and below.

We had this situation in a high school game last spring. The other team scored in the top of the 10th (the first inning of ITB for us). Our #5 hitter was up (was 3-4 at that point on the day). I went to her before the inning and said "you aren't bunting, we are going for the win right now". She singled hard to CF and I had to hold the runner at 3rd. #6 batter hit one in the gap in right center scoring both runners and we got the win. It was just a gut feeling on my part to go for the win based on how our upcoming batters had been hitting that day and how the game had played out to that point. Fortunately, it worked out.
 

Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,168
38
New England
First pitch in an ITB situation is almost always going to be high and hard, which is a real cookie for some hitters, especially if they're sitting on it.
 

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