Is bunting considered "old softball"

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

Going deep. Like Babe Ruth.

Sac bunts by HR hitters:

Player	HR	SH
Mel Ott	511	63
Babe Ruth	714	54
Ernie Banks	512	45
Eddie Mathews	512	36
Jimmie Foxx	534	22
Hank Aaron	755	21
Sammy Sosa	609	17
Frank Robinson	586	17
Alex Rodriguez	696	16
Mike Schmidt	548	16
Rafael Palmeiro	569	15
Mickey Mantle	536	14
Willie Mays	660	13
Reggie Jackson	563	13
Gary Sheffield	509	9
Ken Griffey Jr.	630	8
Willie McCovey	521	5
Barry Bonds	762	4
Mark McGwire	583	3
Ted Williams	521	3
Manny Ramirez	555	2
David Ortiz	541	2
Eddie Murray	504	2
Albert Pujols	656	1
Jim Thome	612	1
Harmon Killebrew	573	0
Frank Thomas	521	0

From article at: https://howtheyplay.com/team-sports/Babe-Ruth-King-of-the-Long-Ball-Could-Also-Play-Small-Ball

Kind of crazy that he bunted that much.

 

[uncdrew]

Well you also posted hating defensively playing 3rd base

Huh? I don't recall that.

 

[Traps71]

Our current team is largely composed of power hitters. I did not think we had the overall team speed or number of lefty batters to really make small ball successful. Probably only two or three girls on the team, by the eye test, that I would consider fast or at least speedy. Besides, who needs small ball when you have the long ball...

Well, this past weekend our bats weren't really working. One of the teams had a very good pitcher--big, strong girl throwing gas. Hammering outside corner. Had an up pitch too. In pool play, we tied 1-1. The next day we met in the semi-finals. They pitched the same girl. Game seemed like it was going to fall into the same pattern, though we were having better quality ABs against her the second time around. Our head coach decided to change the script and went small. He was bunting our clean up hitter. We created chaos and exposed that the team could not field bunts very well. The pitcher, because of her size, was defensively useless. The catcher and third baseman were getting wore out on bunts up the first base line. Their first baseman was also big and slow to react. They could not adjust. The added defensive pressure also led to a number of throwing errors on their part. Looked like a track meet on the basepaths. We knocked the pitcher out of the game and won easily.

We won the finals using a similar strategy when the opposing team tried to neutralize the power in our line up by throwing primarily change ups. It was working pretty well for them, until it wasn't. We countered with small ball.

I know our head coach prefers the power game (though he will certainly sacrifice to move runners over at times), but well executed small ball (and opponent's poor ability to deal with same) was the difference for us this weekend. We have a station at almost every batting practice where every girl on the team is made to bunt all manner of pitches and get them down.

 

[_MIA_]

OP stated "and don't waste outs bunting" which to me meant sac bunting but it appears to me 3/4 of the discussion is talking about bunting for basehits...two different things.

 

[Orange Socks]

A team that can execute small ball when asked will do some damage. It drives me crazy when I see batter that can't lay down a bunt in sac bunt situation. They need to know there is a difference between a Sac bunt and a Sneaky bunt. I have witnessed many games that were from the result of Death by small ball. You can clearly see it unfold and the players cannot execute defensively especially in late, HOT games when the players are worn out.

 

[Westwind]

OP stated "and don't waste outs bunting" which to me meant sac bunting but it appears to me 3/4 of the discussion is talking about bunting for basehits...two different things.

What the guy in right field said^^^^^^^

 

[Rolling Hard]

Sac bunts by HR hitters:

Player	HR	SH
Mel Ott	511	63
Babe Ruth	714	54
Ernie Banks	512	45
Eddie Mathews	512	36
Jimmie Foxx	534	22
Hank Aaron	755	21
Sammy Sosa	609	17
Frank Robinson	586	17
Alex Rodriguez	696	16
Mike Schmidt	548	16
Rafael Palmeiro	569	15
Mickey Mantle	536	14
Willie Mays	660	13
Reggie Jackson	563	13
Gary Sheffield	509	9
Ken Griffey Jr.	630	8
Willie McCovey	521	5
Barry Bonds	762	4
Mark McGwire	583	3
Ted Williams	521	3
Manny Ramirez	555	2
David Ortiz	541	2
Eddie Murray	504	2
Albert Pujols	656	1
Jim Thome	612	1
Harmon Killebrew	573	0
Frank Thomas	521	0

From article at: https://howtheyplay.com/team-sports/Babe-Ruth-King-of-the-Long-Ball-Could-Also-Play-Small-Ball

Kind of crazy that he bunted that much.

I cant imagine David Ortiz or Manny Ramirez sac bunting. Must have been very early in their careers.

 

[Rolling Hard]

I see two big mistakes when sac bunting. Hitter squares around way too early and freezes and/or player does not get low enough and fails to get eyes around barrel height. Back knee should be fairly close to the ground.

 

[radness]

Huh? I don't recall that.

Oops pardon me @uncdrew !

it was quincy


My comment is small ball puts more pressure on 3rd.
Rocket shot at your face!
Or
Bunt you have to charge!

__________________

Have seen those monster slow pitch hitters. Masher's!

Friend plays in an over 50 slow pitch womans league.
That smaller hard plastic ball and bats that add yardage...make the field an artillery range!

 

[NBECoach]

What the guy in right field said^^^^^^^

As the OP

OP stated "and don't waste outs bunting" which to me meant sac bunting but it appears to me 3/4 of the discussion is talking about bunting for basehits...two different things.

As the OP I say thanks for trying to bring the discussion back to the strategy of using the sacrifice .

There is the belief that if you play for 1 run odds are that's all you will score. I think that may apply in BB and u16 and above SB. At u14 and below your chances of scoring more than 1 time increase due to more errors by the defense.