I figured we could use a new post and it seemed like a good time to point out how power hitters are failing to maximize their production. Many of them are shifted against these days, even right-handed batters. The obvious way to put a stop to this is to bunt.
All you've got to do as a batter is get the bunt into that wide open area on the right side of the infield. In an era in which even the fans and media have begun to accept the value of OBP, it's really strange that batters who are shifted against don't take advantage of an obvious way to increase their OBP. These batters should be bunting every single time the defense shifts like this. Every single time.
Carlos Pena was pretty good at it though he didn't bunt as much as he needed to. He would still at least lay one down on occasion and he was safe more often than not. If you keep doing it the defense will have to adjust and then you have more holes to hit it through. Any batters not bunting agaist the shift isn't doing his job well enough. In that picture above, the defense is literally giving him the bunt hit. Take it. Take what the defense gives you.
Tango is wondering how you incentivize it. I don't know. I think you need one power hitter to do it and when he sees his next paycheck the others will begin doing it. you just have to find that one who is going to do it every single time. Either that or your manager makes you do it.
Koyie is awesome.
If the shift is that extreme for a righty, would the bunt only work against a LHP since the LHP falls off the mound to the wrong side of where the bunt is to be fielded? Then I guess it’s a matter of how fast the LHP or catcher can get to the bunted ball before the batter can get to 1B, because the first baseman isn’t going to be able to charge it AND get the out.
@ Rice Cube:
If you push it past the pitcher you should get a hit. If it’s in front of the pitcher you’re probably out. It would require these guys to practice it, but I’m pretty sure they could do it. There’s just so much space there that you have to take advantage of it. The defense is taking hits away from the hitter the way it’s currently aligned in that picture. You have to get them back, which means you have to bunt the ball where they ain’t.
(dying laughing) @ Hawk talking about how the fast pitchers today are at 101 and how this other dude would have been over 110. He’s a fucking idiot.
Maholm back to throwing batting practice.
Joe Mather keeps feeding the Hope Monster.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/chi-rizzo-callup-will-be-discussed-soon-20120520,0,403501.story
Sounds like a throwaway statement and not definite at all.
He didn’t bunt that much because teams knew he could bunt and played accordingly (they usually left a third baseman to field the bunt and shifted the second baseman and shortstop, especially with less than 2 strikes. Sometimes they shifted the third baseman after the count went to 2 strikes and he still bunted.)
/Sullivan
/Gordo
Looks like Marshall finally lost his closer job to Chapman (an inevitability). Still, despite the ERA, Sean’s 22 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings (against 3 walks) is impressive.
Looks like the Cubs might suck.
@ josh:
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…don’t let the Hope Monster die…
@ Rice Cube:
The Hope Monster lives for weeks like this. Build us up, then slam us back to earth and feed off our sweet tears.
@ josh:
I give that the hope monster is hoping Jorge Soler gains citizenship soon. He’ll get a full year of energy from that when all is said and done.
You know when it happens it’ll be BIG NEWS again.
@ Pezcore:
Yep. BJax will give, I figure, about a half of a season of fuel, even if he initially doesn’t do well.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/05/lance-berkman-considering-retirement.html
@ Rice Cube:
The Cubs play the Pirates, Astros, and Padres in the next three series
(I saw someone saying this in a tweet earlier today, but can’t locate it now)
@ Berselius:
The Cubs have a worse record than any of them.
Thank god for the Twins, for without them they’d have the worst record in the Majors.
@ Berselius:
He must have really hurt himself. Or he’s just speaking out of frustration. I seem to remember some pitcher or someone saying something similar last year.
Andy Van Slyke’s son plays baseball, I guess. Doesn’t seem to long ago that AVS was a player.
He was a Pirate when the Pirates were good.
I have to admit, I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that, when I started watching baseball, the Pirates were a force to be reckoned with.
@ ACT:
It’s kind of like thinking about how at one point, the Cubs were a force to be reckoned with.
@ Rice Cube:
Yeah, the Dead Ball Era.
Seriously, the Dead Ball Era Cubs were amazing. The most dominant team of any era.
@ ACT:
Probably all the steroids.
Was that like Hack Wilson and such?
The Cubs also had a great run from the late 20′s through the 30′s. There’s a reason the franchise has a record over .500, despite the last 70 or so years of mediocrity (or worse).
@ josh:
Hack was in that second great run they had. In the dead-ball era they had Tinker, Evers, Chance, 3-Finger Brown, and Wildfire Schulte (who hit 20 home runs before it was fashionable).
@ ACT:
I just figured that it was because when Rick Monday swept in and saved the American flag from certain destruction that Jesus blessed the team with +1000 wins.
@ ACT:
Surprisingly, I’ve heard of all those guys.
The 1906 Cubs had the best single-season record for any team in history. From 1906-1907, they had the best 2-year record. From 1906-1908, they had the best 3-year record. From 1906-1909, they had the best 4-year record. From 1906-1910, the had the best 5-year record. From 1905-1910, they had the best 6-year record. From 1904-1910, they had the best 7-year record. From 1904-1911. they had the best 8-year record. From 1904-1912, they had the best 9-year record. From 1904-1913, they had the best 10-year record.
@ ACT:
Crazy.
@ ACT:
Only two championships though. They were like the Braves of the “aughts”
@ Rice Cube:
You gotta be in it to win it.
@ Rice Cube:
Braves of the Aughts is a fine band name.
There were a lot of Kerry Wood and other posts on the main page that I recently enjoyed, particularly AC’s tribute.
Thanks guys.
(dying laughing)
This losing streak has extinguished all the hope within me
@ WaLi:
You say that now. Wait till they make a surge and get back to .500.
Surprise, mothafucka!
Sounding more and more like Berkman ———–> torn ACL. They’re just waiting on an MRI to confirm what they suspect
http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/pitcher-swstk-leaders/
re: F7′s league-leading SwStr%:
Also of interest is this:
Transformed!
@ GBTS:
Very clever…
@ ACT:
I don’t recall that happening that often. I remember MO pointing out how the defense never adjusted and the Blue Jays manager is silly enough to be willing to give up singles for free to Carlos Pena. When the bases were empty and Pena was up, the SS was almost always up the middle. I’d guess it’s the same thing this year for him.
@ James Doakes:
Ryno?
I noticed on my iPhone that the image in this post is upside down. Anyone else notice that?
@ mb21:
Are you holding your phone upside down?
@ WaLi:
No. The image is just upside down. It’s odd.
minor league shit: http://www.obstructedview.net/minor-leagues/the-children-are-the-future-cubs-minor-league-update-sponsored-by-braums.html