Putting Pressure On The D

In my April 22d post (Manufacturing Runs) I wrote that when baseball people talk about manufacturing runs, aka "small ball," the three components of the game they are most often including are base stealing, the hit and run, and bunting.  The first two of those were the topics of that blog post, and you have been patiently waiting for my promised musings about the final piece.  Your wait is over.   

Although baseball is superior to any other team competition, it is similar to others with the concept that defense is the great equalizer.  No matter how many sluggers are in the opponent's lineup, they all (other than the DH, of course) have to go out on the field and play some defense; "D," to borrow a term from football lingo.  Customarily, teams concentrate on putting their most athletic, lithe, nimble, quick 'n' steady players in the middle positions (center field, shortstop and second), and place the big bangers at the corner spots (left field, right field, third base and first base).  The old axiom of "being strong up the middle" (meaning defensively) proves to be true more often than not, especially if you count the catcher as a key defensive player, notwithstanding the probability that he just might be the biggest guy on the team.  If a team plays good D, they will be competitive in most games, provided they get decent pitching.  

Keeping in mind that four of the defenders on the field are occupying corner positions, here is my definition of putting pressure on the D: Force one of the four corner guys to make a play that a middle fielder could do better.  The best way to create that pressure is with base runners.  Anyone who has ever put on a glove knows that there is a lot more pressure on the defense when there are runners on base.  Things get more complicated.  Quick decisions have to be made.  Better throws have to be executed.  In short, the defenders have to be on their toes, and their weaknesses are more likely to be exposed if they have to worry about, let alone deal with, base runners.  Generally, the corner guys are stick men, not glove men.  Their bread and butter is batting.  They do not want the ball hit to them.  When I coached baseball, one of the things that always brought a smile to my face was seeing the other team throwing the ball around (and away!) like a bunch of crazies.  It was usually brought on by the presence of my team's base runners.

Getting men on base is not easy.  Some observers have opined that hitting a round ball with a round bat is one of the hardest things to accomplish in team sports.  The distance from the rubber to the plate is only sixty feet, six inches, and by the time the pitcher has released the ball after striding to the plate, it's more like fifty-six feet. These days, a low 90's fast ball is considered merely second tier at the MLB level.  If a guy has a history of getting a base hit three out of every ten times up -- or put another way, he is unsuccessful 70% of the time -- he is an all-star.  If a team has to manufacture runs that means it must get runners into scoring position and figure out how to plate them.  (With apologies to all the chefs out there, I hate it when announcers make a verb out of "plate."  I just wrote that to make you squirm.)  It can't count on the long ball, and may not even be able to count on stringing several singles together.  (Remember, round ball and round bat.)  It has to get creative on offense, and bunting is an arrow in their quiver.

Types Of Bunts: I wrote on April 22 that there are four kinds of bunts.  The first is bunting for a base hit, and under certain circumstances is sometimes referred to as a "drag bunt" and sometimes called a "push bunt."  (I am periodically going to call all bunts attempted with the intention of achieving an infield hit "drag bunts" for the sake of convenience, even though, technically, a drag bunt label is only accurate if a left-handed batter runs at the ball as he is bunting and lays the ball down close to the first base line.  He and the ball are, in effect, running and rolling together down the line, as if he were dragging the ball with him.)  The goal of a drag bunt is to reach first safely, and almost always depends on the element of surprise.  The exceptions are with players like the Phillies' Ben Revere or the Angels' Peter Bourjos, for whom bunting is an integral part of their game.  The defense has to respect that very real possibility because those speedy players have bunting skill in their arsenals.  The corner infielders don't really want to move in too close; what if the batter swings away?  That is pressure on the defense.  Regarding other players who don't ordinarily bunt, they might lay one down anyway if they notice that the third baseman is playing deep, or if they are trying to break a hitting slump.  

Secondly, there is the sacrifice bunt.  Unlike the drag bunt where the primary goal is to reach first with an infield single, the purpose of a sacrifice bunt is to advance the runner(s).  The team is willing to give up an out (the batter getting thrown out at first) in exchange for moving the runner(s) up a base.  The batter is not charged with an "at bat," unless (i) he is fortunate enough to beat out the throw to first for a hit, or (ii) his bunt was unsuccessful and one of the runners is forced out.  In a sac bunt situation, the corner infielders will charge toward home as soon as they see the batter squaring around, if not before.  Once again, pressure.  The second baseman has to be ready to cover first to take the throw, as the charging first baseman will be out of position.  If the play started with a runner on second, the shortstop may go over to cover third base in case the throw is made there.  While the ball is still rolling, the catcher has to yell out which base his fielding teammate should throw to, because the catcher is the only one facing the runners.  Anytime a team can get defensive players out of their comfort zone (e.g., interior infielders running forty to fifty feet to cover first or third, or requiring the catcher to make a split second judgment), that is placing pressure on the D.

The third and fourth types of bunts, the suicide squeeze and the safety squeeze, are related and rare.  A suicide squeeze occurs when the runner from third starts running for home while the pitch is being delivered.  The runner is going full bore, not waiting to see if the batter makes contact.  The batter must get wood on the ball and place it at least ten feet from the plate so the catcher can't field it. If the batter misses the ball, the incoming runner will be dead meat, absent a wild pitch or a passed ball.  If the batter succeeds in laying down a bunt out of the range of a springing catcher, the run will score because whoever fields the ball will not have time to throw home to beat the runner.  The suicide squeeze play requires a verbal cue from the third base coach, and a signal from the batter that he knows the play is on.  If the batter does not so acknowledge, the play is off and the runner on third will not be coming home while the pitch is in the air.  The purpose of having the batter acknowledge the coach's cue is so that he doesn't decapitate the incoming runner with a swing.  So, for example, the cue word might be "gapper" and the acknowledgement might be tapping the cleats with the bat.  If the coach yells out, "Come on, Pete, we need a gapper," and the batter taps his cleats, the play is on and the runner should not have to worry about decapitation, impalement, or some other ghastly injury.

By comparison, a safety squeeze is much like a sui ("SOO-ee"), except the runner does not break all the way for home until he sees that the batter has laid down a bunt.  That is not to say the runner doesn't get a tremendous lead, maybe even half-way if the third baseman is playing toward the hole.  Just as was the case with a sui, the infielder who fields the bunt will not have time to throw home; the play will be at first.  To be safe, however, the bunter should avoid placing his bunt directly toward the pitcher.

Bunting Boo Boos: Watching American League pitchers attempting in vain to bunt in National League parks can provide much humor for the fans, but in their defense, they definitely are not the only players who are guilty of some, if not all, of the bunting mistakes I've witnessed as a player (ancient history), a coach and a fan over the years.  Here are seven and a-half that come to mind.

1. Depth In The Box: Standing too deep in the batter's box.  Watch the back foot of batters when they are swinging away.  It is usually touching the back line of the batter's box.  Some guys even try to plant their back foot behind that line, and the umps let them get away with it.  The reason for standing deep in the box is to give the hitter a nano-second more to identify the type and location of the pitch.  However, in sac bunting situations, a batter should move up in the box to lessen the likelihood of bunting a ball foul.  (As you no doubt know, once the count reaches two strikes, the next foul ball off a bunt attempt is a K.)   The farther up in the box you stand, the better your chances for keeping the bunted ball in fair territory, because there is less foul territory alongside you.  Too many bunters make the mistake of staying deep in the box while attempting to lay down a sacrifice.   

2. Squaring Around: Squaring around instead of using a drop step.  Even though "squaring around to bunt" is part of the baseball lexicon, a bunting batter is better off not completely squaring around, but rather taking a small step back with his right foot as he levels his bat (subject to # 4 below).  This is the only time when "stepping in the bucket" is a good idea, and it is especially important if the batter is bunting for a base hit.  (A lot of young players step in the bucket all the time because they are afraid of getting hit by the ball.)  The reason for stepping in the bucket during the bunting process is to enable the batter to take a quicker first step as he is making contact with the ball.  Think of a track sprinter's starting blocks; one foot is behind the other, not even with it.

3. Eye/Bat Separation: Failing to keep a constant distance between the eyes and the bat.  The distance from the batter's eyes to his horizontal bat should remain the same throughout the bunt attempt.  If the batter needs to lower the bat to reach the pitch, he should do so with his knees (by crouching), not with his arms and hands.  Too many players make the mistake of lowering the bat by bringing their hands down without crouching.  The result of that approach is that his eyes are too far from the bat.

4. Bat End: Failing to keep the business end higher than the knob.  Like any stick, a baseball bat has two ends.  They are the handle/knob and the barrel.  A bunter needs to keep the barrel slightly elevated.  This helps him get the ball on the ground.  One of the worst things a bunter can do is to pop up a bunt attempt, because not only is that an easy out, but the runner is then more vulnerable to getting doubled off the bag.  

5. Perfection: Trying to execute the perfect bunt, when a merely decent bunt will get the job done.  Too many players make the mistake of trying to lay down the bunt within a foot or two of the baseline, i.e., attempting a perfectly placed bunt.  Unless the batter is an excellent bunter, that approach will result in too many foul balls.  What I believe is a smarter approach is to pay attention to the pitcher's follow-through while you're in the on-deck circle.  Then, bunt more toward the middle of the diamond away from the side the pitcher is falling toward in his follow-through.  Don't forget, a pitcher has to come off the mound to get to the ball, and that is harder than it looks.  

6. Punching:  Punching at the ball instead of keeping the bat stationary.  The idea behind most bunt attempts is to deaden the ball.  Too many players make the mistake of punching or poking at the ball, instead of letting the ball come to the bat.  The two-fold problem with punching the ball is (i) too many pop ups result, and (ii) a punched bunt gets to the fielder too fast. 

7. Sweet Spot:  Failing to hit the bunt above the sweet spot.  Unlike the aluminum bats which high school and college players get to use, the wooden bats required by MLB have a relatively small sweet spot, a range of a few inches about half-way between the label and the barrel's end.  Ordinarily, a batter will try to hit the pitch off the sweet spot.  When you hear an announcer proclaim, "He got all of that" or "He hit it on the screws," chances are overwhelming that the ball came off the coveted sweet spot.  However, when you're trying to lay down a bunt, you do not want to hit the pitch off the sweet spot, because the best bunts are soft rollers.  In addition to what I wrote in # 6 above, another way to achieve the desired deadening effect on a bunt is to attempt to have the ball hit the bat above the sweet spot, i.e., close to the end of the barrel.  The resulting deadening effect is what you're hoping for.       

7.5  The Count:  Bunting too early in the count. I list this as a "half boo boo" because I would excuse a player from committing this sin if he was not a rather accomplished bunter.  But, for the best bunters, I would hope they could work the count before picking a pitch on which to square around.  There are three reasons for this wishful thinking.  First, by taking a pitch or two (or more), the batter is giving his teammate-baserunner a chance to steal.  If the runner can advance by stealing a base, why waste an out with a sac bunt?  Second, the hardest pitch to bunt is a high fastball; the easiest to bunt is a low off-speed pitch.  The more the batter can work the count, the better the odds that he will eventually see an easier pitch to hit than the high cheese.  Third, the longer the batter waits to bunt, the more indecision there is on the part of the defense, especially the corner infielders who may not be too keen on the idea of charging toward the plate if it looks like the batter isn't going to bunt.  Unlike hockey players, baseball players value their teeth too much to be extreme daredevils.