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If an MLB'er mastered the bunt, and only the bunt.

CoinstartledCoinstartled Posts: 10,135 ✭✭✭✭✭

Bunting at every at bat, could he average .300?

Assuming of course that he had some speed.

Comments

  • BrickBrick Posts: 4,984 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No.

    Collecting 1960 Topps Baseball in PSA 8
    http://www.unisquare.com/store/brick/

    Ralph

  • keetskeets Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No.

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,806 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Byron Buxton, but he misses half the games.

    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • edited November 1, 2019 5:40AM
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  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,806 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MLBdays said:
    Top ten bunters of all time with bases empty % wise......Mazzilli 40 attempts got 35 hits for an 87.5 % hit percentage...

    Name # Att Hits Hit% _Reached%
    Lee Mazzilli 40 / 35 87.5 87.5
    Don Blasingame 77 / 66 85.7 88.3
    Steve Garvey 56 / 46 82.1 82.1
    Nellie Fox 43 / 35 81.4 81.4
    Don Kessinger 60 / 44 73.3 73.3
    Matty Alou 123 / 90 73.2 74.0
    Rod Carew 126 / 91 72.2 72.2
    Vada Pinson 44 / 31 70.5 75.0
    Tommy Harper 57 / 40 70.2 71.9
    Pete Rose 93 / 65 69.9 69.9

    If you bunt every at bat everyone would shift defensively and cut that % way down.... the bunt works at a high level when it has some surprise.... Lee Mazzilli wasn't Vince Coleman on the base paths....he was a damn fine placer of the bunt however.

    Carew was an absolute master, surprised to see Garvey. Most seem to be National Leagers.

    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • keetskeets Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Bunting at every at bat, could he average .300?

    not only would the fielders defend against it, the pitcher would pitch to make it increasingly difficult. I doubt even the fastest runner, the best bunter, could even reach on 2 of 10 attempts, almost never with no one on base and absent a fielding/throwing error.

  • ScoobyDoo2ScoobyDoo2 Posts: 839 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Selectivity is the cornerstone of a successful bunt..... Mazzilli played over 14 years and only placed 40 bases empty bunts.... its a smidgen of his activity in MLB. Surprise ~surprise it is.

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I remember in my little league playing days, I hated to even attempt a bunt. I wanted to swing away every time. If the coach told me to bunt, after the game I immediately slashed the tires on his car. Bunting is a difficult thing to do, I can't imagine mastering it.

  • edited November 1, 2019 6:44AM
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  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MLBdays said:
    @doubledragon...... I would have let you swing away....that's for damn sure....or I would have carpooled with your folks.

    This is for not letting me steal third! 😉

  • CoinstartledCoinstartled Posts: 10,135 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MLBdays said:
    Top ten bunters of all time with bases empty % wise......Mazzilli 40 attempts got 35 hits for an 87.5 % hit percentage...

    Name # Att Hits Hit% _Reached%
    Lee Mazzilli 40 / 35 87.5 87.5
    Don Blasingame 77 / 66 85.7 88.3
    Steve Garvey 56 / 46 82.1 82.1
    Nellie Fox 43 / 35 81.4 81.4
    Don Kessinger 60 / 44 73.3 73.3
    Matty Alou 123 / 90 73.2 74.0
    Rod Carew 126 / 91 72.2 72.2
    Vada Pinson 44 / 31 70.5 75.0
    Tommy Harper 57 / 40 70.2 71.9
    Pete Rose 93 / 65 69.9 69.9

    If you bunt every at bat everyone would shift defensively and cut that % way down.... the bunt works at a high level when it has some surprise.... Lee Mazzilli wasn't Vince Coleman on the base paths....he was a damn fine placer of the bunt however.

    I think those numbers strengthen the chances that the 3 in 10 number is reachable game after game. Of course slugging percentage would suck.

    Element of surprise would of course be gone but much of that would be made up by repetition.

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  • arteeartee Posts: 757 ✭✭✭

    Topps Bunt.

  • dallasactuarydallasactuary Posts: 4,338 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The question is how a hitter could do if he bunted "every" at bat, and the answer is that he would bat .000 because the first and third basemen would play 15 feet from home plate. Only a hard drive at their heads could make them move, but that won't ever happen if he bunts "every" time.

    This is for you @thisistheshow - Jim Rice was actually a pretty good player.
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,997 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Not in modern baseball. The defense is too good.

    Such a player could not get there by breaking the rules. Years ago I read a story about a groundskeeper who was soaking the dirt in front of home plate. Why was he doing this? Why for Mr. (Ty) Cobb, of course! The Georgia Peach was having the field set up for his bunt strategy.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
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  • BrickBrick Posts: 4,984 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Anyone remember the 1976 World Series?

    Collecting 1960 Topps Baseball in PSA 8
    http://www.unisquare.com/store/brick/

    Ralph

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,997 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 3, 2019 8:35PM

    @Brick said:
    Anyone remember the 1976 World Series?

    Not really. I googled it and saw the Reds beat the Yankees 4-0. It was probably anther year where the Phillies had a good team but got nowhere because of the “big red machine.” I dismiss that that bit of baseball history from my mind. It’s just one more year of Philly frustration. It’s what usually has occurred, and I don’t clutter my mind with it.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • BrickBrick Posts: 4,984 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Mickey Rivers could bunt for a base hit quite well. Pete Rose played third base halfway between the bag and home plate. Rivers was completely flustered throughout the Series.

    Collecting 1960 Topps Baseball in PSA 8
    http://www.unisquare.com/store/brick/

    Ralph

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