While watching the Oakland A
’s a few weeks ago I watched Bobby Crosby try it with two outs
and a runner at third in the bottom of the ninth inning. The
Chicago White Sox did it in the first inning against the New York
Yankees. Countless number of teams are doing it more as the season
winds down because every run and victory
is important in their quest for the post season.
While watching the Oakland A’s a few weeks ago I watched Bobby Crosby try it with two outs and a runner at third in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Chicago White Sox did it in the first inning against the New York Yankees. Countless number of teams are doing it more as the season winds down because every run and victory is important in their quest for the post season.
I’m talking about the bunt play. Crosby was trying to drag bunt for a hit and the White Sox were squeezing home a run. For youth players, bunting should be something they can work on in the off season and perfect for the upcoming year. By perfecting this skill players add another dimension to their offensive repertoire and put pressure on the defense to make a play.
There are a couple of stances that younger players can use but the best one keeps it simple and easy to learn. After the player gets in his hitting stance and decides he’s going to sacrifice bunt all he does is pivot his back foot to get in position with his lower body. His upper body should now be facing the pitcher. His front foot remains stable.
Now that his lower body and stance is correct, it’s time to focus on the bat and where it should be. The bat should be held at the top of the strike zone with the head of the bat slightly higher than the handle. This prevents pop ups and if the bat is held properly most of the bunts should be going toward the ground. The hand nearest the handle of the bat should be wrapped around the handle and the other hand should be about half way up the bat with a thumbs up grip. That means if your were giving a thumbs up to someone you would put the thumb on the bat and your knuckles would be below.
The term “bunt with your knees” now comes into the picture. Whether the pitch is high or low you never change the angle of your bat. You move up and down by bending your knees. If the pitch is low you bend way down so the bat is in the right position to bunt the ball down in the ground. Players get lazy sometimes and drop the head of the bat if the pitch is low. This leads to pop ups and foul balls.
To bunt the ball toward first you simply keep the bat angle the same by “bunting with your knees” and move the handle of the bat more toward the pitcher. If you’re going to bunt the ball down third the head of the bat goes more toward the pitcher. A squeeze bunt is usually bunted right back at the pitcher so you can assume your regular stance to get the job done. Drag bunts basically use the same stance, the exception being your pivot foot will slightly move back a little, giving you the ability to push off the back foot and get your body moving. What Crosby and the A’s along with the White Sox proved, is that the art of bunting is important in the overall scheme of baseball.
Youth players should remember this. You may never see a lot of walk off bunts that win games but moving runners into position to score can provide wins as well.
