Coinz wet dream...a stand up bunt double

aTotal360

Heisman
Nov 12, 2009
22,635
16,613
113
I don't think I've ever seen one before. #niceshift

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drumrcraig

Redshirt
Aug 22, 2012
348
23
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I’ve never understood why more players don’t do that against the shift. You would only have to pull it off a few times before they stop putting the shift thus opening up the pull side again.
 
Sep 25, 2013
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I’ve never understood why more players don’t do that against the shift. You would only have to pull it off a few times before they stop putting the shift thus opening up the pull side again.

Any time I see a player come up and the other team go to a shift my first thought of that player is that he is a selfish jackass. Unless you are Barry Bonds (who was also a selfish jackass), you have no business allowing a team to do that to you. Just lay down a bunt or poke a ball the other way and take your free base. The chances are overwhelmingly against you that you're going to do better than that if you swing away, and once you do it a time or 2 the other team will stop like you said.
 
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jdbulldog

Junior
Oct 27, 2007
2,594
368
83
Any time I see a player come up and the other team go to a shift my first thought of that player is that he is a selfish jackass. Unless you are Barry Bonds (who was also a selfish jackass), you have no business allowing a team to do that to you. Just lay down a bunt or poke a ball the other way and take your free base. The chances are overwhelmingly against you that you're going to do better than that if you swing away, and once you do it a time or 2 the other team will stop like you said.

If it were that simple they would bunt. It isn’t.
 

olblue.sixpack

Redshirt
Aug 14, 2012
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Any time I see a player come up and the other team go to a shift my first thought of that player is that he is a selfish jackass. Unless you are Barry Bonds (who was also a selfish jackass), you have no business allowing a team to do that to you. Just lay down a bunt or poke a ball the other way and take your free base. The chances are overwhelmingly against you that you're going to do better than that if you swing away, and once you do it a time or 2 the other team will stop like you said.

In today’s baseball the chances of getting a huge contract are overwhelmingly against you if you try to bunt to beat the shift too often.
 
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Hugh's Burner Phone

All-American
Aug 3, 2017
5,554
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If you're just a dead pull hitter and not a power hitter then doing that makes perfect sense. But if you are a Bonds type then your paid to pop roids and hit the ball as far as you can. I'm sure the other team woUld give up a single every time Bonds came up to avoid him hitting a three run homer.
 

bulldogbaja

Redshirt
Dec 18, 2007
2,683
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I mean, Carpenter made it look pretty dang easy.
I get that it has to be the right pitch, but otherwise, what's so hard about it for an all-star caliber MLB batter?
 

olblue.sixpack

Redshirt
Aug 14, 2012
4,615
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Thanks for proving my point.

Your point was that players who elect not to lay down a bunt against the shift are selfish jackasses.

My point is that compensation is driven by doing just the opposite. So in other words, by swinging away and trying to hit the ball hard - even if it means hitting into a shift - players are actually doing what they are being paid to do. Not sure that makes them as much selfish as it does smart.
 
Sep 25, 2013
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Your point was that players who elect not to lay down a bunt against the shift are selfish jackasses.

My point is that compensation is driven by doing just the opposite. So in other words, by swinging away and trying to hit the ball hard - even if it means hitting into a shift - players are actually doing what they are being paid to do. Not sure that makes them as much selfish as it does smart.

The reason they are hitting into the shift is because most of them can't bunt successfully enough times to make it worth doing. The reason they can't bunt is because they've never took the time to learn how to bunt because they have never needed to bunt throughout their career from little league on up. Anyone that is on that level and can't bunt a baseball is that way because they refuse to learn and not because it's too hard for them to learn.
 

PineGroveBully

Redshirt
Nov 13, 2007
8,508
2
0
I don't know, a .250 hitter that that lays down one gimme bunt hit a week is now a .300 hitter. BA isn't the big deal in today's game but OBP and OPS are two of the main stats for saberheads and those 25 bunt hits raises both.
 

PineGroveBully

Redshirt
Nov 13, 2007
8,508
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Any major leaguer could go to a decent high school camp for two weeks can learn to bunt. If they can square up a 97mph fastball with a full swing 25% of the time then they can get a bunt down 60+% of the time.
 
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ronpolk

All-American
May 6, 2009
9,440
5,432
113
I mean, Carpenter made it look pretty dang easy.
I get that it has to be the right pitch, but otherwise, what's so hard about it for an all-star caliber MLB batter?

I watch almost every cards game and trust me when I say he normally does not make it look that easy. When teams put the shift on, they are pitching to induce pull contact.
 

PreacherDog

Redshirt
Nov 10, 2017
199
0
16
I mean, Carpenter made it look pretty dang easy.
I get that it has to be the right pitch, but otherwise, what's so hard about it for an all-star caliber MLB batter?

This was an extreme shift. All 4 infielders were on the right side of second. I doubt they do that against him that extreme.
 

PineGroveBully

Redshirt
Nov 13, 2007
8,508
2
0
Good thing Carp redeemed himself later in the game as his first AB was the weakest I've ever seen. Took 2 balls to go 2-0, then took 3 strikes in the strike zone without ever taking the bat off his shoulder.
 
Aug 24, 2012
1,254
669
113
Matt Karpenter is a zero tool player. His 2 year extension was a huge mistake. The 25 man roster and the lineup revolve around him hitting leadoff. Tommy Pham was a much better choice to hit leadoff but they traded him. Luke Voit was traded because Karpenter blocked him at 1st and now he's probably going to be an all star with the Yankees. Part of it isn't his fault. Mozeliak keeps proving he's the worst GM/VP in MLB. He's an idiot.
 

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
61,117
32,662
113
Do .250 hitters see the shift very often, unless they hit a lot of home runs?
 

ronpolk

All-American
May 6, 2009
9,440
5,432
113
Do .250 hitters see the shift very often, unless they hit a lot of home runs?

His .250 average has a lot to do with the shift. He hits in to it often. If there were no shift, I bet he’s a .300 hitter.
 

PineGroveBully

Redshirt
Nov 13, 2007
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Carp is actually hitting around .220, I just used .250 but the math was easier for a .250 hitter using 500AB as average for a season.
 

tatedog

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Mar 28, 2015
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In today’s baseball the chances of getting a huge contract are overwhelmingly against you if you try to bunt to beat the shift too often.

You will also highly piss off the Ace of Diamonds and his Jewels.
 

ronpolk

All-American
May 6, 2009
9,440
5,432
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Carp is actually hitting around .220, I just used .250 but the math was easier for a .250 hitter using 500AB as average for a season.

Carp becoming a power hitter is one of the worst things to ever happen to him. Carp used to be a .300 hitter and he traded that for a higher slugging %.
 

PineGroveBully

Redshirt
Nov 13, 2007
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What's crazy is Carpenter is the slowest skinny guy in the world. If Steven Hawking was still alive Carp would still be the slowest. Bader would have been on 3rd.

And to the other poster, I wasn't crazy about the Carp extension but I didn't mind it either. Mainly because maybe the #1 power bat in all the minors is 3b Gorman. He's about 2 years away. I believe I read where he hit 20 HR in the minors before he turned 20. They also have a cpl other top notch 3b that are also about 2 years away. One will probably be traded and another will probably change positions. So as a 3 year (counting this year) bridge to those guys plus I'm pretty sure Carp had a player option for 2020 anyway so we actually only extended him one year. But I agree he can be maddening to watch at times.
 

PineGroveBully

Redshirt
Nov 13, 2007
8,508
2
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Yes, much preferred the .285 hitter who hit 55 doubles and about 12hr and walked 100 times.

Love to have that guy back
 

PreacherDog

Redshirt
Nov 10, 2017
199
0
16
Matt Karpenter is a zero tool player. His 2 year extension was a huge mistake. The 25 man roster and the lineup revolve around him hitting leadoff. Tommy Pham was a much better choice to hit leadoff but they traded him. Luke Voit was traded because Karpenter blocked him at 1st and now he's probably going to be an all star with the Yankees. Part of it isn't his fault. Mozeliak keeps proving he's the worst GM/VP in MLB. He's an idiot.

Agree on Mozeliak to an extent. Hes been average at best. Missing playoffs has become norm for him. Time for change. Would like to have Pham still but there was a logjam in outfield. I think I would rather have Goldy for what we had to give up than Voit. I also think Carp has some value as a guy that can play multiple positions. Had an amazing stretch last summer. It also amazes me that he can get on base as much with an average as low as he does.
 

PreacherDog

Redshirt
Nov 10, 2017
199
0
16
Carp becoming a power hitter is one of the worst things to ever happen to him. Carp used to be a .300 hitter and he traded that for a higher slugging %.

That's the whole league though. Everyone has traded average for power.
 
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