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After the Arizona Diamondbacks game vs. the Colorado Rockies on Friday, May 15, attention rightfully has focused on Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly’s first complete game of his career and the Diamondbacks’ six-run first inning at the hands of hapless Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland.
But later in the game, small ball played a key role.
Baseball should be a game of strategy, not always blunt-force execution.
Bunting offers variety to baseball's "three true outcomes": a home run, a walk or a strikeout.
A well-placed bunt, which is an art, is another weapon in the arsenal.
It also can level the playing field for teams that don’t have the kind of payroll to afford multiple power hitters.
Any strategic hit such as the bunt has to be well-thought out so that it throws opponents off guard and allows for flexibility in baserunning.
For example, in the Diamondbacks vs. Mets game on May 10, James McCann placed a sacrifice bunt along the first-base line that advanced Nolan Arenado to second and Ildemaro Vargas to third, preparing the way for the two RBI knock by Ryan Waldschmidt. Arizona went on to win the game 5-1.
In the Diamondbacks vs. Rockies game on May 15, Geraldo Perdomo singled in the fourth inning on a soft bunt ground ball to Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros, and, after a throwing error to first by Karros because he was rushed, Corbin Carroll was able to advance to third. Perdomo then got to second. In the next at-bat, Arenado walked.
All of that chased Freeland off the mound, and Rockies reliever Zach Agnos then gave up a single to Vargas, allowing Carroll to score, padding the lead to 7-1, and advancing the other runners. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. then flied out.
The Diamondbacks won the game 9-1.
MLB keeps statistics on bunts but buries them for each player lower down on their page under advanced career stats and the “sacrifice bunts” column. Interestingly enough, Perdomo, a master of the well-placed bunt, logged a career-high 14 bunts in 2023, the year Arizona went to the World Series.MLB.com writer Anthony Castrovince notes that the bunt may be in for a comeback in 2026: As of the beginning of May, professional baseball is “on pace for notable numbers of both bunt singles and sacrifice bunts. … The rate of bunt hits was the highest since 2015 and the rate of sacrifice attempts is the highest since 2021.”
Castrovince also notes that so far this season, the Diamondbacks are among the top five teams for both sac bunts and bunt hits.
Still under .500 and trying to win using all available strategies, the Diamondbacks likely will continue their bunting ways.
What to know: Diamondbacks rookie Ryan Waldschmidt's hidden skill no longer a secret
A Tucson native whose family spent summers in the White Mountains, Rebecca “Becca” Dyer lives in the Valley, is a copy editor/online producer for The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com and follows the Arizona Diamondbacks. Send tips on Arizona history items to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Reasons to respect DBacks’ well-placed bunts
Continue reading...
But later in the game, small ball played a key role.
Baseball should be a game of strategy, not always blunt-force execution.
Bunting offers variety to baseball's "three true outcomes": a home run, a walk or a strikeout.
A well-placed bunt, which is an art, is another weapon in the arsenal.
It also can level the playing field for teams that don’t have the kind of payroll to afford multiple power hitters.
Any strategic hit such as the bunt has to be well-thought out so that it throws opponents off guard and allows for flexibility in baserunning.
For example, in the Diamondbacks vs. Mets game on May 10, James McCann placed a sacrifice bunt along the first-base line that advanced Nolan Arenado to second and Ildemaro Vargas to third, preparing the way for the two RBI knock by Ryan Waldschmidt. Arizona went on to win the game 5-1.
In the Diamondbacks vs. Rockies game on May 15, Geraldo Perdomo singled in the fourth inning on a soft bunt ground ball to Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros, and, after a throwing error to first by Karros because he was rushed, Corbin Carroll was able to advance to third. Perdomo then got to second. In the next at-bat, Arenado walked.
All of that chased Freeland off the mound, and Rockies reliever Zach Agnos then gave up a single to Vargas, allowing Carroll to score, padding the lead to 7-1, and advancing the other runners. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. then flied out.
The Diamondbacks won the game 9-1.
MLB keeps statistics on bunts but buries them for each player lower down on their page under advanced career stats and the “sacrifice bunts” column. Interestingly enough, Perdomo, a master of the well-placed bunt, logged a career-high 14 bunts in 2023, the year Arizona went to the World Series.MLB.com writer Anthony Castrovince notes that the bunt may be in for a comeback in 2026: As of the beginning of May, professional baseball is “on pace for notable numbers of both bunt singles and sacrifice bunts. … The rate of bunt hits was the highest since 2015 and the rate of sacrifice attempts is the highest since 2021.”
Castrovince also notes that so far this season, the Diamondbacks are among the top five teams for both sac bunts and bunt hits.
Still under .500 and trying to win using all available strategies, the Diamondbacks likely will continue their bunting ways.
What to know: Diamondbacks rookie Ryan Waldschmidt's hidden skill no longer a secret
A Tucson native whose family spent summers in the White Mountains, Rebecca “Becca” Dyer lives in the Valley, is a copy editor/online producer for The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com and follows the Arizona Diamondbacks. Send tips on Arizona history items to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Reasons to respect DBacks’ well-placed bunts
Continue reading...
