Preview: LA Tech vs. BYU Series

[PawDawg]

Outs are the currency of baseball, and they are extremely valuable. In a sacrifice situation, you concede one of those outs for baserunner position. Sure, the advance in baserunner position is great, but because you traded an out for it, the cost is greater than the gain in terms of run expectancy.

Of course a sac bunt is better than a GIDP, but you're comparing outcomes. Signs are called based on expectation. When you tell the hitter to swing away, you don't know going into it that the guy is going to GIDP, but you have to be willing to take that risk because the percentages tell you there's a better chance of an even more advantageous situation than what the sac bunt would provide.

I understand and appreciate your position, but the downside to your position is that bunting is NEVER an option.

IMO, bunting is a useful part of the game in certain situations.

Our situation last night was guys with no HR or deep sac power ( the wind howling in ) and/or young inexperienced (Strike out risk) players who we needed to sacrifice a runner over.

[FriscoDawg]

Tells me something good about Safford...he does what his HC tells him to do which is part of baseball 101. It's been a while since LB made one of these calls. Glad it didn't cost us the game like it has in the past.

Now, lets see if we have coaches who can coach bunting 101.

It was Hegwood, not Safford, who got thrown out at third.

[PawDawg]

It was Hegwood, not Safford, who got thrown out at third.

Thanks for the correction. Tells me something good about Hegwood. I love coachable young men who are not prima donnas. FWIW, I admired LB for not saying a word to the player. He knew it was on him and he ate it.

[Bone_afide_Dawg]

I understand and appreciate your position, but the downside to your position is that bunting is NEVER an option.

IMO, bunting is a useful part of the game in certain situations.

Our situation last night was guys with no HR or deep sac power ( the wind howling in ) and/or young inexperienced (Strike out risk) players who we needed to sacrifice a runner over.

This is my way of thinking too. Sometimes little victories can be big momentum moments that can propel things as opposed to a weak out that can crush a team’s optimism.

[LEEDAWG]

Thanks for the correction. Tells me something good about Hegwood. I love coachable young men who are not prima donnas. FWIW, I admired LB for not saying a word to the player. He knew it was on him and he ate it.

I expect Hegwood gets chewed out if he stopped at 2nd and LB believes he should be standing safe at 3rd with no outs. Hegwood was smart to obey the coaches call. He was booking it too around the bases from the batters box. Really sucked at the time to get that out considering our small lead in the game and knowing BYU had been hitting and scoring like a video game all weekend. Just iffy to try for the triple with no outs and the top of the lineup due.

[Dowty]

I understand and appreciate your position, but the downside to your position is that bunting is NEVER an option.

IMO, bunting is a useful part of the game in certain situations.

Our situation last night was guys with no HR or deep sac power ( the wind howling in ) and/or young inexperienced (Strike out risk) players who we needed to sacrifice a runner over.

I wouldn't say it's never an option, as I did highlight the situation in which it increases win expectancy, but it should definitely be more limited than it is.

It's also not a given that the guy is going to execute the bunt properly. I saw a stat one time that said something like 50% of attempted bunts in pro ball result in a fair ball. I'd rather the hitter swing away and trust he'll find a hole than try a bunt that I know is only going to use the first 30-40' of the field if he puts it in play.

In youth and high school baseball, all of this goes out the window because teams are much more error prone and it can really throw things into chaos for the defense. It's much easier to make the case for fewer bunts in college ball and up.

[FriscoDawg]

Early returns from BYU's first two games at ULL don't make Tech look good. BYU has lost 4-3 and 11-0.

BYU hitting that went .305 (46-151) at Tech has gone .197 (12-61) in two games at Lafayette.

BYU's ace that gave up 1 run and 1 hit in 7 innings last Friday gave up 8 runs in 4.1 IP tonight.

[techman05]

I’m still in the camp of withholding judgement for a few series. We have had series when everybody looked like they just saw a baseball for the first time. We have had them when every area of our game couldn’t miss.

[Tech52]

Early returns from BYU's first two games at ULL don't make Tech look good. BYU has lost 4-3 and 11-0.

BYU hitting that went .305 (46-151) at Tech has gone .197 (12-61) in two games at Lafayette.

BYU's ace that gave up 1 run and 1 hit in 7 innings last Friday gave up 8 runs in 4.1 IP tonight.

It was the first week. We went 2/2. Things will change as the season goes on.

[techman05]

Lots of top teams lost to nobody competition tonight. It will happen.