Mains: Maybe we’ve taken this whole anti-bunting thing too far
From SABR member Rob Mains at Baseball Prospectus on February 7, 2018:
At the end of every season, I write about under-the-radar trends that occurred. The article for 2017 pointed out some developments that I think are interesting, but it’s also an opportunity for me to trot out what are probably my two favorite baseball charts.
Here’s a graph showing the frequency of bunts in the National League since 1955.
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There are all sorts of ways that sabermetrics and analytics have affected the game. On-base percentage and slugging percentage are valued more than batting average. Plate discipline and catcher framing are understood and rewarded. Lineup construction and bullpen management have become more fact-based than instinct-based. But to me, the above two charts represent one of the clearest victories: Sacrifice bunts often don’t make sense.
Read the full article here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/37571/flu-like-symptoms-maybe-weve-taken-whole-anti-bunting-thing-far/
Originally published: February 7, 2018. Last Updated: February 7, 2018.