Blue Jays won the World Series that year. Watch the one minute video below. Pay
attention to the comments of the commentators after the play happens.
Most strikingly is “The Braves were not expecting this” and “…a good bunt given the
situation”.
Realistically, most situations won’t call for a power hitter to drop down a bunt but
when the situation does arise it could be the difference between winning and losing.
All players must practice bunting consistently to get to the point where they aren’t
afraid to do it and coaches aren’t afraid to call for it. The vicious circle is the fact that
since bunting isn’t practiced enough, there is a lack of confidence in its execution
therefore it’s poorly executed by the batter or the coach never uses it when needed.
Make bunting a competition in practice with rewards for the winners (like skipping that
days conditioning or the losers have to clean up the locker room or field). They will
take it serious and do their best to execute. Have cones or targets on the ground they
need to hit to or between. Make up three men teams that compete against each other.
Think of the Boy Scouts motto “Always be prepared”.
Mind Set
Obviously players would rather swing away. Watch many players show their
disappointment when receiving the bunt sign – a deep sigh or a half-hearted bunt
attempt - and the end result is usually poor. So the first thing a coach has to do is to
have the player understand the value of the bunt.
Bunting isn’t because the coach believes the batter can’t hit the ball (although that’s
what most players think). The player needs to know that bunting is about winning
games and it is contributing to the win for the team. That perfecting the bunt –
especially the sacrifice bunt and its placement - will contribute just as much as
swinging away and hitting the ball. In fact, you have more control on ball placement
when bunting vs. swinging away. Bunting also causes headaches for the defense. A
good bunt will cause errors because most fielders are out of proper fielding position