A Dying Art: Why Sacrifice Bunts (And Bunts in General) Are Going Away From Major League Baseball...

It's time for another WHAT HAPPENED TO Video.. and today, it's the SAC BUNT.. it used to be a normal play to get a runner into scoring position, bt advanced analytics have told us... it's not usually the best play.
Get 'em on, move 'em over, drive 'em in.
That old-school philosophy doesn't play in the major leagues anymore. Teams rely more on the long ball than small ball.
As a result, the sacrifice bunt is a dying art.
There were only 1,025 sacrifices in the majors last season, down from 1,667 in 2011. The average of .21 sacrifices per game in 2016 was the lowest in baseball history, according to Baseball Reference.
The influence of sabermetrics is a Boston Red Soxmajor reason why sac bunts are down - batters just don't try to get 'em down anymore.
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[@storiedworlds6261]

This is why I loved watching the WBC this year, especially Team Japan. They still played the complete game: bunts, sacrifices, hit and runs, stolen bases, and home runs. What a beautiful game when played well.

[@gandhi3625]

Keep up the historical vids. I keep coming back for them, even if the Cards get broomed by the Giants.

[@BigRichfrank]

The world was reminded by the WBC how fun small ball is !!!!

[@bobbest8627]

Yep, Miss small ball… I miss pitchers batting. I might sacrifice bunt in the top of the tenth with the Mannford runner on second depending on the hitter. In this day and age of analytics… Exit Velo, launch angle, makes you wonder if somebody like Brett Butler, Matty Alou, or Wee Willie Keeler would even make it through the minor leagues. If it’s a suicide squeeze, make sure the batter doesn’t miss the sign… I did that once… Not good.

[@Wolfeson28]

5:46 I'm glad you included that one in the compilation. It's fun to see that the Giants are pulling the ol' squeeze play out of the bag of tricks every so often - analytics or no, this team still has a little appreciation for small-ball in the right moments. It's interesting that you mentioned steals as a tool with a similar role to the sac bunt, so I wonder if part of this year's decline in sac bunt has to do with the increase in steals due to the rule changes. I don't really mind modern lineups being full of home run hitters, though I do wish outfield walls would stop creeping in to make home runs easier and easier. I would love if it were possible to just unilaterally order every MLB park to move their entire outfield fence back 10 feet or so from where it currently is along its entire length. Make home runs that little bit harder to hit, and open up more space in the outfield so balls in play have a better chance to go for hits and for extra-base hits. That would open up more variety in viable hitting styles.

[@marcfortier6632]

Man you are killing it with these videos. Keep it up!

[@brianchua4240]

I can understand why the coaches don't want to bunt anymore since they consider it a "wasted out". However, I still think it's a good idea to do so especially in extra innings. Today, hitters are focusing way too much on swinging for the fences.

[@T_K7]

I'm having trouble finding data for this, and I know they don't play out the exact same, but maybe sac bunts are also incidentally being replaced by fly outs to advance runners. After all, if you swing for the fences and miss, you tend to get such an opportunity so long as you were close, further reducing the amount of times a sac bunt makes sense.

[@DPK365]

Random question: I have been very busy this year, so I have watched zero baseball… Any ideas of how many are trying to bunt with the new shift ban in place?

[@titusmartin9120]

I'm still waiting for the "Ty Cobb was misunderstood" video.

[@HummBabyBaseball]

Coming soon

[@riverview9320]

Reds' T.J. Friedl is bringing it back... Great website name.

[@stevengreco8961]

What a great enjoyable video!

[@lonardgetchell-bm9lc]

I agree Erik, but I've seen more bunting this season in MLB than I've seen in a long time.

[@petercollin5670]

I think about the unwritten rule of never bunting to break up a no hitter. Doesn't that imply that a bunt is an easy hit?

[@MICHAEL_MAY_8]

No, it implies that a successful bunt off an otherwise unhittable pitcher, would be a cheap way to get on base (ie. shitty way of breaking up a no-no)..

[@drewbaby299]

I think today's game is more frustrating. Seeing a batter swing for the fences and striking out with runners on and 2 outs is so frustrating to watch, knowing a slap hit usually oppo can get the runs in.

[@michaelbaucom4019]

Tie game in late innings, it might make sense, or if you already have a lead, perhaps. Analytics/moneyball/Bill james disciples stopped it. I still don't get why weak/bad hitters with no power and great speed don't/won't do it to try to get a hit(Billy Hamilton comes to mind), unless the aforementioned analytics makes it an automatic no

[@pepinoman9271]

The risk made it exciting

[@silentsnake214]

Great video

[@Bubbleb2]

I was disappointed when the National League went to the Designated Hitter Rule. The DH rule hurts small ball in my opinion.

[@ericrakestraw664]

Bunting is still common in Little League baseball because of weaker hitters.

[@evilmonkeyspeaks7801]

Why do guys today swing for the fence ? HR means highlights. Highlights mean bigger contract. I.E. more 💵

[@michaelrotter1134]

Successful teams still use the bunt.

[@kevinminer1293]

A good video, but your reporting on the so-called "advanced analytics" is far to charitable. While it is true that many mathematicians have claimed that the sacrifice bunt is not worth it compared to swinging for the fences, a simple look at objective data proves otherwise. Case and point: In 1923, the major league average of runs per game was 5.02. As of June 19, 2023, that average currently stands at 4.55 runs per game. This is with shift restrictions, larger bases *and* a universal DH. And it's not just this past year. MLB hasn't averaged more than 5 runs per game in the last two decades--ironically when "analytics" told us ballplayers should stop focusing on smallball and instead on a one-dimensional home run-or-bust offense. Again, they *data* supports their argument, but what data are they referring to? And why does it contradict the results on the field and what brilliant baseball minds like Casey Stengel understood to be true? A bunt advances the runner in exchange for an out. A strike out is just a wasted out, the proliferation of which has made modern baseball unwatchable for many fans. Remember the words of Crash Davis: Strike outs are boring--and fascist. Baseball should be more democratic.

[@jonathonbloomfield9912]

Higher success rate to steal the base currently

[@jennyvega8]

i love sac bunts!

[@SconnerStudios]

Move the mound back 5 to 10 feet. Makes bunts more practical and raises number of balls in play significantly. Not to mention, it gives the pitcher a second to dodge a line drive shot back at them. Fewer injuries, more action, more styles of play.

[@Dulcimerist]

Less pitch accuracy, more walks and wild pitches, more pitcher injuries from throwing at that distance, less action.

[@SconnerStudios]

@@Dulcimerist nah pitchers will adjust their arms and teams would have to rely more on defense rather than just seeing strike, ball, or home run. It would be like how pitchers threw up until only in the recent couple decades. Walter Johnson and Christy Matthewson didn't have a ton of injuries, neither did Warren Spahn, Whitey Ford, Rollie Fingers, or CC Sabathia. But Jacob DeGrom, Aroldis Chapman, and most other pitchers in this past decade have faced more injuries than ever. Idk how you think there'd be more wild pitches when the catcher would have more time to see the pitch and stop it. Baseball Doesn't Exist made a great video a while back explaining all the reasons why it should be done. The game has changed, and the rules should adjust to make sure those changes don't make the game boring and one-sided.

[@Dulcimerist]

@@SconnerStudios Also, catchers have even more time to see knuckleballs. Talk to Bob Uecker about catching those and how often they made it to the backstop. More dirtballs, more distance for breaking balls to break, and less accuracy would cause problems.

[@SconnerStudios]

@@Dulcimerist They'd throw less breaking balls, and they already have spider tack, which even if they get caught they get a slap on the wrist. Slower pitch speed, more contact, more balls in play. Pitches have gotten faster than ever, which is why you either get a strike, ball, or home run. Lower the pitch speed a few MPH and batting averages will go back up. It's coming to the point that you could put 7 scarecrows in the field and not much would change. That needs to be fixed. Some changes are needed as athletes and culture change, the pitch clock is a good example. Now there's less action-less time. I think you underestimate the casual fan's lack of interest in a 1-0 game with 5 hits between the 2 teams when the NFL or NBA have plenty of times they score in a game.

[@Dulcimerist]

​@@SconnerStudios Breaking balls used to be frowned upon long ago, so I suppose this would take us back to that era with less of them being used. There might be less variety of pitches. This change would definitely be more dramatic than when MLB lowered the mound from 15" to 10" in 1969 when pitchers like Bob Gibson were dominating hitters. Throwing it extra distance takes more physical effort, so multiply that by 100 for a starter and 30+ starts per season. It's certainly something they could test in the Atlantic League, keeping an eye out for increased injury or the need for more pitching changes. The elite MLB pitchers would likely still have success with the mound farther back, but most of the pitchers in MLB can't pitch like that. What happens with the Dean Kremers of the league? There will be more long, drawn out innings with teams batting around in the order due to the increased offense and decreased variety of pitches to hit. More pitches will need to be thrown, and 100 pitches might only get three or four innings. If that happens, there'd need to be more pitching changes and expanded rosters for more pitchers. More AAA pitchers will make rosters, further decreasing the pitching quality and boosting the offense and frequency of long, drawn out innings. There'd be more scoring, but longer games and innings that seem to go on too long. Hockey and soccer often aren't very high scoring, but they're still popular - soccer is the most popularly watched sport in the entire world, with 1-1 and 1-0 scores being the most common. How do you explain that? Basketball has baskets being made so frequently and the points are too easy to get - and the end of a close game is super boring with the constant intentional fouls. Football scores are merely an illusion, due to earning so many points per touchdown. The average number of events that change the score of am NFL game are identical to the average numbers of runs in an MLB game.

[@caaasillas3205]

The argument of no sac bunts because it gives away outs is stupid because 95% of hitters give away outs by striking out 150+ a season lol… make the batters who can’t make contact lay down a sac bunt!!! A strike out is worse than a sacrifice bunt but everyone is okay with strikeouts now for some reason. The new MLB is pretty trash

[@antagonisstic]

Old and White. No problem with that. So who was the last Player Manager Pete Rose?

[@orangehoof]

MLB has become "whack-a-mole" baseball. Everyone swing for the fences. Forget trying to advance runners. It's really embarrassing to see this stupid "ghost runner on second" rule for extra innings and modern players still can't get the run home. Leadoff hitter - bunt the guy on second over to third. Now you have two outs to plate the run by bunt, sac fly, base hit, wild pitch, passed ball, etc but today's baboons just want to hit home runs.

[@GoGorillas]

It is what it is

[@davidjohnson6611]

Major League Baseball has gotten boring there's about ten guys combined in both leagues that hit 300 now everybody plays for the three-run Homer and a lot of teams that do a little small ball like Tampa look like a real major league team at least the stolen base is making a comeback finally LOL I blame the ADHD fans crazy addiction to statistics most of which could never be Quantified with all of the variables that go into play which of course these statistics seldom even acknowledge but then that's the modern era.

[@caponsacchi9979]

If you've received, or are scheduled to receive, Social Security and Medicare benefits, you gotta be crazy to vote Republican, regardless of the Democratic candidate for President. Voting for Trump would be the most insane "sacrifice" of all, another tax break to billionaires.

[@richdouglas2311]

Sac bunts are almost always dumb. The out is worth way more than the base(s) gained.

[@Dmiller7239]

Scheduled double headers are loooooog gone

[@AceManning18]

I understand the math behind the way the game is played today but it really isnt as fun to watch. Nobody wants to watch nothing but 3 true outcomes over and over and over and over again. Bunts and singles make the game fun to watch. A lot more randomness involved. Math is killing the game. It helped the suits decide which players are worth having and how much they are worth, but its hurt the fans and the fans are what makes your league possible.