Bunt Coverage Question

We do it like that sometimes.

We also have a coverage where 1B stays at 1st. 2B covers 2nd. SS covers 3B. 3B charges and Pitcher is responsible for 1B line. Also have the catcher in the middle.

If your 1st baseman is RH, he will more than likely not be able to cut runner down. If he is LH, he does have a shot.

If we were to use the coverage you describe, just send C to 3rd if he doesnt' field bunt.

If 3rd baseman doesn't field bunt, he retreats back to 3rd base.

we keep 1st baseman home. charge 3b and p covers 1b line.

Here's us:
1b has the hard bunt up his line
2b: first steps are in to guard against the hard bunt past the mound, then head to first
ss: in and then cover second
3b: in and whoever does not get the ball between P and 3b has the thrid base bag

what do you do with runners on 1&2 or 2nd? we've been debating on it. covering 1b line with pitcher is what i want when we're hitting (we will move the runner and be safe at 1st) we also crash 3B and bring SS on wheel, but I've shown bunt and had a foot race to 3rd for the steal in the past between the runner and SS, and dont want that to happen. Thoughts??

Is there a perfect coverage? I am very analitical and like to look at what I've seen and how we can attack it bunting. I don't think there is a fool proof way, but someone maybe able to prove me wrong

We play the same teams so many times that we have to switch it up. R2 I will sometimes even charge 3B and take the out, giving up third to R2. That has set teams up for future crucial picks.
I've also run wheel, 3-1 coverage, and 5-3 with 5 retreating on bunt not to him.

How are you sure you will get 1B if P covers 1B line with R2?

With runners on 1st and 2nd we have two coverages we use. It depends on the situation which one we will use. In bunt 2 coverage we have the 3b cheat up a little to deek them into thinking he has 3b line. He will have 3b for the force unless the ball is bunted hard up the 3b line where the pitcher can not make a play. SS deeks a little towards 3b to make them think we are putting on the wheel play. 2b has 1st. 1st has right side. Pitcher has left side middle and catcher has front. Our primary out is 3b to get the lead runner but if we can not get the lead runner we have to get an out at 1st.

In a situation where we feel we have to get the lead runner , late in the game no outs , can not afford to let the lead run reach 3rd with only one out if we get the guy at first we put on the wheel play. SS takes third , 3b charges hard , pitcher has middle , 1b has rs line and 2b has 1b. 1b is always working back hard to the bag as soon as he sees he is not going to field the bunt.

The key is practice , players knowing exactly what their job is , getting an out somewhere everytime and confidence in your ability to execute. It has worked well for us.

quote:

If your 1st baseman is RH, he will more than likely not be able to cut runner down. If he is LH, he does have a shot.

I think this is a common misconception.

A lefty 1B charging the bunt has all his momentum heading towards home plate. It is very difficult to stop that momentum and then throw across your body to second base. To make this play, a lefty 1B has to use chop steps as he approaches the ball. That costs time.

A righty 1B should charge that same bunt planning to overstep the ball with his right foot. This allows a pivot that will permit him to rotate his body weight towards second base as he throws. A skilled fielder will find this is actually an easier play to make than the one the lefty must make in the comparable situation.

This is the same reason why you would rather have a lefty in LF and a righty in RF. The pivot/spin throw is much easier to make on the ball into the corners, as opposed to trying to slow down and turn your body against your momentum.

1st and 2nd we do what coach may does. usually leaving 3b home unless hard bunt up the line.

When you really need that out at third one thing I like to do is have my 2b hold the runner pretty tight. Maybe fake an inside move or even throw back there once or twice. It makes it a tough play if they bunt to first and the only play you have is first; but if you've got a pretty athletic pitcher that gets down off the mound well... this works to help you get the out at third.

How athletic (or non-athletic) your pitcher is can mean a lot into the formula of which bunt coverage to choose with men on 1st and 2nd.

Good points skipper. When we feel we have to get the out at 3b we will spend alot of effort trying to hold the runner at 2b closer to the bag. Step off throw. Try a pick play. Throw a pitch out maybe and throw behind the runner. Flash in and out with both 2b and SS and then let SS release as 2b is flashing in before we go to the plate with the 2b understanding he has to bust right away towards first.

And of course there is no defense for the perfect bunt. But if the batter does not execute and your prepared you can defend it. If the batter does execute your probably going to end up with 2nd and 3rd with one out and now you might have to load them up. Practicing these situations with live runners helps alot obviously. It gives kids confidence and gives them an idea of what they can do and how to judge distances from bags and when they have a play and when they dont , etc.

Bunt O and Bunt D - First and Third O and D - Cut plays - Holding runners - Pick plays - All of these things fall into the category of the "little things" that make a huge difference. Many times they are the things that do not show up in the boxscore that determine who wins the game.

For those of you who do not charge the 3rd Baseman, and charge Pitcher and 1st Baseman instead, what is the point of keeping 3B home and 1B away from the bag? I am more curious why this would be done when there is no runner on.

When there is nobody on base everyone is just moving forward. When you see where the ball goes you all react.

So if everyone steps in and the 1B sees the bunt going to 3B, would he retreat and cover 1st, or would 2nd automatically cover the 1B bag?

Basically you want your corners to retreat and head back to their base to cover it because there is no point in having the first baseman charge in when the third baseman is making the play. Plus the second baseman has a lot of real estate to cover to get to the bag for the force.

Teach your corners to read pitch location and bat angle to get a jump on whether or not they charge. If they wait to see the ball down before they move it will be too late. If they don't read it down their way put the brakes on and head back.

Teach your pitchers they should take every bunt because it's an easier play for them if you are going to cut the field into thirds. If you are cutting the field in half then cheat the corner up and make sure the pitcher gets their half.

If the firstbaseman does get back to first then have the second baseman veer off and become a back up man in the OF grass.

we play a team that has won several state championships and consistantly wins the district tournament through the years. they have no bunt coverages. pitcher is responsible for everything. it totally amazes me but they never get burnt by this. coach has won about 800 games.

quote:

Originally posted by raiderbb:
we play a team that has won several state championships and consistantly wins the district tournament through the years. they have no bunt coverages. pitcher is responsible for everything. it totally amazes me but they never get burnt by this. coach has won about 800 games.

I love this idea, it falls right in line with what Trojan Skipper said. What you decide to do depends on how athletic your pitcher is. Usually he's one of the most athletic players on the field.

I agree with Coach Curt and Trojan Skipper: In high school, your pitcher is usually your best athlete. We pretty much do variations of what everyone has posted. We do have two twists that work well for us.
1)to simplify things for our middle infielders, we tell them to "float toward the ball". In other words, if ball is bunted down first with R on first the 2B will break toward first hard. 1B will either charge and field if bunt is pushed or will call off 2b and take throw if ball is at pitcher. We have been fortunate to have really athletic 2B's over the years and they run this scenario well when practiced. The opposite is true if ball is bunted down third; 3b and pitcher charge, ss floats toward third, 2B covers second. With runners on first and second our 3B always stays unless bunt is pushed.

If we need to get the lead runner out we put on a special play that has also been very successful for us over the years. It is a two pitch play. The pitcher pitches the first pitch up in the zone so batter will take or will pop up or foul if attempted. In the meantime, 3B charges, SS CHEATS a lot toward third to pick off steal attempt, 2B runs to first, 1B charges with corners yelling "BUNT". Now the runner, if he hasn't attempted the steal, is now thinking that there is absolutely nobody within 30 feet of me and will naturally take a HUGE lead with the assumption of a bunt being laid down and he will have third easily. Our pitcher (who really gave him a hard look on the first pitch) now gives quick glance, lifts leg and twirls toward second. Everyone in the infield has done the same exact thing as the first pitch EXCEPT the 2B who has snuck behind the runner for the pickoff.
We only use this if we have to keep a runner off of third late in the game and we are down or score is tied. If practiced this is very effective. We do it everynight along with our other "little" plays. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Jetman,
We also run this play, and have been effective with it. I like to run it early in the game however, because it keeps them close later. I understand your reason for running it later, and have done that. It is to a point where all the teams we play know it is coming and will call it out, so at times we don't even need to run it.
I'm interested in your other little plays though. Can you share?

We have the same reputation in our league. We rarely pickoff runners anymore because everyone knows. But like you said, they don't get the big leads and the plays have done their job.

We are successful when we play outside of our league or during playoffs with a team not familiar with us. We beat a number one seed in district play last year by picking off two kids at second on two different plays. They imploded after that because it took thier momentum completely away.

We used to have a team in our league that would run the old first and third delayed steal with the runner on first, either trying to draw a balk or getting caught in a run down (we also run this and it still amazes me how many players/coaches still don't know this is a timing play with two outs).

We have a play we simply call "Now". Defensively, if we are in a 1st/third and a team does this we will have the middle infield yell "step off". Our pitcher gives a hard look at the guy on third while stepping off, SS will cover 2nd, 2B will move up slightly with his eyes locked onto the runner at third. The pitcher turns his back and runs at an intersecting angle with the runner at first and when the runner at third takes off our 2B yells "NOW"-pitcher will stop-plant back foot and throw to home. Most of the time he is still on the infield grass and it is not a long throw. If he doesn't hear "NOW" he is to take the out at second or the tag. We completely shut down the other team doing this and they have yet to go back to it four years later. It is one of our "little plays".
We also hammer to death the pitcher covering first on a ball to the right side. It saved our bacon may times last year.
We will also try to pick off the second runner with men on first and second when up by 5 or so runs and we want to limit our pitch count. We will move our first basemen over toward second a few steps on the infield grass. This forces the runner to take an extra step or two to get a view of the bunt. We then have 1b charge yelling "BUNT", but he will round his path so that it takes him in front of the runner which blocks his view for a split second. The pitch is outside and our catcher does a snap throw to the 2b who has snuck in behind the runner. We time it so that he doesn't take off until the first baseman leaves. The first baseman's yelling seems to distract the first base coach as well. We don't use this often, but we have been more successful than not with it.
One other play that was done to us at a travel tournament (falls more under the realm of a very heads-up play) was a situation where we had runners on first and second. The catcher for the opposing team had a cannon for an arm. There was a pass ball and our runners took off for their successive bases with me screaming at the runner coming to third to hurry-up. The catcher scooped the ball up coming off the screen and fired to second without so much as a hesitation and threw our runner out "cruising" to second. They had obviously worked on that situation because the second baseman was covering. The runner and I were both a little shocked but a little impressed at the same time.
Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose and sometimes it rains.

My favorite little play is a simple one but works very well.

Runner at 3B

3B man is fairly close to the line.

You will notice in any game that when the catcher looks back at the runner they start to retreat but as soon as the catcher looks to the pitcher MOST runners simple turn their back and head back to the bag slowly.

Have your Catcher look at the runner briefly, staying slow and calm look back to the picther then turn and fire to the 3B man. The key is for the 3B man not to move until the very last second to catch and tag at the same time.

Catcher and 3B should have a sign for this play and sense most base runners to not return to the bag inside the baseline you have plenty of room to throw.

Another play with runners at 1st and 2nd that I did not see mentioned (forgive me if I missed it) is to have the 2nd baseman charge and cover mound to 1st and the pitcher has 3rd base line. I like having a middle infielder with quick hands that can cut down the lead runner on a bunt attempt. Also, many hitters see the 2nd baseman coming in and it throws them off a little and you can entice a pop-up. We use it sparingly but effectively.

With a runner of 1st and a Bunt situation, 1st Base will crash, 2nd base will cover 1st, shortstop takes 2nd, and for the 3rd baseman, its a read and react. If the ball is not bunted hard, the pitcher has the responsibility to cover in front, and the 3rd base side, if it is a hard roller the 3rd baseman will take the ball, pitcher goes to 3rd.