Slash Bunting

I used this a long time ago, we called it fake bunt and hit away, I had my players (at the varsity high school level) do this to keep their head on the baseball, I even had a played fake bunt and then hit a home run. This got him out of a bad slump!!!

It is a bit bush league but then again some fielders also  charge a little too aggressive at the first sign of a bunt almost going in full sprint.

I would never allow a slash in youth balls but I think at higher levels it is ok to occasionally do that to keep the fielders honest and prevent them crashing in almost before the pitch us is thrown in a bunt situation.

It’s not bush league at all.  And...to be clear...the slash is not to attack the corner guys, nor is it a full swing.  It is meant to attack the middle guys who vacate early and it is a slap style swing.  

Am I correct that it is NOT Illegal in NFHS High School Baseball?

My son's HS played a team that had the 1B and 3B charge to within 20' of home plate and stood their waiting for the pitch.  It was impossible to bunt successfully without doing some "misdirection".

I encourage our sac bunters to square early.

So, when we attempt to sac with a runner at second, we sometimes have a first baseman in our face.

But I don't expect our players to slash bunt because they've never done it before in practice, let alone in a game vs. game-speed pitching.

IME, slash bunting exists primarily on the internet.

Slash bunting exists in real life, too.  Many coaches don’t practice it and, therefore, do not do it in the games.  It is a great weapon of you know when and how to use it. 

We would fake bunt and pull back to steal to keep the catcher honest.  It was called bush league by some coaches but it worked because their catchers could not focus.  The great part of it was when we actually bunted they had seen it so much that they never charged.  Made bunting a lot easier.  I think coaches who teach their corners to come that hard are crazy.  One day they will get a player killed or hurt bad by a slash bunt and it is real.  Players who are taught it and know how to do it are very effective.  Have to have quick hands.

I'm opposed to slashing....it seems dangerous to me. Quick qestion, if the batter squares and keeps his bat in the zone but doesn't move is it a strike?    I don't think he offered at the pitch but his bat was over the plate as the pitch went by high, but the batter also made no attempt to pull his bat back. 

NONAMEDAD No that is not an attempt, he/she has to offer at the pitch.

I agree with POLOGREEN on the letter of the law but I also disagree.  So, if that scenario is right and they did not offer then if a coach has a hit and run on and the ball is 3 feet above batters head and they swing through at waist high to protect the runner did they offer at the pitch?  The bat staying out there could be considered an offer at the pitch according to the umpire's interpretation no different than a swing at a ball 5 feet above the bat would be considered swinging at the ball by everyone but it is really not an offer at a pitch.  I would say 90% of the time if you leave the bat out there the umpire is going to call it a strike because most will say you were just a bad bunter.

The danger part of slashing is not the offensive team it is the defensive team.  You have to teach your defense to read the batter and bail if they have to.  I faced a guy who used to coach HS softball so he would teach his first and third to come within 20 feet of home plate when the batter squared.  He would yell hold your ground.  I watched a player from another team slash and almost took the third baseman's head off with a shot.  The coach said great job of holding your ground.  His mom yelled get your +++ out of the way next time and told then lit into the coach. 

We (HS) played a team that did this both games of our series this passed week.  They would do it even w/ 2 strikes.  They bunted 8 times in the 1st game and ended up winning as our P and 3rd basemen had difficulties handling the situation we changed pitchers and got 2/3 outs so they stopped.  2nd game they were over matched by our P so they tried to get him off his rhythem by fake bunting/slashing and stepping out constantly.  Lost 8-1 w/ 12 K's.