Does anyone out there in amateur ball at any level track bunts? Almost every team I’ve scored for seems to have one guy that for whatever reason seems to bunt a great deal of the time. I’ve always tracked sac bunts and some years back bunt hits, and this year I also began tracking bunt outs that weren’t sacs.
I don’t know that the report shows anything surprising, but it sure does give an accurate picture of who is and who isn’t doing the bunting.
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Does anyone out there in amateur ball at any level track bunts? Almost every team I’ve scored for seems to have one guy that for whatever reason seems to bunt a great deal of the time. I’ve always tracked sac bunts and some years back bunt hits, and this year I also began tracking bunt outs that weren’t sacs.
I don’t know that the report shows anything surprising, but it sure does give an accurate picture of who is and who isn’t doing the bunting.
Stats: When I saw your post, I said right away, "my son" ( 2 more bunt hits in yesterday's double header). I would look at bunt attempts and successes (sacrifices and hits). If .333 is considered a good batting average (though probably more like .400-.450 HS depending on conference), I would think the bunt success average should be at or above that average, which clearly your top guy has.
In a related small ball note,
i also read where a 67% stolen base average for a runner is a good threshold as to "should we run him or not." Of course other factors come into that decision as well (LH pitcher, pitcher has high leg kick, slow to the plate, is a "one-looker", good move, field conditions, score) as to sending a runner..
Does anyone out there in amateur ball at any level track bunts? Almost every team I’ve scored for seems to have one guy that for whatever reason seems to bunt a great deal of the time. I’ve always tracked sac bunts and some years back bunt hits, and this year I also began tracking bunt outs that weren’t sacs.
I don’t know that the report shows anything surprising, but it sure does give an accurate picture of who is and who isn’t doing the bunting.
Stats: When I saw your post, I said right away, "my son" ( 2 more bunt hits in yesterday's double header). I would look at bunt attempts and successes (sacrifices and hits). If .333 is considered a good batting average (though probably more like .400-.450 HS depending on conference), I would think the bunt success average should be at or above that average, which clearly your top guy has.
In a related small ball note,
i also read where a 67% stolen base average for a runner is a good threshold as to "should we run him or not." Of course other factors come into that decision as well (LH pitcher, pitcher has high leg kick, slow to the plate, is a "one-looker", good move, field conditions, score) as to sending a runner..
Can't leave the catcher's out in the stolen base decision either. (good pop time, er trouble catching off speed pitches, etc.)
Originally Posted by Ripken Fan:
In a related small ball note,
i also read where a 67% stolen base average for a runner is a good threshold as to "should we run him or not." Of course other factors come into that decision as well (LH pitcher, pitcher has high leg kick, slow to the plate, is a "one-looker", good move, field conditions, score) as to sending a runner..
Can't leave the catcher's out in the stolen base decision either. (good pop time, er trouble catching off speed pitches, etc.)
Unfortunately, as in all things anyone tries to draw some kind of line in the sand about, there really are so many factors involved it’s really difficult to say much more than “This number is pretty good.”
A few years back I began churning out a “Runner Disruptions” report after every game for the coaches to look at, and that’s become a staple in the overall stats “package” because so many people like it. However, it’s not being used to say this number is good. It’s approached as showing pretty plainly which players are making the opposing pitchers lose focus on the hitters.
I think when you look at the 2nd page which is our opponents, you'll see that we're losing the battle. 
What is Runner Disruption and how do I look at it? I saw the download and looks interesting. As a coach though explain to me why it is important.
Originally Posted by IEBSBL:
What is Runner Disruption and how do I look at it? I saw the download and looks interesting. As a coach though explain to me why it is important.
I can only tell you why I made it and what our coaches have said about it.
The year I put it together, our HC was having a conniption because our SBs were significantly down. That was a pretty big deal because his teams have historically been wild on the bases so it was a big part of the offense. So, I tried to come up with a way to show what was going on by using the numbers.
I picked the data points I thought had the most to do with the running game, and when we compared what was happening that season with what had happened previous seasons, it was pretty obvious that our guys were drawing a heck of a lot more throws, which of course slows the running game down to some degree. Then one of the coaches said something about the times the pitcher was stepping off or faking to control runners, and that’s when the “fakes” came about. When they got added to the mix, it got even more obvious that the pitchers were doing things to try to control the running game.
After a few more games it dawned on one of the coaches that the more the pitchers were worried about the runners, the more the batters should benefit, and since then the report’s been used more as something to judge whether our runners are taking big enough leads. When the Asst C on that team moved and I went with him to this school, he uses it as a way to get a little hype into the running game. As a goal, players are encouraged to cause at least 3 disruptions every time they get on base. It really doesn’t mean a whole lot, but it does get the bench into what’s going on, and it seems to get the runners a lot more focused on trying to disrupt the game.
Since the 1st time I ran it, I’ve added some things. Led off the inning and led off the inning reaching were requested by one of the coaches. I also added the “Reached Base” columns, and just this year added in the home to 1st column.
In the end, it just seems to be a report people like to look at. As to how “important” it is, I suppose that has a lot to do with what one is thinking about at any given time. FI, if you’re thinking about fielding, it doesn’t have a lot of use. Or, if you’re trying to figger out why your pitchers aren’t throwing strikes or getting ahead of batters, it prolly doesn’t have a lot of use either. So I guess the answer is, it isn’t a very “important” report.
