NOTE: Welcome to Around the Horn’s latest feature, Ask The Coach. Our coach is Wayne Tyson, who was a high school and community college baseball coach for 26 years including six years at Florida Air Academy. His FAA team won the Florida Class 3A State Championship in 1998 and was runner-up in 1999, when the team included freshman Prince Fielder. Wayne currently writes for Cowbell Clankers, the Aerys Sports home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The question was posed to me very simply: what’s the purpose of the bunt?

Some managers and organizations are derided for using it too much, and others are defiled for not using it enough. It doesn’t matter what type of bunt we’re talking, there will definitely be a wide range of opinions upon its use. In this column, I’m going to stay away from all the different techniques and stick with the basics: what is the desired goal, and ultimately the possible outcome, of the bunt?

There are only three things a manager/coach can ask of a hitter when he steps in the batter’s box. The old quote goes, “Get on, get ‘em over, get ‘em in.”  Three offensive goals, and a basic type of bunt for each one.

» Continue reading “Ask The Coach: BUNT … Four Little Letters, Big Discussions”