TIGER BASEBALL - Bunting Fundamentals

Bunting Fundamentals

Get close enough to the plate so that you can touch the inside line of the opposite batter's box with your bat. For a sacrifice bunt, begin your movement into the bunting position when the pitcher begins his delivery. You want to be in the proper bunting position with your bat angle preset before the ball leaves the pitcher's hand. When bunting for a hit, wait until just before the pitcher releases the ball to get into position.

The simplest way to get a feel for the proper bunting position is to squat down like you would in the weight room. From that squat position, and while keeping your head still, turn your upper body to get the bat out in front of the plate. Stay down in your legs as you bring the bat out in front. When done right, you will be down in your legs, your chest out over the plate, you should feel your weight on your back leg, and your head will be behind the bat.

Bunting Position Checkpoints

Hands hold the bat about 12” away from the body.
The bat should be just below shoulder level with the barrel angled slightly up above the hands.
Athletic bend in the knees. The bat should start at the top of the strike zone.
Athletic bend at the waist to bring head towards the plate and behind the bat.
Chin should be inside the front knee.
The bat should be angled away from the pitcher to either the 1st or 3rd base side.
Movement down to the bottom of the strike zone is done with the knees in an elevator type fashion.
Bunt the ball first then run. Placement is more important than getting out of the box quickly.

For a right handed batter, drop the back foot and take a small jab step in towards the plate with the front foot to line your feet up in a runner's stance to 1st base. When bunting to 3rd, aim to bunt the outside half of the ball. When bunting to 1st, aim to bunt the inside half of the ball.

For a left handed batter, bring the back foot to the inside line of the batter's box with your feet parallel to the foul line. When bunting to 1st, the position will be very similar to the position used for bunting to 3rd base but pivot the back foot around a little more to help you set your bat angle. When bunting to 3rd, aim to bunt the inside half of the ball. When bunting to 1st, aim to bunt the outside half of the ball.

Bunt Placement

The goal is to get the bunt down in fair territory and away from the pitcher into one of the boxes shown in the picture below. The yellow box is known as the hurry zone because the pitcher fielding a bunt that rolls into this box will have to hurry to get the batter out at first. The red box is known as the panic zone because the pitcher will have to make an even tougher play and will have a hard time getting the bunter out at first, even if the bunter only has average speed. For a sacrifice bunt, the goal is to place the bunt perfectly between the hurry and panic zone but to err towards the hurry zone. Bunt to the 1st base side when there is only a runner on 1st and bunt to the 3rd base side when there is a runner on 2nd. There is no reason to flirt with foul line when sacrifice bunting. When bunting for a hit, the goal is also to place the bunt perfectly between the hurry and panic zone but anywhere in the panic zone works. It is okay to miss to the foul side but you should never bunt the ball back to the pitcher when bunting for a hit. Right handed batters can also bunt for a hit by pushing the ball past the pitcher to right side towards the second baseman.

You also want to control how hard you bunt the ball such that it rolls away from the catcher but stops short of the corner infielder. Pace of the bunt is controlled by how firmly you grip the bat with the hand down by the knob and where on the bat you bunt the ball. For a faster/harder bunt, bunt the ball with the sweet spot of the bat and keep a very firm grip with your bottom hand. For a softer/slower bunt, bunt the ball more towards the end of the bat and keep a looser grip with the bottom hand.

Lastly, and most importantly, always get a good pitch to bunt. Only attempt to bunt strikes. If the pitcher will not throw you a strike, we will be more than happy to take the walk. When bunting for a hit, only bunt fastballs.