Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Yzerman fan
I'd be interested to see how Carrera is at a bunter, he seems to actually be a guy that it might make sense for him to bunt although I agree bunting is absolutely awful 99% of the time.
For bunting to actually be +ev, I think you need all of the following to be true.
- scoring 1 run is at a premium
- the batter is a below average hitter
- the batter is an above average bunter
- there are no outs
- the base runner is of at least average speed
- the following hitters are decent hitters
Asking to bunt a hitter with a decent track record (Travis), who has shown no ability to be a good bunter, seems like it will always be a bad idea. Especially since the weakest hitters in the lineup follow him.
The only guy on the Jays that I know for sure is a good bunter (and has a history of being a below average hitter) is Carrera and I think Goins can bunt decently too. An ex NL pitcher like Happ or maybe Estrada is probably a good choice to bunt in an interleague game.
The stats show that successful bunts are -EV, just think how bad bunting is once you factor in the failed attempts.