This is a sac bunt by Brice Turang in the 11th inning of last nights Brewer-Reds game. Extra inning bunt are up to 40%. Something to think about relative to bunt coverage on this bunt with no outs & a runner on 2B.
1) Hayes starts well up in front of 3B & as soon as he sees the ball is bunted towards him he goes up to get it.
2) The LHP aggressively breaks to the 3B side & ends up clipping Hayes as he is throwing to 1B. Enough contact to affect the velocity which allows Turang to be safe.
3) IMO it’s better on this play to break the pitcher straight to

I am & have been a huge proponent of the mental game since reading The Inner Game of Tennis by Tim Gawlley in the mid 70’s & my association with Ken Ravizza in the early 80’s. I remember joking with Ken & telling him that baseball was 95% physical & 5% mental. His response was the 5% mental controls the 95% physical.(Humble pie) Through the years I have read numerous books on the mental game. I am currently reading one that goes to the top of the list. It is a must for every coach & player. It was recommended to me by Rich Hill the baseball coach at the

In general the 1st inning is where more pitches are thrown & more runs are scored. LSU’s Skip Bertman called it the “inevitable two.” Reasons:
1) The pitcher really doesn’t really know what he will have once the game starts relative to command & stuff(Pre game pen is not a true indicator).
2) The umpire is really not quite dialed in on his zone.
3) At the start of the game the best hitters are hitting & they are adrenalized.
For the above reasons, I felt that the 1st hitter of the game should see some pitches & not fire at the 1st pitch of the game.

Most successful hitters go up to the plate with a plan. They generally don’t try to cover the entire zone. With less than 2 strikes,if you can control the middle 10” of the plate you are ahead of the game. Eliminate the outer & inner 3 1/2 inches. You CAN move that 10” in or out depending on the pitcher’s arm side or glove side tendencies. With 2 strikes, for most hitters depending upon the situation, the goal is to put the ball in play. BABIP is near .300 for all counts. Two strike adjustments are very individualized depending on the situation & the

FUNDAMENTALS OF THE SACRIFICE BUNT
1) It’s primarily about speed & direction.
A. Preset bat angle for direction.
1. 1B with runner on 1B or in 1st/3rd safety squeeze,
2. 1B anytime you have a
negative defender at 1B. 3. Option ‘B’ is a soft non
directional bunt back at
the pitcher.
4. Hard to 3B with a runner
on 2B.
B. Speed
1. Soft-Hold the bat
loosely & bunt the ball
as close to the end of

HOLDING RUNNERS ON 2B
These two techniques are most effective when you have a verbal 3B coach that runners react to.
Both depend on the MIF responsible for holding the runner to start close to the runner & close to the base. Additionally you need to know when holding the runner is important & when it’s not as well as the effect it has on the pitcher’s ability to execute his pitches.
1) FAKE OPEN GLOVE- One step towards 2B & flash open glove/hand.As soon as the pitcher sees this he turns & pitches. In most cases this will elicit a loud BACK from the 3B

This is not INTERFERENCE by the Cards Andrew Knizner. This is intelligent base running. Unlike
home to 1st base there is no running box/lane between HP & 3B. You set your own base line.
The only time you can be called out is when you deviate from that line
by three feet when you are avoiding a tag or you intentionally interfer by an overt action like throwing your hands out to deflect the ball or screen the fielder attempting to field the ball. Especially when running contact, we encourage the runner on 3B to break inside the line to take the throwing

THOUGHTS ON THE TAKE SIGNAL
1) 1st hitter in inning #1. More runs are scored & pitches are thrown in the 1st inning. Let the game come to you.
2) After a one pitch out.Especially in amateur game there is value to running pitch counts in order to get to secondary pitchers. 3) After a high pitch inning by your pitcher. Gives him a chance to recover plus their pitcher has been sitting a long time.
4) Behind late in game. The foundation for many late game comebacks are walks & errors.
5) Early in game to get more info on their pitcher’s approach &

THIRD BASE COACHING THOUGHTS
1. Wear metal spikes vs. molded spikes/turf shoes.
2. When giving signals w/a runner on 1B move towards HP so the runner @ 1B is not blocked out by the P.
3. W/a runner on 3B & less than 2 outs,move up in the box so U can move towards the base line as an impediment to runners who fail to react back on HH balls in the air to the OF.
4. On plays to 3B that will be close line up w/the throw so runner can get in the throwing lane. Direct slide direction based on throw.
5. Fast runner on 2B position down the line towards HP.