A couple of summers ago, I shared a list of some big hitters who were shown bunting on one of their baseball cards.
It was a fun exercise, and a few of the names were rather surprising. Bo Jackson? Sammy Sosa? Albert Belle??
But the photographs didn't lie. I even shared some stats to back them up.
Some of you readers shared similar feelings to the ones I had, lamenting how unpopular and scarce the bunt has become in the modern game. After all, there was a time not so long ago when bunting held a much larger value, and was a skill that practically every single player would practice. So I thought about that for a while. I thought about it as a collector:
Was bunting also more popular on baseball cards back then?
Well, since then I've done some research. And it turns out that yes, bunting did show up quite a bit on cards back then—so much so that some players chose to forego the standard "batting stance" pose and opted for a "bunting stance" instead.
Zoilo Versalles (50) is almost bashful in getting his bat into the frame, Bernie Allen (24) gives us a better look from a side angle, and Glenn Beckert (58) asks the photographer, "Stand like this?"
Davey Johnson (26) gives us a serious pose behind the All-Star Rookie trophy, Ray Oyler (29) looks less enthused about the whole thing, and Jim Fregosi (79) makes up for it with a nice smile next to the batting cage.
Paul Blair (108, led AL in 1969) is happy to show you his bunting stance, Chico Ruiz (33) takes on a more studious pose, and Jackie Hernandez (22) looks like he's ready to actually tap the next pitch down the line.
Jose Cardenal (37) gets a little more up-close and personal, while Pete Rose (56) gives us our first image of bunting in action. Bud Harrelson (94) looks a little weary of the bunt with his pose.
Dave Chalk (63) is pretty serious about bunting, Robin Yount (104) might have just executed one nicely, and Ivan de Jesus (87) shows us the batting-glove-on-right-hand-only method.
Mick Kelleher (35) is eager to bunt, Alan Trammel (124, led AL in 1981 and 1983) practices his craft in the batting cages, and Fred Lynn (25) is about to lay one down in a game.
Rick Dempsey (63), Alex Trevino (27), and Alan Ashby (55) are all catchers, and they're all getting the job done on a sunny afternoon at the ballpark.
Kevin Bass (28) looks like he's squared around very early, letting everyone in the park know that he's going to bunt. Dick Schofield's (109) technique is not recommended, and Rick Burleson (84) is grinding hard to lay one down.
Pat Sheridan (25) just pushed one along the third base line, Randy Velarde (38) is about to try his luck at Yankee Stadium, and if you look closely at the Vince Coleman (48) card, you'll see that the ball has just left his bat and it seems to be headed in a good direction. I wonder if the speedster beat it out for a bunt single.
That's two and a half decades of bunting on cards. It's worth noting that other brands that got their start in the 1980s like Bowman, Donruss, Fleer, Score, and Upper Deck all featured some bunting players as well. And it's
even nicer to know that they didn't stop there.
You'll find players bunting on cards throughout the '90s, too, and even all the way to
modern times!
"But
the numbers and analytics show that bunting doesn't pay off." you say. "Why would modern cards show players bunting? It doesn't even happen in games
anymore." you scoff.
Oh no?
Take a look at these three.
There's 2022 Yonathan Daza (8), 2023 Leody Taveras (9), and 2024 Nick Madrigal (8) showing that they can square around when needed.
And I do think bunting has been making a little bit of a comeback over the past couple of years. It's certainly an art and a skill. And a little bit of risk can lend excitement to the game. Look here.
So how about you readers?
Are you fans of bunting? Do you think the game could use more of it? Do you think it's been making a bit of a comeback lately?
Leave some thoughts in the comment section. And thanks for reading!
A. Yup. I definitely appreciate a solid sacrifice bunt.
ReplyDeleteB. Maybe. Obviously in sacrifice situations... I really enjoy seeing it. I also like seeing it used when batters recognize that infielders are out of position.
C. I indeed think it's been making a comeback.
D. I love the in game action shots in this post. My favorite is the 74T Pete Rose. What a great looking card.
The insight is appreciated, Fuji! I like the in-game action shots, too. (Check out Nick Madrigal getting down to one knee.)
DeleteIt's nice to see the progression from posed shots to action pictures. Although I think today's sets are a little heavy on action pictures, and a few of those old fashioned poses would be nice, at least in Heritage.
ReplyDeleteThere was an opening for bunting for hits when the extreme shift was common, but with the rule changes that really doesn't happen anymore. I enjoy a good bunt but as long as there are no pitchers hitting and no extreme shifts it's probably not good strategy in many situations.
Excellent point, Brett. Ain't nothin' wrong with a posed shot on a trading card every now and then. Nothin' wrong with pitchers hitting, either, as far as I'm concerned. But maybe I'll leave that one for another blog post.
DeleteDefinitely a fan of bunting, changes the game if the fielders have to be aware of the possibility, playing in more than they would like. The analytics don't really take that into account.
ReplyDeleteI would guess that for the posed shots, the photographer told the player what pose to make. Probably had everyone go through the same few poses - stance, swing, follow-through, bunt, etc. Then the photo was chosen later by the editors.
You make excellent points about bunting there, Bo. And you know what? Sometimes I wonder how conversations went between the photographer and the player back in those earlier decades. I'm sure some players were more cooperative and pleasant than others!
DeleteHa, thats an awesome thing to look for on cards!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of the bunt, mainly because over here in Japan they use it too often. A huge frustration for me is my local team (Dragons) - almost like clockwork if a leadoff hitter gets on base the next guy has to lay down a bunt regardless of the situation. Could be the first inning, doesn't matter. Could be down by 5 runs, doesn't matter. Could be a power hitter at the plate, doesn't matter. Most of the time its just a wasted out.
It's certainly different in Japanese pro ball, Sean. How about we do an exchange program? You come to the States for a couple of weeks and watch a few MLB games, and I'll come to Japan and watch some NPB games.
DeleteIn general, I like to see bunting on cards (surprised you found some modern ones) but not during games. It often seems pointless now that pitchers aren't batting and that's what they did. (P.S. We all saw a bunt last night that turned out to be dangerous!!)
ReplyDeleteI can't be the only one who wants to see pitchers hitting again, right?
DeleteI love to see bunting in the game today. It's a shame they don't do it more. But bunt cards are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Ginko-5!
DeleteYou're not alone on wanting to see pitchers hit again, but, unfortunately, I think that's long gone now. Additonally, as a very light hitting little leaguer who relied heavily on the bunt to get my bat on a ball, I appreciate the bunt more than the average baseball fan. I don't know why more people didn't bunt to break the shift more often - like a lot more often. I think one of the reasons bunts go so wrong these days is because there is very little time spent practicing bunting. I remember BP used to be 10 pitches, swing at the first 8, bunt the last 2. When I was a coach for my son's LL teams, I used to do bunting drills with the kids. At least those kids knew how to bunt (and we did use it more than most teams).
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience growing up, Dan. We definitely practiced bunting in Little League. It was an admirable skill, especially if you could lay one right down the line in a game situation.
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