Posted by tecwrg on 2/27/2015 12:32:00 PM (view original):
Posted by bad_luck on 2/27/2015 11:06:00 AM (view original):
Posted by tecwrg on 2/27/2015 10:46:00 AM (view original):
Posted by bad_luck on 2/27/2015 10:40:00 AM (view original):
Posted by tecwrg on 2/27/2015 9:35:00 AM (view original):
Way to avoid the question.
Why do pitchers bunt instead of swinging away with less than two outs and runners on base?
What burns said. The pitcher bunts for the same reason that Trout doesn't: Possible upside of the at bat.
But all outs are equal, aren't they? How can there be "possible upside"?
Are you retarded?
The upside (or, in the case of the pitchers, lack of upside) of the at bat.
I'm not retarded, but you seem to be because you're making two opposing arguments at the same time.
On the one hand, you're saying that an out made from a ball in play is no different than a strikeout, while on the other hand you're arguing that certain kinds of outs (sac bunts) made by pitchers have more "upside" than strikeouts.
Pick one. Which is it?
Yeah, you are retarded.
"On the one hand, you're saying that an out made from a ball in play is no different than a strikeout,"
Correct.
"on the other hand you're arguing that certain kinds of outs (sac bunts) made by pitchers have more "upside" than strikeouts."
Not what I said.
Mike Trout never sac bunts, right? We all know why. It would be an incredible waste of an opportunity. The upside of his plate appearance is very, very high. That upside is worth the small risk that he might grenade the inning by hitting into a double play. That upside is also worth the fairly large probability that he might make an out without moving the runners over.
Pitchers, on the other hand, have almost no upside to their plate appearance. If you let them swing away, the chance at a disaster (double play) is high. The chance that they will deliver an extra base hit is almost zero. A strikeout/pop out/shallow flyout is no big deal but, because there's no benefit and only downside to swinging away, it's usually better to have them bunt.