Bunt Trauma

[Bobhead]

There is a very small and specific, but extremely significant, problem with bunting. Well there's actually two but I forgot to save the video for the second issue, and I don't think it needs a video anyway...

The fielder charges within milliseconds of the batter squaring away for the bunt, as if the fielder has been given the gift of ESP. First thing I thought of is "maybe the fielder just always charges on bunt defense, but no, they don't, and one of the videos is a video of bunt defense defending against a batter who doesn't bunt.

Real fielders charge bunts, but they don't magically know the bunt is being done. They either charge ALL the time, whether you bunt or not (ie: guessing), or react to the bunt after the fact. Neither of these are happening in The Show.

Below are 3 videos, the first shows 3 separate at-bats in The Show. A bunt against a set bunt defense, a normal swing against the same bunt defense, and another bunt. The key is that the fielder only breaks when you are actually bunting, which dispels the theory that maybe the fielder is just breaking on an assumed bunt prediction.

The second and third videos are of real life college players bunting. Hopefully you can see the difference between how quickly Longoria breaks in The Show, and how quickly real life players break. We are talking maybe 1 or 2 seconds at most. It's a subtle difference, but that subtle difference translates to bang-bang outs at 1st that would otherwise be safe bunt singles.







Thoughts? Comments?

[wisdom less13]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bobhead

I did some research and figured out how to post videos....

Video is private...

[Bobhead]

Oops... Does it work now?

[nomo17k]

Yeah maybe this is part of the issue...

I wish the fielder reactions are toned down a bit. Even better, separate Fielder Reaction sliders by position may be a good addition... then we don't have to lament how certain fielders (but not others) react too quickly/slowly, etc.

[Austin Hawk]

Cool video but I don't see a problem. The third baseman doesn't begin to move in until the batter squares up to bunt, which only makes sense. I don't see anything premeditated or programmed to give the 3rd baseman any advantage.

[Bobhead]

Quote: Originally Posted by Austin Hawk

Cool video but I don't see a problem. The third baseman doesn't begin to move in until the batter squares up to bunt, which only makes sense. I don't see anything premeditated or programmed to give the 3rd baseman any advantage.

It's that he's moving THE INSTANT the bunt is squared, it's like they are happening simultaneously. The bunt animation starts, and the runner breaks. It's physically impossible to do that in real life. Between mental reaction time and muscle reaction and stuff, there's just no way someone could break that quickly.

Watch a video clip of a real life fielder fielding any ball, and see how long it takes for them to start breaking for the ball... then watch this clip again, and you'll see what I mean.

[ralphieboy11]

I completely understand what you are saying, but I don't have a problem with the result of that play. The 3rd baseman is playing even with the bag, and barely gets the guy by a half step at first. While his reaction was quick, the end result is pretty realistic.

I've had plenty of successful bunts when the infield is not playing up. Many times I was just trying a sacrifice, and my guy beat it out.

If every speedy guy can get a bunt hit with the 3rd baseman even with the bag, we are probably opening up an even bigger can of worms. Could turn into a buntfest.

I understand that was a pretty good bunt, but there were men on base. Since the 3rd baseman was playing up, was it a sure sacrifice situation? Late in a tie game, perhaps?

I know you squared around to bunt late, but it seemed the CPU was prepared for a bunt. Maybe that could justify the quick reaction?

[Bobhead]

Quote: Originally Posted by ralphieboy11

I completely understand what you are saying, but I don't have a problem with the result of that play. The 3rd baseman is playing even with the bag, and barely gets the guy by a half step at first. While his reaction was quick, the end result is pretty realistic. I've had plenty of successful bunts when the infield is not playing up. Many times I was just trying a sacrifice, and my guy beat it out. If every speedy guy can get a bunt hit with the 3rd baseman even with the bag, we are probably opening up an even bigger can of worms. Could turn into a buntfest. I understand that was a pretty good bunt, but there were men on base. Since the 3rd baseman was playing up, was it a sure sacrifice situation? Late in a tie game, perhaps? I know you squared around to bunt late, but it seemed the CPU was prepared for a bunt. Maybe that could justify the quick reaction?

Actually, I was Tampa Bay, and it was the CPU that failed to bunt against me. I don't think there were any runners on base, and he was definitely bunting for a hit. I apologize for not specifying this stuff earlier. The point is though, it's the CPU that lost out, but it still bothers me because it just wasn't realistic.

I'm not too mad about the result. I guess I agree with you, it's possible for the fastest guys to be thrown out I guess... the bigger thing is how it happened. I know I personally love bunting (for a hit), and this type of thing keeps me from really bunting much this year, which has a big effect on my enjoyment of the game.

This was offline, franchise mode, also, for what it's worth. No lag was in play or anything like that.