MLB The Show 17 News Post

When You Should and Shouldn't Bunt in MLB The Show 17

06:39 PM - May 1, 2017 by RaychelSnr

There's a debate amongst baseball fans about when and where you should bunt, with many different opinions on the subject. If you are part of the Sabermetric 'never bunt ever' crowd, this video is totally not for you.

And maybe we can spend time on that in a future video?

But today we're looking at bunting. When you should do it (if you are going to) and what situations makes the most sense. Of course, there's a lot of different situations you just can't cover in a 3 minute video...so we're going to keep it broad. We trust you are smart enough to fill in the gaps.

Don't bunt with two strikes. Just don't.
Don't bunt with two outs. Generally this is the rule, but there are exceptions here, especially with a really fast baserunner and an effective baserunner.
Do bunt to catch the defense off guard. If the third baseman is in a shift and playing deep, a good bunt is going to get you on a lot. The catch-22 here is most hitters who a shift is done for don't bunt all that well.
Do Bunt to move a runner with a specific end goal in mind. You shouldn't be bunting down 4 runs, but if you are tied in the 9th with a runner on first with 0 outs? Kinda makes sense then.

As with most things baseball, most strategies are completely situational.

So let's get to it, when should you bunt in MLB The Show 17, watch the video above and leave your own comment below!

Game: MLB The Show 17Hype Score: 9/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4Votes for game: 36 - View All

Member Comments

# 1 Caulfield @ 05/01/17 06:55 PM

heres what I do:
bunt with a pitcher and theres less than 2 outs and a runner on 1st or 2nd
bunt when its late and you only need 1 run to win or tie
these are the only 2 rules I have that are hard and fast set, everything else I try to be fluid and play by ear, like if I'm facing a sinker ball pitcher and a slow batter and I really need to avoid a double play because the next batter is dangerous, I might bunt.
this is sac bunting only, not drag bunting

# 2 bcruise @ 05/01/17 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by misterkrabz


	I no longer bunt, in any circumstances. Seen too many 68mph exit velocity, physics defying line drives off the bat to 3rd turned into double plays. Even hitting sub .100 with the pitcher it's still a better option than bunting in my experience.

It was adjusted in the patch this morning (specifically mentioned in the notes). Try it again.

# 3 underdog13 @ 05/01/17 06:58 PM

I sac bunt alot in the show. You hit into so many dp's.

Runners on first and second no outs? #9 hitter? Sounds like a good bunt opportunity imo.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

# 4 Skyboxer @ 05/01/17 10:18 PM

Not sure why I'm seeing differently but before todays patch (Haven't played since patch) I have sacrificed fine.

# 5 mlblover15 @ 05/01/17 10:39 PM

ALWAYS bunt with runners on first and second with no one out... no question about it... every time...

lead off double bunt immediately..

bunt whenever you can every run counts... and you potentilly stay out of double plays... another very important thing

# 6 BA2929 @ 05/01/17 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlblover15


	ALWAYS bunt with runners on first and second with no one out... no question about it... every time... lead off double bunt immediately.. bunt whenever you can every run counts... and you potentilly stay out of double plays... another very important thing

You also take away the chance for a lot of big innings wasting outs like that. Especially if you're bunting with runners on 1st and 2nd and one of your best hitters coming up.

I never bunt unless it's late in a game and we're within 1 run or tied, or we're going up against a star pitcher and the bottom of my lineup is up. I hate wasting outs.

# 7 Skyboxer @ 05/01/17 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BA2929


	You also take away the chance for a lot of big innings wasting outs like that. Especially if you're bunting with runners on 1st and 2nd and one of your best hitters coming up. I never bunt unless it's late in a game and we're within 1 run or tied, or we're going up against a star pitcher and the bottom of my lineup is up. I hate wasting outs.

Yeah for me it all depends on 1:The hitter and 2: how they are currently playing.

# 8 Murphy7376 @ 05/01/17 11:39 PM

I can't believe that so many people play in an unrealistic arcade style that they have to actually be told when to bunt LOL

# 9 reyes the roof @ 05/01/17 11:45 PM

I only have three scenarios I'll bunt in
-Pitcher up with less than two outs and a force is in order
-Leading off an inning and I'm facing an overshift. I'll bunt until I get to strike one
-If it's late in a game and I have a man on 2nd with no outs. I'm not a fan of bunting guys from 1st to 2nd, but if I have a chance to move a guy to 3rd base with 1 out and score by making a productive out I'll take it if the score warrants it

# 10 BA2929 @ 05/01/17 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murphy7376


	I can't believe that so many people play in an unrealistic arcade style that they have to actually be told when to bunt LOL

It has nothing to do with playing an "unrealistic arcade style".

Some people new to baseball, or just new to this game, don't know what situations to bunt in. Not everyone is a baseball expert.

# 11 Skyboxer @ 05/02/17 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murphy7376


	I can't believe that so many people play in an unrealistic arcade style that they have to actually be told when to bunt LOL

Well you're assuming there are no "new comers" to the sport or people that just want to talk about different "strategies".
I know if I decided to play soccer games seriously I'd want all these types of threads I could get.

Nothing wrong with having these types of discussions.

# 12 kehlis @ 05/02/17 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murphy7376


	I can't believe that so many people play in an unrealistic arcade style that they have to actually be told when to bunt LOL

Not sure what you mean by this. Who is dictating when to bunt? What arcade style are you referring to?

Even baseball purists and experts disagree on appropriate bunting situations. Care to elaborate a bit?

# 13 chuckclc @ 05/02/17 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlblover15


	ALWAYS bunt with runners on first and second with no one out... no question about it... every time... lead off double bunt immediately.. bunt whenever you can every run counts... and you potentilly stay out of double plays... another very important thing

But that is just stupid if you have a guy at the plate that CANNOT bunt well but can rip doubles and homers. That is one thing the Show fixed this year. If the person bunting isnt a good bunter then you may get into trouble bunting with them. last year it was crazy. Power hitters were even bunting last year. And successful way more then over half the time which is just silly. Hell they were successful probably more then 90% of the time.

# 14 Dice @ 05/02/17 10:32 AM

Here is my scenario for bunting:
- Pitcher with less than two outs and runners on base
- Late inning situation with runner on 2nd base and no outs, down by one or tied, and my next hitter is my best hitter
- Super-fast base runner at the plate with less than two outs and he�s good at bunting
Other than those scenarios, I don�t bunt.

# 15 actionhank @ 05/02/17 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcruise


	It was adjusted in the patch this morning (specifically mentioned in the notes). Try it again.

Oh thank god. I've stopped bunting in the game, and it's a bummer when I can put Arcia and Villar up one after the other to try and get some surprise bunting in.

# 16 actionhank @ 05/02/17 11:03 AM

Liking different sports doesn't have anything to do with where you live, so yes, those jokes are terrible.

Even still, people who do enjoy baseball may not understand the nuance of the game. Not everyone knows what pitches you want to throw when a runner is on first because you're trying to get a double play ball in the dirt. Not everyone knows what pitches you want to throw when you're trying to induce a pop fly...there's a lot of little detail in baseball, which is why so few people are coaching real teams, and the rest of us are just having fun and pretending to on our gaming systems.

# 17 Caulfield @ 05/02/17 03:46 PM

Hey Chris, we gonna see a ''When you should and should not steal""?
I usually just play station-to-station and wait for a double or 3 run homer but with Warm Winds tutelage I'm trying to open up my offense. playing small ball I definitely got my bunting down, but I rarely barely ever steal. would be nice to get a primer on the art of stealing.

# 18 actionhank @ 05/02/17 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caulfield


	Hey Chris, we gonna see a ''When you should and should not steal""? I usually just play station-to-station and wait for a double or 3 run homer but with Warm Winds tutelage I'm trying to open up my offense. playing small ball I definitely got my bunting down, but I rarely barely ever steal. would be nice to get a primer on the art of stealing.

I'm always so bad about trying to steal. Naturally, as soon as I try to take a lead, they throw to the bag 4 straight times, so I stop leading off. Then as soon as I take off to steal, I foul the ball off and have to start all over again...

# 19 Caulfield @ 05/02/17 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by actionhank


	I'm always so bad about trying to steal. Naturally, as soon as I try to take a lead, they throw to the bag 4 straight times, so I stop leading off. Then as soon as I take off to steal, I foul the ball off and have to start all over again...

when this happens at home, I wish I could pump up my fans to boo the pitcher.

# 20 My993C2 @ 05/02/17 04:09 PM

I play with a National League team so naturally I sacrifice bunt with my pitchers.

I will also contemplate using one of my positional players in a sacrifice bunting scenario late in a game when I need one run to tie the game or to win it.

But I stopped trying to bunt for a hit with the one player I have (Carlos Gonzalez) who other teams routinely shift on. I think I tried about half a dozen times and not once has Cargo been able to even touch the ball let alone lay down a successful bunt. So I stopped trying. Plus recently in a real world game on MLB.TV (can't remember who the batter was, it might have been Cargo), the announcers were saying it plays into the hands of the defense when you try to bunt for a hit with a power hitter. Basically you are taking the bat out of the hands for someone who is capable of knocking the ball out of the park all for the attempt of getting a single. I would say if your player has bunting skills then perhaps at times it does make sense. But I do agree with the announcers here.

Finally, I have yet to call for a suicide squeeze bunt. If we had safety squeezes, perhaps I would. But I don't like the all or nothing approach especially when I am playing with a team who is often (not always) good at getting base hits with normal swings.

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