[Official] White Sox @ Astros

I'd be curious what analytics say about bunting vs shifts, and if the effort is worth it to teach those players to bunt. The borderline MLB Tony Kemp's of the world should certainly learn it, but they are not the people that get shifted against. I'm not sure if it's worth the development/practice time for the elite hitters that face all the shifts, though? I have no idea.

 

The math is still probably on the side of more bunt attempts. It’s definitely on the side of hitters practicing bunting more often so that they can be more successful when it counts. There should at least be the perception of the threat of a bunt. Over the last two years, shifted batters haven’t been great bunters, but when they’ve bunted the ball fair they’ve reached base twice as often as they haven’t. The numbers show that bunting against the shift is by no means an easy thing, not that any aspect of hitting is easy. And based on the Carlos Pena/Rays example, it doesn’t look like bunting is the solution to eliminating the overshift. It might just slightly alter the overshift, if bunts are dropped down with greater success and greater frequency. Shifting, presumably, is here to stay. The only question is exactly what the shifts are going to look like.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/more-about-bunting-and-beating-the-shift/

Not everyone is sold on this analytically. I typically side with Jeff Sullivan here. Bunting isn't easy.

 

We're missing our 2 biggest offensive players, and our lineup still looks scary. This team is soooo stacked.

 

Just give me the series

 

It irks me that every year the Red Sox and Yankees get to play 30+ Games against the orioles and blue jays

 

Why? They also have to play each other, and the Rays, while we get to BTSOOTR (and right now Seattle and Anaheim aren't that strong either).

 

When you can't even know who your 2 best offensive players are, because they'd all be top 2 on any other team, THAT'S when you know our team is stacked!

 

Pretty sure that Kemp, Stassi and Jake don't scare any team.

 

Some real atom balls this series.

 

Oh boy. Yup that's another double play.

 

Hey at some point all this contact “right to them” will start going the other way.....I hope

 

Preceded by Bregman popping up yet another high fastball.

 

Outs, please

First four Sox have reached

Pickoff throw goes into the stands which scores another run.

 

Well, Martin has completely lost his control this inning

eta: and not that it matters anytime soon, but Whitley's getting his ass handed to him again in RR

 

At what point can you say you've seen enough of this kid and he's not good enough?

Sure, he beat the Rangers....but it's the Rangers

 

He ain’t ready

 

Well....after his first outing, Martin has been less than impressive

 

Cole will get his K's but if your second most reliable starter is Miley that won't bode well for October.