Lemon's Baseball Knowledge??

[III.sixpack]

Situation: Top of 6th inning in a 7 inning game. Score 0-0. Lead-off single. Next batter is in a 1 for 28 at bat slump! Can someone please explain to me why our Coach, in his chair low in the dugout, did not signal for a bunt. Is there anyone here who doubts what Cohen would have done? Yes, I complained about so much
small ball, but it does have its place in baseball lore.

 

[engie]

Sorry our #3 rpi and current position to be the highest national seed in the history of the state of Mississippi isn’t good enough for you. I’m sure if you were coaching we definitely would have swept a top 10 team in arguably the most hostile environment we’ll see this season

 

[III.sixpack]

I did not say that I was not super proud of this team. I am very excited and I watch/attend all of this games. It is hard to ask a simple question these days without someone wanting to be "offended." If you know why we did not bunt, please explain.

 

[mount lefroy]

I did not say that I was not super proud of this team. I am very excited and I watch/attend all of this games. It is hard to ask a simple question these days without someone wanting to be "offended." If you know why we did not bunt, please explain.

Because coaches tend to stay with a strategy that got them to the position they are in. Or as they used to say “dance wit the one what brung ya”

Nobody is offended. But if you come with a hindsight is 20/20 type question, expect the response you got.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

You did not seem to try to ask a simple question

Lemon's Baseball Knowledge??

Looks like to me, you bashed his ability, and all that....

 

[engie]

There are hundreds of 50-50 situations that actually happen throughout the course of a game and thousands throughout the course of a season. Asking about one such situation, in hindsight, as if an actual mistake was made, isn’t going to elicit a good answer. Because one doesn’t exist.

It’s easy as hell to manage the game in hindsight.

 

[dawgoneyall]

He should have bunted

 

[gymdawg.sixpack]

Yes he should have. You bunt because eli isnt seeing the ball well right now. You bunt because 1 run could win that game. You bunt becsuse it takes away the dp. You bunt because one of your hottest hitter is up next.

 

[hatfieldms]

Just out of curiosity what does him sitting in a chair “low in the dugout” add to the situation here?

 

[aTotal360]

You'd be better off asking this on twitter...**

 

[kphall11]

I can probably count on one hand the times we’ve sacrificed bunted this year.

 

[msudawg200]

The OP is just asking a simple question about our coach who knows nothing about baseball and sits low in the dugout because he’s lazy and uninterested. Get off his back!1 ***

 

[8dog]

Deleted

 

[mount lefroy]

Yes he should have. You bunt because eli isnt seeing the ball well right now. You bunt because 1 run could win that game. You bunt becsuse it takes away the dp. You bunt because one of your hottest hitter is up next.

And of course you bunt because you know the ******* future like the rest of MSU fans.

 

[patdog]

Because you have a better chance of scoring by not bunting. In that situation it's close if you assume a 100% success rate for the bunt, but when you factor in the chances of an unsuccessful bunt, it's never the percentage play. I know the hitter was in a slump, but all slumps end and he has a history of getting big hits in clutch situations.

 

[pmack65]

We’ve sacrificed a total of 8 times in SEC play, that right there should indicate that the chances of him bunting were slim to none. Also I’m sure he took into consideration McNamee’s ability in bunting and is letting him work his way out of his slump, same as he did with rowdy and Allen.

 

[III.sixpack]

There are hundreds of 50-50 situations that actually happen throughout the course of a game and thousands throughout the course of a season. Asking about one such situation, in hindsight, as if an actual mistake was made, isn’t going to elicit a good answer. Because one doesn’t exist.

It’s easy as hell to manage the game in hindsight.

My question was not hindsight. I was certain we would bunt at the time and when we did not, i was wondering what people thought was right. It is hard to ask a question about something that happens without it being after the fact.

 

[bierto]

Lemo doesn’t like giving away outs and that strategy has us 38-10. I know Macs in a slump but the percentages favor not bunting in just about all situations and especially not bunting your cleanup hitter hitting 310 with a history of big hits.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndic...hy-the-bunt-is-foolish-in-todays-mlb.amp.html

 

[III.sixpack]

We’ve sacrificed a total of 8 times in SEC play, that right there should indicate that the chances of him bunting were slim to none. Also I’m sure he took into consideration McNamee’s ability in bunting and is letting him work his way out of his slump, same as he did with rowdy and Allen.

Good answer. As was the remark about you dance with who brought you.

 

[cowbell88]

Ummm, don’t you remember the missed suicide squeeze from last weekend? Who was batting then? Maybe, Coach remembered that and decided chances were not good to land the bunt.

 

[hatfieldms]

He didn’t see that sacrifice bunt because he was sitting low in the dugout in a chair and couldn’t see the field!******

 

[Zildjan]

I realize the "book" says bunt. BUT Lemonis appears to be a big inning type of coach (similar to Polk in that sense) rather than a play for one run type of coach. I guess you model your decision making process around what you have, which in our case is a great (top tier nationally) hitting team. Let the hitters hit, slump or not). I'd have bunted. But I obviously am not coaching and for good reason .

 

[anon1787432961]

I've always felt asking a guy to bunt that's not hitting well never helps his overall confidence. Lemon is great at building positive mentality, swagger but not bravado. That's what every player needs. Look at the big picture. We need you to attack the ball. Everyone. Bunting should catch a team by surprise. Not a tool to use with a player in a slump.

 

[bsquared24]

Try reading Smart Baseball by Keith Law. He has an entire chapter of why to not sacrifice bunt backed by statistics and the few times it might be ok

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

People use to complain when Cohen would bunt some of our best hitters. I like our hitting strategy this year to swing away. We are me of the best hitting teams in the conference. Mac is one of the best hitters on the team. You never know when he is going to hit out of it.

 

[kb549]

Mac tries to sac bunts and on a fluke he pops it up straight to the pitcher. Magnum is 3/4 the way to 3rd. Double play. Mac’s confidence is even further shaken.

Scenario two: Mac is told to sac bunt. It works, but immediately thinks coach doesn’t trust the guy who hit two walkoffs in post season last year. Another confidence killer.

Scenario three: he hits one down the line, Mangum scores. Winds up being the game winning run. Big boost to what’s going on in his head.

There’s no doubt that Cohen would’ve called a bunt. Maybe even if Mangum was hitting and was 7-7 at that point in the series, with all 7 hits being doubles or better.

 

[blacklistedbully]

Lemons is out to win a NC. We will need Mac back to his old self by the time we get to the post-season. He will give Elijah all the room he needs to get out of his slump, and will continue to build up his confidence. It's a matter of time.

Beyond that, I hear Eli has been dealing with a foot injury. That could be causing the slump, an again may be something that comes down to knowing when it is healed enough by seeing him hit again.

Also, don't discount the boost of confidence this could be giving the entire team. They all know Lemons is going to have their back and not give up on them or lose confidence in them if they were to hit a rough spot.

 

[DudyDog]

You can debate whether he should have bunted or not, but there is no debate as to why Lemons sits low in the dugout....and you didn’t even mention that he wears his sunglasses, even on a cloudy day...it’s so nobody can see his phone that he’s sexting on. Or see that his eyes are fixed on his phone and not the game being played.** Hell, he might have missed the whole sequence where we had a man on first and a bunt situation to be made. Priorities man.

 

[mdm3045]

I think Lemonis takes the Kent Murphy approach to bunting:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ctFf91EUUTw

 

[L4Dawg]

Situation: Top of 6th inning in a 7 inning game. Score 0-0. Lead-off single. Next batter is in a 1 for 28 at bat slump! Can someone please explain to me why our Coach, in his chair low in the dugout, did not signal for a bunt. Is there anyone here who doubts what Cohen would have done? Yes, I complained about so much
small ball, but it does have its place in baseball lore.

We are sitting where we are, won a Top 20 series on the road, and you are telling the coach what to do....LOL.

 

[Bud.sixpack]

I don't believe you

 

[anon1787432961]

Think about this. You've grown up going to Aggie games. Friends and family here watching. Since you can't hit, let's bunt. No.

 

[WutheringDawg]

I take it you’ve never seen a run expectancy matrix? Odds of scoring a run go down when the scoring environment goes from a runner in first with no outs to a runner on second with one.

 

[tatedog]

Try reading Smart Baseball by Keith Law. He has an entire chapter of why to not sacrifice bunt backed by statistics and the few times it might be ok

Before I read that book I need to know more about Keith Law's dugout demeanor and posture.**

 

[tatedog]

You can debate whether he should have bunted or not, but there is no debate as to why Lemons sits low in the dugout....and you didn’t even mention that he wears his sunglasses, even on a cloudy day...it’s so nobody can see his phone that he’s sexting on. Or see that his eyes are fixed on his phone and not the game being played.** Hell, he might have missed the whole sequence where we had a man on first and a bunt situation to be made. Priorities man.

You are getting way too technical here man. The debate is whether our coach is aware he is allowed to sac bunt.**

 

[operch]

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19104405/book-excerpt-smart-baseball-keith-law