The Different Bunts in Baseball

For nearly two decades, experienced dog breeder Jake Kruse has served K&E Landscapes as a professional landscaper. Beyond his activities as a dog breeder and landscaper, Jake Kruse enjoys being outdoors. His interests include boating, fishing, and coaching youth baseball.

Youth baseball coaches are tasked with teaching young players the finer points of the game. The bunt, for example, is an offensive tactic known to even the most casual baseball fans. It is the role of a coach, however, to educate young players about the various types of bunts and when they should be utilized.

A basic bunt involves a batter laying their bat over the strike zone, parallel to the ground, and blocking the ball into play, rather than taking a swing. It is often used as a surprise tactic, though fast runners may implement the bunt more often. That said, there are several types of sacrifice bunts, which are bunts designed to get the batter thrown out at first base as a means of advancing other runners.

Most, but not all, sacrifice bunts involve a base runner advancing from second to third at the expense of the batter. With this in mind, a sacrifice bunt is usually reserved for scenarios in which the offense has no outs and is not at risk for a double play. If a runner is attempting to advance from third to home, coaches may call for a squeeze bunt, which involves the base runner taking off for home a moment before the pitch is delivered.

Finally, youth baseball coaches should introduce players to the drag bunt. This is a carefully directed bunt intended to land the batter safely on first base. Right-handed batters attempt to guide the ball along the third base line, while left-handers target the first base line, requiring infielders to throw over or around the base runner headed to first. Left-handed batters have the advantage of starting closer to first base, while right-handed batters force a longer throw from the left side of the infield.