© Cody Glenn | 2019 Jun 12
Barry Bonds made a name for himself by hitting more home runs than any other player in MLB history. Now watching from afar during the “launch-angle era,” Bonds has some advice for major league hitters that might surprise you: start squaring up to bunt.
With so many teams employing the shift, Bonds believes bunting to keep the defense honest is a no-brainer.
“My job was to do what I did: drive in runs,” Bonds told Alex Rodriguez on his YouTube show. “I didn’t bunt. I could have bunted and hit .400…I don’t know where it went.
“The third baseman is playing at shortstop. Unless you’re the No. 4 hitter who’s supposed to drive in runs. I would bunt every time until he moves back to third and now I’m hitting .400,” Bonds said.
Bonds also believes bunting is a good way to get out of a slump.
“Bunting has always been a key to get you back lined up. Anytime I can sit here and play catch with the baseball, and line myself up, it’s gonna slow things down to me.
“Baseball is an eye-hand coordination sport. You gotta get in the fire to feel what it’s like to be burned. There’s no computer that can do that.”
The current player on the Giants who could benefit from this strategy the most is the left-handed Brandon Belt, who is often at the plate with the entire left side of the infield open. Belt has started to lay down bunts occasionally, but if he made it more of a habit it’s hard to see his .226 batting average not improving.