CLEVELAND: Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor is aware of the criticisms some have with his decision to bunt in certain situations.
He just doesn’t care.
The game of baseball has been in the middle of a philosophical battle in recent years, with the frequency of when to bunt in the middle. Somewhat crudely summarized, it’s a debate of maximizing a team’s offensive efforts.
The statistical analysis side, in theory, points to teams getting more benefit out of bunting less, or at least in only optimum situations with the right hitters later in games. There are those who hold the opinion that teams should almost never give up outs with a bunt.
It can be a difficult situation to always quantify the same way because of the number of variables at play when the decision is being put into practice — the opposing pitcher, the pitchers who can be brought in after him, the batter’s recent trends and his ability to bunt, the hitters behind him, how they might be swinging at that time, who might be slumping, and so on.
It’s also a decision, in Lindor’s case, that in the past has at times come from the dugout and at times from him.
With Lindor becoming one of the better hitters in the American League while sitting in the middle of the Indians lineup, his decision to lay down a bunt, especially early in games, might not be well received by all who share that viewpoint.
Lindor knows not all will like it, but said bunting has always been a part of his game — and it’s something he doesn’t intend to change anytime soon.
“I don’t care what you guys say. I’m going to bunt,” Lindor said, smiling. “That’s just me. I’m not a power hitter. I just have to make sure I get my bunts down, get my runners over. I want the RBIs, but sometimes you have to play to win. If that’s what it takes, I’m going to do it.”
In the first inning of Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Lindor laid down a bunt with Jason Kipnis on first, but Evan Longoria was able to throw to second to get the force out on Kipnis. But Lindor later clarified it wasn’t a sacrifice — he just sent it down the line too hard.
“I was trying to bunt for a hit, if that’s what you guys are wondering,” Lindor said. “I was trying to bunt it hard down the line because he was playing me more toward the shortstop so I tried to bunt it hard down the line and I hit a line drive.”
When Lindor says it’s a part of his game, he’s not only talking about bunting as a sacrifice, which is still something to which he’s open. He also uses it as a way of taking advantage of teams who might try to play him with a certain defensive alignment, or if he catches someone out of position.
In part, it’s a way to keep infielders honest with how to play him, and therein lies some of the value to Lindor.
“That’s part of my game,” he said in April. “If I can get 10 sac bunts a year, or five sac bunts and five hits bunting, that’ll help [Michael] Brantley, man on third base, one out, no outs. It’ll help him a lot. It’ll help [Edwin] Encarnacion, too.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ.