UMd, Ryken HS Alum Coaching high school & youth levels since 1995. Over 65 former players have played college ball. Color analyst Gulf Coast Sports Network
Weeki Wachee, FL
Joined November 2021
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Rick Ringer retweeted
If strikeout rates keep climbing, bunting might actually become the smarter play — and the math backs it up.
Here's the thought experiment:
Say the K rate is 50%. That means you only put the ball in play half the time. If you hit .300 on contact, your real average when you factor in all those strikeouts drops to around .150. That's brutal.
Now look at bunting.
Bunt success rates sit somewhere in the .200 range — maybe low twos, maybe even the ones. But here's the key: a bunt attempt wipes out the K rate entirely. You're making contact by design. You're forcing the defense to react.
So if your true average with a normal swing craters to .150 because you're striking out half the time, and a bunt gets you on base at even a .200 clip — the bunt is the higher EV play.
That's not a small-ball romantic argument. That's just arithmetic.
The deeper question is what batting average on bunts actually looks like at the MLB level. My gut says low twos. Could be lower. But even in the ones, it might still beat a .150 effective average from a hitter who whiffs every other at-bat.
As K rates keep rising across the league, the math on unconventional contact strategies is going to get harder and harder to ignore.
Rick Ringer retweeted
There’s ZERO reason for travel ball at 8, 9, or 10. Play Little League, develop, and have fun. If I could do it again, I wouldn’t recommend travel ball that young. I’ve seen too many kids burned out by high school. Agree or disagree, that’s my take.
Rick Ringer retweeted
Running is slowing your recovery — and most athletes never figure this out.
Your cardiovascular system matters for recovery. Higher VO2 max = faster recovery between sessions. That part is true.
But every time you run, you're pounding on your legs. You're adding mechanical stress to a body that's already trying to rebuild. You're stealing from your recovery to improve your cardio. That's a bad trade.
And here's the bigger problem: steady-state cardio isn't even what you do in a game. You don't cruise at a fixed pace. You spike. You peak. You recover. Then you spike again.
So why train in a way that doesn't match how you actually perform?
Here's what I do instead.
Throwing. Fifteen minutes of catch gets your heart rate swinging between 130 and 160. That's not warmup. That's your cardio for the day.
Then lift. Thirty minutes. Keep your heart rate above 100. The second it drops to 100, you pick up the weight again. You stay in that 100-130 range the whole session.
That's your recovery cardio. Built into work you were already doing.
No extra miles. No extra mechanical stress. No separate cardio block eating into your recovery.
You're already getting the stimulus. Stop adding more load on top of it.
Attention College Coaches: You need to put this young man on your radar. His success doesn't come by accident. His work ethic is unmatched. Fantastic attitude as well. He's a blue chipper.
1st AB back from Jupiter is off the wall. 2-2 w/2walks. Finished #wwba hitting .571, 1 2B and a 3B w/ 6 RBI. #uncommitted2027 #catcher
Read this. Then read it again.
The Brewers are the ultimate OUTLIER
When I was diving in on the game and pitching matchup yesterday I found this. This is a statistic of the average degree of the barrel of the bat at contact point for each team.
Everything to the left is pull side contact point. Everything to the right is opposite field contact point.
29 of the 30 teams are to the pull side.
There’s just one to the opposite field. The Milwaukee Brewers.
This is wild to me. And speaks volumes to their team approach. It means the ball is traveling deeper which has a ripple effect on everything else you’re trying to do as a hitter.
It allows you to recognize off speed for a split second longer. Spit on pitches down and away. Keep pitches fair that you’re normally pulling foul. Foul line to foul line approach.
The team with the best record in all of baseball is the ONLY team doing something. And they’re not even particularly close to any other teams. That’s pretty eye opening.
Also shoutout Twins. Turn and burn, baby.
The person who designed the @LittleLeague stadium obviously has spent very little time around the game of baseball
Rick Ringer retweeted
Sprinters start staggered and aimed. Base stealers start sideways and must redirect — drop step, crossover — to build the same stagger. Once there, the mechanics match: shin angle, low recovery, foot under the hip, force down and back, quick driving strides.👇
Memo to @llbws @LLBWorldSeries please tell the umpires that they don't need a 48 inch wide strike zone. The pitchers at this level can pretty much throw it where they want. But hitters can't reach a pitch halfway in the opposite batter's box
Rick Ringer retweeted
Did you know?
Deliberately touch a thrown ball with a detached cap, mask, or any part of the uniform, and the penalty is two bases — for every runner and the batter-runner.
MLB Rule 5.06(b)(4)(D), once known as 7.05(d). Caught on video👇
If you love youth baseball and you're not watching the @ponyworldseries you are missing out. These 14u players are getting it done at a very high level. Every single game has been a joy to watch. Kudos to the broadcast team for their superb preparation
Rick Ringer retweeted
Rockies-Red Sox bottom of 8th inning tied with runners on 1B & 3B & no outs. Red Sox playing the infield in but holding the runner on 1B. Rockies safety squeeze(Well executed) & win the game.
SOME THOUGHTS
1) If the runner on 3B scores the Rockies win expectancy goes through the roof.
2) The runner on 1B means nothing. By holding him or not crashing early &/or aggressively enough in anticipation of a safety squeeze you minimize your chances of throwing out the runner at HP.
3) If you flex your 1st baseman or close early & they steal 2B,so be it. If you anticipate that, you can always slide step/load & go,pitch out & throw him out.
4) Option ‘B’ is to hold the runner at 1B & close with your 1st baseman on the early side but have your pitcher use a high slow leg to give your 1st baseman time to cover more ground.
5) It also helps to control the primary & secondary of the runner on 3B by having the 3rd baseman drive the runner back from in front or behind. Playing close to the hitter/front (Most runners at 3B will trail you) & driving back before the pitch often gets the runner on 3B to retreat. We are not concerned with the 3rd baseman being out of position because the bunt is going to the 1st base side. There is value to a pitcher’s pick or even a catcher’s pick.
6) The Red Sox started the hitter with a BB. IMO good plan. Bunters rarely practice bunting breaking balls & when they go down to get to it they often drop the barrel of the bat producing a pop up. Unfortunately they threw a high fastball strike on the next pitch. Right at the Bunter’s eye level where he can best see the ball & in an area where no vertical adjustment was required.
7) At best this is a tough play to defend. It’s also a “cat & mouse” game because there is no guarantee they will bunt & all the defensive maneuvering opens up more holes for the hitter.
Rick Ringer retweeted
A 1.80 CS with a.67 exchange by Giants Daniel Susac.
1) Going out to get the ball while glove is retreating.
2) Low separation below his sternum.
3) Transfer down out of his glove into an open & supinated throwing hand.
Rick Ringer retweeted
American Legion baseball doesn’t come with a class system. All teams compete in the same tournament. The best talent from an area represents the community. You can’t pay to play here. ONE state champion. ONE region champion. ONE true national champion. Nothing better!
What are everyone's thoughts on North Carolina's use of Caden Glauber for multiple innings on multiple days in a row? Especially considering that age-wise, he's equivalent to a high school senior.