Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

[bcruise]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

Has anyone tried bunting in practice mode? I think I’m gonna try this tonight. I play with the Padres and the CPU puts the shift on Headly. Once in awhile I try to lay a bunt down the third base line but it’s always a rocket right to short. [emoji35]

Yup, I do. Thay's why I know that what I posted earlier in the thread works consistently (regarding sacrifices)

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[Jeffrey Smith]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

Yup, I do. Thay's why I know that what I posted earlier in the thread works consistently (regarding sacrifices)

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I’m going to try your technique in practice today. I’m not trying to lay down a sac bunt but bunt for a single (to perhaps start a rally) so might not work but I guess I’ve got to start somewhere.

[dowie]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

bunting is soooo bad again that I am strongly leaning toward turning the DH on for both the AL and the NL. It'll suck to have to restart a franchise, but not being able to bunt effectively essentially takes away the appeal of the N.L. style of play.

[bcruise]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

I’m going to try your technique in practice today. I’m not trying to lay down a sac bunt but bunt for a single (to perhaps start a rally) so might not work but I guess I’ve got to start somewhere.

I don't think it will work for base hits tbh - bunting up the first base line takes the 1B right into the runner's path to field the ball. Most of the time it won't even need to throw - just tags the runner out. But if it does that it has no play at 2nd by the time the tag finishes, and it would have to be a tag play at that point anyway.

Good luck trying to find consistency with bunt base hits - that's something I haven't been able to do consistently.

[KBLover]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

Do you guys use the left stick to direct your blunts? I've had much better success with drag and sac bunts when I do.

Yes - being a Directional player, influencing is second nature to me.

Doesn't help for me. In fact, I get even worse results sometimes.

Only thing that consistently helps for me is releasing triangle as if I'm going to pull the bunt back just before contact.

For whatever reason, that actually deadens the ball. The early/late timing of that does a better job directing than influencing for me.

[Scooter3]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

Bunting is difficult this year what I'm suggesting is not easy it takes skill but the rewards are through the ceiling. I simply time my bunt and I'm really laying down a bunt for base hit.
I don't push the triangle and hold it in instead I tap the triangle at the appropriate time and as the ball is coming to meet the bat the bat is pulling away from the ball so it doesn't bounce off the ball with velocity.
It'll take a while to get the hang of it but believe me it's a beautiful thing

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[Jeffrey Smith]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

Bunting is difficult this year what I'm suggesting is not easy it takes skill but the rewards are through the ceiling. I simply time my bunt and I'm really laying down a bunt for base hit.
I don't push the triangle and hold it in instead I tap the triangle at the appropriate time and as the ball is coming to meet the bat the bat is pulling away from the ball so it doesn't bounce off the ball with velocity.
It'll take a while to get the hang of it but believe me it's a beautiful thing

Sent from my SM-G900V using Operation Sports mobile app

So it basically all in the timing of your bunt?

[Jeffrey Smith]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

So I tried bunting in practice mode and it seems to me like the timing of the bunt is totally random, perhaps reflecting your hitters bunting rating.
I was using Chase Headley as that’s who I wish to bunt with in my franchise. His bunting rating is 54.
I’m trying to bunt for a hit down the third base line to beat the shift.
When pressing and holding triangle to lay down the bunt I hold down the button before the pitcher starts his windup and every pitch gives me different feedback even though I’m doing the same every pitch. Sometimes early sometimes late and sometimes good timing.

Is bunting just a dice roll taking the hitters and pitchers rating as well as the pitch type into account?

When trying a drag bunt the ball always runs up the first base line opposite of what I want.

Very frustrating.

PS I got best results when bunting at pitches very low in the zone. Maybe that’s the secret to successful bunts.

[Caulfield]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

so if we find a decent workaround, online cheesers can use it too, negating any reason for SDS to create rocket bunts and they can undo what they did?

[countryboy]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

so if we find a decent workaround, online cheesers can use it too, negating any reason for SDS to create rocket bunts and they can undo what they did?

I don't really think its finding a "workaround" but rather learning how bunting works.

Bunting used to be automatic and people didn't like it. Now it takes skill (as it should) and people are struggling with it. I would recommend taking the time to practice and learn how to bunt.

Is it perfectly balanced? No probably not, but it beats how it was years ago when you could lay down successful sacrifice bunts with any player on the roster.

[NolanRyansSnowmonkey]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

I don't really think its finding a "workaround" but rather learning how bunting works.

Bunting used to be automatic and people didn't like it. Now it takes skill (as it should) and people are struggling with it. I would recommend taking the time to practice and learn how to bunt.

Is it perfectly balanced? No probably not, but it beats how it was years ago when you could lay down successful sacrifice bunts with any player on the roster.

I dont know about that. I dont think the Show has ever intended for people to spend hours working on bunting, to learn the skill. I have gone several times into practice mode lately and i dont think the bunting system is designed at all with a learned skill in mind. I think its purely designed to keep online people from taking advantage of it, and thus nothing but a workaround will help. Can you get better at it, and learn when and when not to bunt through practice? Sure. But this will probably simply lead to a workaround that was referred to, more than getting bunting right. I dont think its going to make it even close to realistic. Because this 'imperfect balance' is by design.

If through practice we could drop successful bunts regularly, then this SDS rocket bunt " cheese fix" would be pointless because online players would certainly develop this skill too, and the online cheese would just start back up.

I personally would rather be able to sac bunt with anyone in my lineup than not be able to bunt realistically with good bunters. I wouldn't bunt with those other players anyway. If they wouldn't sac bunt in real life, I'm not bunting with them. Besides, i would rather them try to drive the ball anyway.

Thats just my 'onion'.

[countryboy]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

I dont know about that. I dont think the Show has ever intended for people to spend hours working on bunting, to learn the skill. I have gone several times into practice mode lately and i dont think the bunting system is designed at all with a learned skill in mind. I think its purely designed to keep online people from taking advantage of it, and thus nothing but a workaround will help. Can you get better at it, and learn when and when not to bunt through practice? Sure. But this will probably simply lead to a workaround that was referred to, more than getting bunting right. I dont think its going to make it even close to realistic. Because this 'imperfect balance' is by design.

If through practice we could drop successful bunts regularly, then this SDS rocket bunt " cheese fix" would be pointless because online players would certainly develop this skill too, and the online cheese would just start back up.

I personally would rather be able to sac bunt with anyone in my lineup than not be able to bunt realistically with good bunters. I wouldn't bunt with those other players anyway. If they wouldn't sac bunt in real life, I'm not bunting with them. Besides, i would rather them try to drive the ball anyway.

Thats just my 'onion'.

I understand what you're saying but I think that bunting has to be "learned" a degree this year rather than just pressing triangle prior to the pitch and the hitter successfully lays down a perfect sacrifice bunt.

I think it comes down to the user "learning" how to bunt and understanding their roster and who can bunt and drag bunt.

I know I am in the minority, which is fine, but I actually prefer the bunting now than in '16 and years prior.

[Jeffrey Smith]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

I understand what you're saying but I think that bunting has to be "learned" a degree this year rather than just pressing triangle prior to the pitch and the hitter successfully lays down a perfect sacrifice bunt.

I think it comes down to the user "learning" how to bunt and understanding their roster and who can bunt and drag bunt.

I know I am in the minority, which is fine, but I actually prefer the bunting now than in '16 and years prior.

Countryboy, you having any success bunting against the shift or do you bother to try?
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

[countryboy]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

Countryboy, you having any success bunting against the shift or do you bother to try?
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

I've only tried once or maybe twice during the year because the only player on my team the CPU AI shifted against was Matt Carpenter and his bunt rating is 38 and drag bunting is 35. I wasn't successful as the bunt I attempted went foul. I chose instead to swing away with Carpenter due to his power, but I was successful a few times hitting away from the shift, but that's a different topic.

I think the suggestions in this thread are all great about when to show bunt and how to use the L stick to bunt. I typically don't use the L stick as to be honest I tend to pop the bunt up more when I do because it seemed every time I did I popped it up.

When I want to sac bunt I wait until after the pitcher has started his windup then I show bunt. I then will at times let go of the triangle button right as the ball and bat are making contact to try and deaden the ball and it seems to work.

I know the CPU doesn't typically throw to 2nd anyways, I don't recall them doing so, but I like to think that most of my bunts are "soft" enough that it keeps the defender from attempting to do so as the risk is too great.

For drag bunting the only two on my roster that are close to decent are Wong and Sierra, but rated in the upper 40's. I was successful with Sierra in a playoff game against the Mets and was successful a handful of times throughout the year with both. I tried a few times with a guy like Bader but his drag bunt rating in my franchise is 24, so I was unsuccessful.

Like I said earlier, I prefer the bunting to be this way vs automatic like prior years.

As for the CPU there have been times that I've thrown to 2nd for the out and was successful and other times where I wasn't, as the runner beat the throw. Just depends.

[NolanRyansSnowmonkey]

Re: Why is every bunt a rocket this year?

I understand what you're saying but I think that bunting has to be "learned" a degree this year rather than just pressing triangle prior to the pitch and the hitter successfully lays down a perfect sacrifice bunt.

I think it comes down to the user "learning" how to bunt and understanding their roster and who can bunt and drag bunt.

I know I am in the minority, which is fine, but I actually prefer the bunting now than in '16 and years prior.

Im not a huge fan of bunting anyway except with pitchers, so it doesn't ruin my experience, but it just seems purposefully broken to me. As a fan of not only functional gameplay, but also visuals and how the game looks during gameplay, bunting is one of the few things that (more times than not) looks way different in the game than in real life.

On a slightly different note, but in the same vein, my team has been in a skid lately, and one of my slumping players (a major slump) has had a few opportunities to get on base to lead off a inning when i desperately needed a baserunner. They play him in an extreme shift toward RF. Seems like the only time i cant rocket bunt toward third, influencing left, is at a time like this. Its always a perfectly deadened bunt but right toward the pitcher when there is noone on the left side of the field.

I normally wouldnt even try this because he can hit for power (his bunting rating is good too), but im desperate for a win, and this player is literally hitting .100 over the last 16 games, he can hit for power. I needed him on base. Normally i would just swing away with him here.

Is anybody successfully beating the shift with bunts toward 3rd? Or have just had really bad luck?

Edit: i was writing this as other posts came in about bunting against the shift. So i haven't read those yet.