Every time José Caballero steps to the plate, he surveys the field and spies the third baseman out of the corner of his eye.
A hitter who can clear the fence roots for the third baseman to be playing deep, enabling Caballero to simply put bat to ball and show off his speed.
“I love bunting,” Caballero said Tuesday, which became a big day for bunting enthusiasts around the Yankees.
In a rarity outside of spring training, the Yankees held a round of batting practice in the hours before the more formal on-field batting practice. Caballero, Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon took turns laying down bunts against a pitching machine. Gerrit Cole took a turn, too, such was the novelty of the practice.
Publicly stating a commitment to bunting — a throwback art that many fans appreciate and that clubs might want rival clubs to be on the lookout for, thus moving that third baseman in a few steps — is not unique.
But the Yankees, who are returning just about the same lineup that led baseball in home runs last season, say they are serious about being good at the smallest ball there is.
“Obviously, when you look at our offense, you think about what we do as far as driving the ball,” hitting coach James Rowson said Tuesday before the Yankees’ offense struggled in a 7-1 loss to the Angels. “But at the end of the day, you’re trying to find the best way to score runs all the time and put yourself in position to win games.”
The Yankees witnessed firsthand how successful bunts can swing games, swept in Tampa last weekend in a series in which the Rays laid down eight bunts that moved along runners and created problems for the Yankees’ infield.
Watching the athletic Rays use the tactic to perfection did not necessarily prompt Tuesday’s pregame work, Rowson said, but rather a push from the Yankees’ hitting meetings to ensure “we have everything covered.”
“Let’s make sure we’re consistent with it,” Rowson said. “Let’s make sure we’re doing it throughout the year, we’re doing it all the time. I think today you saw an example of the little things … to make sure we stay on top of the details.”
Making sure the Yankees can bunt does not necessarily equate to making sure the Yankees bunt all the time. The Yankees laid down three bunts in their first 17 games, including Tuesday, unsuccessful attempts at hits from Chisholm and Caballero. Ryan McMahon grounded out on a bunt when attempting to get a hit in the sixth inning in Tuesday’s loss.
Rowson considers bunting an underutilized skill throughout the game and would like to see it used more.
There will be times — almost certainly in October, plus against better pitching along the way — when the Yankees are not finding the long balls they are accustomed to and have to score using smaller ball.
When those times come, Rowson believes they will be ready.
“There are some games where you may feel like, ‘Man, a bunt right here may put a guy on base, may move a guy over, may do something that puts us in a better opportunity to win the game,’” Rowson said. “And I think winning the game supersedes everything.”
