This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon’s Reds Beat publication. To learn the complete publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it usually in your inbox.
PHILADELPHIA — Reds outfielder TJ Friedl has some energy however is aware of his greatest weapon on the plate can usually be a well-executed bunt. Friedl says his motto is to “create chaos.”
Bunting turned an even bigger focus for Friedl in faculty, when he performed on the University of Nevada for coach T.J. Bruce.
“It was a big part of our game in college,” Friedl stated. “That’s when I learned push bunting off a lefty. All the way through my Minor League career, it was just working at it and getting better.”
Spring Training introduced a deal with for Friedl, when the Reds introduced in former Major League outfielder Brett Butler to speak about bunting — and his method — with the membership.
Friedl, who’s a lefty hitter like Butler, paid shut consideration.
“It was incredible,” Friedl stated. “I just got to pick his brain and ask him questions about when he would look to bunt in certain situations, certain pitches and what [was] his favorite pitch to bunt and just learned from him. He was one of the best to do it. I just wanted to get as much knowledge as I could from what he was teaching me and sat around and listened while he talked to other guys.”
Friedl already has 5 bunt makes an attempt this season, with 4 hits — together with two on Saturday vs. the Phillies. He notched the primary sacrifice of his massive league profession on Tuesday vs. the Cubs. It got here with no outs within the first inning after Jonathan India led off with a double. India scored from third base on Jake Fraley’s RBI single.
“To me, it’s never really a sacrifice,” Friedl stated. “I’m always trying to bunt for a hit, even though in that situation it turned out to be a sacrifice. In the worst-case scenario, I wanted it to be a sacrifice bunt. Best-case scenario, we’d have runners on first and third and I’m safe. It helps create a rally. I bunt him to third with one out and they brought the infield in for Fraley. He gets a good pitch to hit and hits a groundball up the middle. That’s just different ways to create runs.”
On April 3, vs. the Cubs, Friedl bunted towards pitcher Drew Smyly and sprinted up the road. Smyly rushed a throw to first base, the place no person was standing. It allowed Friedl to take second base and pinch-runner Jason Vosler to advance from first to 3rd base. Vosler later scored within the inning throughout a 7-6 win.
“That situation was epitome of creating chaos,” Friedl stated.
The Reds had been tied for nineteenth in MLB final season with eight bunt hits and had been tied for thirteenth with 12 sacrifices bunts. They haven’t had many prolific bunters in latest historical past.
From 2006-08, speedy right-handed hitting outfielder Norris Hopper was an outstanding bunter who usually pushed them to the fitting aspect of the infield. Hopper had 21 hits in 43 plate appearances when he bunted.
Hopper, who had one profession homer, had little energy of which to talk. Friedl already has two homers this season and hit all eight of his homers in 2022 after Aug. 16. Third basemen have been enjoying in on him to protect towards the bunt, however he also can drive the ball.
“TJ is really well rounded. He understands the game,” Reds supervisor David Bell stated. “He has power, so he’s not going to go up there and bunt every time. He saves it for when he thinks it’s a good time [in] the game to do it or if it’s a [good] matchup.”
“For me, it’s a big part of my game because it opens up holes in the infield,” Friedl stated. “If I get jammed on something or roll over a groundball that might be an out, maybe they’re positioned to defend a bunt and that creates an opening to get a hit. … It creates movement. I want to set the table for the rest of the lineup.”
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