As Blue Jays struggle to hit the long ball, embracing small ball may be more advantageous

"Just like last season, the Blue Jays are struggled in the power department out of the gate, having hit just 39 home runs as team, ranking them tied for 20th overall. Going into Tuesday night's game their team slug is sitting at .380, which is 19th in the league, tied with the Baltimore Orioles. Behind both of them, though, are the AL East division leading Rays sitting at .376, which ranks 21. The Milwaukee Brewers, are also behind them, slugging .353, but they sit second in the NL Central at 22-16."

"One thing the Rays and the Brewers are doing to make up for that lack of slug though, is their ability to bring back the bunt. As illustrated by Pete Dwyer on FanSided.com these two teams are finding major success by playing "small ball." You can throw the Athletics in there as well. While the Athletics have the sixth best slugging percentage in the league (.400) they also have the best sacrifice bunt success rate. They've attempted 13 sac bunts, and have been successful ten times (76.9%) and are currently leading the AL West at 21-19."

"The Rays are executing this tactic at 73.7% and the Brewers at 58.1%. Meantime, both the Rays and the Brewers have been among the leagues best in converting bunts into hits. The Rays have eight bunt hits, while the Brewers have 13. While these numbers don't prove that bunts directly lead to runs, what it does is move guys over, and allows contact heavy lineups to keep the chains moving."

"While these numbers don't prove that bunts directly lead to runs, what it does is move guys over, and allows contact heavy lineups to keep the chains moving. The Rays, the Athletics and the Brewers all have less hits overall than the Blue Ja"

Toronto lost 8-5 despite two home runs and five RBIs from shortstop Andrés Giménez, leaving the team at 18-23. Early-season power has been limited, with 39 home runs as a team and a .380 team slugging percentage, tied for 19th in the league. Tampa Bay and Milwaukee sit close in slugging but compensate with “small ball,” including more sacrifice bunts and strong bunt success rates. Tampa Bay’s bunt execution is 73.7%, and Milwaukee’s is 58.1%. The Athletics also show high bunt success, with 10 successful sacrifice bunts out of 13. Bunt hits help move runners and keep contact-heavy lineups producing, even when overall hit totals are lower.

Read at Jays Journal