Re: Baseball situation question - 2nd base nobody out vs 3rd base one
If you mindlessly look at overall stats, trading an out for 90 feet is a bad trade. Outs are precious, and if your on-deck batter hits a single, you've pretty much just wasted an out.
However, taking the bunt can be right if certain factors are in play. If the batter tends to hit the ball to the left side of the diamond, a ground ball out will fail to advance the runner, so you may be better off bunting. If it's a flyball pitcher, you're far more inclined to take the bunt to get the runner into position to score. If the on-deck man is an impatient hitter, you probably don't want to bunt. And so forth. Many managers have both the data and instinct to take these factors into account.
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