Baseball bunt defence: who covers what, and the wheel play

The one rule and the one decision

Bunt defence is mostly about who covers which base, and the rule book says very little about it. Rule 5.02 of the Official Baseball Rules asks for every fielder except the catcher to be in fair territory when the pitch is delivered, and at the professional level rule 5.02(c) adds the shift limits: four infielders on the infield dirt and two on each side of second base when the pitch is released. Once the pitch is on its way, everyone may go anywhere. Every bunt defence uses exactly that freedom.

Two more rules are worth teaching your players. An attempted bunt is never an infield fly, so a popped-up bunt is a live ball, and a fielder who lets it fall untouched can sometimes turn two. And a bunt that goes foul with two strikes is a strikeout, which is why most teams stop bunting at two strikes.

Everything else is a decision. A sacrifice offers you the batter at first. Take that out unless you are sure of the lead runner. A late throw to second or third turns one out into none, and leaves two runners on base where there was one.

Runner on first: corners in, middle covers

The standard coverage. As the pitch is delivered both corner infielders charge, the pitcher breaks off the mound towards the plate, the second baseman runs to cover first and the shortstop covers second. The catcher fields anything in front of the plate and calls where the throw goes, because the catcher is the only player facing every base.

This version shows the reward for a good charge. The bunt comes hard and straight back to the pitcher, who is moving towards it with the runner still well short of second. The catcher's call is two, the pitcher turns and throws to the shortstop covering second for the force, and the shortstop tries for the double play at first, where the second baseman is covering.

That call is the whole coaching point. The catcher calls one, two, or the base the throw is going to, loudly, before the fielder has the ball. A fielder who fields a bunt and then looks up to decide has already lost the lead runner.

The bunt coverage drill practises the other ending, with the third baseman taking the sure out at first, and the bunt defence template shows the whole field's positions, outfielders included.

Runners on first and second: the wheel play

With runners on first and second, the force is on at third, and getting the lead runner there kills the sacrifice. The problem is that the third baseman has to charge the bunt and cover third at the same time. The wheel play, also called the rotation, solves it by turning the whole infield.

On the pitch, the third baseman and first baseman both crash towards the plate, the pitcher comes off the mound to field the middle, the shortstop breaks to cover third, the second baseman covers first and the centre fielder runs in to back up second. The bunt goes towards third, the third baseman fields it and throws to the shortstop at third for the force on the lead runner.

The wheel is a called play, not a reaction, and that is its weakness: the shortstop leaves second early, so the runner there can take a bigger lead. Run it on a bunt count, and keep the call hidden until the pitcher is set. The pitcher's job is to throw a strike that is hard to bunt, high and inside, because a bunt popped up is often a double play.

Teaching it

Start with walk-throughs and no ball, every player calling their base out loud as they move. Then add a coach bunting rolled balls from the plate, then live bunts. A team that can run the standard coverage without a dropped throw is ready for the wheel. Before that it is two errors in one play.

Sending it to your players

Both plays are live animations. Open either in the baseball play designer, put your own players on the field, and send the link before practice. The baseball drill library has the rest of the infield work.