A telling moment from today's game. Tie score, bottom 10, winning run on first, no outs, Dom Smith up. Dodger infield shifts all the way around, giving him the entire left side. Mets eschew the bunt, and Smith strikes out.
Callaway admits he thought about bunting, but did not because Smith had never bunted before in his entire minor league career.
This one is not on Mickey. This is on Sandy. I know the bunt is not in vogue anymore, but shouldn't players be learning basic fundamentals in the minors?
I get that Smith was probably the best hitter on every minor league team he's been on. And I'm sure his managers wanted him swinging the bat. That's where Sandy should be establishing and implementing organizational policy. Minor leaguers should be developing their entire range of skills needed for the majors, even if it means learning through failure.