Remember those days back in Little League or maybe High School Baseball when you took batting practice? Do you remember (if your coach subscribed to this) the first swings you took in those batting practice sessions? Were you instructed to bunt a few, then swing away? If so, you had great coaches who understood the concept of hand-eye coordination and how it relates to hitting a baseball with a bat. Watching the ball travel out of the pitcher’s hand, squaring your body to face the pitcher, then placing the bat parallel to the ground, and watching it hit the bat (and hopefully not your fingers/hand) are some of the basic fundamentals that should be encouraged during youth baseball batting practice sessions. For my experience, bunting practice helped me follow the baseball all the way onto the bat. So, when it was my turn to hit, I was better prepared to follow the baseball as I swung through the hitting zone.

Like this coach is showing you:

Let’s apply this principle of bunting to a Major League Baseball player who was struggling at the plate. And let’s be specific, the Boston Red Sox slugger, Trevor Story, who had a forgettable May 2025 hitting month. Until, he came to the plate against the Atlanta Braves, May 28th, and…bunted the baseball. It was a successful sacrifice bunt in the 8th inning, and I believe I said out loud, “now go hit Trevor.” So, could a bunt turn a Major League player, a former All-Star, who has hit homers and hit for average his entire career, from dud to stud and save his season? Let’s see how Trevor Story has fared since bunting the baseball in Atlanta.

Here are his stats for his last 5 games played, per Baseball Reference. 23 at bats, 9 hits, for a .391 average plus 2 home runs, 8 RBIs.

Here is what Trevor Story’s last 7 games look like, per Boston Strong on X:

Here are his stats, once again from Baseball Reference, for his games played since and including the game he bunted the baseball on May 28th. 46 at bats, 14 hits, hitting at a .304 clip for this period, with power and RBI numbers to go along with it. Check it out:

I’m not a pro, I am not a scout, I am not a hitting coach, but I am a fan and I am observant. Bunting the baseball takes concentration, especially when it is coming at you at well over 90 mph. Bunting the baseball resets the basic functions of hand-eye coordination. Bunting the baseball gets you back in tune with the speed of the pitcher, your swing path, and your brain’s connection to connecting with the baseball at the right place and time. If you disagree with me, I am all ears for your comments. But, ask Trevor Story how he got back on track this season (I hope it continues) and he just very well might say, “the bunt I did in Atlanta did something positive for my swing.”

Who knows, maybe it will help your swing, your player’s swing if you are a coach, so use this bit of advice from this fan. Next batting practice, bunt a few, then swing away. See if it does something to reset your swing and get you or your player out of a dreadful slump at the plate. I’m so psyched to see Trevor Story hitting like the player I know he is. He’s probably pretty psyched too.

Go Sox!!!