In most baseball circles, the name Jay Bell may not bring a big smile or much excitement, but with his retirement in 2003, what we didn’t know then but can look back on now, that singled an end to the mastery of small ball. For a century plus, the gods of baseball mastered the art of manufacturing runs but since the “chicks dig the long ball” era, the all or nothin’ swing for the fences mentality in smaller ballparks has taken over the professional game.
Small ball is more commonly found these days in the college ranks with coaches looking to move runners over with bunts, sacrifice flies, hit and run, and/or hitting behind the runner strategies. If the situation calls for it, the stolen base, another seemingly lost art,…
