Why MLB’s bunting boom is a mirage
Bunting is back but in MLB, but is it really going to last?
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MAY 16: Cedric Mullins #31 of the Tampa Bay Rays bunts in front of Joe Mack #80 of the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning of the baseball game at Tropicana Field on May 16, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
(Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) | Getty Images Bunting in Major League Baseball is the ultimate tool of confirmation bias, stretching from the most anti-analytics “he’s got a great swing” truthers to those who watch baseball on a spreadsheet — all of them can love the bunt. Traditionalists will enjoy the old-school approach of bunting as a way to advance runners into scoring position. Some who hate the pitcher-dominant game will delight in the refusal to indulge the swing-and-miss world by just not swinging.
Others, who love analytics and Moneyball, will point out that bunting in 2026 could be the ultimate edge in a world that has embraced strikeout-embracing power hitting. There’s something for everyone with the bunt. But is that something actually there?
With the 2026 MLB Bunting Revolution very much taking place , we must investigate if the success of the American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays is actually due to a statistically significant increase in bunts, or if the Buntassiance is actually a Bunt Mirage. In short: I’m team Bunt Mirage. First, some rudimentary statistics about bunting in our postmodern society: bunting has increased overall this year, though it would be incorrect to say teams are bunting more across the board.
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