The rise of analytics in professional baseball has brought on a lot of very noticeable changes in the game. Among the most notable has been the emphasis on things like “launch angle” and “exit velocity” at the plate, over the old school focus on making contact and moving runners. Swinging for the fence has been valued more and more by those compile the numbers, even though it’s led to a rapid rise in the number of strikeouts as well. Things like the stolen base, the hit and run and the sacrifice bunt have been deemphasized, even vilified, by the numbers crunchers.
Apparently, the brand new analytics-driven Colorado front office was absent that day when bunting was unofficially outlawed by the new school, because through the first 12 games of the new season – which includes six Rockies wins – the on-field Rockies are running and bunting, bringing back “small ball” in its purest form.
Rockies Sweep the Astros
After sweeping the Houston Astros in a three-game series at Coors Field, Colorado improved to 6-6, a mark they never came close to reaching last season. By the time the Rockies won their fifth game of 2025, they’d already lost 25 times. That team never sniffed the .500 mark on their way to an historically bad 43-119 season.
Enter the 2026 season and a new focus on small ball: During a five-run second inning in the 9-1 series finale win over the Astros on Wednesday, the Rockies dropped down not one but TWO bunts (one was ruled a hit, the other a sacrifice) in the same inning, stole two bases, had a sacrifice fly along four hits. The “never bunt” crowd remains in shock.
They’ve already stolen 10 bases as a team through 12 games in 2026, good for a tie for fifth in the National League thus far. They plan to keep running. And they’re likely to keep bunting, too.
Small Ball Making a Comeback?
The Rockies aren’t the only team moving back to a small ball approach this season. The Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals each have more sac bunts and stolen bases than the Rockies do so far. Perhaps a new/old trend is reemerging all across the game?
A misnomer throughout the game is that you can’t have an offense predicated on hitting the long ball AND still do things like steal bases, hit and run and occasionally bunt. The truth is, the Rockies have done so with great success in the past.
While this Rockies team won’t remind anyone of the vintage Blake Street Bombers, famous for their home run production in the mid-1990’s. But those teams under Manager Don Baylor also ran – a lot – with speedster Eric Young leading the way with 35 steals. As a team Colorado stole 125 bases in 1995 while belting exactly 200 home runs. They also utilized the sacrifice bunt. Catcher Joe Girardi had 12 sac bunts on the season, and shortstop Walt Weiss (current Manager of the Atlanta Braves) had six.
Hitting for power AND playing some small ball can work in tandem. But without a lot of power to show off so far in 2026, the Rockies small ball approach will be carrying the load for much of this season.
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