Why Lance Lynns’ Criticism Of Angel Decay Andrew Velazquez Makes Absolutely No Sense

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Since baseball has existed, so has bunt. Dickey Pearce, who played for the Brooklyn Atlantics and the St. Louis Brown Stockings in the 1870s, perfected the piece then known as a tricky hit.

Dickey was definitely tricky. The bunt was a staple of his career. And it remains a staple of the game to this day.

It is accepted as a completely normal part of any ball game at all levels, in virtually all settings, by just about all players. That is to say, except one. Lance Lynn.

In the second inning of the Angels’ 9-7 loss to the White Sox on Thursday, Andrew Velazquez made a jump. It was a big bunt. He has a lot of speed. And the pitcher, Lynn, doesn’t. Velazquez beat a hit in hopes of helping extend his teams 4-1 lead at the time.

It was as conventional a game of baseball as any played that afternoon. Not to Lynn.

Yeah. I don’t like it, the burly right-hander said after the game, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Why, he was asked.

For what? Grown man, swing the bat, Lynn said. He tried again too. It was embarrassing. Some people are looking for results.

Lynn went on to say that it certainly turned him on.

Let’s dissect that. There are, from time to time, old school players and coaches who make silly and outdated comments. Ex-Rangers manager Chris Woodward complaining about Fernando Tatis swinging 3-0 down when leading by seven points in 2020 comes to mind. Others don’t like bat flips or showboating. It happens, everyone laughs at them and we all move on.

But this opinion of Lynn might take the cake of crazy opinions about baseball. It doesn’t fit in the box of old school or unwritten rules. It is not based on any viable logic related to the game or how it should be played. Velazquez was picked for Triple A after Thursday’s game, so he was unavailable to respond to Lynns’ remarks.

Ozzie Guillen was able to respond, however. The former White Sox manager took Lynn to task during the team’s pre-game show on Friday.

Pitchers don’t like it because it makes them look stupid chasing balls, Guillen said. Do you see him running after that ball? He looked like a 105 year old man. Come on, brother.

It takes time to break down the absurdity of Lynn’s comments. Let’s face it, Lynn had a great major league career spanning 13 years and two All-Star games. He finished in Cy Young’s top 10 votes three times.

He is known as an intense player, but a valued team leader with a good sense of humor. This story is not personal, and he is entitled to his opinion, however erroneous it may be. Just a good old fashioned baseball debate.

But he can’t get away with it too easily. And we won’t let it. Angels manager Phil Nevin, who spent time with Lynn when Nevin coached the Yankees, also pushed back.

I love Lance Lynn, said Nevin. He’s got that old-school Nolan Ryan mentality, nobody should blame me. But if

Here Nevin tried to stop. I’ll leave it at that, he said.

But he did not do it.

This is the game (Velazquezs). Were trying to win, Nevin continued. He was repeatedly told to work on his bunting. I get it, he beat (Lynn) yesterday. This is how we imagine (Velazquez) to be a successful big league baseball player.

First, Lynn has a 6.47 ERA. He’s pitched terribly this season, including allowing 22 major league-leading homers. The Angels had already logged three homers at the time of Velazquez’s bunt. Lynn should have been grateful it was just a cavity.

Next, the grown man’s commentary. Why is Velazquez’s masculinity tied to his decision to decay? The idea that baseball’s strategic choices might be tied to masculinity is downright silly.

Lynn threw 31 sliders to the Angels on Thursday, including Velazquez on the first pitch of that batting game. Why don’t you get up and throw in a heater, Lance? Real men aren’t afraid to throw fastballs on any court.

Then there is the most absurd comment of all.

It was embarrassing. Some people are looking for results.

Some people? How about all the pasta? It’s literally in a batting job description to look for hits.

Velazquez is not the best hitter. He is averaging .194 over six major league seasons. But he is fast. And hes developed as a bunter. It’s a great way for him to get a hit and help his team. Why not take advantage of these skills? Especially if the launcher is perhaps not the fastest or the most agile?

He was looking for hits, yes. Obviously. Like it should be. Just like his teammates did.

There is a relevant recent example. Rewind to Wednesday night, in the top of the ninth inning with the White Sox up four runs. There was a runner first with no out.

White Sox infielder Zach Remillard scored a perfect single. He set up two more runs this set and put the game out of reach. A great game. What are the odds that Lynn told Remillard his bunt was embarrassing?

Finally, the situation of the game. It is right that there are situations in which the bunting would be against the unwritten rules of the game.

Generally, bunting to break up a no-hitter or perfect game in later innings would be frowned upon unless the score was close. So its fair game. Bunting with the score completely out of reach might not be in the best taste either.

Both situations, however, would still be debatable.

This, however, is far from close to either situation. It was the second inning and the Angels had a three-point lead. There was a chance to add against a pitcher who had worked before.

There couldn’t be a better time to carier. At the very least, you’ll get the runner moving. At best you get a hit. And Lynn had a hard time lining it up. All the more reason to attack a weak point.

Lynn said it turned him on. Maybe yes. He released the next three batters, including strikeouts from Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. He allowed just two hits the rest of the way, in six innings. He looked like his old self.

If that’s what ignited it, that would be a bit odd. But if it works, it works.

I love Lance, said Nevin. He’s a special human for sure.

Lynn may be old school. But the Dickey Pearces school is older. The bunting has been part of the game for 150 years. And this delicate blow was against no unwritten rule.

(Photo by Lance Lynn: Ashley Landis/Associated Press)

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