When the teams start to run around, count how many times the team in WHITE passes the ball.
Did you see the Bear? I didn't either! Nobody does if they are focusing. That's the point. So why do I share this experiment? Because I think it relates to "baseball instincts." That's a term you may hear coaches and scouts use to describe a player. "What I like about him is that he has great instincts on the bases." "The kid has talent but poor instincts." Another similar term is "baseball awareness" or "field awareness." What do these terms mean?
In general, they refer to a player's ability to "see" more things than the average player and apply it correctly to situations on the field. The following versions of the same play are an example:
The set-up: There are runners on 1st and 2nd with the score tied in the bottom half of the last inning, no outs. The coach puts on a rotation bunt play to try everything possible to get the runner going to third base be out on the force. The ball is bunted and the pitcher fields it.
Version #1: The pitcher fields the bunt, spins, and throws to third base because that's how the play is designed. The runner is safe. Now bases are loaded with nobody out.
Version #2: The pitcher recognizes right after contact that the soft bunt is heading slightly to his left which is going to make it tougher for him to charge, field, and throw back to third. He also knows that the runner on second base had a good lead before the pitch and can fly. Even though the play is designed to get the guy at third, he recognizes that there is no play at third base and gets the out at first base.
The pitcher in Version #2 showed better "instincts" on this play because he noticed more things prior to and during the play which enabled him to make the correct choice. There are thousands of examples like this that occur during baseball games.
Good instincts: Born with or learned? |
Once a player learns to see something, he'll rarely miss it again.
Just like the video clip above ... you'll never be able to NOT see the bear again.
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