Outfielders: knowing the pitch

This post can now be found HERE.

Where do outfielders’ hands go?

This post can now be found HERE.

Remind them to "Hit the cutoff man!"

This post can now be found HERE.

Teaching little kids how to catch a baseball

This post can now be found HERE.

Outfielders: Give yourself a chance

This post is now HERE.

Don't leave scouts guessing about your arm strength

This post is now HERE.

Outfielders: Know the steps to the fence

This post is now HERE.

What can we learn from a chicken?

This post is now HERE.

Sun balls

This post is now HERE.

Fast paced practice drills for defense

This post is now HERE.

Footwork for outfielders

Avoid drifting when
possible.

When it comes to baseball instruction, I've always been a fan of taking a "ground up" approach.  That means everything I teach starts with the feet.  I believe most problems with hitting and fielding originate with footwork mistakes.  So when I discuss playing outfield, proper footwork is my first priority.  The following three parts are a progression of how I teach outfield footwork.  When an outfielder masters the first one, I then move him onto the next.

Square up to
the infield.

Square up. By the time outfielders reach high school, many of them know the importance of trying to "square up on the ball."   This means when a fly ball is hit to them, the outfielder tries to hustle under the ball, square up their shoulders/hips/body to the infield, and make the catch.  Doing this when possible prevents the outfielder from drifting or coasting away from the infield as he makes the catch.  Drifting forces the outfielder to stop his momentum after the catch, change directions, gather more momentum, and then make the throw.  A player who hustles and squares up has already stopped their movement away from the infield and only need to catch and throw.  Less footwork after the catch = quicker release back to the infield.

Behind the ball.  When an outfielder consistently squares up on fly balls, the next piece of footwork involves getting behind the ball.  I mentioned above that when an outfielder squares up he stops his momentum away from the infield before he makes the catch.  This saved valuable time.  However, after the catch the outfielder still has to generate momentum before throwing.  This is where getting behind the ball can solve this dilemma.  An outfielder who has quicker footwork can not only square up to the infield on a fly ball but can also move back a few steps behind the ball.  This allows the outfielder to move forward to catch the ball instead of catching the ball standing still.  Moving forward to catch generates momentum towards the infield before catching the ball.  The outfielder only needs to catch and throw without first wasting valuable steps to generate some momentum.

Although the timing isn't perfect, Juan
Pierre gets behind the ball and leads
with the proper foot to catch.

Lead with the proper foot.  The last phase of this progression will allow the outfielder to use less steps after they catch the ball in order to throw back to the infield.  A right handed outfielder should always try to catch the ball with his left foot forward.  A left hander should lead with his right foot forward.  Let's pretend a right hander does it wrong and leads with his right foot.  After catching he will need to step with his left foot, then his right foot - usually a hop/crow hop - and then finally his left foot again to throw.  That's three steps after catching.  A right hander that properly leads with the left foot forward on the catch only needs to cross/hop in front with his right foot and step to throw with his left again.  That's two steps after the catch.  One less step.  The timing of the proper step forward is equally important.  When a right hander leads with his left foot forward he must time it so his left foot is landing at the exact same time the ball hits his glove.  This takes some practice but the proper timing of both together allow for a quicker and more powerful throw because everything (footwork, catching, throwing) is in the proper rhythm. 


If you are an outfielder or a coach of outfielders, be sure to give the proper focus to footwork.  Usually improvements are made pretty rapidly once you do. 


Note: The same footwork - timing and proper foot forward to catch - applies to catching balls hit on the ground to outfielders as well.

Infielder tips for shallow fly balls

We've all seen these plays ...

• An infielder goes out on a shallow fly ball and collides with an outfielder charging in to make the catch.    or
• An infielder goes out, both the outfielder and infielder call for it, everyone stops, and the ball drops in between them.

Communication is always important in baseball but especially during plays like these.  Here are a couple tips for infielders to help avoid these two problems:

Give a verbal and non-verbal signal.  Sometimes it comes down to just not hearing your teammate calling for the ball.  This happens more in big, noisy stadiums at the higher levels but it can be a problem at any level.  An infielder goes back into shallow outfield, faces the infield, and calls for the ball.  Because he is facing the infield, his voice is projected away from the outfielder.  When the wind is blowing in from the outfield, this becomes even more of a problem.  To combat this, you'll see many MLB infielders use both a verbal and non-verbal signal to let the outfielders know that they are calling for the ball.  They not only yell for the ball but they will hold their arm(s) out to the side as they yell for the ball.  This gives the outfielder a chance to see and/or hear that the infielder is calling for the ball.

Run out of their vision.  When an infielder is called off by an outfielder, it is important for the infielder to run out of the outfielders line of vision.  If the outfielder is moving in and looking up at the ball he can still see the infielder in his line of vision.  Even if the infielder has conceded the play the outfielder may think the infielder is still going for the ball and may slow down or back off.  That's when the ball bounces in between them.  When called off, an infielder should run away from the play by going left or right.  This takes the infielder out of the outfielders line of sight so the outfielder clearly knows that the infielder is no longer going after the ball.

Tips for Long-tossing and/or "Long-throwing"

Disclaimer

There is an on-going debate in baseball circles about the value of long-tossing.

I know it's shocking to think that anything in baseball is debated.  

(Yes, that's sarcasm if you weren't sure.)

Some love it, some hate it.  This post does not get into that argument.

I'm in the "love long-tossing" camp and it's ok if you are not.

I saw a great MLB Network Diamond Demo on long-tossing (2nd half of clip) or what Mitch Williams calls "long-throwing."  I like and agree with his explanation on the difference in terminology.  In the Demo, Mitch mentions "walking into the throw."   I have always prefered the method used by Roy Halladay in the following YouTube clip.  He takes a step forward with his left foot but then hops behind with his right foot, steps, and throws.  I like this better because it keeps the pitcher's front side closed longer.  A good habit for a pitcher!

The next clip shows a long-tossing routine which includes what they call the "stretching out" phase and the "pulling down" phase.  Some people see value in launching a high arching ball to stretch out and strengthen the arm but, like Mitch Williams, I don't like the idea of lifting the front side too much and leaning back to do it.  That's not what pitchers do in a game so I'm reluctant to have pitchers do it in practice.  I believe there is more value in throwing balls that are able to get to your partner on a hard line drive rather than a high arching one that travels 300+ feet.  For most players, that might require maxing out at around 150-200 feet depending on your arm strength.  I guess that means I like their "pulling down" phase better.  

  
Over time, pitchers usually develop a long-tossing/long-throwing routine that works best for them.

Indoor drills for outfielders

Of all the positions on the field, the outfield positions tend to get shafted the most with regards to indoor practice.  I'm based outside of Philadelphia so we routinely have to spend many practice days indoors because of rain or snow.  Farther up north is certainly worse so don't feel the need to shed tears for me.
If it is not possible for outfielders to find a clear, dry area to practice on (other field, parking lot, etc), try these indoor drills that work basic outfield skills.  As always, if you have other drills, pass them along!

Pass drill:  Each outfielder gets a ball and stands in line.  One at a time, an outfielder jogs towards a coach and flips the ball to him.  The player runs around the coach and goes out for a pass.  The coach throws a pass with the ball and the outfielder runs it down.  The next player than goes and the drill continues.  This works on running technique, glove technique, catching on the run, keeping your head still when running, eye-hand coordination, and timing.  After each player has gone twice, have players approach the coach from the other side so the player is running and looking over the other shoulder this time.

Corner drill: This drill replicates a ball hit to an outfielder's left or right.  Players line up on one side of the gym (to the left or right corner of a base-line on a basketball court for example).  A coach rolls a ball towards the other corner of the gym.  The outfielder cuts the ball off (running down the base-line towards the opposite corner) before it hits the wall, turns, and throws to a middle infielder who acts as a cut-off man at the other end of the gym.  This works proper angles, footwork before and after catching the ball, and hitting the cut-off man.

Wall drill:  An outfielder stands in the center of the gym and sets up as if a pitch is being thrown.  The coach tosses a ball over the outfielders head so the ball rolls to the wall.  The outfielder turns and chases the ball, fields it off the wall and throws it to a cut-off man at the other end of the gym.  This works the footwork going back on the ball, reading balls off the wall, getting to the proper side of the ball before catching (right side if right-handed, left side if left-handed), and throwing accuracy to the cut-off man.

Zig-Zag drill:  Outfielders line up next to and to the left of a coach at one end of the gym.  A player runs straight ahead and looks over his right shoulder for the throw.  When the coach yells "now" the player whips his head around to his left shoulder as the coach tosses the ball over that shoulder.  The outfielder tracks it down and catches the ball.  This drill mimics a ball hit over the outfielders head that curves or is wind-blown to the other side of the outfielder.  Players should quickly whip their chin/eyes around to the other shoulder (yes, they will lose sight of the ball for a split second) so that they continue running with the same forward mechanics.  After a few turns apiece, have players line up on the other side of the coach to practice the other side as well.

Come-up throwing drill:  Players line up on one side of the gym facing the other side.  A coach starts the process by throwing a ball at the far wall.  The first player in line charges the ball that is now bouncing towards him, gloves it, and throws it to the far wall.  The ball bounces off the wall and the next outfielder then charges and does the same.  The round-robin drill can continue as long as the coach wishes.  This drill works on charging balls, footwork before and after catching, being aggressive through the ball, proper arm angle (over-the-top) when throwing, and accuarcy.   

First-step drill:  Place four cones on the four corners of the basketball court.  One outfielder stands in the middle of the court - the others off to the side.  The player sets up as if a pitch is being thrown and a coach points to a cone.  The player reacts as if a ball is hit towards the cone.  A coach could even toss a ball towards a particular cone for the player to try to catch.  This works on first step quickness to the ball, proper angles, and aggressiveness. 


Note: All the drills mentioned above certainly work outside as well.  Modify them for your needs and the ability level of the players you work with.  Create some new ones of your own!

Right Field Mistakes

An Oriole right fielder prepares to throw
in a spring training game.

The 8th of 12 posts explaining common mistakes made by players by position.

Relying too much on arm strength.  Most outfielders  eventually find themselves in right field because of their arm strength.  Even though all outfielders have similar distances on throws to second base and home plate, it’s the long throw to third base that separates the right fielders from the other two outfielders.  The longer throw requires a stronger arm.  However, this arm strength can pose a problem for some right fielders.  Because they have always had good arms, many of these right fielders have neglected the proper footwork needed to get to a ball and get rid of it quickly.  Click here (and scroll down a little) for two examples. Outfielders with less arm strength realize early on that they have to develop proper footwork and technique to make up for a lack of arm strength.  Right fielders on the other hand can be more interested in showing off their arms than learning the finer points of playing outfield.  Good arm strength and a desire to constantly improve on the little things is what allows right fielders to go from good to great.

Slow to read swings. Great defensive players regardless of position need to be good at anticipating where balls are going to be hit.  I addressed this point about anticipating in the posts about shortstops and  third basemen but it could apply to everyone else on defense as well.  One problem that is uniquely difficult for right fielders is that many balls hit out their way are slicing away from them and towards the foul line.   As a result, it is imperative that right fielders become great at reading swings to anticipate where batted balls are most likely to go.  This of course helps with getting better jumps on all balls hit but especially those that slice away from them.  If a right handed batter fouls off a fastball over the first base dugout, the right fielder should probably interpret  that as the batter having  slower bat speed.  This kind of swing makes it more likely the ball will be hit to right field.  The observant right fielder might decide to shift his positioning more towards the right field foul line.   A hitter that turns well on a pitch and fouls it down the left field line might signal the right fielder to shift his positioning towards the right-center gap a bit more.  The point is to study the swings of all batters to better predict where balls will be hit.

Camping under the ball. This mistake can also be a byproduct of relying too heavily on arm strength when making plays.  With runners on base, the fundamentally correct way of catching a routine fly ball is to get behind the ball a few steps and move forward (towards the infield) to catch the ball.  This allows their momentum to already be moving towards their throwing target before they catch the ball.  When outfielders “camp” under the ball, they are catching the fly ball standing still or even worse, drifting backwards towards the fence.  In this scenario, the outfielder needs to waste a lot of time stopping and then changing their momentum in order to throw back to the infield.  A player who hustles behind the ball, squares their body up to the infield, and moves forward to catch the ball can catch and complete a strong throw much quicker. Right fielders with strong arms may tend to neglect these fundamentals thinking their arm strength will carry them through instead.  This may work at the lower levels but at some point, other teams’ base runners will begin to exploit this weakness.

Making throws tough to handle.  Since many right fielders like to show off their arm, many do not focus a lot of attention on the finesse side of their throws.  This is similar to a quarterback with a canon for an arm that can easily throw 50 yard passes but not a short screen pass that requires more finesse. Right fielders sometimes forget that there is a teammate on the other end of their throw who would appreciate being given an easy throw to catch so they can apply a tag.  The easiest throws to receive as an infielder  are those that arrive at the bag in the air or the ones that arrive on a big, easy to handle hop.  To show off their arms, many right fielders will launch a throw that ends up “short-hopping” the infielder making it very difficult to catch and make a tag.  Should there be a need to one-hop a throw to 2^nd base, 3^rd base, or home plate, a right fielder (or any outfielder) should throw the ball so that the ball bounces at least 15 feet away from the bag.  This will almost always ensure a clean, easy-to-handle hop for the infielder or catcher.  It takes some finesse and lots of deliberate practice but your teammates will thank you.

Tomorrow:  Pitching

Center Field Mistakes

The 7th of 12 posts that show common mistakes players make by position.

The fearless Jim Edmonds
tracks it down.

Too timid. The last thing a center fielder should be is too timid.  They are playing center field for a reason. Someone thought they could cover the most ground and probably thought they had the most athleticism and speed among the three outfielders as well.  A fearless aggression is essential for a center fielder to move from good to great.  Premiere center fielders take it personally if any ball drops in their territory without being caught.  They certainly have the most territory to cover so any hesitation in their first step jumps and approaches to fly balls will prove costly.  They want the ball hit to them and they expect to track it down every time.

Grady Sizemore about to make
a great play in shallow center.

Too deep. There are coaches who probably would disagree with this but I believe many center fielders, especially at the high school level, play too deep.  Upwards of 75% of the game of baseball occurs in the infield.  Taking this into account, most balls hit to center field are going to be in front of the center fielder.  Playing more shallow allows the center fielder to be in a position to catch more line drives and bloop hits that fall into shallow center field.  A couple reasons why center fielders play deeper is because they are more comfortable moving forward on a hit ball and fear a ball will land over their head for extra bases.  This certainly will happen every once in awhile but the benefits of reaching more balls in shallow center outweigh the few balls hit over their head.  At least in my opinion.  Keep reading to see what can help a center fielder gain more confidence on balls hit over his head.

Leave the batting practice
socializing to the pitchers.

Too lazy during batting practice.  The first two mistakes so far have been playing too timid and playing too deep.  Practicing outfield work during batting practice is single handedly the best way for any center fielder (and other outfielders as well) to correct these mistakes and improve their defense.  Having coaches hit fly ball after fly ball is no replacement for reading the baseball off the bat during batting practice.  Too many players who are out in the field during batting practice use that time to socialize and hang out until it is their turn to hit.  Premiere center fielders use the time differently.  They treat it like a game where their job is to get to and catch every ball hit into center field.  By doing this, they are getting experience going every which way to get balls, they are working on their jumps, they are anticipating where balls will be hit, and to address the previous mistake, they are working on going after balls over their head.  Taking this approach to batting practice gives center fielders more confidence to attack fly balls come game time and also gives them more confidence to play a bit more shallow since they know they can go back well on balls over their head.   


Too quiet.  Like I mentioned in the post about mistakes catchers make, center fielders need to be the most vocal member of the outfielders.  They are the coach in the outfield and should be constantly reminding the other two outfielders of things they need to know.  Where batters hit the ball in previous at-bats.  Which runners can run and which ones can't.  The score.  The outs.  Any piece of information that would impact how an outfielder should play should be passed along by the center fielder.  College coaches and professional scouts notice that so a center fielder cannot afford to be silent on the field.


Tomorrow:  Right field

Left Field Mistakes

The 6th of 12 posts that show common mistakes players make by position


Note: It is valid to say that the mistakes listed for the individual outfield positions would be true for all the outfield positions.  That being said, I believe the concepts chosen are more frequently seen in the individual position being addressed.

How left fielders handle balls hit
to this part of the field will
separate the good from great.

Allowing too many batters to get to second base. This mostly applies to balls hit down the left field line that aren't hit hard enough to reach the corner.  It's a play where the batter tries to stretch a base hit into a double.  The mistake left fielders make is being too slow in getting to these balls making it more likely the batter-runner will take the chance in going to second.  Many times the left fielder incorrectly assumes the batter will stay at first and takes his time.  Other times the batter-runner may know the left fielder's arm strength is a little short and tries to take advantage.  Either way, the left fielder must attack all balls hit to this area to get to them as quickly as possible.  A batter-runner who rounds first base and sees the left fielder in the process of throwing to second will most likely stop at first.  If he rounds first and the left fielder has not yet reached the ball, he will most likely try for second base and probably will make it there.  Left fielders need to get to the ball and get rid of it as fast as they can.

Bonds:  In his prime, one of the best
ever at keeping runners at first.

Throwing to the cut-off man.  This refers to two separate plays in which the left fielder is involved.  The first involves the play explained above where the batter-runner attempts to stretch a single into a double.  The second involves a throw to home plate to cut down a runner trying to score.  The source of the mistake involves the difference between the phrases "throwing to the cut-off man" and "throwing through the cut-off man."   When players are younger, their lack of arm strength generally prevents them from throwing from left field all the way to second base without using the shortstop as a cut-off man.  The same holds true for throws to home with the third baseman as the cut-off.  Kids are therefore taught to "hit the cut-off man" with all throws.  As stated in previous posts, the game gets faster as players get older.  As a result, the left fielder eventually must be able to reach the base they are throwing to without the need for a cut-off man.  However, many older kids with enough arm strength still have this "throw it to the cut-off man" mentality instead of the "throw it through the cut-off man" mind set. Adding a cut-off man increases the time it takes for the ball to reach its destination.  Ideally, all throws should be low enough so that the cut-off man is capable of cutting it but strong enough to reach the base on its own as well.

An aggressive Ryan Braun prepares to dive for
a shallow fly ball in left field. 

Too much respect for the shortstop and center fielder. In comparison, the left fielder is usually the less talented outfielder of the three all things considered.  Of course, there are always exceptions to this.  On the other hand, the center fielder and shortstop are frequently the two best overall defensive players on the field.  Sometimes this impacts how left fielders go after fly balls.  If the left fielder knows that the shortstop and center fielder are talented, they sometimes assume those other guys will get the ball more easily.  Therefore, the left fielder gives up on going for the ball too soon. To complicate matters further, many coaches stress that center fielders have priority if two outfielders both go after a fly ball.  Although this is true, some left fielders become too timid on all fly balls as a result.  The best left fielders know when to back off and when to attack the fly balls they are responsible for catching.


Too deep with a runner on second, two outs.  As stated above, many times the left fielder is not the best defensive outfielder of the three.  This of course may apply to arm strength as well.  Especially with two outs, many left fielders play too deep with a runner on second base.  Since there are two outs, the runner on second will start running at contact and therefore has a better chance of scoring on a hit.  This is why left fielders sometimes should play a little more shallow - especially if their arm strength is a bit short.  The obvious risk that comes with this is that balls can be more easily hit over their head.  However, with two outs, the left fielder needs to be in a better position to give himself a chance to throw out a runner at home.  The score, the inning, and who is batting also play a factor so understand that it is never as clear cut a rule as it may sound.


Tomorrow:  Center Field