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Showing posts with label Third Base. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Third Base. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
First base & Third base cutoffs
One of the important jobs for both third basemen and first basemen is to be the cutoff guy on throws to home plate from the outfield. Below are some things both should consider and/or do to make the play more successful.
Line yourself up. I mentioned this part in the First Base Mistakes post a while back but I'll mention it again. A good fielder knows where he is on the field at all times. A fielder should not have to be lined up by the catcher who yells "left!" or "right!" Take a peek back to the catcher a couple of times if you have to when lining yourself up. The catcher has his own set of issues to worry about. Where you are positioned shouldn't be one of them. In big, loud stadiums you might not even hear the catcher anyway.
Watch the runner tag. Whether the runner is rounding first base or third base on the play, it is the job of the first and third basemen to watch the runner tag the base on the way by. As you are moving into position for the cutoff, take a peek at the bag and see if he touches it. A runner may only miss a bag once all season but you definitely want to be paying attention when it happens.
Know the outfielder. A cutoff man needs to know how strong of an arm the outfielder has prior to the play. In large part, that will determine where he positions himself on the cutoff. If the outfielder has a weak arm, the cutoff man should position himself a bit closer to the outfield. If the arm is stronger, he moves back closer to home plate on the cutoff. Other variables apply as well. If an outfielder is standing still on the catch or moving away from the infield before the throw, the cutoff man usually will move towards the outfield because the outfielder will not be able to generate a lot of momentum on his throw. On the other hand, if an outfielder is charging hard on a ball and comes up throwing, the cutoff man should be moving back towards the catcher and allow the outfielder to get the most out of his throw with his built up momentum. In that case, the cutoff man's job may simply be to just redirect the throw if it is offline.
Don't rely on the catcher. Just like a cutoff man should not rely on the catcher to properly position him when lining up the throw, the cutoff man should not always rely on the catcher to tell him what to do when the throw comes in. Sometimes catchers will screw up and either say the wrong thing or nothing at all. The most common mistake is when the catcher says nothing on a throw that is dying or a bit offline. Many cutoff men will let it go because the catcher never said "cut!" If the cutoff man sees the throw is either not going to reach home plate quickly or if he notices the ball is offline, he should not wait for the catcher to say "cut." He should cut it off and possibly make the throw to the plate himself. This also applies when the cutoff clearly sees that the runner trying to score will easily be safe. The cutoff man sees the runner round third and also sees the outfielder's throw. If he can tell by the timing of things that the runner will be safe, he should cut the throw regardless of what the catcher says and just prevent the batter or other runners from moving up another base. Of course, this requires the cutoff man to be observant of multiple things at the same time. Not easy, but as kids get older this becomes more of a responsibility.
Square then turn. When the cutoff man is in the proper location, he should square his body up to the thrower with his arms raised above his head. This gives a clear target for the outfielder to throw to. However, when the ball is released by the outfielder, the cutoff man must try to get to the proper side of the ball so that the glove side of his body is facing home plate when he catches the ball. This requires some quick footwork at times but it must be done. A cutoff man who catches the throw squared up to the outfielder will waste valuable time turning around to make the throw to home plate after catching the ball. The cutoff man who is already turned with his glove side facing home when the catch is made can just catch and throw without having to turn around first.
Be quick not strong. On most cutoff plays, a strong throw from the cutoff man to the catcher is not needed. What is more valuable is a quick throw. A strong throw usually requires more steps by the thrower to generate momentum in order to get the most out of the arm. As a result, a strong throw takes longer. A cutoff man needs to focus on being quick in his transition from catching to throwing especially since the distance of his throw to the catcher is relatively short. Catch the throw and get rid of it quickly.
Line yourself up. I mentioned this part in the First Base Mistakes post a while back but I'll mention it again. A good fielder knows where he is on the field at all times. A fielder should not have to be lined up by the catcher who yells "left!" or "right!" Take a peek back to the catcher a couple of times if you have to when lining yourself up. The catcher has his own set of issues to worry about. Where you are positioned shouldn't be one of them. In big, loud stadiums you might not even hear the catcher anyway.
Watch the runner tag. Whether the runner is rounding first base or third base on the play, it is the job of the first and third basemen to watch the runner tag the base on the way by. As you are moving into position for the cutoff, take a peek at the bag and see if he touches it. A runner may only miss a bag once all season but you definitely want to be paying attention when it happens.
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| Knowing who the outfielder is, how good of an arm he has, and in what direction he is moving all play a role in the cutoff man's positioning. (Photo by Icon/SMI) |
Don't rely on the catcher. Just like a cutoff man should not rely on the catcher to properly position him when lining up the throw, the cutoff man should not always rely on the catcher to tell him what to do when the throw comes in. Sometimes catchers will screw up and either say the wrong thing or nothing at all. The most common mistake is when the catcher says nothing on a throw that is dying or a bit offline. Many cutoff men will let it go because the catcher never said "cut!" If the cutoff man sees the throw is either not going to reach home plate quickly or if he notices the ball is offline, he should not wait for the catcher to say "cut." He should cut it off and possibly make the throw to the plate himself. This also applies when the cutoff clearly sees that the runner trying to score will easily be safe. The cutoff man sees the runner round third and also sees the outfielder's throw. If he can tell by the timing of things that the runner will be safe, he should cut the throw regardless of what the catcher says and just prevent the batter or other runners from moving up another base. Of course, this requires the cutoff man to be observant of multiple things at the same time. Not easy, but as kids get older this becomes more of a responsibility.
Square then turn. When the cutoff man is in the proper location, he should square his body up to the thrower with his arms raised above his head. This gives a clear target for the outfielder to throw to. However, when the ball is released by the outfielder, the cutoff man must try to get to the proper side of the ball so that the glove side of his body is facing home plate when he catches the ball. This requires some quick footwork at times but it must be done. A cutoff man who catches the throw squared up to the outfielder will waste valuable time turning around to make the throw to home plate after catching the ball. The cutoff man who is already turned with his glove side facing home when the catch is made can just catch and throw without having to turn around first.
Be quick not strong. On most cutoff plays, a strong throw from the cutoff man to the catcher is not needed. What is more valuable is a quick throw. A strong throw usually requires more steps by the thrower to generate momentum in order to get the most out of the arm. As a result, a strong throw takes longer. A cutoff man needs to focus on being quick in his transition from catching to throwing especially since the distance of his throw to the catcher is relatively short. Catch the throw and get rid of it quickly.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Tips for diving after ground balls
Being a defensive minded baseball person by nature, I love watching highlights of great defensive plays by infielders. For me, a player diving for a ball and getting up to throw a strike to first base is better than watching a batter hit a game winning home run.
Although some of these Major League infielders have extraordinary physical abilities that cannot be taught, there are some technical aspects of making a play like this that can be learned. The key of course is make time to practice them. Some might argue that practicing “Web Gems” is fluff and a waste of time. I disagree. It not only adds some spice to the monotony of practice but may even lead to an unbelievable play to save a game!
When practicing your diving, work on including the following:
Dive with both arms out. If you dive with only your glove arm extended, it will be very hard to get up after the catch. Having both arms outstretched on the dive allows you to push up with both arms instead of just one.
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| Twins shortstop JJ Hardy dives with both arms out. (Photo by Mike Carlson, AP) |
Bring your feet to your hands. After catching and landing with both arms outstretched, plant your hands on the ground and bring your feet up to where your hands are. Your momentum on the dive should allow this to happen fairly easily. What players don’t want to do is try to do a pushup with their arms. That will require a player to stop his momentum before doing the pushup to get up. Use your momentum on the dive to your advantage.
Land wide. When you bring your feet to your hands, be sure to land with your feet wide – slightly more than shoulder width. This will immediately put your body in a strong base which is better suited for a long, strong throw.
Land with your front side facing your target. This takes some body control but try to land not only with your feet wide but turn your body as you are coming up to enable your front side to point to the target when you land. This is not always possible depending on where the ball is hit but it can be a big help in saving time before throwing.
One hop the throw. Especially on long throws, don’t be shy about throwing a one hop throw to first base. A low, line-drive throw that bounces once will usually get to first base more quickly than a big, slow arcing one.
This clip shows all the above tips in action except the one hop throw. Keep pausing it to see each step of the process.
This clip shows all the above tips in action except the one hop throw. Keep pausing it to see each step of the process.
Monday, January 17, 2011
How to tag base runners
On the surface, it seems pretty basic. Catch the ball and make the tag. However, like everything else in baseball, there's a lot of little things going on under the surface if you dig a little deeper. Here are 10 tips to make sure your tagging of runners is more successful.
1. Footwork. In a previous post on second base mistakes, I talked about footwork issues like getting to the base and straddling the bag. Those same principles apply to any base. Check it out to get keys about footwork before receiving the throw.
2. Keep it in front. Also stated in the previous post was the idea of making sure the ball does not get past you. A coach will not get too upset if a runner is safe at a bag. He will get very upset if the ball gets past the fielder and all runners move up another base. Of course, the ultimate goal is to try to make the catch and apply the tag but fielders also need to know when to cut the losses, forget the runner and the tag, and just make sure the ball doesn't get past them. There are certainly going to be times when the throw is just too bad to stop but try your best
3. Let the ball come to you. For this tip, we'll start by assuming that the throw to you is a good one. If it isn't, remember tip #2. Fielders sometimes make the mistake of reaching out too far with their glove to catch a thrown ball before making a tag. They then have to bring the glove back and down to tag the runner. A thrown ball will travel faster than your ability to do this. Let the ball travel to you so that after the catch you are able to just go straight down instead of back-and-down to apply the tag.
4. Glove above the ball. When possible, position your glove above the thrown ball so that you are catching the ball with your glove on the way down. If your glove is below the throw, you'll have to raise the glove to catch and then change direction to bring the glove down to tag. Keeping the glove above the ball allows you to catch and tag in the same downward motion.
5. Capital V. This tip is connected to #3. Reaching out to catch a ball promotes a "sweep" tag. Since you are allowing the ball to come to you, tag with a straight down and straight up motion. Think capital "V" instead of a capital "U" It's a little quicker.
6. Fingers tips forward. Many fielders tag sliding runners with the back of their glove so the runners foot doesn't knock the ball out. The problem with this is that the back of the hand and sometimes the index finger are exposed to the spikes. Try tagging with the fingers of the glove facing the runner. This still protects the ball but also protects any exposed parts of the glove hand.
7. One hand. Two handed tags are usually reserved for catchers and also little kids who are still learning to catch the ball safely and properly. One handed tags are quicker so as players get older, they should be using one hand.
8. A dead out. Occasionally, a runner will be out by quite a distance. If the ball gets to the bag well in advance of the runner, catch the ball and place the glove straight down on the ground in front of the bag. Don't assume the runner is going to give up. If he slides, he'll do it right into your glove. If he gives up (more likely), move forward towards the runner and bring the glove up to tag him. Just bringing the glove up - without moving forward - may allow the runner to quick slide at the last moment and get under the tag.
9. Stay low. This mainly applies to catchers because of a possible collision at the plate but it's good advice for all fielders on a tag play. Should a runner lose his mind and try to run over a fielder on a tag play, the fielder is much safer if he is lower than the runner. This type of collision will almost never happen to a fielder but you never want to assume it won't.
10. Re-tagging. We've all seen this play .. a runner slides and is tagged. The runner continues sliding past the bag and the fielder, seeing that the runner has slid past the bag, goes after him again. The runner beats the second tag and the umpire calls him safe. Why? Because when you re-tag a runner, you are sending the message to the ump that you missed him the first time. Resist the temptation to re-tag unless you are positive the runner will be out again on the re-tag.
Technorati Code: PMEX4EYSG3QM
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| Evan Longoria does whatever he can to keep the throw from getting past him.[DIRK SHADD | St. Petersburg Times] |
4. Glove above the ball. When possible, position your glove above the thrown ball so that you are catching the ball with your glove on the way down. If your glove is below the throw, you'll have to raise the glove to catch and then change direction to bring the glove down to tag. Keeping the glove above the ball allows you to catch and tag in the same downward motion.
5. Capital V. This tip is connected to #3. Reaching out to catch a ball promotes a "sweep" tag. Since you are allowing the ball to come to you, tag with a straight down and straight up motion. Think capital "V" instead of a capital "U" It's a little quicker.
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| Glove fingers forward. (AP Photo/LM Otero) |
7. One hand. Two handed tags are usually reserved for catchers and also little kids who are still learning to catch the ball safely and properly. One handed tags are quicker so as players get older, they should be using one hand.
8. A dead out. Occasionally, a runner will be out by quite a distance. If the ball gets to the bag well in advance of the runner, catch the ball and place the glove straight down on the ground in front of the bag. Don't assume the runner is going to give up. If he slides, he'll do it right into your glove. If he gives up (more likely), move forward towards the runner and bring the glove up to tag him. Just bringing the glove up - without moving forward - may allow the runner to quick slide at the last moment and get under the tag.
10. Re-tagging. We've all seen this play .. a runner slides and is tagged. The runner continues sliding past the bag and the fielder, seeing that the runner has slid past the bag, goes after him again. The runner beats the second tag and the umpire calls him safe. Why? Because when you re-tag a runner, you are sending the message to the ump that you missed him the first time. Resist the temptation to re-tag unless you are positive the runner will be out again on the re-tag.
Technorati Code: PMEX4EYSG3QM
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Third Base Mistakes
The 5th of 12 posts related to common mistakes players make by position.
Playing too shallow. I suppose there may be coaches or players who would disagree with this but I believe it is too common. Obviously, if a third baseman has a weaker arm it would be natural for him to play a little more shallow. However, many players have enough arm strength to play deeper but do not. A lack of range is the obvious problem with playing too shallow. Premiere third basemen are not afraid to play farther back behind the base path and cover more ground as a result. If you read yesterday’s post about shortstops, you learned about the importance of varying your positioning. This certainly applies to third as well, maybe even more so because of the need to occasionally field bunts. Look again at this visual and note how much the third basemen adjust their positioning during the game. Also take note of how deep the third basemen play most of the time. One result of playing deeper is the need to charge more aggressively on slower hit balls. Keep reading below for more information about that.
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| Placido Polanco plays deep and is able to get this shot down the line. (AP Photo) |
Not knowing the pitch. Third base is called the “hot corner” for good reason. Bullets hit down that way are the norm for third basemen and require quick feet and fast reactions (More reason to play deeper!). Knowing what pitch the pitcher is throwing can give the third baseman a “heads up” as to when batted balls may be more likely to come his way. Unfortunately for third basemen, catchers are taught to hide their pitch signals from everyone except the pitcher and the middle infielders. The downside of this is that the third baseman cannot see the signs. Let’s say a hard thrower is on the mound. It makes sense that right handed batters would be much more likely to pull a ball down to third base if that pitcher throws a change-up as opposed to a fastball. If I play third, I want to know when that pitcher is throwing a change-up. But how do I know if I can’t see the signs? The answer is the shortstop tells you. When the catcher gives the sign, some shortstops will give some kind of verbal cue to the third baseman to alert him of a particular pitch. He might say the pitcher’s number or first name when an off-speed pitch is coming and may say another word or nothing on a fastball. There are many options that can be worked out beforehand. (Note: this can be done by the 1st and 2nd basemen as well). This tip might give a third baseman an extra step (there's that "better by a yard" thing again!) and/or a better sense of readiness. Be careful and discreet though. The other team might catch on to what you’re saying.
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| Scott Rolen charging. (MLB Photo) |
Too slow on choppers and slow rollers. These are probably the toughest plays a third baseman has to make. He has to read the speed and hops of the ball as well as the hitter’s running speed and determine whether to charge hard or wait back a little more for a good hop. That being said, I believe too many third basemen error too much on the side of caution and do not aggressively attack light choppers and slow rollers. Most of the time, if the third baseman hesitates or comes up short in his attack even a little, the runner is safe. To improve, it is important that third basemen practice a few of these plays every day at game speed. The use of a stopwatch can be valuable in this process. Have a coach roll a ground ball and start the timer as soon as the ball leaves the coach’s hand. Stop the timer when the ball is caught by the first baseman. Continually try to cut the time it takes to make the play. Remember, an average major leaguer gets from home plate to first base in just over 4 seconds. If you want to continue playing third as you get older, these are plays you have to routinely make under that time.
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| Greg Maddux: One of the best ever at getting off the mound and fielding his position. |
Unaware of who is pitching. This applies to the cooperation between the pitcher and third baseman on bunt plays with a runner on second base. One of the more challenging responsibilities for a third baseman is reading the ball off the bat on a bunt and determining whether to charge and make the play or stay back at the bag and let the pitcher get it. Knowing how good your pitcher is at getting off the mound on bunts is essential. Different pitchers have different levels of foot speed and quickness. Some hop on bunts like a cat. Others seem to take forever to get off the mound. Either way, the third baseman needs to know who is on the mound and how good they are at getting to bunts. Paying close attention to how well pitchers do this in practice is important. This can impact where the third baseman starts on the play. If the pitcher is quick, the third baseman might play a step deeper. If the pitcher is slow-footed or maybe falls towards the first base side after each pitch, he may have to play in on the grass a bit more. The point is, know who is pitching.
Tomorrow: Left Field
Tomorrow: Left Field
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