Baseball Defense Plays – Infield At Double-Play Depth

When the infield is at double play depth, the first and third basemen stay in their normal location, but the shortstop and second basemen move closer to second base and a couple of steps closer to home plate. If a ground ball is hit within their range, this positioning makes it easier for them to [...]

Baseball Defensive Plays – Infield In

The manager brings the infield in by having them station themselves closer to home plate than they normally would. They do this when a runner is on third, and they want to prevent him from scoring on a ground ball. Because they are closer to the batter, however, the infielders have less time to react [...]

Baseball Defense Tips – Guarding The Line

Fielders who are guarding the lines have moved closer to the foul lines in the infield, the outfield, or both. The purpose is to make it less likely that a batter will hit the ball fair down the line. Fielders usually start to guard the lines when the score is close in about the seventh [...]

Baseball Fielding – Throwing To The Cutoff Man

When the ball is hit deep into the outfield, either for an out or a base hit, and a runner tries to advance, the player who fields the ball may opt for hitting the cutoff man. The cutoff man is an infielder who stations himself between the outfielder and the base the throw is going [...]

Baseball Fielding Tips – Communication Between Players

When the ball is hit in the air, the fielder who expects to make the catch communicates this by calling off other players. On pop-ups or fly balls, the player with the best chance to catch the ball calls out “mine” or “I have it,” and everyone else backs off. In the outfield, the center [...]

Baseball Fielding Tips – Backing Up Plays In The Field

Almost every time an outfielder makes a play, another outfielder is backing up the play by moving behind him. If the ball gets by the initial fielder, the other fielder is there to keep the ball from rolling all the way to the wall and allowing the runners to take extra bases. Infielders also back [...]