Infielder Fielding Skills
Source: Trent Mongero, Winning Baseball
Infielding is a general term that represents the various fundamental plays needed to become a good infielder. It is helpful if players possess specific physical attributes to increase their odds for success at the higher levels of baseball. For instance, middle infielders (i.e., shortstop and second baseman) are right-handed throwers who possess soft hands, quick feet, and superior hand-eye coordination. Third basemen are also right-handed throwers who are typically big and strong, and they also have quick reflexes and powerful arms. First basemen, who throw with either their right or left hands, are typically tall to provide a large target for fellow infielders, and they are efficient at picking errant throws out of the dirt.
As players progress through the middle school (grade 6 to 8) and high school ranks, their footwork, body control, arm strength, and range should significantly improve.
To help players develop they should be continually challenged to execute their fielding mechanics at game speed in order to create good muscle memory and increase consistency.
At the high school level and above, hitters generally run to first base in just over four seconds. Therefore, infielders should eventually be able to execute proper fielding fundamentals (from the time the ball is hit until their throw reaches first base) in less than four seconds.
Routine Ground Ball Mechanics
Technically there is no such thing as a “routine” ground ball. All plays, whether a four-hopper hit right at the fielder, a ball hit to his backhand side or glove side, a double play feed, or a slow roller are challenging to execute. However, for classification purposes,, “routine” is a word used by many in the game of baseball to represent a play that should be made by the defense. Unsuccessfully executing the play would be classified as an “error” by the official scorer. The most common routine play that must be made in the infield is a ball hit on the ground directly at a player or hit slightly to his glove or throwing side.
Middle infielders have the luxury of knowing which pitch is going to be thrown because they can see the catcher’s signs to the pitcher. They should use this valuable information to their advantage by deceptively adjusting their positioning as they “creep” (take small steps forward) into their ready position.
They should adjust slightly to their left or to their right based on whether the pitch will be a fastball or an off-speed pitch. For example, if the catcher calls for a curveball to a right-handed batter, the shortstop anticipates the batter will pull this pitch. Therefore, he should attempt to cut down his distance to the third base side by creeping into a ready position in right-left pattern where he takes a step with his right foot laterally instead of straight towards the plate. This will effectively cut down his distance to the third base side and increase his chances of making a play to the side.
Note. The footwork and glove positioning for a left-handed first baseman is opposite that of a right-handed fielder when executing routine ground ball mechanics.
Phase 1: Ready Position
Before each pitch, the infielder should feel relaxed and think about the potential game situation that could arise if the batter hits the ball. This will allow the fielder to make the correct decision about where the ball should be thrown if it is hit to him. In addition, middle infielders should use the catcher’s signal to the pitcher to anticipate where the batter will likely hit the next pitch.
When the pitcher is about to release the ball to the hitter, the infielder should begin to creep forward and get his body into a position where he is ready to quickly react to a batted ball. He does this by taking small steps (left then right, or right then left) toward the plate. The infielder’s body should end up in an athletic position—with his feet spread apart slightly wider than his shoulders, knees slightly bent, hips slightly flexed, weight slightly forward, glove out in front of his body with the pocket facing the batter, and eyes on the “strike zone” of the hitter. It is critical that both of the player’s feet are on the ground before the ball is hit in order to maximize his ability to cover the greatest distance in the shortest amount of time. A player does not want to get too much forward momentum because he will have difficulty reacting side to side.
Phase 2: Approach the Ball
Once the routine ground ball is hit and is bouncing directly towards the fielder, teach players how to use their feet to quickly “round off” or “V-Cut” as they approach the ball. This is achieved by moving the body slightly to the right of the ground ball as the player prepares to field it. This vantage point makes it easier for him to judge the speed of the ball, pick out the correct hop, and eventually create momentum to first base. The player should them move his body to the left in order to put himself in the correct position to receive the ball.
As they round off the ground ball, fielders should speed up or slow down in order to field the hop of their choosing. Ideally, players first look to field a “big-hop” (long hop) when the bounce has passed its peak and the ball is on the way back down. Their second choice is to catch the ball off the “short-hop,” where the ball has just struck the ground and is beginning to move back up towards the peak.
As a player begins to move back to the centre to put himself in a good position to field the ball, he should stay under control, gradually lowering his body, widening his feet to create a good base (athletic position), and moving his glove forward in front of his body. The player’s last two steps into his fielding position are right and then left.
Phase 3: Fielding Position
In order to field a ground ball cleanly, a player should be able to consistently get his body into a good fielding position just before the ball is grabbed.
When a player is in a correct fielding position, his:
- Legs should be spread wider than his shoulders.
- Weight should be on the balls of his feet.
- Feet should be slightly staggered with his left foot slightly in front of the right.
- Rear end is low to the ground.
- Glove is in front of his body at the top of the imaginary triangle created by the top of both feet and his glove.
- Fingertips are pointing down and lower than the ball.
- Glove is positioned just left of the centreline of his body and kept open to receive the baseball.
- Throwing hand should be above or to the side of the glove.
- Eyes are on the ball.
When the ball enters the pocket of the glove the player quickly removes it while his body transitions into a good throwing position.
Phase 4: Power Position
Teach players how to efficiently link energy from their fielding position to their power (throwing) position to maintain momentum towards the throwing target. Once the ball is fielded, a player should quickly take it out of his glove while simultaneously moving his feet to turn his body perpendicular to his target.
There are two primary ways a fielder can go from a fielding position to a throwing position. If the ground ball was hit firmly, and the hitter does not possess great speed, the fielder can quickly cross his right foot in front of his left foot. This exaggerated movement creates more momentum towards his target, and provides a little extra time for a good transition of the ball to the throwing hand. The second method is to replace the feet or “click the heels.” Here the fielder tries to be more efficient with his feet by simply bringing his right foot to his left foot while the left foot moves in line with the target. This method is typically used the most by advanced players. Regardless of which footwork a fielder uses, he must stay low and move through the ball. This will allow him to use power in his legs to take stress off his arm and continue momentum in the direction of his throw.
A player should field and throw in a continuous fluid motion. In order to make a throw, the ball will first be positioned where it is pointed away from the target with a relaxed, four-seam grip. The back elbow will be approximately shoulder high. In addition, the front shoulder, elbow, hip, and toe should all be pointed at the target for a fraction of a second as the fielder throw the ball to first base.
Phase 5: Throw and Extension
This phase happens very quickly to the naked eye. In this phase:
- Accelerate the baseball from behind his body to a point in front of the body where it is released towards the target.
- Two primary throwing fingers (pointer and middle) should stay on top and behind the ball.
- Throwing elbow should remain shoulder-high through release.
- As the player’s momentum continues forward through the throw, the glove-arm elbow and the throwing-arm elbow move closer together. This action reduces the player’s chance of working across the body, which would result in an inconsistent release point.
- The bottom half of the fielder’s body simultaneously adds energy into the throw by driving off the ground with the back leg and accelerating the hips into rotation.
- When releasing the ball, the fielder should extend his throwing arm towards the target and snap his wrist, which creates backwards rotation.
- A fluid arm action and release of the ball, will add distance and accuracy to his throw.
Phase 6: Follow Through
Once the player releases the ball towards the target, he should complete the throw by allowing his arm to decelerate naturally and finish just outside his stride-foot hip. The back foot will simultaneously release off the ground and continue to move towards first base.
Infield Ground Ball Backhand Mechanics
As with all types of ground balls, backhand plays offer a unique set of challenges that players must overcome. Initially, the fielder’s footwork is exactly the same as preparing for any batted ball. For example, the player will creep into a ready position. However, once the ground ball is hit to the fielder’s right (backhand play will be made to the right of a right-handed thrower), he must make critical adjustments to efficiently get to the ball, field it cleanly on the backhand side, and accurately throw to first base.
When to Use Backhand Mechanics
When a player takes a good crossover step and establishes a good angle to a ball on his backhand side, he may realize that he can actually get in front of the ball to field it. Typically this is beneficial. However, if the player feels like he will have to sacrifice good fielding mechanics in order to “fight” to get his body in front of the ball, he should simply play the ball to his backhand side.
Crossover Step
Once the ball is hit, the fielder must react by taking a crossover step with his left foot to his backhand side. As he is stepping across his body, the fielder must stay low to the ground and simultaneously determine the distance and speed of the batted ball. This will impact when and where he will put down his left foot to help him take the best angle to the ball. For instance, if the fielder determines that the only way to catch this ground ball is to intersect it deep on the infield, he should create a deeper angle to the ball by putting his left foot down where he can make a straight line to the ball’s path. When a player mistakenly takes the first step with his right foot to make a backhand catch, he has made a “false step.” Very little ground is gained on this preliminary movement, and it can cause the fielder to be late and miss the ball.
Do or Die Backhand Play
A do-or-die backhand play is one in which the player does not have a choice about how the ball is fielded. He will either catch the ball with backhand mechanics of dive after the ball. As the fielder attacks the ball, quickly moving his feet, he must simultaneously lower his body to bring his nose down to the ball just before making the catch. This is no time to choose which foot will be out in front when the ball enters the glove. The player should take a split second to make sure the ball is secured in the glove and then quickly transition his feet to get his body into a power position to throw to first base.
