Winning consistently in youth sports, particularly in baseball, is more about learning how not to lose, as opposed to learning how to win. Sure, you can focus on hitting line drives, stealing bases, effective bunting or any number of other things, but more often than not, wins and losses will come down to throwing strikes and playing good defense.
At all levels of baseball – even college and professional – far more games are lost than are won.
This means that teams usually do more to cause their own losses than the opposition does to win them.
Throwing Strikes
It seems simple enough, but so many pitchers and coaches focus more on improving velocity than improving location. What good is an 80 MPH fastball that’s always out of the strike zone? You’re better off throwing 40 MPH and consistently locating for strikes.
Before worrying about how fast a player throws or how much hook his curveball has, worry about them getting complete command of the strike zone. This means a pitcher can locate his pitch anywhere within the four quadrants of the strike zone at any time. For younger-level pitchers, this requires that they dial back the velocity a bit. Pitchers are better off focusing on command with a moderate fastball than trying to throw the heat.
Your average youth and high school baseball lineup isn’t stacked with sluggers who can make you pay dearly for leaving a meatball over the plate. In most situations, the worst that will happen is a base hit.
But the nature of baseball (.300 hitter is Hall of Fame material) dictates that even the slowest pitch will generally result in an out. When pitchers realize this and learn to trust their defense, they will find they have a lot more success, without the need for a blazing fastball or deceptive curve.
Remember that pitches off the plate lead to walks, which almost always come around to score. Make players earn their way on base by consistently throwing strikes.
Play Good Defense
One of the worst things you can do in baseball is give a team extra outs through bad defense. Each team is supposed to have three outs per inning – when defensive errors are made, the team is essentially given an extra out to put more runs on the board. It doesn’t take a baseball genius to realize that this eventually leads to crooked numbers on the board against you.
A defensive error not only gives the other team an extra life, it also demoralizes the pitcher and everyone else on the defense. You were about to get out of an inning and get back in the dugout to bat when a routine grounder rolled through the shortstop’s legs. Now, you have to work to get another out, naturally leading to a mental let down. It also invigorates the other team, which now has another chance to do some damage.
Conversely, a great defensive play excites your team and your pitcher. You were about to give up a run or an extra base hit until the centerfielder made a diving catch to get you out of the inning. Now, instead of having runners on base, you’re back in the dugout getting ready to put some runs on the board. On the other hand, robbing a team of surefire runs is a great way to kill the opposition’s spirit.
At worst, you want to have a baseball team that makes all of the routine plays and some of the great ones. Watch Coach Bob Morgan go over some of his favorite infield drills to improve defense.
Source: Infield Play: Drills & Techniques For Infielders
Minimize Mistakes to Maximize Wins
In all sports, mistakes are killers. Whether it’s turnovers in football or basketball, faults in tennis or errors and walks in baseball – the more chances you give another team to beat you, the more likely they will take advantage.
“Who's their catcher?” This is the first question many Major League pitchers ask when they are being traded. The pitcher-catcher relationship is critical to the success of a ball team, which means it’s vital to train your youth catchers the art of working with their pitchers.
Catchers are constantly thinking about the best way to get a batter out. Just like with pitchers, it is always an advantage if a catcher knows the scouting report on the batter or at least pays attention during each at-bat.
Noticing whether a player tends to hit for the fences or pull the ball to left field can make all the difference in a catcher’s performance at calling pitches.
In addition to having strong balance, agility, glove work, toughness, hand and foot speed, and strategic thinking, catchers need to have incredible interpersonal skills. When your catcher can properly communicate with your pitcher, your team can improve its success.
Tell the Pitcher What He Needs to Hear
Your catcher needs to know his pitcher. Without an understanding of the personality of the pitcher, the catcher will have a hard time knowing what to say. Many pitchers need their catchers to be soft and caring, while others want someone direct.
“He pitches better when he’s mad, so I try to make him that way,” Jorge Posada said about Orlando Hernandez, according to an ESPN article. Certainly, kids shouldn’t be mad on the field, but a little bee in the bonnet can cultivate that competitive spirit.
No matter a pitcher’s preference, they all need to know the truth.
A catcher shouldn’t tell a pitcher he is doing great when it’s clear he’s had much better days. Telling the pitcher the truth is essential, but most pitchers prefer when a catcher does so kindly. Rather than just saying “You need to work the inside of the plate,” catchers must tell the pitcher the way they execute better. Pitchers can often clearly see the areas where they are not effective, but they need to know what they should do to become better. Some kids have this down “naturally,” and others can gain this skill from an understanding parent who doesn’t coddle but suggests guidelines.
Treat Practice Like a Game
Rather than simply placing the glove in the strike zone and merely going through the motions during practice, a catcher can treat practice like the real game. Working all corners of the plate, as well as up and down, will have your pitcher familiar with the way you set up during a game.
Visiting the Pitcher
Paying a visit to the pitcher typically results in an effective partnership. Taking trips to the mound to talk to the pitcher and calm him down can help build his confidence. Effective catchers can make pitchers smile in tough situations, and this can relax them.
Communication Is Key, Too
Certainly, the pitcher-catcher relationship is critical to a team’s success. This makes it vital for coaches to train catcher in this art of social interaction. Certain catchers are simply on the same page as their pitchers, and these relationships often result in a low ERA. Ultimately, overall improved relationships on your team boost morale and improve performance.
Developing your outfield doesn't stop in the offseason. Continuing to work on new drills with your team during the season is crucial as injuries and fatigue begins to set in.
Implementing new drills in practice will keep your players on their toes and constantly improving as the wear and tear of a grueling multi game week starts to affect their performance.
Let's take a look at 5 outfield drills you can put your players through when getting ready for a big game.
Jake Boss Jr. . was appointed the 16th head coach in Michigan State baseball history on July 1, 2008, and has quickly become one of the most successful coaches in the program’s 131-year history. Coach Boss is constantly coming up with new drills to keep his outfielders prepared for any type of ball that comes their way. In the clip below, check out his different drills including diving for fly balls and tracking angles. (click image for video).
Darren Fenster became the Boston Red Sox's Minor League Outfield & Baserunning Coordinator in 2019. Coach has become known for his innovative drills and philosophies when training outfielders to get the most out of their athletic abilities on the field in game situations. One of his favorite daily drills in practice is “Tapbacks” which is done consistently right after stretches and warm ups.
John Marshall is the former varsity baseball coach at Kinnelon High School in Kinnelon, N.J. and also played at Harvard University and then for the semi-pro Paramus Pitbulls of the North Jersey Amateur Baseball League. He believes that footwork is the key to consistent outfield play, and is a simple but effective concept that you can work on with your players in the middle of the season. Here is a look at some of the drills he uses that can be replicated in your own training sessions.
Former head baseball coach at Indiana University Bob Morgan knows all about turning your outfield into a well oiled machine. In his course "Outfield Play: The Defense's Secondary", Coach Morgan covers the crucial components for the last line of defense including throwing grip, stance, creep steps, and proper techniques and footwork for catching the baseball. In the drill shown below, he talks about creep steps and stance techniques he worked on at the division 1 level.
Former Detroit Tiger Kevin Hooper has preached TEAM DEFENSE since he got into coaching. His course on team defense includes things like:
Pop Fly Priority
Cuts & Relays
PFP
Pickoffs and Rundowns
Scripted Plays
Having your defense act as a single unit is key to saving runs and getting the team off the field to go hit. This clip covers the proper cut and relay drills for empty bases and a ball down the left field line.
Keep in mind that a lot of outfielders rely on instinct when it comes to in-game situations they find themselves in on the field. When you continue to pump in new drills each week before the game, you are adding to their muscle memory and increasing their chances of success when the game is on the line and you are in need of a big play.
Fundamentally sound players WIN!
Baseball is a constant game of adjustments. In the 1940’s, Ted Williams
essentially forced opposing managers to enact a shift because it was the
only way to slow him down. It worked for a little while until the Red Sox
slugger made an adjustment to hit more to the opposite field. This is just
one of many examples on how teams have implemented the shift to
serve as an adjustment to get more hitters out.
Basic Positioning
In terms of the actual positioning, we have seen more varieties arise in
recent years. However, for the sake of this article, I’ll give the most
general one that’s been used. Here is how it looks: The third baseman
will move over to where the shortstop normally is. The shortstop will
slide over to the right of second base. Meanwhile, the second baseman
will move back into the grass and in-between second and first. The first
baseman will slide over closer to the line. As for the outfield, the right
fielder can get closer to the line and the center fielder will move into
right-center. This is the most commonly used shift, but it is still
important to gauge the hitting abilities of the player at the plate and
adjust appropriately.
Advantages of Using the Shift on Defense
Before even starting this section, I want to make it clear that merely
shifting a lot is not always an effective strategy. There is a substantial
difference between shifting a lot and shifting effectively (recording
outs). For younger levels, it might be hard to determine when to shift. If
it’s a team you’ve played before or one that you can watch the opposing
players take batting practice, then this might be a little easier. However,
there are plenty of advantages that can arise from implementing a shift.
The most prevalent one is limiting a hitter’s ability to pull the ball.
Obviously, baseball players love to pull the ball to nab extra base hits. It
is much more difficult to be a consistent opposite field hitter. In fact,
we’ve even seen some players dominate throughout the minors only to
struggle in the majors once managers start shifting against them. The
shift also benefits pitchers. When there defense is aligned appropriately,
they can limit hits against them and basically have to throw less pitches,
thus allowing them to go deeper into the game. In addition, they can
focus solely on the inner half of the plate to force the hitter to pull it.
These are two of the primary advantages that can be brought about by
shifting effectively.
Players Must Learn Other Spots
In order to implement a shift, the infielders must be capable of sliding a
little out of their comfort zone. For example, the third baseman is no
longer covering the third baseline. Rather, now he is forced to basically
act as a fill-in shortstop. The same goes for the rest of the infield,
including the second baseman, who is now technically in the outfield. All
of these may sound like minor adjustments, but when you get in an
actual game situation, they seem a little more rigorous. With this being
the case, I don’t think it’s a terrible idea for young infielders to work on
their versatility. This would include taking grounders at different
positions. Avoid being solely focused on one position. As for a Major
Leaguer that’s portrayed this exact versatility, check out the
increasingly valuable Ben Zobrist.
Since you have to practice other spots, it doesn’t hurt to study some
more online about these other positions. This instructional video from
CoachTube will walk you through some of these other spots. You don’t
have to spend a ton of time on them, but it can be helpful to get a
general idea!
How to Beat the Shift
Despite the clear advantages a shift can bring, there are also plenty of
ways for hitters to beat it. Jonathan Lucroy, who is the catcher for the
Milwaukee Brewers, is one example of a player who was shifted against
immensely. His response: just adjust! Lucroy referred to this adjustment
saying, “Personally, I love when teams shift on me. I try to hit ‘em where
they ain’t, like Willie Keeler.” There are a few ways, including the ones
Lucroy’s exhibited, that can beat the shift.
Bunt
Typically, we see bigger players get shifts put on them, so it might sound
a little crazy to ask these big power bats to bunt. But, why not? If the
infield is basically entirely on the right side, all you have to do is firmly
bunt it down the line and you’ll be safe every time. When you do this a
couple of times to the defense, they’ll start to respect your abilities and
they will no longer implement the shift.
Take Advantage
With a shift on, the pitcher is going to try to pound you inside to force a
pull. However, even at the Major League level, pitchers make mistakes.
They may intend to throw a cutter inside, but instead leave it hanging
on the outside corner. If you try to pull this ball, it will be an easy pop
out. The alternative is to go with it and hit a soft liner to left for a hit.
Take your pick on which you’d rather have.
Increased Relevance
As I mentioned in the introductory sections, coaches love to shift
nowadays. If a player is going to try to kill you by pulling the ball, then
why not put extra guys over there because you know that’s where it’s
going. The number of shifts in the MLB rose by over 10,000 from 2010
to 2014. That is certainly a staggering figure. You’d think of all players
that Major League players wouldn’t hesitate to make the adjustment to
continue to succeed. However, it isn’t difficult to see why they don’t
adjust immediately. These are players that have probably dominated
their entire lives and continuously been the best player on the field at
any given time. Now, the opposition is attempting to limit their abilities
by putting extra guys on the right side? This stubbornness and lack of
adjusting is a perfect explanation why managers will continue to
implement shifts!
Numbers Game
Baseball is a numbers game. Even at the youth level, players develop
tendencies. When they see an inside pitch, they want to pull it. After
multiple times of doing this, they’ll want to pull everything. With this
said, it is the defense’s responsibility to read and react to these
tendencies. A shift is one perfect example of it. If you think a younger
age like 12 is too young to shift, think again because it just might make
you a much better team!
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