Baseball Basics: Fielding Strategy
The importance of fielding cannot be ignored in baseball. Even though scoring remains the priority of the contesting teams, the fielding team has to put in extra effort through top-quality fielding to halt the flow of runs and gain the added advantage.
The significance of fielding can be gauged from the fact that better fielders commit lesser errors in the infield and outfield, thus giving fewer scoring chances to the batting side. The pitcher would also be in a position to pitch unreservedly and expose
his entire arsenal from the mound.
A player’s fielding skills are as important as his hitting skills and in the contemporary game, where competition is intense, a compromise cannot be made between the two. All hitters, except the Designated Hitter in the American League, are expected to field
and thus need to hone their fielding skills to inflate their value as a player.
The fielding team usually plays with eight position players, four positioned in the infield, three in the outfield and one catcher just behind the home plate. The first baseman, second baseman, third baseman and short stop are placed in the infield, which
is also referred to as the diamond. There are traditionally three outfielders in play, the right fielder, left fielder and centre fielder.
All fielders are required to wear special gloves to catch the ball. The first baseman and the catcher usually have bigger gloves for catching purposes as the ball travels much faster towards them and they are the busiest players on the field.
The catcher is considered to be technically the soundest player in the line-up. His primary task is to catch the ball when the hitter misses and quickly throw the ball to second or third base to restrict the runner from stealing base. He is also responsible
for guiding the pitcher as to which pitches to throw. For this purpose, the chemistry between the pitcher and the catcher needs to be high.
The first baseman is required to protect first base and first base line, which discerns the foul area. A team usually use this position to hide from view an ageing player as the first baseman is required to tag the bag and not the player. His movement is
limited as he always has one foot set on the bag.
The second baseman and the shortstop are considered to be the most active players in the infield. The second baseman is required to take the throw from other infielders, tag the second base and then usually throw at first base to “turn the double play”.
The shortstop is placed in a strategic defensive position between second and third base and apart from acting as a cut-off man between outfielders and infielders; he is required to protect runs through the gap between second and third base which is the most
favoured gap of right-handed batters. He should be quick in making decisions as to which base to throw on and should have a strong arm for quick throws.
The third baseman usually sees the least of the ball but is required to have a strong arm to throw across the diamond.
The three outfielders are usually the best hitters of the team and their fielding ability is not of utmost importance. The centre fielder has the most ground to cover and all three need to have strong arms to rocket the ball to the infield.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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