The Baseball Zone Blog

12 General Mental Tips for Better Infield Play

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Where is YOUR mind in between pitches???

Baseball is without question very much a game of thoughts and has been referred by some as a “thinking man’s game”. Unlike other sports like hockey, basketball or soccer as examples, there is a tremendous amount of downtime in a baseball game. During these downtimes or rest phases of each game, the minds of each player, coach or manager will constantly be shifting and swaying with each pitch, each out and each complete inning played. Players try and out-think other players; pitchers and catchers try to out think hitters; and coaches and managers try to out think opposing coaches and managers. Sometimes, however, infielders (and outfielders) do too much thinking and fail to hone in on simple, yet general mental aspects of infield play...or sometimes let their minds wander to never never land.

The following is a short list of 12 mental considerations for more consistent infield play.

1. Hit it to me: Expect every ball on every pitch to be hit to you. If you expect the ball, you will always be in a position to make a play or know where to go if not making a play. If you ask the Baseball Gods that the ball not be hit to you, it will find a way to get to you. It’s Murphy’s Law.
2. Pre-pitch movements must be consistent: If, in a game, your pitchers throw 120 total pitches, that means each infielder must get to their ready position the same amount of pitches...120! The moment you take a pitch off, will be the time when the ball is hit to you.
3. Play defence in real time: What is real time? The present, one pitch at a time. Baseball is game where boredom can set in. Learn to play defence in real time, don’t think about the next pitch, it is one pitch at a time.
4. Stay in the mental zone: Control the controllables. Don’t get caught thinking of how your last at bat went or how you fielded the last ground ball or where you didn’t go on the previous play. They are all history. Hit the delete button and move on. The sooner you trash it the better.
5. Use the time between pitches to re-focus: This is the time not to reflect on the negative, but only to reflect on the positive...like... “I want the ball hit to me” or “I want to make a play”. In this time prepare, plan and position yourself to make the play.
6. Know the speed of the runners: This will help you gauge your amount of available time on each play. 
7. Know the hitters' tendencies: Position yourself accordingly. Know what the hitter likes to do. What is the general direction of most of the hits by each opposing hitter? Do certain hitters like to play small ball? Do they spray the ball? Slap it? etc...
8. Don’t give up on booted ball: Many infielders give up on the play once they have booted the ball. You never know, maybe a lead runner made a wide turn and the infielder can recover and make a back door throw for an out. Don't give up - this is a mental skill!
9. Limit compounding errors: So, the infielder makes a fielding error, then he proceeds to hurry up and try to recover, only to make an errant throw. Now we have two errors on one play. Practice and perfect the mental skill of forgetting the immediate past in the middle of a physical movement.
10. Dive on all balls with a runner on second base: Often times the third base coach will think the ball is going through and proceed to send the runner to score....Boom, the infielder dives, knocks the ball down and recovers to throw the runner out at plate. Be mentally prepared to do this when the situation presents itself.
11. Know the base stealers: Knowing them will affect your position as well as your infield team defensive positioning. Remind your teammates that certain guys like to run and to hold their positions as long possible in the event the ball is hit to a vacated spot on the infield.
12. Never stop communicating: Get in the habit of letting your infield teammates know where you are positioned; how you will be moving with the count; and where to make throws.

Now take these 12 mental tips and work on them with your team. Take control of your responsibilities, your controllables and your thoughts. Encourage your teammates to work on them with you and each other. Over time you will see that the time in between pitches that is spent more productively will result in improved play on the field and a more fruitful experience on the diamond!

If you liked this blog you might also be interested in our free eBook "2013 Guide to Mental Performance in Baseball". For a free download, just click the button below.

Throwing and Catching…Quintessential Defensive Baseball

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Make it a field or dreams or a field of nightmares (errors) - your choice

Spend your time around enough ball parks or indoor training facilities and there is one thing you will soon find out…most kids struggle with playing simple Catch and Throw. Think about this - all defensive aspects of baseball revolve around the ability to perform two fundamentals…Catch and Throw. But what happens? Most commonly, the mistake is made trying to teach kids complicated, intricate techniques and skills before they have been able to master the fine art of catching and throwing.

Take for example, an extra base hit that gets past an outfielder. This is a true example of a retrieval, a throw (to the right player), a catch, another throw, another catch and maybe a tag play on the runner. That’s two throws and two catches. Yet how many times have you seen this sequence go askew?

Another simple example of teaching beyond the realm of the player’s capabilities is the development of how a team will endlessly work on pick offs or even timing pickoffs, with players moving all over the field in hopes of retiring a baserunner, when these players in question (working on the pickoffs) struggle to play catch in the first place. Geez, most of these pitchers probably struggle to throw strikes, yet there is a need to work on pick offs?!?! I don't think so - poor choice of time investment.

An even more straightforward example is 5-3, 6-3, 4-3, 3-1…oh, do these sound familiar? They should - they are all the routine plays in the infield that need to be fashioned daily. But no, the 6-4-3, 4-6-3, 5-4-3, 3-4-3 and the ever so prevalent 3-6-1 must be worked on because these defensive plays happen often? Ya right! (You might want to check out "Practicing the Double Play - How? How Often? How Important Is It?")

Young players in the infantile stage of development should spend an abundance of time working on mastering the skills of catching and throwing. What would you consider infantile? For me, it starts from the first day the glove is put on the hand, until the glove is retired and put up in the mantle case. That means catching and throwing should be worked on and continued to be mastered and never taken for granted. On defense in this game, everything depends on the ability of how the nine players catch and throw. You catch and throw well, then you have a chance to win. You do a poor job of catching and throwing, then you have little chance to win.  In other words, teach the process and execution of catching and throwing and the wins will come.  

For the most part, coaches, players and parents are used to the microwave society, where being patient is not part of the equation. They all want to float over key essentials, move past what many will consider elementary material or technique and get to the nuts and bolts. Well, let me tell you, it is not the nuts and bolts that get players or teams in trouble; it is the basic quintessential patterns, movements and techniques that do. It then becomes a widespread problem…players can’t catch and throw well because little or no time is put on the most basic, yet fundamental of the disciplines. You want to be a better defensive player, work on the simple fundamentals of catching and throwing, then all those 5-3’s, 6-3’s, 4-3’s will become habitual and routine.  Don’t turn catch into fetch!

I would like to leave you with a few famous lines from one of the best baseball movies, "Field of Dreams":

Ray Kinsella: Hey... Dad? 

[John turns]

Ray Kinsella: [choked up] You wanna have a catch? 

John Kinsella: I'd like that

GOOD LUCK!

Sincerely,

Rick Johnston, Head Instructor - The Baseball Zone

Rick is the Co-Founder of The Baseball Zone and has been coaching baseball for over 25 years in a career spanning the globe and garnering several championships and individual accolades. His main passion, however, is seeing concrete, individual development in his athletes on, and more importantly, off the diamond. See his bio here.

courtesy of ifcamedia.org & opinionofkingmansperformance.blogspot.com

6 Ways Indoor Batting Cages Can Be Used for More Than Just Hitting

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Indoor batting cages may seem on their face to be focused on one use, and that of course is digging your heels in and hitting off a pitching machine over and over and over with that juicy pitch coming right down the middle, belt high. However, there are so many more things that you can do with indoor batting cages besides taking batting practice to halp make your workouts more varied, and ultimately more productive.

Here are 6 basic ways you can get more out of your time in an indoor batting cage:

1. Besides just stepping up to the plate and hacking away, the cage can be used for soft-toss, focused hitting drills or bunting practice. Or instead of standing in the same place all of the time, move up and back to simulate faster and slower pitches; or move left and right to simulate inside pitches and outside pitches. You will not get perfect BP pitches all of the time in games, so you better make sure you get some practice on variations in the cage. 
2. For catchers working on their defensive game, the pitching machine can be angled down to simulate pitches thrown in the dirt. By substituting a pitching machine for a live arm, you can easier dictate the speed, location and trajectory of how the pitch is arriving at the plate. Not to mention, you don't need to wear out anyone's arm this way either. In many ways, using indoor batting cages in this manner presents a number of advantages. The pitches can come quicker, allowing you to work on reaction speed and timing. (Check out former Ontario Terrier and current Central Arizona Freshman catcher, Zach Sardelitti, show us his own indoor batting cage drill progression)
3. Alternately, angling the pitching machine up can allow catchers to work bouncing out of their stance to handle wild pitches or pitchouts. Again, using indoor batting cages to work on these skills take the human element out of the drill. The drills can move faster, and the ball can be placed more accurately and more consistently in an indoor batting cage.
4. In similar fashion, indoor batting cages can also allow infielders, especially first baseman, to work on digging throws out of the dirt and blocking balls. Angle the pitching machine down even more, and all infielders can get in some work on in-between hops or hard-hit ground balls. Turn the machine up, and help infielders improve their ability to handle the high throw and bring it down for the tag, for instance.
5. Expanding the fielding drill out, and depending on the space available inside the indoor batting cages, you can also introduce a second fielder and allow shortstops and second baseman to work on fielding and feeding the ball in a simulated double play situation. Or, take the speed the ball is coming out at down a few notches and work on charging weakly hit or bunted ground balls. Pitchers can also work on coming off the mound to field balls hit back to the box within indoor batting cages. (By the way, how neglected are PFP's???)
6. We're not forgetting you outfielders! No matter how long the cage is, you can probably lower the speed down enough to get a lazy ball that you can take off one bounce and work on charging and throwing into the back of the cage, or similarly, if the cage has a high enough ceiling, loft it up as high as possible and work on catching a fly ball with proper footwork and transfer to a strong throwing position.

There you have it. Six quick and easy ways to do more than just hit perfect pitches in an indoor batting cage. So if you have access to one you now officially never have a legitimate excuse to say you couldn't get any defensive work in, for example, because there was no one to work out with. If you are hungry enough, and creative enough, and you have access to one, your possibilities are really endless with what you can do in an indoor batting cage.

If you have other uses that you've found useful, we'd love for you to share them with us!

We also hope you can join us for our upcoming clinic on the ever important, yet often neglected PFP's - Pitcher's Fielding Practice clinic. Just click the button below to learn more.

Sincerely,

Mike McCarthy, Co-Founder - The Baseball Zone

Are You Working on Your PFP's?

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A much underappreciated and often undercoached aspect of pitching is the development of pitchers away from the mound. Most pitchers spend countless hours working on their delivery, adding or deleting a pitch within their repertoire and conditioning their body and mind in the personal development of becoming a successful pitcher.  What many pitchers fail to excel at is learning how to field their position once the ball has been put in play. In baseball terms, this type of development can be referenced by three letters...PFP.  

Pitcher’s Fielding Practice or PFP’s, as they are commonly referred to, is a routine of structured practice designed around game situations that will occur throughout the season. Pitchers need to become adept, accountable and responsible for a multitude of defensive situations on a daily basis. Each situation can be set up by a coach to ensure that pitchers get the needed work to understand their responsibilities in various plays that occur.

Ideally, as a coach (or pitcher) it is best to ensure that each pitcher has a clear understanding of their role once a ball has been put in play, yet many do not! The concept of PFP’s is to create a plan, draft or blueprint of what each responsibility is based on where the ball is hit and or where to go with or without the ball. Because PFP’s are often taken for granted, due to its tedious mundane or boring approach, mental errors are often the leading culprit of physical errors. Pitchers need to take the approach that every rep they take during their PFP work has to be with the utmost of focus, intent and conviction to the task at hand.

Just take a look at what happened to the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 World Series. In that series, eventually won by the St.Louis Cardinals, the Tiger pitchers committed a total of five errors - yes that is five errors - that had glaring and costly effects on outcomes of games. Here is what Justin Verlander said: “I couldn't really believe I did it. Being an athlete on the mound is something I've prided myself on, getting myself out of jams. I just messed up."

Jim Leyland, arguably one of the greatest managers in this era (we can debate another day), had this to say: 

"In the American League you don't handle a lot of bunts and stuff. We knew we were going to do that this series, so we worked on it during the time frame we were off and quite frankly we didn't execute it during the World Series. I'm responsible and I accept that responsibility. It's my job to have my team ready."

In defence of him (Leyland), I would bounce back and say, is it his responsibility or the pitchers'? Again, that is a debate that can go both ways. Like any good manager, he took the blame and never shifted it to his pitchers.

What intrigued me about comments from both Verlander and Leyland was not that Leyland took the blame, but that Verlander flat out said:

"Being an athlete on the mound is something I've prided myself on, getting myself out of jams”.

The key to that quote (Verlander) was not getting out of the jam, but what struck me was “being an athlete” (on the mound).  Pitchers need to strive to do this, not just pitch! Be an athlete not just a pitcher.

Getting out of jams is not just making the right pitch or picking a runner off or a defensive player making an unbelievable play to end an inning. It can boil down to a case of the pitcher being able to field his position and unfortunately, in the end, these errors put a dagger deep in the backs of the Tigers in 2006.

So, do we have a moral in this blog? I would say so. That is, if pitchers don’t work on PFP’s, then there is a very good chance that somewhere down the road, when a Baseball 101 situation happens with a pitcher, they just may not get it done.

Rick Johnston, Co-Founder - The Baseball Zone

Images courtesy of nytimes.com & sportsillustrated.cnn.com

The Importance of Playing First Base

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Albert Pujols, Todd Helton, Adrian Gonzalez and Mark Teixiera, what do they all have in common? They can all flat out hit, hit for power and are RBI machines. But, what do you not know about these guys? Since 2001 they have a combined 10 Gold Gloves between them.  Not too shabby for a handful of MLB hitters who are the best of the best.  They became the best because the intently worked on the finer points of first base play. Yes, it probably was their bats that got them to the big leagues and it is their bats that will afford them long, distinguished careers in the big leagues, but what separates these players from the rest is their ability to play first base day in and day out.

A day in the life of becoming a Gold Glove First Baseman does not start with the bat, it starts with the acceptance of taking to first base as your opportunity to shine at a position that is vastly underrated. Just what does it take? There are a plethora of situations that most first baseman would never consider when it comes to learning the position.  One needs to be athletic and agile around the base. With this comes good feet and the ability to use the base and the surrounding to their advantage. One needs to be able to read throws and make plays on balls in the dirt on under thrown balls, this is where pick and dig work is needed on a daily basis. One needs to read throws that are off line and recognize staying on the base to stretch to make the catch is impossible and that by coming off the base to catch and swipe tag is more important. A good first baseman knows how to work with the pitcher, catcher and second baseman on various batted or thrown balls. Learning how to make catches going back on balls in foul territory or moving toward the fence to catch balls is another key component. How about setting up for cut off plays or trailing a runner into second base on a sure double with nobody on first base? Starting double plays when balls are hit to the right or left or working on pick offs with the pitcher and catcher. Or simply put the ability to just catch the ball once it is thrown over from an infielder.

As you can see there are a vast number of learning items that all first baseman must have in their tool box if they desire to achieve Gold Glove status at any level. Heck, there are numerous MLB players that did not play any first base growing up or even in their early years of professional baseball that have now become All Stars in the big leagues. Case in point, Joey Votto, drafted as a catcher, has since moved to first base and with the move has now been a MVP, a two time All Star and arguably the best player in the game over the last two years...oh, and he just won his first Gold Glove I might add.

So who plays first base? Well, the belief has always been to put the biggest player over there, make him stand there and attempt to catch every ball thrown in the area of the base. Well, herein lines the problem. What happens if the first baseman in question is not agile (yes I know he is tall though) and struggles to move his feet around the base? Have we seen this before?  What about the first baseman who is afraid of the ball and struggles to pick balls out of the dirt? Yes, we have seen this before.  I can tell you; at the younger levels a taller first baseman that lacks agility may not be the best fit to man the base. Why? Well at younger levels, kids lack arm strength, so it would be my assumption that more throws will be in the dirt and thus the necessity of a good first baseman’s glove and foot work would supersede that of a tall first baseman that lacks fundamental movements. Certainly at higher levels, a taller first baseman would be the clear choice, but at younger ages put a player over there that can catch the ball. Never underestimate the importance of first base play...after all, where does the ball get thrown more times in game besides the plate? You guessed it, first base.

I'd like to hear from you coaches - what type of athlete do you put at first base?

Rick Johnston, Head Instructor - The Baseball Zone

Image courtesy of www.fauowlaccess.com

Outfield Play - The Outfielder's Dilemma

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Outfielding: To play deep or not to play deep?

Question number one, are more balls hit over an outfielders head or in front of them?  Question number two, do outfielders generally play too deep or too shallow in the outfield?  Well, the answer to the first question is more balls get hit in front of an outfielder.  The answer to question two is most outfielders play too deep. Let’s examine these two questions and dive into how this mantra comes to be.

At younger ages kids generally lack physical strength and thus, batted balls are rarely hit over heads of outfielders. In fact, almost 80% of all hit balls in a game will not carry as far as the outfielder is positioned.  Batted balls that do go over the head of an outfielder are usually fashioned by the bigger, more physical kid. But given this that may mean one maybe two of nine kids in the batting order will be that physical kid who might run into a ball and drive it over the head of the outfielder.  That is a low percentage.  

As far as depth goes, most outfielders play too deep because they are afraid of a ball being hit over their head and they lack confidence in going back on balls. Outfielders just do not have the confidence to go back on balls because they rarely or never work on it.  If 80% of balls are hit in front of the outfielder then it would make more sense for them to play shallow, take away the line drive, Texas leaguer and little duck snorts that always seem to fall in and change the complexion of a game. When you see an outfielder playing in another area code or zip code, bring them in closer to the infield and if the ball is hit over their head, simply tip your hat to the hitter.  It is all about the percentages.

Now that it has been determined a shallow outfield depth is more important than a deeper outfielder depth (for the most part, will depend on other factors) and will help take hits away from the opposition, the next key is finding a way to sell this depth to your outfielders. The first thing that must be accomplished is to train and teach outfielders how to trust themselves and learn to go back on balls. This can be done with various toss drills, fungoed balls and the usage of a pitching machine.  These types of drills will help and assist, but the only true way is for each outfielder to spend countless hours during batting practice playing shallow and working on getting jumps and going back on balls. Nothing can truly replace game hit balls. Remember toss drills, fungoes and machines balls all help to build confidence but cannot replace a true hit ball in a game. Next time you see one of your outfielders playing too deep, bring them closer to the infield and play the percentages on batted balls.

Rick Johnston, Co-Founder - The Baseball Zone

PS - If you are in the Greater Toronto Area, you might want to check out our once-a-year Outfielding Clinic with me this October/November:

Image courtesy of www2.ljworld.com

So You Booted a Ground Ball - Now What?

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Do you get up and dust yourself off?  Or not?

In the following Blog, I want to dive into the realm of how to deal with an error and how to change the thought process from a negative to a positive!

First of all let’s get a scenario to analyze: You're playing shortstop and your team is on defence, and the ball gets hit on the ground to you. It’s a routine groundball that you have fielded a million times, but the ball comes up on you and bangs off of your wrist and out in front of you. You pick it up but the runner's already at 1B! It’s an error, now what?

The first thing many of us think is “I hope the next ball doesn’t get hit to me”. I’ve been guilty of it as I’m sure we all have! The problem with this negative thought is that the ball always has a funny way of finding us, and we have already set ourselves up to fail because we believe we will “boot” the ball again. The way to beat the negative thought is to never make a negative prediction. The best players in the game want the very next ball hit to them, which is a positive thought. They are positively sure they will make the very next play every time. This is making a positive prediction instead of a negative one!!

The mental part of the game is one of the least talked about skills in the game. Take for example Chuck Knoblauch a few years ago: he couldn’t throw a ball 50 feet from second to first with any accuracy. It’s not like, all of a sudden, he couldn’t throw a ball.....He lost the mental ability believing that he could throw the ball to first and be accurate!

Nowadays in the MLB you are hearing more about Pro guys using Sports Psychologists to help them learn how to create positive thoughts and to stay positive when adversity hits. Helping them to mentally prepare for a game which is full of failure! Hitters who hit over .300 for their career and end up in the Hall of Fame have failed almost 70% of the time. Being able to stay positive is absolutely crucial to success. 

Appreciate you taking the time to read this and would love to hear your comments!

Rich Reid, Senior Instructor - The Baseball Zone

Image from oocities.org

Defending the Hit and Run

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Defending the Hit and Run:

Let’s walk through a successfully executed hit and run and see where the defence failed to understand what happened. Baserunner on first base, one out, the count favours a fastball. The baserunner breaks on the pitch, the hits a lazy ground ball through the vacated hole between first and second base, because the second baseman released to cover the base. The hit and run play worked to perfection, but it worked with the help of the middle infield. In other words, the middle infielders failed to do their job and thus got caught in no position to defend the hit and run.

Now, let’s look at how we can defend the hit and run and see where the defensive problems can arise. First, the defence must be able to determine the difference between a hit and run and a straight steal of second base and a hitter’s option to swing or take the pitch. In doing so, the defence must be conscious of the following:

1. Baserunners speed or lack of speed at first base
2. The ability of the hitter 
3. The batting order
4. The game situation
5. The number of outs
6. The count on the hitter
7. The ability of the pitcher to throw strikes

To expand:

1. Baserunners generally lacking speed are considered good candidates for hit and run. As a rule, if the baserunner occupying first base has plus speed and steal potential is there, the hit and run would not be a good directive. If the hit and run were to be commanded to a well below average runner and the hitter were to swing and miss, the likely hood of the baserunner getting thrown out is very high
2. Hitters who handle the bat well, make contact and hit the ball on the ground are considered good candidates for hit and run
3. Other than middle of the order hitters (for the most part) can be good hit and run guys
4. Teams that are leading, games that are tied and games where the opposition is down a run early to mid part of game are good situations to command the hit and run
5. The number of out is usually one out, however, the player mix might work with none out. It is not recommended with two out
6. The count will favour the fastball
7. If the pitcher is able to make pitches in the zone, then the hit and run is a good tactic, conversely, pitchers that struggle with command and throwing strikes, the hit and run would not be a wise tactic

After the defence has given thought to these factors, if they follow some simple steps, they will have a better chance of defending the hit and run.  Once the middle infield recognizes the baserunner is breaking for second base, the middle guy who is responsible for base coverage should take steps toward the back of the pitcher’s mound instead of vacating their position early to cover second base. When the infielder responsible for base coverage moves toward the mound, it will assist them in “holding” their position on the field to prevent the ground ball from going through. Infielders that break early to second base as the baserunner breaks, will open up a massive hole for the hitter to try and shoot the ball through (although most hitters should simply try and hit the ball on the ground where it is pitched). As the coverage infielder moves toward the mound, it will also inch him toward second base, while at the same time assisting to maintain his defensive position. If the ball is hit, the hope is each middle infielder is in a position to defend either the hit ball or the baserunner if the hit and run is failed and a subsequent throw is coming from the catcher.

Appreciate your comments.

Rick Johnston, Head Instructor - The Baseball Zone

Photo courtesy of bryantbulldogs.com