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What Position Do You Play?

by Dave
Monday, July 11, 2005

1. If you play first or third, I suggest you try getting behind the plate. Let's be honest, many first baseman are made that position because they are not the fleetest nor most graceful of foot. Third basemen are often more agile than first basemen but their footwork is not quite as good as a shortstop. Catching can make your footwork at first and third easier because catching footwork needs to be very quick and is done in a close space. Also catching teaches you to block balls coming at least as fast as throws at first, although not as quickly as ground balls at third. Still it can be valuable for a third baseman as the ball blocking needed at third is very similar to catching. Also airing out your arm on throws to second is basically the same as it is for third to first, only faster. Catching has the added benefit of being the position where you get to really watch pitches. A catcher needs to react quickly to balls with different spins. The catcher gets to know, most of the time, which pitch is being thrown and see how it spins and moves. In short, while catchers are not always the best hitters due to the physical wear of playing the position, playing catcher can enhance your hitting.
   
   
2. If you are a catcher, playing first or third can have benefits for you. For one thing, playing the field can give your legs a needed rest. Many older catchers move into the infield because their legs can no longer take squatting. Catchers can make good third basemen because they are used to blocking balls. But practicing third can help a catcher because it teaches you to block balls moving faster than a pitch with unknown spins. It also helps you with footwork at home because you field balls in such a variety of foot positions that it teaches you to quickly adjust.
   
   
3. There are obviously tons of overlaps between second and short but switching the middle infield position you practice every so often has the added benefit of seeing balls which have different spin. The majority of batters are right-handed. A righty hits a ground ball with a different spin than does a lefty. If you only practice second base and only field balls hit by righties, you are going to be at a disadvantage when some lefty smashes a ground ball to you in the championship game. Practicing short does not completely compensate for this but it can give you a leg up. Also practicing third or first can help middle infielders with reaction time. First basemen can similarly benefit from playing first and vice versa. Likewise, practicing middle infield can benefit a corner player by having them see grounders with a broader spectrum of spins for longer periods of time. It can almost be like playing the corner in slow motion. Also, you have to cover more ground in the middle and you get to see where these players play and what balls these positions have the most trouble with.
   
   
4. Switching practice positions between infield and outfield also has some benefits. An outfielder gets all kinds of tricky hops on balls. An infielder can sharpen their reaction to bad hops by playing the outfield some in practice. Also outfielders have to judge the trajectory of pop ups off the bat. Infielders can sharpen their skills on shorter pops by flagging flies in the outfield. Similarly, outfielders gain valuable experience by fielding grounders from the much more close up infield positions. Also outfielders can become somewhat lazy in their throwing skills. Playing infield places more demand for accurate throwing in live situations than playing outfield. But it is always good to put a little pressure on yourself to make accurate throws. So get in the infield and work those positions.
   

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