Instructional Friday: Infield Play (Corners)

Date: March 22, 2019
By: Eric Leary

Infield play is about fielding ground balls, relaying throws from the outfield, and putting out runners either by tag or force.Instructionally, a lot of emphasis is often put on the middle infield positions of the shortstop and the second baseman. These spots demand players with deft glove skills due to the need to make nifty plays on feeds or tags, to reach beyond extension stopping a sure basehit, or because of the volume of opportunities those positions often get because of positioning on the field.  

Thus, as a result or a consequence, the corner infielders are sometimes relegated to being filled by players who lack the athleticism, or the skills of a defender in the middle. Or perhaps it is for that hitter, usually with power, needing a place in the lineup. So sticking them at 1B or 3B is seen as acceptable to give their bat a chance.

But the reality is that baseball teams need defensive performance from all of its position players to be at its best, at all times. An error from a corner infielder can be just as detrimental as that of a defender through the middle. Assuredly, errors will happen.  But if they can be minimized or even reduced by simply extending instruction or expanding skills then the effort can be considered valuable.

Here are three aspects of development that could be considered in aiding defensive performances for corner infielders.

1. Have corner infielders do the same drills as middle infielders. Everything a middle infielder must execute practically translates to the corner spots to some degree.  Flips, tags, glove or hand drills – they all have a place and need for the corner infielder. These types of ball drills provide a comfortability with handling the baseball both with the glove and the hand that can pay dividends.  A suggestion is to install these drills generically and then allow them to be executed in positionally.

2. Identify 3 most common plays for each corner infielder. Then, have a couple of simple, self-directed drills to allow those players to improve their skill sets for making those plays.  If third basemen will have to make charge plays quite a bit give them the teaching to execute the drill and make self-corrections. If the first basemen don’t have the same responsibilities, void those charge play drills for them.  The bottom line is to have them work on a few essential tasks that are critical to their position. The main ingredient is the WORK. They have to love the work.

3. In continuing with that theme, construct the expectations for the position as determined by the skills.  Simply, corner infield positioning, and by virtue, and expected plays are pre-identified by factors like athleticism, arm strength and baseball IQ.  A third baseman with a strong arm can play deeper, while those with weaker arms need to play in even with the bag all the time. A corner infielder that has limited range needs to focus their work on the lateral move plays where a step-and-a-dive is the normal function of their ability.

Getting the most defensively out of corner infielders is sometimes just a matter of expanding their skills with intentional efforts to force them to elevate performance.  Equally important is allowing them to fine tune those critical positional plays in a way that fits their game; no matter “who’s on first.”