The Skill of Holding Runners on First Base
Holding base-runners is a crucial aspect for having any chance of success during a baseball game. Although players understand this, there is a disconnect on knowing how to hold base-runners on correctly. Today I will go over how to hold runners on at first base.
Holding runners on at first base has some key players. The three key players with holding a runner on at first base are the pitcher, first baseman, and the catcher. The rest of the defenders on the diamond are the outlier defenders. More on their roles later. When a runner is on first, we want to prevent the base-runner from advancing a base or more. This means we want to prevent the base-runner from having such a big lead that he will advance to second base or to third. The base-runner can advance on a steal, a hit, a balk, or a well placed batted ball out. All of the extra steps that the base-runner on first will take will be the fault of the pitcher, first baseman, and catcher. The goal of a pickoff or holding a runner on base is to not necessarily pickoff the runner. That would be the added bonus, but instead the goal is to prevent an advanced lead.
When the pitcher is holding a runner on base there are a few things he must do. The best way for a pitcher to make a base-runner feel uneasy on the bases is to vary his times before he delivers the pitch. This means, the pitcher can vary his times from 1-4 seconds, and then deliver the pitch. For example, Jon Lester is notorious in professional baseball for not throwing pickoffs to hold runners on base. Instead, Lester holds runners on base excellently by varying his times to the plate and shortening his time to the plate to where most base-runners will be thrown out. by the catcher. Although varying times to the plate seems elementary, this extra time can give a pitcher doubt on the pitch he is throwing. For a pitcher to have success, he must follow the three C's.
The three C's stand for Control, Commit, and Compete. The pitcher controls the situation by taking a deep breath and either throwing the pitch and varying his time, or throwing a pickoff throw. Once the pitcher has received the sign or made a decision, he must commit to his plan. This is the most important part because if the pitcher has any doubt, then success will not happen. If a pitcher has any doubt, then I recommend the pitcher to step off of the pitching slab and take a deep breath and start the three C process all over again. The last part of the three C's is to compete. At this point, the pitcher will give 100 percent of what he has right now to win the moment.
Now let's go on a hypothetical pickoff throw to first base. A successful throw to the first baseman will be between the lettering of his jersey to the first baseman's knees. If a throw is any higher or lower, then the defense is at risk of a costly throwing error by the pitcher. If a throwing error does happen, then the first baseman must run as fast as he can to recover the baseball. Helping him out are the second baseman and the right fielder. The right fielder, second baseman, and first baseman are the three pronged attack to get the ball back to the infield and stop the base-runner from advancing. The shortstop covers second base, the center fielder comes to aid the shortstop. The third baseman covers up third base and the left fielder protects the left field line at an angle that will back up a throw to the third baseman. The pitcher hovers between third base and home, more specifically on the third base line. In this situation if everything goes well then the throw will go to second base and the pitcher can come back to the mound to receive the throw from the shortstop. If a throw gets by the shortstop, then the third baseman will get the baseball and the pitcher backs up an errant throw to third base. The pitcher will have enough depth behind the third baseman to where the ball won't get passed him.
The first baseman and catcher have simpler roles than the pitcher. Both the first baseman and catcher can have signs or verbal cues to help the pitcher to determine when to throw over to first base. Typically the catcher would be the one to call for a pickoff by wiggling his thumb or showing a fist. These signs will tell the pitcher to throw over to the first baseman. The catcher can also throw to first base as well after a pitch has been thrown if he believes the runner on first hasn't hustled to get back to first base. The first baseman must always be prepared to receive a throw at all times with a runner on first base. For the first baseman he must ensure that when a pitch has been thrown, he must take two shuffles to where he would normally be playing to make up for lost distance.
These are some things to think about and cover when working on pickoffs to first base. Holding runners on is a more complex skill when examined closely. This skill should be practiced at least twice a week to ensure that the pitcher, first baseman, and catcher have confidence during a game. It is also important for the coaching staff to go over worst case scenarios to ensure that all the players on the team know where to be when this worst case scenario happens. The key to holding runners on well is effective communication, trust, and preventing allowing extra steps from the base runner.
Complimentary Video:
https://coachesinsider.com/baseball/videos-baseball/controlling-the-running-game-system-with-justin-scali-piedmont-college/
Holding runners on at first base has some key players. The three key players with holding a runner on at first base are the pitcher, first baseman, and the catcher. The rest of the defenders on the diamond are the outlier defenders. More on their roles later. When a runner is on first, we want to prevent the base-runner from advancing a base or more. This means we want to prevent the base-runner from having such a big lead that he will advance to second base or to third. The base-runner can advance on a steal, a hit, a balk, or a well placed batted ball out. All of the extra steps that the base-runner on first will take will be the fault of the pitcher, first baseman, and catcher. The goal of a pickoff or holding a runner on base is to not necessarily pickoff the runner. That would be the added bonus, but instead the goal is to prevent an advanced lead.
When the pitcher is holding a runner on base there are a few things he must do. The best way for a pitcher to make a base-runner feel uneasy on the bases is to vary his times before he delivers the pitch. This means, the pitcher can vary his times from 1-4 seconds, and then deliver the pitch. For example, Jon Lester is notorious in professional baseball for not throwing pickoffs to hold runners on base. Instead, Lester holds runners on base excellently by varying his times to the plate and shortening his time to the plate to where most base-runners will be thrown out. by the catcher. Although varying times to the plate seems elementary, this extra time can give a pitcher doubt on the pitch he is throwing. For a pitcher to have success, he must follow the three C's.
The three C's stand for Control, Commit, and Compete. The pitcher controls the situation by taking a deep breath and either throwing the pitch and varying his time, or throwing a pickoff throw. Once the pitcher has received the sign or made a decision, he must commit to his plan. This is the most important part because if the pitcher has any doubt, then success will not happen. If a pitcher has any doubt, then I recommend the pitcher to step off of the pitching slab and take a deep breath and start the three C process all over again. The last part of the three C's is to compete. At this point, the pitcher will give 100 percent of what he has right now to win the moment.
Now let's go on a hypothetical pickoff throw to first base. A successful throw to the first baseman will be between the lettering of his jersey to the first baseman's knees. If a throw is any higher or lower, then the defense is at risk of a costly throwing error by the pitcher. If a throwing error does happen, then the first baseman must run as fast as he can to recover the baseball. Helping him out are the second baseman and the right fielder. The right fielder, second baseman, and first baseman are the three pronged attack to get the ball back to the infield and stop the base-runner from advancing. The shortstop covers second base, the center fielder comes to aid the shortstop. The third baseman covers up third base and the left fielder protects the left field line at an angle that will back up a throw to the third baseman. The pitcher hovers between third base and home, more specifically on the third base line. In this situation if everything goes well then the throw will go to second base and the pitcher can come back to the mound to receive the throw from the shortstop. If a throw gets by the shortstop, then the third baseman will get the baseball and the pitcher backs up an errant throw to third base. The pitcher will have enough depth behind the third baseman to where the ball won't get passed him.
The first baseman and catcher have simpler roles than the pitcher. Both the first baseman and catcher can have signs or verbal cues to help the pitcher to determine when to throw over to first base. Typically the catcher would be the one to call for a pickoff by wiggling his thumb or showing a fist. These signs will tell the pitcher to throw over to the first baseman. The catcher can also throw to first base as well after a pitch has been thrown if he believes the runner on first hasn't hustled to get back to first base. The first baseman must always be prepared to receive a throw at all times with a runner on first base. For the first baseman he must ensure that when a pitch has been thrown, he must take two shuffles to where he would normally be playing to make up for lost distance.
These are some things to think about and cover when working on pickoffs to first base. Holding runners on is a more complex skill when examined closely. This skill should be practiced at least twice a week to ensure that the pitcher, first baseman, and catcher have confidence during a game. It is also important for the coaching staff to go over worst case scenarios to ensure that all the players on the team know where to be when this worst case scenario happens. The key to holding runners on well is effective communication, trust, and preventing allowing extra steps from the base runner.
Complimentary Video:
https://coachesinsider.com/baseball/videos-baseball/controlling-the-running-game-system-with-justin-scali-piedmont-college/
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