Building Independent Base Runners

"Good base runners do not need base coaches." -John McCormack (Florida Atlantic University Head Coach)

Many base runners are taught to not think for themselves, but instead they depend on the base coaches. This can work, but can take aggressiveness out of the base runners. The best base running teams use their base coaches as stop signs. In this post I will discuss a few drills and teaching points on how to help your base runners become independent thinkers in order to be more aggressive on the bases. 

Coach McCormack had a great quote during the 2021 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention when he said, "Good base runners do not need base coaches." He went on to elaborate that base runners need to learn how to read the ball off of the bat, know their speed, and what they can and cannot do while running the bases. A basic rule is anything the base runner can see he guides himself because he truly knows his speed. Anything behind the base runner that he cannot see, the third base coach has responsibility of. This allows the base runner to be aggressive and not second guess himself. 

It is also important that base runners understand the tendencies of pitchers. To do this keep a chart or notes on each pitcher. The easiest thing to do to help your base runner is to understand how many looks the pitcher gives to hold a runner on base. If the pitcher has a pattern of looks, then the base runner can steal after the amount of looks. For example, the pitcher always looks to the base runner twice. When the base runner sees the pitcher look at him he takes a step back. Once he sees his head look back at the catcher he gains a step or two. Doing this makes the pitcher comfortable. If the steal is on, then the base runner will steal the next base after the pitcher has looked back to the catcher for the second time. This does a few things, it first makes the pitcher go quicker than he’s used to. Secondly, it could cause a bad pitch that could be hit hard or a balk. 

Knowing this is all well and good, but players must learn what they can and cannot do in practice. Below  are three different forms of batting practice that can help your players get better reads off of the bat so that they can apply pressure on the defense.  Keep in mind that there must be base coaches out during the drills so that the players and base coaches can get comfortable around each other. There also must be different plays worked on in order for players to understand what to do at game speed.

Each of these forms of batting practice will help your base runners get better reads and trust themselves. Additionally these practice forms not only help with base running, they help with hitting, and defense. These game like drills supply and build the confidence for your base runners to understand who they are as base runners. 

Drills to Use to Work on Game Like Base Running

Wildcat BP

• Split the team into four groups. 

• The group hitting will get four rounds of swings. 

• Odd numbered groups will be infielders. 

• Even numbered groups will be outfielder and catchers. 

• One’s work with two’s, three’s work with four’s. 

• Have a machine throw the balls or a coach mixing speeds and pitches in there, you want this to be as game-like as possible. 

• The pitches thrown will have a dead ball, live ball, dead ball, and live ball format,  dead ball, dead ball, dead ball, and live ball format or any other format. 

• Players will play two dead balls live to get live reps in. 

• Make sure all balls that have been hit are off of the field on live plays so that there are no injuries.

• There is a pitcher on the mound behind the L screen and coach throwing. 

• The pitcher keeps a ball in the glove in case a ground ball hits the L screen. If a ground ball hits the L screen then the pitcher can work on fielding work. 

• When the 1’s are hitting the 2’s are on the bases; then they switch to 2’s hitting and 1’s running the bases; then a switch of defense. 

• On the live reads the pitcher can try to pick off the base runners. 

• The coaches come up with the situations and the rounds. 

Base-Running BP

• This is the same setup as Wildcat BP. 

• Give each group that hits 12 minutes. 

• 1’s will hit and run the bases. So have four guys per group. 

• Two players will be hitting for six minutes while the other two players will be running the bases for six minutes. 

• Coaches will determine the situations and where the base runners are. 

• Have the dead, live, dead, live, dead, dead, dead, live format or any other format. 

• On the live reads, pitchers can try to pick off the base runners. 

• This gives base running reads, situational hitting, and defensive work. 

Point Game 

• You split the team into two. 

• One group will be on the offense and the other will be on defense. 

• There are four rounds (Runner on first, first and second, first and third, and bases loaded). 

• A hitter gets points for how many bases the base runners get to and how many bases the hitter gets to. 

• This needs to be challenging BP so that it is game like. Use a coach mixing pitches or a pitching machine. 

• On unproductive at bats subtract two points.

• On a bad base running read subtract five points. 

• Subtract five points when hitting into a double play. 

• Keep the scoreboard on when playing this game.