What Makes a Good Third Baseman

Being a third baseman is not an easy feat. Third base requires a lot of attention, determination, and grit. The reason being is because a lot of hard contact off of the bat is in that location of the field. Overall there are more right handed hitters than left handed hitters, and hitters are naturally pull heavy with their allotment of batted balls put in play Therefore, a third basemen needs to do three things to have success. A third baseman needs to read the situation before the pitch, react to the ball off of the bat, and execute the fundamentals for the play. 

Read The Situation

Typically between pitches there is a time period where nothing happens. To the casual fan this looks like the players are not doing anything, but in reality a lot is going on in those 7 to 15 seconds between pitches. For a third baseman, this infielder needs to have focus on the current situation and play several scenarios through his head before the next pitch is thrown. An example of this would be if there was a runner on first base and one out. The third baseman needs to plan and visualize on what to do for a slow roller hit at him, a ball hit at him to his left or right, a ball hit right at him, what to do for a double play, where to be on a single, where to be on a ball hit in the gap or corners, etc. All of this will allow the third baseman to be prepared and ready to have success. 

React to The Batted Ball

Once the pitch has been released by the pitcher and is put in play to the third baseman, the third baseman must interpret the trajectory of the ball. For success the third baseman needs to be assertive to the ball and not passive. For all infielders you want them to be assertive to the ground ball in order for the throw to beat the runner and to prevent a bad hop from happening. This is even more true for a third baseman. A passive third baseman will potentially put himself up for danger and lack of success. A quality third baseman needs to be assertive to the ball, and to be assertive to the ball the third baseman needs to have a quality plan and trust in his plan. 

Execute the Fundamentals

After the third baseman has created a plan and reacted to the batted ball he needs to execute the fundamentals. On a regular ground ball the infielder needs to catch the ball out in front of his face with the feet shoulder width apart. Imagine the athletic position of the body as the third baseman is guarding an offensive player on the basketball court. Then the hands will be out in front with the glove down on the ground and open with the throwing arm hand on top of the heel of the glove to secure the baseball. Another cue the third baseman can use to understand the proper catch distance on a regular ground ball is to have the eyes behind the glove. To have success the third baseman must see the catch made. After the catch is made, the third baseman needs to bring the ball to the sternum of his body and create direction by taking a shuffle to the desired base to create the out on the play. 

                                                                        (Forehand Catch)

(Backhand Catch)

There are also times where the third baseman will need to make one handed plays either on the backhand or forehand. During these kinds of plays, the third baseman needs to make sure his face is close to the catch in order to see the ball into the glove. On forehand plays the glove hand side foot needs to be in front of where the batted ball is in order to set up the third baseman's body for success on the play. This allows the third baseman to either make a glove hand side turn or create direction to the next play. On backhand plays the third baseman needs to have his throwing arm side foot in front of the where the batted ball is in order to stay athletic. 

Overall there is a lot to keep in mind as a third baseman. Playing third base requires a lot of determination and attentiveness in order to have success. If the athlete can prepare himself, react to the ball off of the bat well, and execute the fundamentals then he is prepared to have success in that position.