Coaching And Managing Baseball Pre-Game
What is the role of the manager of a baseball team?
The role of a manager in baseball is, he's the figure head. He's the guy who's in charge of running the entire team. Now he may have assistant coaches that help out with offense, or help out with defence, but usually he's the guy that's calling the plays, whether it's hit and run, whether it's bunting, whether it's when you pull the pitcher out of the game and put a new pitcher in, when you put a pinch hitter in, or a pinch runner. So he really calls all the action, be he will usually have assistance to help him with other parts of the game. But he basically is the guy in charge.
How should I choose my pitching rotation for my baseball team?
As a manager, the way that you want to choose your pitching rotation is you want to find out which of your pitchers have very good endurance because they need to go deep into the game, so you don't keep having to get your bullpen into the game and use up those arms. Also, your starting pitchers are usually your best pitchers on the team, so you're going to evaluate your starting rotation based on your 2, 3, 4 or 5 best pitchers.
How should I choose the batting order for my baseball team?
The way to choose your batting order in a team depends on who's playing at each position. You may have a shortstop, for instance, who's just great defensively. He may not be a great hitter but he's still going to start in your line-up because he's so good defensively. Because of him being in the line-up, he may end up hitting eighth or ninth. Your starting line-up from an offensive point of view will really be based on the nine players you have out there - power and speed all play a role. If you have a powerful guy, he tends to hit somewhere in the middle on the line-up—third, fourth, and fifth—because he tends to drive in runners because he hits the ball further. The beginning in the line up is usually about speed and guys that know how to get on base. They're more selective with the play and they're more disciplined. The latter part of the line up is really a smorgasbord, if you will. It could be a powerful hitter, but maybe he doesn't hit for average very well. It could be a guy that's fast, but maybe he doesn't get on base very well. You're hoping that the latter third of the line up is the part of the line up that's still going to hold it's own, but you're really looking at this in thirds. The first third is about speed and getting on base, and some power. The middle third is a lot of power. The back third is what's left of your line up, whether they're just a defensive specialist or they're maybe just good at only power or only speed.
What is a 'clean up' hitter in baseball?
A clean up hitter in baseball is traditionally your number four hitter, and he is considered to be your most powerful hitter on the team. The number three hitter is a powerful hitter who is considered your best pure hitter, but your number four hitter, or your clean up hitter, is the guy who's considered to have the most power. The term 'clean up' comes from the idea that the three guys in front of him are very good hitters and they're going to be on base, and that he's cleaning up the bases and bringing the runs in.
What type of baseball players do I want on my team?
The kind of baseball players you want on your team really are the one's that have passion and love the game. They're the ones that get there a little early. They're the ones that are working hard. They're the ones that are competitive, but they're also great team players. It's usually the kind of kid that, when he shows up, makes you want to coach.
How long should my baseball team practice?
As far as practice goes, it's a little different at every level. At the little league level, usually an hour and a half, or so, to two hours is a pretty long practice; a thorough practice. Once you get to high school and college baseball, it's usually more like a three hour practice. So, it really depends on the age bracket, but it also depends on if it's out of season and you're really able to condition and train versus is it just getting the kids early before a game. If it's just before a game, it may be just an hour, or forty-five minutes of practice. So, it depends on the time of year, and it depends on how old the kids are.
How long should each batter get in the batting cage on my baseball team?
When you are doing batting practice, each hitter should really get no more than about six or seven swings before they rotate. The reason why, is that after six or seven swings you actually start to get tired and get what I call residual breathing. The residual breathing will actually affect the mechanics. It will affect the sight in their eyes, as far as how well they see the ball and they can get into very sloppy habits. I will usually have groups of four and have one of them take six or seven swings and rotate just within that group of four. Once you're done with each kid getting six or seven swings you might do maybe three rounds of that, and then bring in four new kids and start over.
What should be the focal points of an efficient practice for my baseball team?
