Playing Shortstop In Baseball
What is a 'shortstop' in baseball?
A shortstop in baseball is also known as the captain of the infield. He's the infielder who's located between second and third base. He's about 25 or 30 feet away from second base. And he stands, pretty much, where the dirt meets the grass.
What are the defensive responsibilities of a shortstop in baseball?
Some of the defensive responsibilities of the shortshop are number one, any ground ball hit to him, of course, his job is to make sure that he gets the ball to first base as fast as he can. He's got responsibilities as far as the double play. If there is ever a runner on first and the ball is hit to the right side of the infield, meaning the first baseman or the second baseman plays, his job is to get to second base, get the throw from one of those positions, tag the base to get the out, and then throw the ball back to first base. Other responsibilities he has are in bunts, when there is a bunt play on, he may need to either get to second base depending upon where the second baseman went, or he may need to go to third base depending upon if the third base had to go in and cover the play. So he's very active in bunt plays. Lastly he's a relay man or a cut-off man from the outfielders. So, if there's a ball hit deep to the outfield he may need to go out to get the ball from the outfielder because of course the outfielder making a throw from the warning track area or the fence all the way to home plate, is a very far throw. So, he becomes one of the key relay men as well.
Where should the shortstop be positioned on the baseball field?
The shortstop should be positioned on the baseball field between second and third base. About 25 feet to the left of second base, if you're at home plate, and pretty much where the dirt meets the outfield grass.
What is the proper stance for a shortstop in baseball?
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What are some tips for a shortstop on fielding a ground ball?
Some of the tips for a shortstop are, number one is to be prepared to anticipate. All infielders need to know that the ball could be hit anywhere, and they need to be relaxed enough to know that they can move in any direction. So they need to be in an athletic position, not in a rigid position. Number two is to stay pretty much low to the ground as the ball gets close to them. The ball will tend to come up. So for infielders, which includes of course the shortstop, the idea is that you want to be low to the ground, because it's easier to go up than it is to go down. Lastly, you might say for a shortstop is to really keep his eye on the ball, and really watch the ball into his glove.
How can a shortstop turn a double play in baseball?
A shortstop will turn a double play in baseball when a ball is hit to the right side of the infield with a runner on first and the ball is hit to the first baseman or second baseman. His job is to get to the bag, present a good target for the first and second basemen and then, he basically has to make sure he catches the ball well; but he catches it in a way he can transfer the ball out of his glove; and be aware of the base runner. If the base runner is bearing down on him, he's got to learn how to catch the ball and either step to the left side, step to the right side, or step back. But in either case he has to have a good target for the ball coming to him, and he's got to be able to get the ball out of his hand as quickly as possible and he has to be able to avoid the runner.
When is it the shortstop's responsibility to cover second base in baseball?
It's the shortstop's responsibility to cover second base, one, any time that there's a double play ball hit to the first baseman or the second baseman on the ground. Two, any time a runner is stealing second base from first base, and they've decided ahead of time that he's the one that's going to cover the bag, as opposed to the second baseman, based on one of a number of reasons. Those are really the two main times that he needs to be responsible for the bag.
When is it the shortstop's responsibility to cover third base in baseball?
The shortstop's responsibility to cover third base takes place during a bunt. What will happen is there will often be a runner on first and second and then the hitter will bunt the ball purposely to the third base side, which means the third baseman's going to have to come in and vacate third base to get to the ball. It's the shortstop's responsibility to get to third base because no one will be there to cover the bag in case there's a run-down or in case something else happens.
What are some tips for how a shortstop can pickoff a leading base runner in baseball?
Some good tips for a shortstop to learn how to pick off a runner that's trying to steal a base is, one, to really pay attention to what's going on. Is the runner over aggressive? Does the runner look like he's not paying attention? He's got to be really keen at being aware of what's going on in the game. Secondly, he has to have an understanding with the pitcher, if that situation presents itself to have some form of a play where they both know at the same time to meet at the bag and have a chance to pick the runner off. Lastly, shortstops will often spontaneously see that there's a huge gap between the base and the runner, and that he thinks that he can pick him off. What he'll do is he'll get the eye of the pitcher and then he'll break to the bag, show him his glove and that means 'I want the ball'.
