Setting up behind the infielders is trade-off. Yes, it's easier to see runners leaving early, but the biggest reason why we don't set up in side is the 60' base paths doesn't provide a large enough working area. If you were inside you'd frequently either be in jeopardy with batted balls, or in the way for balls hit to the infield. For a two-umpire crew, we aim for angle over distance for making calls at first, and rely on PU to look for pulled foot/swipe tag. Also remember that due to the smaller field dimensions, even when you're behind the fielders you aren't that much farther from first base than when you set up inside on a 90' diamond. I'm really surprised that you were working with a crew of two for a state championship. Even with a massive shortage here in San Diego, CA, we still have a crew of four for section and state-level games. There are some additional recommendations to keep Little League games moving. I remind the managers during the plate meeting that they have one minute between innings, and to please hustle their pitcher and catcher out to start warming up. Coaches and players at this level are often inexperienced and the defensive team might need prompting to hustle to their spots, especially in the beginning of the season. Also, the courtesy runner rule is allowed during regular season and tournament play, and is very flexible compared to NFHS. With two outs, the pitcher and catcher of record can be replaced with a courtesy runner, who is the player that was out last. Again, prompting the offensive manager to see if they'd like to use a courtesy runner is a good idea-especially for their catcher-as this can speed up the game considerably.
Great point on the time between innings! From previous experience, I've not had issues inside on the smaller base paths, but there is probably some tradeoff for newer umpires and slower umpires for sure getting in the way. Either way, I was also surprised by the crew of two aspect. Crew of 3 or 4 probably mitigates most the issues.
@@UmpireClassroom As @postgamebreakdown said, the field is much smaller and you're as close if not closer to 1B than a 90' field. Also, if you were inside you'd be 50-55' from the plate. That would be like standing in front of the mound on a 90' field. Other thing is that the 2-person base umpire has no outfield responsibilities so can focus on the infield. Appreciate you helping and the perceptive. It is a different game at times.
Love the advice! I do call all my fouls with a vocal followed by either giving a ball to the catcher to get back to the pitcher or throw it to the pitcher myself then with a vocal “play” 👉 It might be a little much but I am all about keeping the game going and on a time limit game I try my hardest to get all allowed innings in without disrupting the game on the umpire end of things.
Parents pay for at-bats, not two hours. Great job being kid first and encouraging pace of play. Kids will remember hits and action, and hopefully not boredom!
If you worked more Little League games, especially tournament games at the 8-9-10 level, you'll see a lot of things not seen in NFHS: umpires in the slot getting hit because batters swing at everything, including inside pitches over their heads; players asking for "time" when they slide into a base, or when they want to give defensive signals; coaches not paying attention when you ask them for more baseballs; defensive players committing obstruction because their coach tells them to straddle the base when a throw might be coming in; waiting over a minute between innings for the defensive team to bring out a catcher to warm up the pitcher even after requests to speed things up; catchers getting hurt because the batter loses their grip on the follow-through and coaches complaining even though there's no rule unless it's intentional. Small diamond baseball is much different than the traditional 90' diamond.
I work with three in the bag and one on the mound. When I get down to one ball I put up two fingers towards the home dugout and say “Coach two balls please.” This notifies the home team of my need for balls during the next stoppage, e.g., foul ball, new batter. Timing wise: at the end of each inning make it clear to the teams that they have to hustle in and out, and more importantly to get someone on the pitcher. LL - two and down (3), HS - four and down (5). Good points on foul calls: obvious calls do not need to be screamed at. Know the rules and mechanics!!! For timing all calls should be mentally confirmed before they are announced. If you watch a pro game you’ll notice their timing is one one-thousand followed by a verbal. All they are doing is confirming the positive or the negative. Mentally tell yourself “that’s a strike” (or ball, face, out) before announcing and your timing will be better. I like the position of being behind the fielders and curling in towards the back of the mound if the ball is hit to the outfield. I firmly believe that this is the toughest level of baseball to officiate because you see test questions unfold before your eyes in cramped quarters. Ensure that you and your partner have a solid pregame. Be professional at all times, be consistent and give them a good zone, pause, read, and react, and manage the game.
Great takes here! For the two and down in LL, is that by rule? 5 is in the rules for NFHS, although NFHS also has the timer between innings which could make it less.
@@UmpireClassroom LL rule is no more than 8 preparatory pitches but it needs to be within the 1 minute. In practice, returning pitchers are usually given no more than 5 (in my area).
In my neck-of-the-woods, leaving early is a frequent event. Setting up on the near outfield grass, provided there is grass, the field umpire can keep the runner in his/her peripheral vision while simultaneously watching the batter's swing. The fix for departing prematurely is to enlarge the diamond basepaths and allowing leading off.
It would definitely be easier if they played with leads and steals. Many other leagues for 11 and 12u do play that way. But we don't write the rules 😭 Do you use the leaving early flag? I was told about it but they don't seem to use it here.
No lead offs and rules against leaving early is part of the Little League game. I know some don't like it and go to Pony or Travel because of it but it is what it is. Little League does have Intermediate division with a 70/50 field (vs 60/46) for 12-13 year olds.
One of the biggest ways an umpire can keep a little league game moving is to limit the warm up pitches between innings. 7 for a new pitcher, 5 if they are continuing from a previous inning. Have the coach warm up the pitcher if the catcher is still struggling with rec league gear. These kids will throw 50 warm up pitches if you let them.
Thanks so much Patrick. I always enjoy and learn so much from your content. Working behind fielders is the main reason I have strayed away from softball. Also, I have noticed the "older" guys I have worked with not attacking the slot. Because of their tenure (30+ years) calling games, It is a little difficult to have conversations about making a change. Even after one of them took one directly off the mask and being knocked out of that game, I tried to broach the subject but he said he believed the slot didn't make much difference. I think of this every time one whizzes by my ear. I know the slot has saved me many times. I look forward to your next video.
This is a great addition to Umpire Classroom, I have been away a few months and the changes are great. I do have one question. Is there a way to watch this without the highlighting text on the right? I couldn't figure out how to get rid of it. I am assuming these podcasts are designed to be audio only. Thanks for great work.
I was told to umpire behind in little league , but I totally agree about the angels where to place yourself. I was wondering is there rules that doesn’t allow that. Tks
No specific rule, but the official training for Little League has the FU outside. But once the ball is in play, we teach our youth umpires: if the ball goes to the outfield, you go inside. Once inside, it's easy to get to any base with very few steps. I like to say, "if you can get inside without getting in the way of a play, fielder, runner, get inside." Once inside, stay in. Starting inside puts the umpire in a bad situation for interference. You'd be 50 feet from the batter. You'd get hit by batted balls and likely get into the way of fielders trying to make a play on a batted ball. If you umpire a game that way once with two good teams, you'll know why you start behind the fielders.
I definitely agree that being behind the infield sucks, but you also leave out the important fact that the field is much smaller. I haven't measured it, but I'm guessing you're pretty close to the same distance as 90' field. Angle and staying out of base path is what makes it suck.
Great point to that when coming in, ex. R3 and R1 and a double, the timing makes it hard to not get in the path of R1 as you come into the working area.
I have been a little league umpire since 2000. I would love to know where you moved and what little league you helped. Also, thank you for your service!
@@UmpireClassroom Awesome! I love your videos and how thorough you are. I have been in little league since 2000 so I was interested in your topic obviously. My kids were both born in Ga and I met my wife there we lived in Atlanta in the Norcross / Lilburn area. Thanks for all you share for sure. Do you ever do a LIVE "ask me anything" type show? That would be very informative.
Not a lot of room on the infield when 60' bases. Same for all softball levels. And, yes, it sucks to be the field umpire on those fields. It's why I hate doing softball games.
Softball is definitely a beast. I bet those girls at the higher levels get that ball moving fast! I certainly wouldn't want to be in traditional B or C on 60' bases with high school or college girls!
Sorry, another comment as I get further in. Question: my son was PU and I was BU for an informal rec game with an experienced umpire on the field (in foul territory) to give us comments between half innings. One thing that came up a couple times for my son was an infield pop up near the foul line that he made the out call on. Each time, the elder asked him "was it fair it foul? You need to call that too." First question, (with no one on base) why? What's the need? Second question, how? What's the verbal call and what's the hand call. Foul, out or out, foul, etc? And another tip for speeding up games in LL, with warm up pitches it is common for the catcher to miss. I get a new ball to the catcher and then go track the one at the fence myself. Might be a reason NOT to do that, but I haven't thought of one yet.
You are totally right on the warming up pitcher and getting a new ball to the catcher if one gets past. Just gotta make sure we don't leave the ball when the inning starts. Otherwise, it's a great way to keep pace! As for the fair/foul, remember our order of responsibilities. 1. Fair/Foul 2. Catch/No Catch 3. Everything else If you remember this order, it will keep everything else on perspective. By rule, a ball will become fair or foul before it is a catch or no catch. Ex. Ball will be fair or foul when it is touched by a fielder. The catch no catch can't be determined until all parts of a catch are complete. So, as the plate umpire in these scenarios, we need to straddle the line if it is close. Then, once the ball is touched, we need to rule if it is touched over fair or foul territory. This is done with a point mechanic BUT NO VOICE. Then, we rule catch or no catch. If a catch, the point is followed by the out call. If dropped, the point is followed by a "foul!" Mechanic and point. Remember, the point is important to show you have where the ball is touched before the catch no catch.
For example, if a ball is touched over fair territory, bobbled, then dropped, runners can advance. If touched over foul, carried, but dropped before voluntary release and or momentum of the catch is stopped, then it is a foul ball. Runners can not advance.
and if I can add to speed up a game and I am new to umping, there is that time right after the 3rd out and the team leaves the field, and you stand there waiting for the other team to take the field. I have had a few teams this year that love to gather up the team for a pre-defense chat before sending the team out to the field. This is for say 11U team. Well, I take that time toward the time the pitcher should be warming up for their 5 pitches. Once they do come out and, on the 2nd, warm up pitch I will call out, " Balls in". This to tell the catcher it is time to get going. A few times I have been questioned by a coach and that is when I nicely I explain they need to get moving between innings. If I can ask a quick rule question for high school baseball. Uncaught 3rd strike, what do most here in this group call if a player starts to walk back to the dugout. When do you call the player out?
In doing little league/youth games, I've noticed that another major area of delay is when the coach comes out to warm up the pitcher in between innings. Typically return pitchers gets 5 warm up pitches, but when a coach comes out because the catcher is taking forever to get his gear on, often the warm up pitches goes on and on and on. What can be done about this? We really can't start the game without the catcher in equipment ready to go.
and once the catcher comes out, I always start the inning. I have only got a few, "Come on Ump he gets 5 warm up pitches...! " I then explain he threw 6 warm up pitches to you while your player was getting the gear on.
Count those pitches as part of the regular warm up and I’ll mention to the coach to save the last pitch for the catcher, and start getting his catcher ready sooner(w//2 outs or using a runner at 2 outs if on base.). And I don’t let them throw more than 5! If it happens the next inning then I formally warn the coach of game delay and follow procedure for calling balls and walking batters! IT WORKS. I’m not there to be popular. I’m there to manage the game.
I'm guessing you were on a small field. 60 foot base paths? I won't cover every rotation, just to state: LL International wants the base ump working outside pre-pitch on the small diamonds . You start outside. Ground balls to infielders you make the calls from outside. If it is a clean hit to the outfield then you can break inside and pivot watching base touches, attempted put outs, etc, because on the small field LL wants the plate umpire to have eyes (and the call) on fly balls and hits to outfield. Love this channel. Atta babe!
Setting up behind the infielders is trade-off. Yes, it's easier to see runners leaving early, but the biggest reason why we don't set up in side is the 60' base paths doesn't provide a large enough working area. If you were inside you'd frequently either be in jeopardy with batted balls, or in the way for balls hit to the infield. For a two-umpire crew, we aim for angle over distance for making calls at first, and rely on PU to look for pulled foot/swipe tag. Also remember that due to the smaller field dimensions, even when you're behind the fielders you aren't that much farther from first base than when you set up inside on a 90' diamond. I'm really surprised that you were working with a crew of two for a state championship. Even with a massive shortage here in San Diego, CA, we still have a crew of four for section and state-level games.
There are some additional recommendations to keep Little League games moving. I remind the managers during the plate meeting that they have one minute between innings, and to please hustle their pitcher and catcher out to start warming up. Coaches and players at this level are often inexperienced and the defensive team might need prompting to hustle to their spots, especially in the beginning of the season. Also, the courtesy runner rule is allowed during regular season and tournament play, and is very flexible compared to NFHS. With two outs, the pitcher and catcher of record can be replaced with a courtesy runner, who is the player that was out last. Again, prompting the offensive manager to see if they'd like to use a courtesy runner is a good idea-especially for their catcher-as this can speed up the game considerably.
Great point on the time between innings!
From previous experience, I've not had issues inside on the smaller base paths, but there is probably some tradeoff for newer umpires and slower umpires for sure getting in the way.
Either way, I was also surprised by the crew of two aspect. Crew of 3 or 4 probably mitigates most the issues.
Great comment. You said exactly what I was going to say.
@@UmpireClassroom As @postgamebreakdown said, the field is much smaller and you're as close if not closer to 1B than a 90' field. Also, if you were inside you'd be 50-55' from the plate. That would be like standing in front of the mound on a 90' field.
Other thing is that the 2-person base umpire has no outfield responsibilities so can focus on the infield.
Appreciate you helping and the perceptive. It is a different game at times.
Love the advice! I do call all my fouls with a vocal followed by either giving a ball to the catcher to get back to the pitcher or throw it to the pitcher myself then with a vocal “play” 👉 It might be a little much but I am all about keeping the game going and on a time limit game I try my hardest to get all allowed innings in without disrupting the game on the umpire end of things.
Parents pay for at-bats, not two hours. Great job being kid first and encouraging pace of play.
Kids will remember hits and action, and hopefully not boredom!
If you worked more Little League games, especially tournament games at the 8-9-10 level, you'll see a lot of things not seen in NFHS: umpires in the slot getting hit because batters swing at everything, including inside pitches over their heads; players asking for "time" when they slide into a base, or when they want to give defensive signals; coaches not paying attention when you ask them for more baseballs; defensive players committing obstruction because their coach tells them to straddle the base when a throw might be coming in; waiting over a minute between innings for the defensive team to bring out a catcher to warm up the pitcher even after requests to speed things up; catchers getting hurt because the batter loses their grip on the follow-through and coaches complaining even though there's no rule unless it's intentional. Small diamond baseball is much different than the traditional 90' diamond.
I work with three in the bag and one on the mound. When I get down to one ball I put up two fingers towards the home dugout and say “Coach two balls please.” This notifies the home team of my need for balls during the next stoppage, e.g., foul ball, new batter.
Timing wise: at the end of each inning make it clear to the teams that they have to hustle in and out, and more importantly to get someone on the pitcher. LL - two and down (3), HS - four and down (5).
Good points on foul calls: obvious calls do not need to be screamed at. Know the rules and mechanics!!!
For timing all calls should be mentally confirmed before they are announced. If you watch a pro game you’ll notice their timing is one one-thousand followed by a verbal. All they are doing is confirming the positive or the negative. Mentally tell yourself “that’s a strike” (or ball, face, out) before announcing and your timing will be better.
I like the position of being behind the fielders and curling in towards the back of the mound if the ball is hit to the outfield.
I firmly believe that this is the toughest level of baseball to officiate because you see test questions unfold before your eyes in cramped quarters. Ensure that you and your partner have a solid pregame. Be professional at all times, be consistent and give them a good zone, pause, read, and react, and manage the game.
Great takes here! For the two and down in LL, is that by rule? 5 is in the rules for NFHS, although NFHS also has the timer between innings which could make it less.
@@UmpireClassroom LL rule is no more than 8 preparatory pitches but it needs to be within the 1 minute. In practice, returning pitchers are usually given no more than 5 (in my area).
In my neck-of-the-woods, leaving early is a frequent event. Setting up on the near outfield grass, provided there is grass, the field umpire can keep the runner in his/her peripheral vision while simultaneously watching the batter's swing. The fix for departing prematurely is to enlarge the diamond basepaths and allowing leading off.
It would definitely be easier if they played with leads and steals. Many other leagues for 11 and 12u do play that way. But we don't write the rules 😭
Do you use the leaving early flag? I was told about it but they don't seem to use it here.
@@UmpireClassroom I am not aware of the leaving early flag, and we do not use a flag, but I think that would be a good idea to employ it.
No lead offs and rules against leaving early is part of the Little League game. I know some don't like it and go to Pony or Travel because of it but it is what it is. Little League does have Intermediate division with a 70/50 field (vs 60/46) for 12-13 year olds.
One of the biggest ways an umpire can keep a little league game moving is to limit the warm up pitches between innings. 7 for a new pitcher, 5 if they are continuing from a previous inning. Have the coach warm up the pitcher if the catcher is still struggling with rec league gear. These kids will throw 50 warm up pitches if you let them.
Where do you get the numbers 7 and 5? Are those in the rules?
Thanks so much Patrick. I always enjoy and learn so much from your content. Working behind fielders is the main reason I have strayed away from softball. Also, I have noticed the "older" guys I have worked with not attacking the slot. Because of their tenure (30+ years) calling games, It is a little difficult to have conversations about making a change. Even after one of them took one directly off the mask and being knocked out of that game, I tried to broach the subject but he said he believed the slot didn't make much difference. I think of this every time one whizzes by my ear. I know the slot has saved me many times. I look forward to your next video.
That's sometimes the issue with a lot of these "senior" umpires. They've stopped learning and growing.
This is a great addition to Umpire Classroom, I have been away a few months and the changes are great. I do have one question. Is there a way to watch this without the highlighting text on the right? I couldn't figure out how to get rid of it. I am assuming these podcasts are designed to be audio only. Thanks for great work.
Best play is wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts
I was told to umpire behind in little league , but I totally agree about the angels where to place yourself. I was wondering is there rules that doesn’t allow that. Tks
No specific rule, but the official training for Little League has the FU outside. But once the ball is in play, we teach our youth umpires: if the ball goes to the outfield, you go inside. Once inside, it's easy to get to any base with very few steps. I like to say, "if you can get inside without getting in the way of a play, fielder, runner, get inside." Once inside, stay in.
Starting inside puts the umpire in a bad situation for interference. You'd be 50 feet from the batter. You'd get hit by batted balls and likely get into the way of fielders trying to make a play on a batted ball. If you umpire a game that way once with two good teams, you'll know why you start behind the fielders.
As MH said, it's not in the rules book, but it's their mechanics instruction.
I definitely agree that being behind the infield sucks, but you also leave out the important fact that the field is much smaller. I haven't measured it, but I'm guessing you're pretty close to the same distance as 90' field. Angle and staying out of base path is what makes it suck.
Great point to that when coming in, ex. R3 and R1 and a double, the timing makes it hard to not get in the path of R1 as you come into the working area.
I have been a little league umpire since 2000. I would love to know where you moved and what little league you helped. Also, thank you for your service!
I'm down in Peachtree City. South of Atlanta.
@@UmpireClassroom Awesome! I love your videos and how thorough you are. I have been in little league since 2000 so I was interested in your topic obviously. My kids were both born in Ga and I met my wife there we lived in Atlanta in the Norcross / Lilburn area. Thanks for all you share for sure. Do you ever do a LIVE "ask me anything" type show? That would be very informative.
Not a lot of room on the infield when 60' bases. Same for all softball levels. And, yes, it sucks to be the field umpire on those fields. It's why I hate doing softball games.
Softball is definitely a beast. I bet those girls at the higher levels get that ball moving fast! I certainly wouldn't want to be in traditional B or C on 60' bases with high school or college girls!
Sorry, another comment as I get further in. Question: my son was PU and I was BU for an informal rec game with an experienced umpire on the field (in foul territory) to give us comments between half innings.
One thing that came up a couple times for my son was an infield pop up near the foul line that he made the out call on. Each time, the elder asked him "was it fair it foul? You need to call that too."
First question, (with no one on base) why? What's the need? Second question, how? What's the verbal call and what's the hand call. Foul, out or out, foul, etc?
And another tip for speeding up games in LL, with warm up pitches it is common for the catcher to miss. I get a new ball to the catcher and then go track the one at the fence myself. Might be a reason NOT to do that, but I haven't thought of one yet.
You are totally right on the warming up pitcher and getting a new ball to the catcher if one gets past. Just gotta make sure we don't leave the ball when the inning starts. Otherwise, it's a great way to keep pace!
As for the fair/foul, remember our order of responsibilities.
1. Fair/Foul
2. Catch/No Catch
3. Everything else
If you remember this order, it will keep everything else on perspective.
By rule, a ball will become fair or foul before it is a catch or no catch. Ex. Ball will be fair or foul when it is touched by a fielder. The catch no catch can't be determined until all parts of a catch are complete.
So, as the plate umpire in these scenarios, we need to straddle the line if it is close. Then, once the ball is touched, we need to rule if it is touched over fair or foul territory. This is done with a point mechanic BUT NO VOICE.
Then, we rule catch or no catch. If a catch, the point is followed by the out call.
If dropped, the point is followed by a "foul!" Mechanic and point.
Remember, the point is important to show you have where the ball is touched before the catch no catch.
For example, if a ball is touched over fair territory, bobbled, then dropped, runners can advance.
If touched over foul, carried, but dropped before voluntary release and or momentum of the catch is stopped, then it is a foul ball. Runners can not advance.
and if I can add to speed up a game and I am new to umping, there is that time right after the 3rd out and the team leaves the field, and you stand there waiting for the other team to take the field. I have had a few teams this year that love to gather up the team for a pre-defense chat before sending the team out to the field. This is for say 11U team. Well, I take that time toward the time the pitcher should be warming up for their 5 pitches. Once they do come out and, on the 2nd, warm up pitch I will call out, " Balls in". This to tell the catcher it is time to get going. A few times I have been questioned by a coach and that is when I nicely I explain they need to get moving between innings.
If I can ask a quick rule question for high school baseball. Uncaught 3rd strike, what do most here in this group call if a player starts to walk back to the dugout. When do you call the player out?
NFHS rules are very clear on this. He is not out until he enters the dugout.
In doing little league/youth games, I've noticed that another major area of delay is when the coach comes out to warm up the pitcher in between innings. Typically return pitchers gets 5 warm up pitches, but when a coach comes out because the catcher is taking forever to get his gear on, often the warm up pitches goes on and on and on. What can be done about this? We really can't start the game without the catcher in equipment ready to go.
and once the catcher comes out, I always start the inning. I have only got a few, "Come on Ump he gets 5 warm up pitches...! " I then explain he threw 6 warm up pitches to you while your player was getting the gear on.
I think David is spot on. No rule says the catcher gets warmup pitches. If he wants them he has to hurry up!
Count those pitches as part of the regular warm up and I’ll mention to the coach to save the last pitch for the catcher, and start getting his catcher ready sooner(w//2 outs or using a runner at 2 outs if on base.). And I don’t let them throw more than 5! If it happens the next inning then I formally warn the coach of game delay and follow procedure for calling balls and walking batters! IT WORKS. I’m not there to be popular. I’m there to manage the game.
I'm guessing you were on a small field. 60 foot base paths? I won't cover every rotation, just to state: LL International wants the base ump working outside pre-pitch on the small diamonds . You start outside. Ground balls to infielders you make the calls from outside.
If it is a clean hit to the outfield then you can break inside and pivot watching base touches, attempted put outs, etc, because on the small field LL wants the plate umpire to have eyes (and the call) on fly balls and hits to outfield. Love this channel. Atta babe!
Yes this was 11u and working the outside. Definitely a learning curve if you've never done it!