Thanks for watching, we hope you enjoyed! Please like, share & subscribe to support the channel. Other ways to support the channel: Donate to the channel via PayPal (PayPal account not needed) - www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=BZRANMGGL9Q9Q Join our Discord, meet the community, submit requests, be included in channel and content polls - discord.gg/cAkQwUuPN8 Find Great Baseball Products on Amazon - Our Affiliate Links are - amzn.to/3Mcl9G0 (Shirts) or amzn.to/3MdkYdB (Balls)
on average most ground balls will be hit into the zone where the short stop is. Plus, if there is a runner for the other team on first base, the shortstop is tasked with turning a possible double play. Plus, often the coaches give the shortstop the authority to adjust where the other infielders are standing (the diagram at the beginning is the basic setup, but the players can move around some before each batter comes up)
You don’t bring long relievers in the “save the day” but they give there teams way higher chances to win the next two days because the manager doesn’t have to get all of his relief pitchers tired.. hope that makes sense love the channel!
Shortstop is the primary infield position because, with the vast majority of batters being righthanded, the left hand side of the infield is where the ball gets hit most of the time. Also, once someone is on first or second, someone needs to take charge of stopping those runners advancing/scoring. SS, being the extra man, is in the best position to orchestrate.
"vast majority of batters being righthanded, the left hand side of the infield is where the ball gets hit most of the time" My sophomore year I had one ball hit to me all season playing second base. ONE. 😭
Also, the Shortstop has the longest throw to first, especially on ground balls fielded to his right... The 2nd baseman does NOT stand on 2nd base, except for extreme shifts, although he would have to move to 2nd base on balls hit to the SS or 3B, or to cover the base for steals.
@@DNReacts to be clear the third baseman needs as good an arm as shortstop. Also he needs a quick reaction time. 3rd base is known as the “hot corner” of the diamond because the third basemen sets up closer to the plate and ground balls can be screaming at you.
And the shortstop/second baseman will also have the runner trying to slide into them to break up a double play when whichever one is covering second base.
I learned how to do it by being the scorekeeper when my boys were playing! But it's hard because the game moves so fast and you can miss something so easily!
Yeah, the people who know how to do it, tend to have learned doing it as a kid. It's sort of how it's easier to learn a language when your young. For some odd dam reason, my dad had note books of games he scored from the radio or tv. He never looked at them again after he scored it but that was his thing. I learned how to do it from watching him and asking a few questions. I am 62 now and I would say the majority of male baseball fans my age know how to do it. But I think that starts to fall off shortly after my age group. Mainly because Football passed Baseball as the number one sport in the 80's. But if your on some sort of organized team, don't ever tell anyone you know how to do it or it will quickly become your job. The bad part of that is, now you have to pay attention instead of goofing off with your friends during the game and less time for drinking. LOL.
@@boki1693 sometimes there's just miscommunication about whether plays are errors or hits and how to score rundowns and stuff it can get pretty complex
@@boki1693 You're so right! I am your age and when my boys were playing, I always got tagged as Team Mom and then scorekeeper. The coach's wife taught me how to do it because she wanted to have fun! And believe me, there was more than one occasion when the game was stopped because we scorekeepers needed to check each other! p.s. I STILL have all my score books and my one son who was a pitcher and SS loves to go through it and especially likes to count up his K's!
You guys have done well to recognize the value of getting on base. It’s the central tenet of the modern advanced statistics revolution. It’s also a bit of a meme from the excellent baseball movie “Moneyball.” The film tells the story of the 2002 Oakland A’s and general manager Billy Beane who was tasked with rebuilding the team with a very limited budget. Obviously you guys can’t just sit here and watch movies for this channel but I think it would be a blast if you guys had a series where you watched some of the most popular movies of these new sports and gave your thoughts on them. Another great video guys, keep it up!
@@DNReacts one of my favorite movies in general, it's great for people new to baseball as well and the experienced fans. Has some good comedic moments too.
Shortstop is the most demanding position because most batters are right handed, they’re going to tend to hit fast grounders to center left. And if there’s a runner on first they have to quickly throw to 2nd to get a double play. They also cover 2nd base if the ball is hit to the 2nd baseman
1:41 Yes, the picture is setup to be symmetrical. Players don't line up in those exact positions (except the pitcher and catcher.) They will shift around depending on who's at bat and the baserunning situation. Prior to 2023, you would even see situations where the third basemen would move to the other side of the field between the second and first basemen against some left-handed hitters. This was outlawed in 2023 and now two infielders must be on either side second base to start play.
One thing that wasn't touched on is how a particular position may dictate which hand a player throws with. For example.....3B, SS, 2B and C are basically always right handed throwers. This is due to the geometry of the throws they have to make and this has been consistent throughout the history of the game. Typically a 1B can be either, but it's more advantageous if the 1B throws left handed, since having the glove on the right hand makes the tag quicker when a pitcher throws to 1B in an attempt to pick off a base runner. Also, a left handed throwing 1B has the advantage of an easier throw to 2B when he fields a ground ball and throws to 2B in an attempt to get out a runner trying to advance from first base to second base. As far as the outfield, it doesn't really matter as much. One other thing is, infielders LOVE a large first baseman because they have a bigger target to throw to, plus a larger person obviously has greater static range to receive throws.....especially throws that might be off target, while still being able to keep his foot on first base to record the out. Add in the fact that a taller first baseman has a longer stretch to go out and get throws, basically shortening the length of the throw from an infielder. In a very close play, this could be the difference between a safe, or out call.
@DNReacts this is a really good catch. To expand on it, one thing the video didn't really touch on was throwing arm strength. The first- and second-basemen don't often need to make long throws, but the shortstops and third-basemen do several times each game. It's important for the catchers and center fielders to be able to throw well. But one quirk you might not expect is that being able to make long and accurate throws is far more important for the right fielder than the left fielder. The reason is that they rarely have to make throws to first base, but often do to third - either to catch a batter trying to take an extra base (stretch a single into a double, or a double into a triple), or to stop a runner from attempting it. That's why Ichiro, who's small for a ballplayer and relied heavily on his speed, played most of his career in right rather than center - his throwing arm was incredible. It's also why you'll generally find guys who are poor defensive players and primarily on the team for their hitting to be playing left field (hopefully they'll at least have good foot speed here) or first base. A lot of great hitters who are no longer able to play their natural field positions well will end their careers playing first base. Ironically, though the first-baseman doesn't have to have the range and arm strength as the other positions, he will be handling the ball on around half the plays (unlike any of the other defenders), so there is something to be said for having a premium defender like John Olerud at the position.
Scoring is just another hobby level of baseball enjoyment. I love going to games and seeing the old guy listening to game on the radio while being there taking pride in his score card.
Long relievers are there specifically so you dont give up on a game that gets away from you early. If its 7-1 after 3 innings, you obviously aren't expecting to win, but often one of the differences between good and great teams are the ones that can come back to win those. And good long relief pitching is the key to do it.
We're being a little unfair. The Long Reliever is valuable any time the Starter has to leave the game early. The Starter may get blown out, but he might also be injured, raise a blister on his pitching hand, or even get kicked out for swearing at the umpire. Ideally, a Long Reliever has the same skillset as a Starter, particularly the ability to pitch to both sides of the plate. In practice they are less skilled because if they were stronger, they'd BE the Starters.
@@scottbilger9294 Agree with this. High quality long relief is mandatory so you can assure that your short relievers are not over used. Since those guys usually only go an inning or two, and generally don't pitch more than two days in a row, a long reliever who can eat innings will save your bullpen from overuse and save those guys for the high leverage situations where they are most valuable. A long reliever is also used when a starter is on limited pitch counts for one reason or another. Throw your starter for 3-4 innings or maybe 60 pitches and then bring in your long relief guy for 3-4 and turn it over to a 1 inning bullpen guy to close it out. Super valuable in a situation like the Texas Rangers with Jacob deGrom, who is on pitch count restrictions for a while. Keep your starters overall workload down early in the season, so they are better rested for the end of the season when the grind really starts wearing on them.
Teams rarely come back from a big early deficit. The main value of a long reliever is to save the team's bullpen (the other relief pitchers) for the next game.
As an American born in the 60"s, I have always loved baseball as far back I can remember. Seeing people new to game attempt a serious effort to learn about the game. Great channel.
I think you two should watch some videos from pitching ninja. He makes really good content that breaks down pitches and shows why certain pitches are really effective/impressive. The angle of the camera in a lot of stadiums can somewhat obscure the movement some pitches make so he provides extra context
Regarding Bin 2 - surprised they didn't mention that left-handed players almost never play third-base in the modern game because the extra fraction of a second it takes to turn your body from that angle when throwing with your left hand could be the difference between a runner being safe and out at first base. They might bat lefty, but they almost universally throw right-handed.
Keep in mind that batting position is also important, based on the strengths of each hitter. As you mention, not every hitter is going to get up there and hit a home run, or have home run potential. But the game was originally designed for "small ball," with men getting on base and the batters after them pushing them one base at a time until they score (that's oversimplified, but it's the basic idea of the game). Each base is a station along the way, getting 90 feet closer to scoring a run. So while it's nice to have a couple of power hitters on a team, it's also important to have reliable hitters who get on base, even if they're just hitting a lot of singles and doubles.
Shortstop is the most demanding infield defensive position (apart from maybe catcher) because it’s like 2nd base in that you have to cover a lot of ground in every direction because you aren’t near a foul line on one side, plus it’s like 3rd base in there being a long throw to first base where a significant number of putouts must occur.
This setup at the start of the video is basically how it is in actual games, though players often adjust their positioning on the field when it's well known that a certain hitter has certain tendencies when hitting the ball, such as pulling the ball in a certain direction. This kind of adjustment of players on the field is known as a "shift," and one of the new rules put in place this year limits teams from doing extreme shifts where, for example, three out of four infielders are on one side of the diamond (e.g., first baseman at first base, second baseman midway between first and second, shortstop right behind second base or even slightly to the right of it, and third baseman midway between second and third). Also, here's a fun fact: a lot of pitchers played shortstop at some point early on as kids. Why? Because both types of players have to have amazing arms.
Shortstop is the toughest because it has the least amount of room for error . You can never bobble or misplay a ball and still throw the runner out. The third baseman or second baseman has some margin for error normally. Second has the shortest throw and third base the ball gets to them the quickest.
I love that you guys say Base 1, Base 2, etc. We say 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base. You're not wrong. Just different. Well done gents. Another great reaction.
The chart is roughly how the positions set up. There can be a heavy shift to one side or the other. Also many players may move in much closer depending on the hitter or the game situations. One reason to track hitters to follow if they hit consistently to the left or right. They would want to have the defensive player move that way. Some players have a problem hitting with any power (or they are in a slump) so everyone moves in closer. Most times the shift is a good idea. Other times it can be a disaster. The vast majority of inside the park homeruns are due to a misplayed shift.
I'm loving seeing everything click for you guys! I'm also super impressed by how often you intuit things about the game, you're really picking up on it quickly
Long Reliever could also be "spot starters" sometimes they start games if the usual starter in the rotation can't play, either due to injury, or rest, and the Starting option in the Farm System isn't ready to be called up yet.
I love many sports but baseball is my favorite because its never over until after the last out. Great teams have good long relievers. A bad day from a starter gives the other team momentum. Pulling your starter and replacing him with a solid long reliever can settle the game and kill the opposition's momentum. This gives your offense a chance to catch up and still win the game. Their pitchers are just as susceptible to giving up just as many or more runs as your starter did in 1 or 2 innings, so you always play to win. A good performance from an LR doesn't require strikeouts and might allow hits, but those balls put in play often allow the defense to field them for outs. This is far better than watching your starter's doughnuts get rocketed into the outfield or launched repeatedly over the wall..
You are correct about the positioning of infielders changing during the game and it all depends on the batter, the pitch positioning, and if there are runners on base. This is why scouting other teams players is important as you find out where opposing batters naturally put the ball in play (this also depends on the type and positioning of pitches). Baseball has always been called ‘a thinking man’s game’.
The order in which players bat is also very important and calculated. It’s based on their batting skill and if they are power hitters or contact hitters, etc
First bin would be Outfield, Short stop snd second base, Second bin would be third base and Catcher. Third bin would be First Base and Designated Hitter.
Some excellent questions here! But I have to disagree with the coach. In early baseball--in the 19th and turn of the 20th century--the shortstop played far CLOSER in, on the grass near the pitcher. A baseball field's grass wasn't as well tended or mowed as modern-day infields are, so ground balls off the hitter's bat would often come to a premature rest in the relatively long grass. The shortstop's job was to get to those grounders that "stopped short." But as baseball parks became better tended and balls regularly bounced through the infield grass, the shortstop became better deployed as part of a defensive tandem in the middle infield between the bases (along with the second baseman).
The Shortstop Position covers the most area as an infielder and that's why it's the most important. However, having played 3rd Base in high school, I personally feel that position is way more important because they need to have agility and arm strength, accuracy.
Hard disagree, the SS is just as if not farther from 1B for throws, especially on deep shifts, and has a lot more area to cover. Not to mention getting about half of double play balls.
Actually not even hard disagree, I'm going harder, that's just flat out wrong. Fangraphs even put a number on it, 3B +2.5 runs, SS at +7.5, an average SS is worth 5 runs more than an average 3B on defense, over a season.
@@alexisborden3191 No one said it was easier to play SS. Most people enjoy playing the 3B position. I loved it because of the majority of pull line drives from right handed hitters go there. Much harder when you see those plays in action in POV as opposed to covering and running after a grounder up the middle, still hard, but I'd say a screaming 100+ MPH hit coming at your head a much harder experience to witness.
1st Question: Short stop and 2nd baseman both cover the 2nd base bag, depending on the play. The short stop covers when its hit near the 2nd baseman, and the 2ndbaseman covers when it is hit to the shortstop. (another way of thinking about this is that first and third base only need one fielder on one side of the base because everything it on the other side of that base is a foul ball, but second base is in the middle of the field) 2nd Question: Short stop is the most demanding infield position because as a middle infielder (short stop/second baseman), you must cover the most ground to pick up ground balls. But, the short stop has to make a longer throw than the second baseman to get the ball to first base on a ground ball.
Shortstops also need to have the best arm on the infield as their throws to first are often the longest out of any position if they have to range to their right (towards the 3rd base hole). It's a REALLY hard position to play
SS needs good arms strength coupled with agility and range. Third base needs the stronger throwing arm, since they're often making throws from the foul line and beyond over to first.
@@sector986 Only if you use SS to cover all the 3B/SS hole. If you play infielders to have maximum coverage with their gloved hand, and you don't have a LH first baseman, then your 3B is played short of the grass and just NOT guarding the line if he has the arm to make the throw. He covers the deep hole, SS covers the short hole and extends beyond 2B. This allows lower level teams without a LH firstbaseman to play pretty tight.
@@jamesoliver6625 if the throw from 3b is near the foul line sure it’s farther. But if the SS fields the ball in normal SS territory then SS is farther.
This is a good example of the value of reaction videos. I watch baseball videos all the time but have never until just now seen this one. Great fundamental introduction to the field positions, and fun watching you blokes react to it.
If you enjoy what we do and want to show further support then you are welcome to donate using our PayPal link, you DO NOT need a PayPal account. If not, a simple like and sub would be amazing, thanks for all the support so far ❤️ www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=BZRANMGGL9Q9Q
Idea for future content... I live in Canton, OH where the Pro Football HOF is, I'm actually walking distance from it. I also play in an amateur baseball league. Some time in the future you could come out and see the hall of fame parade, induction ceremony and preseason game and also play in an actual baseball game against former college and pro baseball players all in the span of a week. Just something to think about.
Replying here so it has a better chance of being seen. Not sure what the major phone companies are across the pond, but if either of your, friends, loved ones, pets, etc have T-Mobile then you are eligible to receive free MLBtv. This would allow you to watch every game whenever you’d like and would normally cost more than 150 USD. Only is available through tomorrow so have to act fast, but it might help you both naturally get into the game.
I was a shortstop/pitcher. My first year playing baseball (7 years old), I was a platoon 3rd baseman. I moved to SS the next year and played there for the next 10 years. I started pitching when I was 11 and pitched through high school. I liked pitching, but I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED being the shortstop. I positioned both the infield and outfield. I also knew SS was the glamor position. One of the best compliments I ever got was from my brother. He was a year older than me, but we started school the same year. He played centerfield while I was at short. I heard him during an interview after a game and he was asked what he liked about playing centerfield (a position our oldest brother played and set school records in 1982 that still stand today). During his answer he said one of his favorite things in center was playing behind me and watch me make backhanded plays in deep short. He still doesn't know I heard him say that, but it is one of my favorite compliments I ever got...38 years later.
Back in my days of playing, a team always wanted the starting pitcher to pitch a complete game (all 9 innings). Sometimes they would show signs of tiring, so a relief pitcher would come in to replace the starter. In the late 70s, a guy named Bruce Sutter came along, for the Chicago Cubs. He was a part-time starter. The Cubs realized that he was almost unhittable in the first 1 or 2 innings, then something would happen, and he became more vulnerable to the hitters. They decided to create a different type of pitcher position. They knew that, if they had a lead, late in the game, they could bring Bruce into the game. He could be almost assured to get 3 or 4 outs, without giving up a run. So the "Closer" position was born. Bruce's best pitch was a split-finger fastball, or splitter. Nobody had ever thrown that pitch for so much success. But, it's a pitch that requires a lot of velocity to be it's most effective.
This is a good insight. Something that's been talked about more over the last few decades is how many times a starting pitcher has pitched through the opponents' lineup - the idea being that the third time a hitter's seen a pitcher, he's more keyed in to what he's doing (and also, the pitcher's probably starting to get tired) and therefore more likely to hit. A lot of starting pitchers have adjusted to that by developing an extra pitch or two for their arsenal that they'll only start to use after the fourth or fifth inning. Every pitcher's anatomy is different, and so their version of each pitch is different, and most only have a couple that they've mastered. A starting pitcher will tend to have two-three pitches they're really good at throwing, and maybe one or two more that they're decent at. A relief pitcher will tend to just have two that they're really good at. Mariano Rivera, widely considered the greatest reliever of all time, famously only had one pitch, and it happened to be a really, really, really good one. Another thing that's come up over the last decade is the idea of leverage in situations. The closer is the best relief pitcher on your team. Conventional wisdom says to put him in the game in the 9th inning if you have the lead, to ensure the victory. But is that necessarily when he's the most valuable? If you've got a one-run lead, then probably. But that means for crucial situations earlier in the game, you're not using your best pitcher. If you've got a one-run lead in the 7th inning, the bases are loaded with nobody out, and the other team's best hitter coming up, using the superstar there might do more to assure a win than keeping him for later. Some teams are also experimenting with an "opener" - a relief pitcher who starts the game, but only pitches an inning or two before a guy from the starting rotation comes in and is expected to throw five or six innings.
Sutter was a step on the way, but there were closers on most teams long before that. Pitchers would have 90 appearances - Mike Marshall, might pitch 2-3 innings at the end of a game when the starter got tired. But they tended to get worn out because managers didn't ration their arm the way a closer role is so limited now to just the last inning.
About the shortstop, he usually acts as a captain when on defense. It is his job to organize the infield and communicate with all the other players (infield and outfield) about what they should anticipate or prepare for. Also most hitters are right handed and tend to hit the ball to their strong side more often then away from them. This means the shortstops side of the infield is generally busier than the second basemans side. Of course this changes game to game but generally it seems to be true. It's awesome to see you guys start to understand the strategy behind the game. Getting on base is the most important aspect of offense. Homeruns are amazing but a well timed single or double can be just as important. One aspect that wasn't covered was the batting order. Its pretty universal that the first 2 hitters are pure contact and speed guys. Their job is to get on base any way they can and to steal bases once they get on. Batters 3-5 are the premier power hitters. These are the stars of the team. The guys who hit for the best average and most power. These are the homerun hitters. after them is usually ordered based on who is the best remaining hitter in the lineup.
It is a pretty recent thing for 2nd basemen and the short stops to be able to hit for power on a regular basis across teams. Even in the 90s it was pretty rare and didn't really start to change till Alex Rodriguez rose to prominence. Guys like Ozzie Guillen or Rafiel Belliard so rarely hit home runs that when they did it was often the highlight/lowlight of the game, depending on what side you were on. Whereas you had 1st baseman like Jon Olerud who wasn't a power hitter but hit for contact, which was also unusual for his position.
In the 60's and 70's shortstop Mark Belanger of the Baltimore Orioles often had an average below .200 and rarely homered. However, he was such a good fielder that he was still a regular starter. Into the 80's, 90's and beyond, shortstops in MLB have been much better hitters. In the 60's and early 70's pitchers dominated the game more so. In the 70's the rules were tweaked to help improve offence.
Probably the Best Power Hitter who played 2nd Base was Ryan Sandberg of the Cubs in the 1980s and 90s. He was great defensively and hit for both Average and Power. Robin Yount of the Brewers was like that at Shortstop, in the 1970s and 80s. Yount was moved to Centerfield later in his career after he hurt his arm, where he won his 2nd MVP ( won his 1st playing Shortstop) Probably Why the Both are in The Hall of Fame..😅
Not new at all - Honus Wagner was an excellent power hitter at SS, Ernie Banks hit 50 HR at SS early in his career. But it has been uncommon to have the whole package, and Banks himself ended up at 1B after some injuries.
Yeah, don't worry about the scoring stuff at this time :). I score internationally, was the scorer for gold medal match in Tokyo in 2021 between Japan and USA, but even today something came up that I had to think about and work through. It's very complex and complicated... But so much fun :)
One thing that new reactors often find surprising is how many pitchers are on a team in modern mlb. It's easy to think there is one pitcher to 8 position players + DH. But because pitchers have to share the workload so much, team often have as many pitchers as all other players on the roster. Just to give some more context on how the positions are distributed these days.
In Early Early baseball you had 2 or 3 pitchers on the staff. In 1884 the second pitcher quit and Hoss Radbourne pitched the last half or so of the season by himself and won 60 games. You had more other players because gloves where absent or thin and broken fingers bruises and spike wounds would build up.
I used to watch a bunch of different reaction channels, but you guys are so damn good I get disappointed at every other one. I've been here since 2k and I wish you all the best on your way up.
This truly is the greatest game ever. Mind games...... Hand eye coordination.... Pure Athleticism....reaction times, Consistentsy over 162 game seasons, even when you hit a ball perfect you can hit it right at people every time, perfect mechanics....... And they make it look so easy. Every play is expected to be made. Every play. If you don't make your play you yourself literally gets an error mark on the scoreboard.
Yes, a long reliever is basically a middle of the pack pitcher who punches out a few innings to save the other arms for another day. Many times they're younger potchers trying to figure out their role on the team, or guys towards the end of there career, but still can still baseball pretty well.
With respect to placement on the field, it's true players will shift slightly on the field in whole or in part of the team depending on the circumstances. For example if a left-handed batter is up, because they are more likely to hit the ball to the left side of the field, the outfielders and maybe the shortstop and 2nd baseman might move several feet to their right, which is towards the left side of the field. Likewise, and at the professional level this is less pronounced, but some batters are known with a reputation of NOT having a lot of power when batting, so the outfielders and the infielders may move forward several feet anticipating that the ball won't be going as far if hit. This latter example happens more often at non-professional levels of the game. In fact if a batter is well known for not being a good hitter, you may hear the fielders yell, "easy out", and everyone shifts forward expecting that if the player managers to actually hit the pitch, it's not likely to go very far into the field which means by shifting forward the ball is caught by someone sooner (especially a ground ball as opposed to a fly ball) and can therefore be thrown to first base more quickly to get the batter out. Here's a one-minute example of the latter scenario done humorously. ruclips.net/video/0tpbNAbJIyw/видео.html
I'd personally say that Shortstop is the 3rd most demanding position behind catcher which is far and away the most demanding, and center field especially due to the toll it's taken on guys like Ken Griffey Jr. and Byron Buxton.
As a Bigger player with a Strong Arm my "Skilled" position was Catcher but I also played 1st Base and Right field. You guys have really started to catch on to American sports!!
One of the beauties of baseball is just that… it’s a long season… but spring isn’t spring without opening day… long summer nights with the radio in the background and then the pennant races checking the stats and the standings in the paper in the morning… boys it’s more than just the game
Coach Dan has other basic videos that you might wish to take the time to view. His on gripping the ball for all the pitches is very good. Up the middle fielders must have range so they need to be speedy. Corner infielders need quick reactions more than speed because the ball gets to them faster. Corner outfielders need strong arms like all outfielders, but they do not need to be quick or fast. The graphic used is the basic fielding position for batters that spray the ball in all directions. If a batter hits the ball to the right or left most of the time, the fielders will shift their positioning to match the batter. If the batter has no power, the outfielders will play in. If the batter has power, the outfielders will play further out. If the game is really close and there is a runner on third base with less than two outs, do not be surprised to see both infielders and outfielder play in so they have a chance to throw the runner heading home out at home plate. Another common positioning change is if there is a runner at first base with less than two outs, the second baseman and shortstop will play in just a little so they can make a double play easier to perform by positioning themselves closer to second base. So besides the batter’s tendencies, conditional situations can affect the fielders positioning.
Next part is understanding how the line up works traditionally. 1st Batter also Leadoff batter- they are great at contact and speedster. High on base percentage don't need a lot of power. 2nd Batter is generally your best on base guy doesn't need to have a ton of power, they can move that first Batter to scoring position aka second base. 3rd Batter is your second most powerful Batter their job is to move the base runners. 4th Batter or the Clean up Batter. They have the most powerful bat on the team. This player can hit the ball consistently and can hit Homer's. The rest of the batters are generally in order of power where 8 and 9 batters are your worst batters. Generally your line up should try to alternate between left and right handed batters. Making it harder for the pitcher. Depending on the schedule a team may have more of righty or lefty batters depending on rest and opponents starting pitching. When subs are put in late in a game they may switch righty or lefty to try to get an advantage. The manager in baseball is like general that will try to figure the best ways to get runs or prevent runs. Could go on for days
A pitching role that I'm surprised wasn't made is the "Closer". Maybe that's because they are a specialized short reliever - but I still think it's a role that deserves its own special mention at this point in the pitcher breakdown. The Closer is king of the short relievers lol. They typically come into the game in the last inning (as the moniker would suggest) when your team is ahead by by three runs or fewer. They need to work well under extreme pressure and be able to "finish" batters off in order to secure your team's win. I find these pitchers are quite often a special ilk of their own and sometimes even *require* that heightened sense of "game-on-the-line" pressure to achieve their best work. They are awarded a "Save" if they successfully keep the team ahead for the win. Regarding the long reliever; they aren't necessarily a throw away pitcher meant to eat up innings when things have gone so terribly wrong that there's little hope of regaining a lead (although that is a role they may have to play). If a starter gets into a jam, he may see his pitch count elevated to the point where injury may be more likely, you may have to bring in a short reliever to "put out the fire", say in a situations where a few runs have scored while the bases remain loaded. Once the short reliever(s) have (hopefully) minimized the damage, you'll then need someone reliable to give your team the best chance of catching back up to the opposition. In any case, this was a great recommended video to get an overall picture of the positions - it's been terrific to see you guys learn about the game, and even correctly surmise different aspects of it before they've even been explained to you. Very cool! I think you are having much more success than if I were to venture into the finer points and inner workings of Cricket!!
The shortstop and second baseman position themselves on opposite sides of the bag to cover the most area for ground balls and line drives. When it comes to covering the bag, they have shared responsibility. Typically, the 2nd baseman covers the bag if the ball is hit to the left side of the field, and the shortstop covers the bag if the ball is hit to the right side of the field.
That was a good video for beginners. Once again its so endearing to see how much you guys genuinely want to learn about the world's greatest sport. Watching a few games with a long time fan will definitely teach you quite a bit too. Maybe a livestream event concurrently with a pro game with a live comment section watching along with you.
Bill James, who was one of the first statistical analysts to focus on baseball, observed that difficulty of positions tended to run SS-2B-CF-3B-Lf-RF-1B. Catchers were coounsidered a specialist position outside this pattern. Also, in recent years, there has been a tendency to have middle relievers, who would specialize in preserving a lead or keeping a game close in later innings before the closing specialist would pitch the last inning or two.
Since you guys picked your teams to root for this year, you should watch highlights for each of them! For the Cubs that would be highlights of the World Series in 2016 (or Game 7 on it’s own) and for the Padres it would be the 2022 NLDS against the Dodgers. Both amazing series’, Hope you check them out! Love the vids, keep it up!
The long relievers can be called to starts sometimes. A lot times the long reliever will also be "the 6th starter", someone who will be called on to start in the case of an injury or otherwise necessary.
The shortstop is the most demanding for a few reasons. First, he needs to be athletic and fast to get to ground balls and needs a strong arm to make the throw to first and do so quickly. Also he is in charge of covering second base on balls hit to the second baseman’s side especially if hit into the outfield and the hitter tries to get a double. If there is a left handed hitter batting and a runner on first he is in charge of covering second if the runner attempts to steal second. The second baseman will cover when there is a right handed hitter. That is because hitters will pull the ball more frequently than hitting it to the opposite field. For a right handed hitter “pulling the ball” means hitting it to the third baseman/shortstop side and “hitting it to opposite field” means hitting it to the first baseman’s/second baseman’s side. Hope this helps
The shortstop is the most demanding infield position because he has a lot of ground to cover, and his throw to first base is long. A second baseman has considerable ground to cover, but his throw is short. Shortstops and 2nd baseman tend to be more agile, and often smaller, than 3rd baseman and 1st baseman, who have to defend much less ground. In the outfield the centerfielder is almost always a fast runner with a good arm as he is responsible for defending a large area and his throws are fairly long. The right fielder tends to have a stronger arm (long throws to 3rd base) than the left fielder (short throws to 3rd base).
The best experience of watching baseball is if you get to know one team and it's players. Then you start to see and understand all the strategy involved.
Going over the bin stuff is quite interesting. I was a left fielder when I played, and it's a pretty accurate description. Big guy, can throw the long ball with pinpoint accuracy, not the quickest but fast enough, and a power hitter.
You are correct in saying, depending on the situation, either the Shortstop or the second baseman has to cover second. If a right handed batter is up, usually it's the second baseman. If it's a lefty, usually the short stop. And we won't even go into double plays, stealing, bunts, the "cut off man" on throws from the outfield and such. Shortstop is most demanding because he has to cover the most ground and he has the longest throw to first base. So not only does he need to be quick and fast but he needs a cannon for an arm. Catcher is physically demanding. Especially on the knees. And mentally demanding for calling the pitches which he shares doing with the pitcher. Centerfield is like the SS of the outfield. But the arm strength is a little less important.
On pitchers and their roles, Starting Pitchers are generally expected to pitch at least 5 innings, some up to 8 or 9 ie the whole game. A team has 13 pitchers in total, and can divide them between starters and relievers however they like, most typically 5 starters and 8 relievers. Thus with 5 starters they rotate through thus a teams starting pitchers are called a Rotation. Starters over the course of a year will typically throw between 130 or 140 on the low side, to 200 or 220 on the high side. Relievers are more sprinters as mentioned, long relievers will usually go between 2 and up to 4 or 5 innings. Often times long relievers are either prospects and the team wants to kind of just try them out and see how they do, or they're a 'failed' starter and simply don't have the skills for the team to want them pitching a majority of the game. A long reliever is typically going to throw anywhere from 30 or 40 to 100 innings. Meanwhile a short reliever is someone who is only expected to go 1 inning, some can go 2. Generally have the highest strikeout rate but also highest walk rate as mentioned. Usually will throw around 60 innings over a year. Short relievers can also be broken down into further subsets, the Closer is typically the best reliever on the team, traditionally the Closer has been so named to close out the game, old wisdom being that the 9th inning when you're ahead is the situation you want to use you're best pitcher. Modern wisdom is that you want to use your best pitcher when the best hitters are up in a tied or 1 run game, however we generally still call the best reliever the Closer. You also have the Setup or sometimes Fireman, usually the second best reliever, named for 'setting up' in the 8th inning for the Closer to then pitch the 9th. Or the Fireman name which comes from the role of coming in in a critical situation to 'put out a fire' however smart managers will pitch the Closer in this situation. A lot of pitching strategy is managing which pitchers in which situations, and when to make pitching changes.
Shortstop is the most demanding infield position because right handed hitters (which are most hitters) tend to hit the ball hard in his area of the field a lot, so a shortstop needs a good arm, a lot of range, and quick reactions
Alot of old classic games from the 70s and 80s will teach you alot of good stuff. The announcers back than seem to be more intune and with the fans and games and tell stories. You can find these games on RUclips and honestly it's great to see baseball my dad grew up watching. You should check them out.
Baseball seasons are a marathon. You usually have 5 starting pitchers who rotate each game. And baseball games during a season are played just about every single day. If a pitcher has a bad start and gets pulled from the game by the manager, you don't want to use your reliable relief pitchers and tire their arms out more than necessary. So the long reliever will come in and eat up innings to save good arms in the bullpen. Same thing in a series in the playoffs. In the playoffs, each matchup is a best of 7 series. Over the course of a 7 game series, you don't want your pitchers to get worn out. Worn out pitchers and tired arms tend to perform way worse, and hitters will start crushing them. You need to save your best arms for crucial moments if at all possible.
Team makeup thoughts: Pitchers and catchers have to spend lots of time on their defensive roles (strategizing, watching video on getting the other teams' batters out) to the point that they aren't as good fielding balls or hitting. If a catcher can mentally control a game, communicate to other fielders, call the correct pitches from the pitchers, block balls in the dirt and can throw a ball down to 2B in 2.00 seconds or less (POP time: from when it hits his glove to when it hits the fielder's glove at 2B), then any hit by them in a game is a bonus. SS and 2B similarly have to be very good at their positions to the point that a team will pick a person who is better defensively than they are a hitter. 3B/1B/LF/RF are usually better hitters b/c the defensive demands at those positions are less than P/C/SS/2B. A team is willing to have a more mediocre fielder at these positions if they can hit well/hard. 3B still has to be quick since the hardest ground balls are hit his way and he's closer than most defenders to the hitter, and has to throw the ball 120'-140' across the diamond to first base quickly. It helps if a 1B is tall (bigger reach/target to throw at) as well. CF needs to hit well and be fast; like he said, catch everything. RF needs to have one of the strongest arms since a good amount of balls hit to the outfield need to be thrown to 3rd base, w/ right field being the furthest from that spot. And like he said, a team will not hesitate and pay more for a player who is good both defensively and as a hitter. Examples, Ichiro Suzuki can hit for contact and had one of the best outfielder arms ever. Jose Altuve and Dustin Pedroia played 2B and could hit for power. Shohei Otani can hit and pitch. Greg Maddux could pitch and defend very well. Jorge Posada could catch and hit.
Shortstop is the most demanding simply because there are more right handed batters and the ball pulls to that side more often, so over millions of games we've seen that the shortstop position tends to field the most balls as a result.
I always told my coaches that I could play every where but pitcher and catcher. I stated off in left field (or left center for recreation leagues with 4 outfielders). I also played a bit of Right (or right center). I eventually decided to also pick up shortstop. And even played a bit of second. Outfield and Shortstop were my specialties though. Slow pitch all girls- left field and short stop Slow pitch co- Ed - right field, left field and second Fast pitch- right field I would say Centerfield and Short Stop are the most demanding positions. Center field has priority over left and right fielders when center and left or center and right are both going for a ball. And thus they need to have the he speed and athleticism to cover all that ground. And short stop has to know where the infields plays when runners are in play are at all times. Most double plays are the 6-4-3. Outfielders have to have great arm strength to throw the ball to whoever they cut off is or in some cases directly to what’re base has the play or home. Short stops have to have speed and arm strength too as to fire the ball across the diamond. Second also needs speed. Third base also need arm strength to throw from third to first. Got to get those speedy runners out.
4 & 6 (2nd baseman & shortstop) are both responsible for covering 2nd base, depending on where the ball is hit. Shortstop is where a team's best fielder tends to play because most batters are right handed, and right handed batters tend to "pull" the ball to the left side of the infield. The shortstop will see more ground balls hit to them than any other position.
if you’re gonna be watching baseball games, these videos will help with some of the terminology the announcers will say - like a “6-4-3 double play” is a super common thing and they say that a lot one thing he didn’t mention was the term “closer” which i guess would be a short reliever, the closer is the guy that comes in at the end of the game to just shut the batters down and end the game and strike everybody out
Shortstop as defensive position number 6 actually stems from when the position was called "rover" in the late 19th century. In the earlier codes of the game, the rover was not anchored to a specific position, and was free to move about the field, usually stationed in what is now foul territory.
Short stop and 2nd switch up responsibilities on who's covering second depending on the handedness of the batter. If there's a runner on second and the batter hits right side, 2nd base covers. If the batter is left-handed, short stop covers
1:46 Most of the time the second baseman will be playing as it is showed in the picture, the only time you are really gonna see the second baseman stand on second base is if there is a runner on second base with a right handed hitter in the box, thanks for learning our sport boys 🙏🙏
Most batters tend to hit the ball primarily to their "pull side" meaning that a right handed batter will tend to hit the ball to left field more often than he hits it to right field. Because of that, the shortstop will shade a bit more to the 3rd base side of his "normal" position, while the second baseman will shade closer to 2nd base. In the event of a play at 2nd base (for example an intended steal of 2nd by the runner on 1st base) it will be handled by the 2nd baseman because the shortstop is much further from the 2nd base "bag". The opposite would be true for a left handed hitter who hits the ball primarily to right field, a shortstop would most likely cover 2nd base.
The SS and 2B share the duties of covering second base. The general rule of thumb is if there’s a right handed batter the 2B covers second base. If there’s a left handed batter the SS covers second base.
Shortstop is more demanding because both middle infielders have to cover a wider range of the field, especially on ground balls (1st and 3rd have the foul lines to limit the space they need to cover on the ground). Above that, shortstops have a longer throw to first than second basemen so the most acrobatic and difficult plays on the infield are usually made by shortstops.
Center fielders and left fielders and shortstops are the most important bc most batters are right handed and pull the ball to that side of the field also that picture of the positions isn't always where they lineup they move to the left and right of 2nd base alot depending on the situation
Unless you're a coach, those numbers are not mentioned or thought of to fans of game generally speaking. Great content. You are channel is growing very rapidly !
@@billbrasky1288 Agreed. Commentators will use the numbers quite often to describe what order the double (or, more rarely, the triple) play has just occurred, so it's still nice to know what they're talking about when you hear it.
Shortstop is so demanding because,like he said it used to be a shallow out field position, the Short stop covers shallow infield between Second and Third, and shallow outfield between Left and Center.
The long reliever's primary role is to save the elite arms of the pitching staff for as long as possible - we here in America would call them a "journeyman" - innings grinders, that have the stuff to keep the team in play for many innings, but generally lacks the elite stuff that crushes the other team's batters. IF a starter has a poor start, and gets pulled 2 or 3 innings in, you don't want to dip into your starters or elite relievers to fill in, because it's too early in the game to do that. So your long-relievers are the "filler," so to speak. If they hold up well and keep the opponent from scoring too much more, and their team bats their way back into a competitive game, then the manager will go to the short-relievers to try to shut down any more offense for the opponent. If they DO manage to catch up and pull ahead, the manager will go to the most elite of the short-relievers, the CLOSER. This short-reliever will almost always be a shut-down pitcher, sometimes referred to as the "Stopper," who has elite stuff on par with - sometimes BETTER than - the starters, but lacks the endurance to pitch 5-7 innings (the typical outing of a starter). The more you guys watch baseball, you will find that many of the league's top closers are former starters who've lost their endurance for long outings. They still have some of their nastiest stuff, but they tire out faster as they've aged, and so convert to closing so the team can still take advantage of their best work as long as possible. The closer is so important to a team, that they are the highest paid relievers, and often make the same - or very close to the same - money as the starters. If the closer pitches an inning or two with a lead, and finishing the game with a win, and doesn't allow the opponent to take over the lead, he is credited with a SAVE. You will hear announcers talk about the number of "saves" a closer has, when they talk about how good or bad that particular closer has been that season, or comparing their current seasons with previous ones. SAVES are a crucial number for elite closers who want to be considered for the Hall of Fame, much like WINS are what matters most for starters. The numbers of saves per season also plays into how much money elite closers can command. A team is "buying" saves when they sign an elite closer, as much as they are "buying" wins when they sign a starter. The biggest difference between a starter and a closer is this: a starter generally plays once every five games. Teams usually have 4-5 starters, and they rotate. So each starter gets at least 4-5 days of rest in between starts. The closer pitches every game that there's a lead in the 8th or 9th inning. So if the starting rotation is successful for three weeks straight, the closer has likely played every single game, for an inning or two. If the closer shows signs of tiring, the team may rest him for a day or two, and then the best short reliever will be held back and serve as the closer for the duration. The ideal situation for a team is to only need the closer for the 9th inning. The starter pitches 7 innings - UNLESS the starter is pitching a NO HITTER, and isn't too high in his pitch count, in which case they'll leave him in to see if he can close out his own game. This is a respect thing - teams will never pull a pitcher throwing a potential no hitter or perfect game (side note: NO-HITTER = no hits by the opponent, but getting on base with walks, errors, or batters hit by pitch may happen; PERFECT GAME = NO ONE on opposing team gets on base - NO hits, NO walks, NO errors, NO batters hit by pitch, NO ONE gets on base) unless the pitcher has long passed a pitch count threshold, or his pitches are starting to slow or lose movement from tiring out. He can still get a no-hitter if the relievers and/or closer finishes the game out with no hits given up, it's typically referred to as a "combined no-hitter." After the starter pitches his 5-7 innings, short-relievers come in to pitch 2-3 innings, try to get to the 9th inning. If the bullpen is struggling, the closer may be called in to close out the game for a couple of innings, but they try to not have to do that. They usually need their closer for every win, so they try to have him only pitch the 9th inning to close out a win, so his arm is as fresh as possible the next day. Sometimes, they may even leave in a short-reliever who's pitching really well, to give the closer an extra day of rest. If they don't HAVE to use him, they'll let him rest. But on a team with a lot of wins, the closer has pitched almost all of the winning games, often making them close to the most used pitcher in total innings pitched in a season, even more than some of the starters.
another thing, baseball relies a lot on percentages, it's a very strategized game, things like sacrafice fly, bunts, stealing bases, intentional walks , etc are all called into play by the team manager to runners, batters by hand signals (some that mean something and some that don't) based on the strategy of advancing the base runners with the highest percentage of success , say, a bunt for instance . Most intentional walks by the pitcher are done to increase the chances of making a double play, to get out of a bad inning, etc , etc. The idea is to get as many guys on base to hopefully string a few hits together to get hopefully a big run scoring inning. A lot of strategizing goes on that the typical fan watching is unaware of, unless the TV commentator explains them to us watching on TV, That's how we learn mainly.
Most teams have 5 starting pitchers, and in the playoffs they will mostly use 4 starting pitchers. The 5th starting pitcher usually slots in as the primary long relief pitcher postseason.
Right- #4 moves to cover second base if a play needs to be made there- otherwise, he fills the gap on the right side of the infield . The pitcher acts as the defender for any= ball hit "up the middle" (meaning directly toward 2nd base...). Since most batters hit "right handed" (with their right hand lower than their left hand on the handle of the bat), the majority of hit balls head for the left side of the "diamond, " so the "shortstop" is involved in a large number of ground ball plays. You guys are very sharp and very quick studies- nice to see you picking up the admittedly arcane nuances of this wonderful game as quickly as you do! Kudos, and enjoy the baseball season!
You guys are nailing these baseball vids, you definitely are grasping the nuances of the game. One thing, its called 1st base, not base 1. 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base and home. Love the vids!
4 and 6 (Shortstop and 2nd base) cover 2nd base depending on where the ball is hit. If the SS fields the ball, the 2nd Baseman covers the base, and vice versa.
Getting on base is very important. So much so that there have been players who specialized in getting hit by a pitch to get on base. Because if the pitcher hits you with a pitch you automatically get first base.
I love your videos, guys! I truly appreciate your genuine respect and curiosity for the game I love so much and am super stoked that this specific video has helped you understand more about the game.
I do wonder if there's a video that's more geared toward beginner international fans and really explains all the basics in a clear way. This information video was mostly made with youth league players and coaches in mind. We still haven't really had a video that thoroughly explains how players get outs or about balls and strikes which is what most of the game is spent watching.
Thanks for watching, we hope you enjoyed! Please like, share & subscribe to support the channel.
Other ways to support the channel:
Donate to the channel via PayPal (PayPal account not needed) - www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=BZRANMGGL9Q9Q
Join our Discord, meet the community, submit requests, be included in channel and content polls - discord.gg/cAkQwUuPN8
Find Great Baseball Products on Amazon - Our Affiliate Links are - amzn.to/3Mcl9G0 (Shirts) or amzn.to/3MdkYdB (Balls)
on average most ground balls will be hit into the zone where the short stop is. Plus, if there is a runner for the other team on first base, the shortstop is tasked with turning a possible double play. Plus, often the coaches give the shortstop the authority to adjust where the other infielders are standing (the diagram at the beginning is the basic setup, but the players can move around some before each batter comes up)
You don’t bring long relievers in the “save the day” but they give there teams way higher chances to win the next two days because the manager doesn’t have to get all of his relief pitchers tired.. hope that makes sense love the channel!
Shortstop is the primary infield position because, with the vast majority of batters being righthanded, the left hand side of the infield is where the ball gets hit most of the time. Also, once someone is on first or second, someone needs to take charge of stopping those runners advancing/scoring. SS, being the extra man, is in the best position to orchestrate.
"vast majority of batters being righthanded, the left hand side of the infield is where the ball gets hit most of the time"
My sophomore year I had one ball hit to me all season playing second base. ONE. 😭
Also, the Shortstop has the longest throw to first, especially on ground balls fielded to his right... The 2nd baseman does NOT stand on 2nd base, except for extreme shifts, although he would have to move to 2nd base on balls hit to the SS or 3B, or to cover the base for steals.
Thanks for the context, appreciate it!
@@DNReacts to be clear the third baseman needs as good an arm as shortstop. Also he needs a quick reaction time. 3rd base is known as the “hot corner” of the diamond because the third basemen sets up closer to the plate and ground balls can be screaming at you.
And the shortstop/second baseman will also have the runner trying to slide into them to break up a double play when whichever one is covering second base.
6-4-3 is the most common double play in baseball. It was immortalized in "Baseball's Sad Lexicon" aka "Tinker to Evers to Chance"
Scorecard scoring stuff is very complex it's completely OK if you don't get it bc most ppl don't
I learned how to do it by being the scorekeeper when my boys were playing! But it's hard because the game moves so fast and you can miss something so easily!
Yeah, the people who know how to do it, tend to have learned doing it as a kid. It's sort of how it's easier to learn a language when your young. For some odd dam reason, my dad had note books of games he scored from the radio or tv. He never looked at them again after he scored it but that was his thing. I learned how to do it from watching him and asking a few questions. I am 62 now and I would say the majority of male baseball fans my age know how to do it. But I think that starts to fall off shortly after my age group. Mainly because Football passed Baseball as the number one sport in the 80's. But if your on some sort of organized team, don't ever tell anyone you know how to do it or it will quickly become your job. The bad part of that is, now you have to pay attention instead of goofing off with your friends during the game and less time for drinking. LOL.
@@boki1693 sometimes there's just miscommunication about whether plays are errors or hits and how to score rundowns and stuff it can get pretty complex
@@boki1693 You're so right! I am your age and when my boys were playing, I always got tagged as Team Mom and then scorekeeper. The coach's wife taught me how to do it because she wanted to have fun! And believe me, there was more than one occasion when the game was stopped because we scorekeepers needed to check each other! p.s. I STILL have all my score books and my one son who was a pitcher and SS loves to go through it and especially likes to count up his K's!
No. It isn't. Well maybe it is for you. Sad
You guys have done well to recognize the value of getting on base. It’s the central tenet of the modern advanced statistics revolution. It’s also a bit of a meme from the excellent baseball movie “Moneyball.” The film tells the story of the 2002 Oakland A’s and general manager Billy Beane who was tasked with rebuilding the team with a very limited budget.
Obviously you guys can’t just sit here and watch movies for this channel but I think it would be a blast if you guys had a series where you watched some of the most popular movies of these new sports and gave your thoughts on them. Another great video guys, keep it up!
“👉” “Because he gets on base”
I'd watch a reaction to Field of Dreams for sure.
Thanks Roger, appreciate the comment, will add this to our list, sounds like a great idea!
@@downrighttt “So he walks a lot.”
@@DNReacts one of my favorite movies in general, it's great for people new to baseball as well and the experienced fans. Has some good comedic moments too.
Shortstop is the most demanding position because most batters are right handed, they’re going to tend to hit fast grounders to center left. And if there’s a runner on first they have to quickly throw to 2nd to get a double play. They also cover 2nd base if the ball is hit to the 2nd baseman
1:41 Yes, the picture is setup to be symmetrical. Players don't line up in those exact positions (except the pitcher and catcher.) They will shift around depending on who's at bat and the baserunning situation. Prior to 2023, you would even see situations where the third basemen would move to the other side of the field between the second and first basemen against some left-handed hitters. This was outlawed in 2023 and now two infielders must be on either side second base to start play.
One thing that wasn't touched on is how a particular position may dictate which hand a player throws with. For example.....3B, SS, 2B and C are basically always right handed throwers. This is due to the geometry of the throws they have to make and this has been consistent throughout the history of the game. Typically a 1B can be either, but it's more advantageous if the 1B throws left handed, since having the glove on the right hand makes the tag quicker when a pitcher throws to 1B in an attempt to pick off a base runner. Also, a left handed throwing 1B has the advantage of an easier throw to 2B when he fields a ground ball and throws to 2B in an attempt to get out a runner trying to advance from first base to second base. As far as the outfield, it doesn't really matter as much.
One other thing is, infielders LOVE a large first baseman because they have a bigger target to throw to, plus a larger person obviously has greater static range to receive throws.....especially throws that might be off target, while still being able to keep his foot on first base to record the out. Add in the fact that a taller first baseman has a longer stretch to go out and get throws, basically shortening the length of the throw from an infielder. In a very close play, this could be the difference between a safe, or out call.
@DNReacts this is a really good catch.
To expand on it, one thing the video didn't really touch on was throwing arm strength. The first- and second-basemen don't often need to make long throws, but the shortstops and third-basemen do several times each game. It's important for the catchers and center fielders to be able to throw well. But one quirk you might not expect is that being able to make long and accurate throws is far more important for the right fielder than the left fielder. The reason is that they rarely have to make throws to first base, but often do to third - either to catch a batter trying to take an extra base (stretch a single into a double, or a double into a triple), or to stop a runner from attempting it.
That's why Ichiro, who's small for a ballplayer and relied heavily on his speed, played most of his career in right rather than center - his throwing arm was incredible.
It's also why you'll generally find guys who are poor defensive players and primarily on the team for their hitting to be playing left field (hopefully they'll at least have good foot speed here) or first base. A lot of great hitters who are no longer able to play their natural field positions well will end their careers playing first base. Ironically, though the first-baseman doesn't have to have the range and arm strength as the other positions, he will be handling the ball on around half the plays (unlike any of the other defenders), so there is something to be said for having a premium defender like John Olerud at the position.
Scoring is just another hobby level of baseball enjoyment. I love going to games and seeing the old guy listening to game on the radio while being there taking pride in his score card.
Long relievers are there specifically so you dont give up on a game that gets away from you early. If its 7-1 after 3 innings, you obviously aren't expecting to win, but often one of the differences between good and great teams are the ones that can come back to win those. And good long relief pitching is the key to do it.
It's also where a veteran is damned useful, because they have to be so mentally composed.
Thanks Deano, appreciate this context!
We're being a little unfair. The Long Reliever is valuable any time the Starter has to leave the game early. The Starter may get blown out, but he might also be injured, raise a blister on his pitching hand, or even get kicked out for swearing at the umpire. Ideally, a Long Reliever has the same skillset as a Starter, particularly the ability to pitch to both sides of the plate. In practice they are less skilled because if they were stronger, they'd BE the Starters.
@@scottbilger9294 Agree with this. High quality long relief is mandatory so you can assure that your short relievers are not over used. Since those guys usually only go an inning or two, and generally don't pitch more than two days in a row, a long reliever who can eat innings will save your bullpen from overuse and save those guys for the high leverage situations where they are most valuable.
A long reliever is also used when a starter is on limited pitch counts for one reason or another. Throw your starter for 3-4 innings or maybe 60 pitches and then bring in your long relief guy for 3-4 and turn it over to a 1 inning bullpen guy to close it out. Super valuable in a situation like the Texas Rangers with Jacob deGrom, who is on pitch count restrictions for a while. Keep your starters overall workload down early in the season, so they are better rested for the end of the season when the grind really starts wearing on them.
Teams rarely come back from a big early deficit. The main value of a long reliever is to save the team's bullpen (the other relief pitchers) for the next game.
As an American born in the 60"s, I have always loved baseball as far back I can remember. Seeing people new to game attempt a serious effort to learn about the game. Great channel.
Thank you Jack, really appreciate the comment! We’ve been really enjoying the journey to understand how great Baseball is
I think you two should watch some videos from pitching ninja. He makes really good content that breaks down pitches and shows why certain pitches are really effective/impressive. The angle of the camera in a lot of stadiums can somewhat obscure the movement some pitches make so he provides extra context
I second this recommendation
Regarding Bin 2 - surprised they didn't mention that left-handed players almost never play third-base in the modern game because the extra fraction of a second it takes to turn your body from that angle when throwing with your left hand could be the difference between a runner being safe and out at first base. They might bat lefty, but they almost universally throw right-handed.
Keep in mind that batting position is also important, based on the strengths of each hitter. As you mention, not every hitter is going to get up there and hit a home run, or have home run potential. But the game was originally designed for "small ball," with men getting on base and the batters after them pushing them one base at a time until they score (that's oversimplified, but it's the basic idea of the game). Each base is a station along the way, getting 90 feet closer to scoring a run. So while it's nice to have a couple of power hitters on a team, it's also important to have reliable hitters who get on base, even if they're just hitting a lot of singles and doubles.
Shortstop is the most demanding infield defensive position (apart from maybe catcher) because it’s like 2nd base in that you have to cover a lot of ground in every direction because you aren’t near a foul line on one side, plus it’s like 3rd base in there being a long throw to first base where a significant number of putouts must occur.
Sometimes I like to sit there and talk to you while you watch it because I find myself answering your questions while I watch the contact with you
This setup at the start of the video is basically how it is in actual games, though players often adjust their positioning on the field when it's well known that a certain hitter has certain tendencies when hitting the ball, such as pulling the ball in a certain direction. This kind of adjustment of players on the field is known as a "shift," and one of the new rules put in place this year limits teams from doing extreme shifts where, for example, three out of four infielders are on one side of the diamond (e.g., first baseman at first base, second baseman midway between first and second, shortstop right behind second base or even slightly to the right of it, and third baseman midway between second and third). Also, here's a fun fact: a lot of pitchers played shortstop at some point early on as kids. Why? Because both types of players have to have amazing arms.
Shortstop is the toughest because it has the least amount of room for error . You can never bobble or misplay a ball and still throw the runner out. The third baseman or second baseman has some margin for error normally. Second has the shortest throw and third base the ball gets to them the quickest.
Good points Kyle.
I love that you guys say Base 1, Base 2, etc. We say 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base. You're not wrong. Just different. Well done gents. Another great reaction.
😅 Thank you Jamison, appreciate the comment!
The chart is roughly how the positions set up. There can be a heavy shift to one side or the other. Also many players may move in much closer depending on the hitter or the game situations. One reason to track hitters to follow if they hit consistently to the left or right. They would want to have the defensive player move that way. Some players have a problem hitting with any power (or they are in a slump) so everyone moves in closer. Most times the shift is a good idea. Other times it can be a disaster. The vast majority of inside the park homeruns are due to a misplayed shift.
I'm loving seeing everything click for you guys! I'm also super impressed by how often you intuit things about the game, you're really picking up on it quickly
Thank you Alex, really appreciate the comment!
Long Reliever could also be "spot starters" sometimes they start games if the usual starter in the rotation can't play, either due to injury, or rest, and the Starting option in the Farm System isn't ready to be called up yet.
I love many sports but baseball is my favorite because its never over until after the last out. Great teams have good long relievers. A bad day from a starter gives the other team momentum. Pulling your starter and replacing him with a solid long reliever can settle the game and kill the opposition's momentum. This gives your offense a chance to catch up and still win the game. Their pitchers are just as susceptible to giving up just as many or more runs as your starter did in 1 or 2 innings, so you always play to win. A good performance from an LR doesn't require strikeouts and might allow hits, but those balls put in play often allow the defense to field them for outs. This is far better than watching your starter's doughnuts get rocketed into the outfield or launched repeatedly over the wall..
Appreciate the comment, great read. Thank you 🙏
You are correct about the positioning of infielders changing during the game and it all depends on the batter, the pitch positioning, and if there are runners on base. This is why scouting other teams players is important as you find out where opposing batters naturally put the ball in play (this also depends on the type and positioning of pitches). Baseball has always been called ‘a thinking man’s game’.
The order in which players bat is also very important and calculated. It’s based on their batting skill and if they are power hitters or contact hitters, etc
The guys who described the positions did a excelent work. You can’t find anything better to understand the game. 100/100
First bin would be Outfield, Short stop snd second base, Second bin would be third base and Catcher. Third bin would be First Base and Designated Hitter.
Some excellent questions here! But I have to disagree with the coach. In early baseball--in the 19th and turn of the 20th century--the shortstop played far CLOSER in, on the grass near the pitcher. A baseball field's grass wasn't as well tended or mowed as modern-day infields are, so ground balls off the hitter's bat would often come to a premature rest in the relatively long grass. The shortstop's job was to get to those grounders that "stopped short." But as baseball parks became better tended and balls regularly bounced through the infield grass, the shortstop became better deployed as part of a defensive tandem in the middle infield between the bases (along with the second baseman).
Loving the MLB stuff on here! You guys should check out the most spectacular double plays of all time, mind-blowing plays.
Wow I even learned something from that. Thanks guys!!
The Shortstop Position covers the most area as an infielder and that's why it's the most important. However, having played 3rd Base in high school, I personally feel that position is way more important because they need to have agility and arm strength, accuracy.
I loved playing 3rd base but I didn't like pull back bunts when I charged in. I had some near death experiences with balls flying by my head.
Hard disagree, the SS is just as if not farther from 1B for throws, especially on deep shifts, and has a lot more area to cover. Not to mention getting about half of double play balls.
Actually not even hard disagree, I'm going harder, that's just flat out wrong. Fangraphs even put a number on it, 3B +2.5 runs, SS at +7.5, an average SS is worth 5 runs more than an average 3B on defense, over a season.
@@alexisborden3191 No one said it was easier to play SS. Most people enjoy playing the 3B position. I loved it because of the majority of pull line drives from right handed hitters go there. Much harder when you see those plays in action in POV as opposed to covering and running after a grounder up the middle, still hard, but I'd say a screaming 100+ MPH hit coming at your head a much harder experience to witness.
I covered way more ground as a 2nd baseman than any of our Shortstops. Ss and 2nd basemen cover the same amount of area on the foeld.
"Power at the corners, speed up the middle."
The best way to learn baseball positions is to view the Abbott & Costello skit
1st Question: Short stop and 2nd baseman both cover the 2nd base bag, depending on the play. The short stop covers when its hit near the 2nd baseman, and the 2ndbaseman covers when it is hit to the shortstop. (another way of thinking about this is that first and third base only need one fielder on one side of the base because everything it on the other side of that base is a foul ball, but second base is in the middle of the field)
2nd Question: Short stop is the most demanding infield position because as a middle infielder (short stop/second baseman), you must cover the most ground to pick up ground balls. But, the short stop has to make a longer throw than the second baseman to get the ball to first base on a ground ball.
Shortstops also need to have the best arm on the infield as their throws to first are often the longest out of any position if they have to range to their right (towards the 3rd base hole). It's a REALLY hard position to play
3B IMO
SS needs good arms strength coupled with agility and range. Third base needs the stronger throwing arm, since they're often making throws from the foul line and beyond over to first.
@@jamesoliver6625nope. SS has the longest throw to 1st
@@sector986 Only if you use SS to cover all the 3B/SS hole. If you play infielders to have maximum coverage with their gloved hand, and you don't have a LH first baseman, then your 3B is played short of the grass and just NOT guarding the line if he has the arm to make the throw. He covers the deep hole, SS covers the short hole and extends beyond 2B. This allows lower level teams without a LH firstbaseman to play pretty tight.
@@jamesoliver6625 if the throw from 3b is near the foul line sure it’s farther. But if the SS fields the ball in normal SS territory then SS is farther.
This is a good example of the value of reaction videos. I watch baseball videos all the time but have never until just now seen this one. Great fundamental introduction to the field positions, and fun watching you blokes react to it.
If you enjoy what we do and want to show further support then you are welcome to donate using our PayPal link, you DO NOT need a PayPal account. If not, a simple like and sub would be amazing, thanks for all the support so far ❤️
www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=BZRANMGGL9Q9Q
Idea for future content... I live in Canton, OH where the Pro Football HOF is, I'm actually walking distance from it. I also play in an amateur baseball league. Some time in the future you could come out and see the hall of fame parade, induction ceremony and preseason game and also play in an actual baseball game against former college and pro baseball players all in the span of a week. Just something to think about.
Replying here so it has a better chance of being seen.
Not sure what the major phone companies are across the pond, but if either of your, friends, loved ones, pets, etc have T-Mobile then you are eligible to receive free MLBtv. This would allow you to watch every game whenever you’d like and would normally cost more than 150 USD. Only is available through tomorrow so have to act fast, but it might help you both naturally get into the game.
Really loving you guys' baseball videos. The season is super long. Hope you don't burn out!
I was a shortstop/pitcher. My first year playing baseball (7 years old), I was a platoon 3rd baseman. I moved to SS the next year and played there for the next 10 years. I started pitching when I was 11 and pitched through high school. I liked pitching, but I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED being the shortstop.
I positioned both the infield and outfield. I also knew SS was the glamor position.
One of the best compliments I ever got was from my brother. He was a year older than me, but we started school the same year. He played centerfield while I was at short. I heard him during an interview after a game and he was asked what he liked about playing centerfield (a position our oldest brother played and set school records in 1982 that still stand today). During his answer he said one of his favorite things in center was playing behind me and watch me make backhanded plays in deep short. He still doesn't know I heard him say that, but it is one of my favorite compliments I ever got...38 years later.
Back in my days of playing, a team always wanted the starting pitcher to pitch a complete game (all 9 innings). Sometimes they would show signs of tiring, so a relief pitcher would come in to replace the starter. In the late 70s, a guy named Bruce Sutter came along, for the Chicago Cubs. He was a part-time starter. The Cubs realized that he was almost unhittable in the first 1 or 2 innings, then something would happen, and he became more vulnerable to the hitters. They decided to create a different type of pitcher position. They knew that, if they had a lead, late in the game, they could bring Bruce into the game. He could be almost assured to get 3 or 4 outs, without giving up a run. So the "Closer" position was born. Bruce's best pitch was a split-finger fastball, or splitter. Nobody had ever thrown that pitch for so much success. But, it's a pitch that requires a lot of velocity to be it's most effective.
This is a good insight. Something that's been talked about more over the last few decades is how many times a starting pitcher has pitched through the opponents' lineup - the idea being that the third time a hitter's seen a pitcher, he's more keyed in to what he's doing (and also, the pitcher's probably starting to get tired) and therefore more likely to hit.
A lot of starting pitchers have adjusted to that by developing an extra pitch or two for their arsenal that they'll only start to use after the fourth or fifth inning. Every pitcher's anatomy is different, and so their version of each pitch is different, and most only have a couple that they've mastered. A starting pitcher will tend to have two-three pitches they're really good at throwing, and maybe one or two more that they're decent at. A relief pitcher will tend to just have two that they're really good at. Mariano Rivera, widely considered the greatest reliever of all time, famously only had one pitch, and it happened to be a really, really, really good one.
Another thing that's come up over the last decade is the idea of leverage in situations. The closer is the best relief pitcher on your team. Conventional wisdom says to put him in the game in the 9th inning if you have the lead, to ensure the victory. But is that necessarily when he's the most valuable? If you've got a one-run lead, then probably. But that means for crucial situations earlier in the game, you're not using your best pitcher. If you've got a one-run lead in the 7th inning, the bases are loaded with nobody out, and the other team's best hitter coming up, using the superstar there might do more to assure a win than keeping him for later.
Some teams are also experimenting with an "opener" - a relief pitcher who starts the game, but only pitches an inning or two before a guy from the starting rotation comes in and is expected to throw five or six innings.
Sutter was a step on the way, but there were closers on most teams long before that. Pitchers would have 90 appearances - Mike Marshall, might pitch 2-3 innings at the end of a game when the starter got tired. But they tended to get worn out because managers didn't ration their arm the way a closer role is so limited now to just the last inning.
About the shortstop, he usually acts as a captain when on defense. It is his job to organize the infield and communicate with all the other players (infield and outfield) about what they should anticipate or prepare for. Also most hitters are right handed and tend to hit the ball to their strong side more often then away from them. This means the shortstops side of the infield is generally busier than the second basemans side. Of course this changes game to game but generally it seems to be true.
It's awesome to see you guys start to understand the strategy behind the game. Getting on base is the most important aspect of offense. Homeruns are amazing but a well timed single or double can be just as important. One aspect that wasn't covered was the batting order. Its pretty universal that the first 2 hitters are pure contact and speed guys. Their job is to get on base any way they can and to steal bases once they get on. Batters 3-5 are the premier power hitters. These are the stars of the team. The guys who hit for the best average and most power. These are the homerun hitters. after them is usually ordered based on who is the best remaining hitter in the lineup.
I'm glad you reacted to Coach Dan Blewett. His videos are great and very informative for young players/coaches.
Thanks Michael! We really enjoyed this one
It is a pretty recent thing for 2nd basemen and the short stops to be able to hit for power on a regular basis across teams. Even in the 90s it was pretty rare and didn't really start to change till Alex Rodriguez rose to prominence. Guys like Ozzie Guillen or Rafiel Belliard so rarely hit home runs that when they did it was often the highlight/lowlight of the game, depending on what side you were on. Whereas you had 1st baseman like Jon Olerud who wasn't a power hitter but hit for contact, which was also unusual for his position.
In the 60's and 70's shortstop Mark Belanger of the Baltimore Orioles often had an average below .200 and rarely homered. However, he was such a good fielder that he was still a regular starter. Into the 80's, 90's and beyond, shortstops in MLB have been much better hitters. In the 60's and early 70's pitchers dominated the game more so. In the 70's the rules were tweaked to help improve offence.
Probably the Best Power Hitter who played 2nd Base was Ryan Sandberg of the Cubs in the 1980s and 90s. He was great defensively and hit for both Average and Power. Robin Yount of the Brewers was like that at Shortstop, in the 1970s and 80s. Yount was moved to Centerfield later in his career after he hurt his arm, where he won his 2nd MVP ( won his 1st playing Shortstop) Probably Why the Both are in The Hall of Fame..😅
Not new at all - Honus Wagner was an excellent power hitter at SS, Ernie Banks hit 50 HR at SS early in his career. But it has been uncommon to have the whole package, and Banks himself ended up at 1B after some injuries.
@@jmweed1861 Joe Morgan in 75 and 76 was better than Sandberg and stole a lot of bases too.
Yeah, don't worry about the scoring stuff at this time :). I score internationally, was the scorer for gold medal match in Tokyo in 2021 between Japan and USA, but even today something came up that I had to think about and work through. It's very complex and complicated... But so much fun :)
I enjoy watching your content because I like watching people learn the game I love.
Thank you Thomas, we really appreciate your support and the comment 🙏
i will forever call the shortstop "shortstopper" from now on love it
One thing that new reactors often find surprising is how many pitchers are on a team in modern mlb. It's easy to think there is one pitcher to 8 position players + DH. But because pitchers have to share the workload so much, team often have as many pitchers as all other players on the roster. Just to give some more context on how the positions are distributed these days.
In Early Early baseball you had 2 or 3 pitchers on the staff. In 1884 the second pitcher quit and Hoss Radbourne pitched the last half or so of the season by himself and won 60 games. You had more other players because gloves where absent or thin and broken fingers bruises and spike wounds would build up.
I used to watch a bunch of different reaction channels, but you guys are so damn good I get disappointed at every other one. I've been here since 2k and I wish you all the best on your way up.
Thank you!! Really appreciate this and your support. We’re just getting started 🤞
This truly is the greatest game ever. Mind games...... Hand eye coordination.... Pure Athleticism....reaction times, Consistentsy over 162 game seasons, even when you hit a ball perfect you can hit it right at people every time, perfect mechanics....... And they make it look so easy. Every play is expected to be made. Every play. If you don't make your play you yourself literally gets an error mark on the scoreboard.
Yes, a long reliever is basically a middle of the pack pitcher who punches out a few innings to save the other arms for another day. Many times they're younger potchers trying to figure out their role on the team, or guys towards the end of there career, but still can still baseball pretty well.
With respect to placement on the field, it's true players will shift slightly on the field in whole or in part of the team depending on the circumstances. For example if a left-handed batter is up, because they are more likely to hit the ball to the left side of the field, the outfielders and maybe the shortstop and 2nd baseman might move several feet to their right, which is towards the left side of the field. Likewise, and at the professional level this is less pronounced, but some batters are known with a reputation of NOT having a lot of power when batting, so the outfielders and the infielders may move forward several feet anticipating that the ball won't be going as far if hit. This latter example happens more often at non-professional levels of the game. In fact if a batter is well known for not being a good hitter, you may hear the fielders yell, "easy out", and everyone shifts forward expecting that if the player managers to actually hit the pitch, it's not likely to go very far into the field which means by shifting forward the ball is caught by someone sooner (especially a ground ball as opposed to a fly ball) and can therefore be thrown to first base more quickly to get the batter out. Here's a one-minute example of the latter scenario done humorously. ruclips.net/video/0tpbNAbJIyw/видео.html
I'd personally say that Shortstop is the 3rd most demanding position behind catcher which is far and away the most demanding, and center field especially due to the toll it's taken on guys like Ken Griffey Jr. and Byron Buxton.
I absolutely LOVE that you guys are so interested in the sport I'm most passionate about...Baseball
As a Bigger player with a Strong Arm my "Skilled" position was Catcher but I also played 1st Base and Right field. You guys have really started to catch on to American sports!!
One of the beauties of baseball is just that… it’s a long season… but spring isn’t spring without opening day… long summer nights with the radio in the background and then the pennant races checking the stats and the standings in the paper in the morning… boys it’s more than just the game
Coach Dan has other basic videos that you might wish to take the time to view. His on gripping the ball for all the pitches is very good.
Up the middle fielders must have range so they need to be speedy. Corner infielders need quick reactions more than speed because the ball gets to them faster. Corner outfielders need strong arms like all outfielders, but they do not need to be quick or fast.
The graphic used is the basic fielding position for batters that spray the ball in all directions. If a batter hits the ball to the right or left most of the time, the fielders will shift their positioning to match the batter. If the batter has no power, the outfielders will play in. If the batter has power, the outfielders will play further out. If the game is really close and there is a runner on third base with less than two outs, do not be surprised to see both infielders and outfielder play in so they have a chance to throw the runner heading home out at home plate. Another common positioning change is if there is a runner at first base with less than two outs, the second baseman and shortstop will play in just a little so they can make a double play easier to perform by positioning themselves closer to second base. So besides the batter’s tendencies, conditional situations can affect the fielders positioning.
Next part is understanding how the line up works traditionally. 1st Batter also Leadoff batter- they are great at contact and speedster. High on base percentage don't need a lot of power. 2nd Batter is generally your best on base guy doesn't need to have a ton of power, they can move that first Batter to scoring position aka second base. 3rd Batter is your second most powerful Batter their job is to move the base runners. 4th Batter or the Clean up Batter. They have the most powerful bat on the team. This player can hit the ball consistently and can hit Homer's. The rest of the batters are generally in order of power where 8 and 9 batters are your worst batters. Generally your line up should try to alternate between left and right handed batters. Making it harder for the pitcher. Depending on the schedule a team may have more of righty or lefty batters depending on rest and opponents starting pitching. When subs are put in late in a game they may switch righty or lefty to try to get an advantage. The manager in baseball is like general that will try to figure the best ways to get runs or prevent runs. Could go on for days
A pitching role that I'm surprised wasn't made is the "Closer". Maybe that's because they are a specialized short reliever - but I still think it's a role that deserves its own special mention at this point in the pitcher breakdown. The Closer is king of the short relievers lol. They typically come into the game in the last inning (as the moniker would suggest) when your team is ahead by by three runs or fewer. They need to work well under extreme pressure and be able to "finish" batters off in order to secure your team's win. I find these pitchers are quite often a special ilk of their own and sometimes even *require* that heightened sense of "game-on-the-line" pressure to achieve their best work. They are awarded a "Save" if they successfully keep the team ahead for the win.
Regarding the long reliever; they aren't necessarily a throw away pitcher meant to eat up innings when things have gone so terribly wrong that there's little hope of regaining a lead (although that is a role they may have to play). If a starter gets into a jam, he may see his pitch count elevated to the point where injury may be more likely, you may have to bring in a short reliever to "put out the fire", say in a situations where a few runs have scored while the bases remain loaded. Once the short reliever(s) have (hopefully) minimized the damage, you'll then need someone reliable to give your team the best chance of catching back up to the opposition.
In any case, this was a great recommended video to get an overall picture of the positions - it's been terrific to see you guys learn about the game, and even correctly surmise different aspects of it before they've even been explained to you. Very cool! I think you are having much more success than if I were to venture into the finer points and inner workings of Cricket!!
The shortstop and second baseman position themselves on opposite sides of the bag to cover the most area for ground balls and line drives. When it comes to covering the bag, they have shared responsibility. Typically, the 2nd baseman covers the bag if the ball is hit to the left side of the field, and the shortstop covers the bag if the ball is hit to the right side of the field.
That was a good video for beginners. Once again its so endearing to see how much you guys genuinely want to learn about the world's greatest sport.
Watching a few games with a long time fan will definitely teach you quite a bit too. Maybe a livestream event concurrently with a pro game with a live comment section watching along with you.
Thank you Kevin, really appreciate the comment
Currently watching Angels Mariners on BT Sport too. 2-1 Angels at the moment!
Bill James, who was one of the first statistical analysts to focus on baseball, observed that difficulty of positions tended to run SS-2B-CF-3B-Lf-RF-1B. Catchers were coounsidered a specialist position outside this pattern.
Also, in recent years, there has been a tendency to have middle relievers, who would specialize in preserving a lead or keeping a game close in later innings before the closing specialist would pitch the last inning or two.
Speaking of shortstops needing to be incredible fielders, the Andrelton Simmons defensive highlight video is unreal
Since you guys picked your teams to root for this year, you should watch highlights for each of them! For the Cubs that would be highlights of the World Series in 2016 (or Game 7 on it’s own) and for the Padres it would be the 2022 NLDS against the Dodgers. Both amazing series’, Hope you check them out! Love the vids, keep it up!
Thanks Owen, appreciate your support! Thank you for these suggestions too, have added them both to our list, sounds great!
The long relievers can be called to starts sometimes. A lot times the long reliever will also be "the 6th starter", someone who will be called on to start in the case of an injury or otherwise necessary.
Long relievers often come on in the 6th or 7th inning to protect a lead. So, having a talented long reliever is important.
The shortstop is the most demanding for a few reasons. First, he needs to be athletic and fast to get to ground balls and needs a strong arm to make the throw to first and do so quickly. Also he is in charge of covering second base on balls hit to the second baseman’s side especially if hit into the outfield and the hitter tries to get a double. If there is a left handed hitter batting and a runner on first he is in charge of covering second if the runner attempts to steal second. The second baseman will cover when there is a right handed hitter. That is because hitters will pull the ball more frequently than hitting it to the opposite field. For a right handed hitter “pulling the ball” means hitting it to the third baseman/shortstop side and “hitting it to opposite field” means hitting it to the first baseman’s/second baseman’s side. Hope this helps
The shortstop is the most demanding infield position because he has a lot of ground to cover, and his throw to first base is long. A second baseman has considerable ground to cover, but his throw is short. Shortstops and 2nd baseman tend to be more agile, and often smaller, than 3rd baseman and 1st baseman, who have to defend much less ground. In the outfield the centerfielder is almost always a fast runner with a good arm as he is responsible for defending a large area and his throws are fairly long. The right fielder tends to have a stronger arm (long throws to 3rd base) than the left fielder (short throws to 3rd base).
The best experience of watching baseball is if you get to know one team and it's players. Then you start to see and understand all the strategy involved.
Going over the bin stuff is quite interesting. I was a left fielder when I played, and it's a pretty accurate description. Big guy, can throw the long ball with pinpoint accuracy, not the quickest but fast enough, and a power hitter.
You are correct in saying, depending on the situation, either the Shortstop or the second baseman has to cover second. If a right handed batter is up, usually it's the second baseman. If it's a lefty, usually the short stop. And we won't even go into double plays, stealing, bunts, the "cut off man" on throws from the outfield and such. Shortstop is most demanding because he has to cover the most ground and he has the longest throw to first base. So not only does he need to be quick and fast but he needs a cannon for an arm. Catcher is physically demanding. Especially on the knees. And mentally demanding for calling the pitches which he shares doing with the pitcher. Centerfield is like the SS of the outfield. But the arm strength is a little less important.
In the first baseman/catcher bucket…usually the left handers play first base and the right handers play catcher.
On pitchers and their roles, Starting Pitchers are generally expected to pitch at least 5 innings, some up to 8 or 9 ie the whole game. A team has 13 pitchers in total, and can divide them between starters and relievers however they like, most typically 5 starters and 8 relievers. Thus with 5 starters they rotate through thus a teams starting pitchers are called a Rotation. Starters over the course of a year will typically throw between 130 or 140 on the low side, to 200 or 220 on the high side. Relievers are more sprinters as mentioned, long relievers will usually go between 2 and up to 4 or 5 innings. Often times long relievers are either prospects and the team wants to kind of just try them out and see how they do, or they're a 'failed' starter and simply don't have the skills for the team to want them pitching a majority of the game. A long reliever is typically going to throw anywhere from 30 or 40 to 100 innings. Meanwhile a short reliever is someone who is only expected to go 1 inning, some can go 2. Generally have the highest strikeout rate but also highest walk rate as mentioned. Usually will throw around 60 innings over a year. Short relievers can also be broken down into further subsets, the Closer is typically the best reliever on the team, traditionally the Closer has been so named to close out the game, old wisdom being that the 9th inning when you're ahead is the situation you want to use you're best pitcher. Modern wisdom is that you want to use your best pitcher when the best hitters are up in a tied or 1 run game, however we generally still call the best reliever the Closer. You also have the Setup or sometimes Fireman, usually the second best reliever, named for 'setting up' in the 8th inning for the Closer to then pitch the 9th. Or the Fireman name which comes from the role of coming in in a critical situation to 'put out a fire' however smart managers will pitch the Closer in this situation. A lot of pitching strategy is managing which pitchers in which situations, and when to make pitching changes.
Throw from shortstop to first is the furthest. Majority of hitters are right handed so in theory most ground balls are hit in that direction.
Shortstop is the most demanding infield position because right handed hitters (which are most hitters) tend to hit the ball hard in his area of the field a lot, so a shortstop needs a good arm, a lot of range, and quick reactions
Alot of old classic games from the 70s and 80s will teach you alot of good stuff. The announcers back than seem to be more intune and with the fans and games and tell stories. You can find these games on RUclips and honestly it's great to see baseball my dad grew up watching. You should check them out.
Baseball seasons are a marathon. You usually have 5 starting pitchers who rotate each game. And baseball games during a season are played just about every single day. If a pitcher has a bad start and gets pulled from the game by the manager, you don't want to use your reliable relief pitchers and tire their arms out more than necessary. So the long reliever will come in and eat up innings to save good arms in the bullpen. Same thing in a series in the playoffs. In the playoffs, each matchup is a best of 7 series. Over the course of a 7 game series, you don't want your pitchers to get worn out. Worn out pitchers and tired arms tend to perform way worse, and hitters will start crushing them. You need to save your best arms for crucial moments if at all possible.
Team makeup thoughts:
Pitchers and catchers have to spend lots of time on their defensive roles (strategizing, watching video on getting the other teams' batters out) to the point that they aren't as good fielding balls or hitting. If a catcher can mentally control a game, communicate to other fielders, call the correct pitches from the pitchers, block balls in the dirt and can throw a ball down to 2B in 2.00 seconds or less (POP time: from when it hits his glove to when it hits the fielder's glove at 2B), then any hit by them in a game is a bonus.
SS and 2B similarly have to be very good at their positions to the point that a team will pick a person who is better defensively than they are a hitter.
3B/1B/LF/RF are usually better hitters b/c the defensive demands at those positions are less than P/C/SS/2B. A team is willing to have a more mediocre fielder at these positions if they can hit well/hard. 3B still has to be quick since the hardest ground balls are hit his way and he's closer than most defenders to the hitter, and has to throw the ball 120'-140' across the diamond to first base quickly. It helps if a 1B is tall (bigger reach/target to throw at) as well.
CF needs to hit well and be fast; like he said, catch everything.
RF needs to have one of the strongest arms since a good amount of balls hit to the outfield need to be thrown to 3rd base, w/ right field being the furthest from that spot.
And like he said, a team will not hesitate and pay more for a player who is good both defensively and as a hitter. Examples, Ichiro Suzuki can hit for contact and had one of the best outfielder arms ever. Jose Altuve and Dustin Pedroia played 2B and could hit for power. Shohei Otani can hit and pitch. Greg Maddux could pitch and defend very well. Jorge Posada could catch and hit.
Shortstop is the most demanding simply because there are more right handed batters and the ball pulls to that side more often, so over millions of games we've seen that the shortstop position tends to field the most balls as a result.
Another excellent video. Love watching you guys learn the nuance of the game. The best game. Baseball!
Thank you Scott! Appreciate the comment and your support!
I always told my coaches that I could play every where but pitcher and catcher. I stated off in left field (or left center for recreation leagues with 4 outfielders). I also played a bit of Right (or right center). I eventually decided to also pick up shortstop. And even played a bit of second. Outfield and Shortstop were my specialties though.
Slow pitch all girls- left field and short stop
Slow pitch co- Ed - right field, left field and second
Fast pitch- right field
I would say Centerfield and Short Stop are the most demanding positions. Center field has priority over left and right fielders when center and left or center and right are both going for a ball. And thus they need to have the he speed and athleticism to cover all that ground. And short stop has to know where the infields plays when runners are in play are at all times. Most double plays are the 6-4-3. Outfielders have to have great arm strength to throw the ball to whoever they cut off is or in some cases directly to what’re base has the play or home. Short stops have to have speed and arm strength too as to fire the ball across the diamond. Second also needs speed. Third base also need arm strength to throw from third to first. Got to get those speedy runners out.
4 & 6 (2nd baseman & shortstop) are both responsible for covering 2nd base, depending on where the ball is hit.
Shortstop is where a team's best fielder tends to play because most batters are right handed, and right handed batters tend to "pull" the ball to the left side of the infield. The shortstop will see more ground balls hit to them than any other position.
if you’re gonna be watching baseball games, these videos will help with some of the terminology the announcers will say - like a “6-4-3 double play” is a super common thing and they say that a lot
one thing he didn’t mention was the term “closer” which i guess would be a short reliever, the closer is the guy that comes in at the end of the game to just shut the batters down and end the game and strike everybody out
Shortstop as defensive position number 6 actually stems from when the position was called "rover" in the late 19th century. In the earlier codes of the game, the rover was not anchored to a specific position, and was free to move about the field, usually stationed in what is now foul territory.
Short stop and 2nd switch up responsibilities on who's covering second depending on the handedness of the batter. If there's a runner on second and the batter hits right side, 2nd base covers. If the batter is left-handed, short stop covers
Wow, a really good reaction video to a really good informational video. Win-win!
1:46
Most of the time the second baseman will be playing as it is showed in the picture, the only time you are really gonna see the second baseman stand on second base is if there is a runner on second base with a right handed hitter in the box, thanks for learning our sport boys 🙏🙏
Most batters tend to hit the ball primarily to their "pull side" meaning that a right handed batter will tend to hit the ball to left field more often than he hits it to right field. Because of that, the shortstop will shade a bit more to the 3rd base side of his "normal" position, while the second baseman will shade closer to 2nd base. In the event of a play at 2nd base (for example an intended steal of 2nd by the runner on 1st base) it will be handled by the 2nd baseman because the shortstop is much further from the 2nd base "bag". The opposite would be true for a left handed hitter who hits the ball primarily to right field, a shortstop would most likely cover 2nd base.
The SS and 2B share the duties of covering second base. The general rule of thumb is if there’s a right handed batter the 2B covers second base. If there’s a left handed batter the SS covers second base.
Shortstop is more demanding because both middle infielders have to cover a wider range of the field, especially on ground balls (1st and 3rd have the foul lines to limit the space they need to cover on the ground). Above that, shortstops have a longer throw to first than second basemen so the most acrobatic and difficult plays on the infield are usually made by shortstops.
Center fielders and left fielders and shortstops are the most important bc most batters are right handed and pull the ball to that side of the field also that picture of the positions isn't always where they lineup they move to the left and right of 2nd base alot depending on the situation
Unless you're a coach, those numbers are not mentioned or thought of to fans of game generally speaking. Great content. You are channel is growing very rapidly !
Thank you! Appreciate the support!
Although they do come up fairly regularly if you watch a lot of baseball.
@@billbrasky1288 Agreed. Commentators will use the numbers quite often to describe what order the double (or, more rarely, the triple) play has just occurred, so it's still nice to know what they're talking about when you hear it.
Shortstop is so demanding because,like he said it used to be a shallow out field position, the Short stop covers shallow infield between Second and Third, and shallow outfield between Left and Center.
2nd basemen cover the exact same amount of field on the right side of the bag. In the infield and outfield. I played 2nd, ss and of.
Also you are wrong on the infield. 3rd basemen take short infield grounders…
The long reliever's primary role is to save the elite arms of the pitching staff for as long as possible - we here in America would call them a "journeyman" - innings grinders, that have the stuff to keep the team in play for many innings, but generally lacks the elite stuff that crushes the other team's batters. IF a starter has a poor start, and gets pulled 2 or 3 innings in, you don't want to dip into your starters or elite relievers to fill in, because it's too early in the game to do that. So your long-relievers are the "filler," so to speak. If they hold up well and keep the opponent from scoring too much more, and their team bats their way back into a competitive game, then the manager will go to the short-relievers to try to shut down any more offense for the opponent.
If they DO manage to catch up and pull ahead, the manager will go to the most elite of the short-relievers, the CLOSER. This short-reliever will almost always be a shut-down pitcher, sometimes referred to as the "Stopper," who has elite stuff on par with - sometimes BETTER than - the starters, but lacks the endurance to pitch 5-7 innings (the typical outing of a starter). The more you guys watch baseball, you will find that many of the league's top closers are former starters who've lost their endurance for long outings. They still have some of their nastiest stuff, but they tire out faster as they've aged, and so convert to closing so the team can still take advantage of their best work as long as possible. The closer is so important to a team, that they are the highest paid relievers, and often make the same - or very close to the same - money as the starters. If the closer pitches an inning or two with a lead, and finishing the game with a win, and doesn't allow the opponent to take over the lead, he is credited with a SAVE. You will hear announcers talk about the number of "saves" a closer has, when they talk about how good or bad that particular closer has been that season, or comparing their current seasons with previous ones. SAVES are a crucial number for elite closers who want to be considered for the Hall of Fame, much like WINS are what matters most for starters. The numbers of saves per season also plays into how much money elite closers can command. A team is "buying" saves when they sign an elite closer, as much as they are "buying" wins when they sign a starter.
The biggest difference between a starter and a closer is this: a starter generally plays once every five games. Teams usually have 4-5 starters, and they rotate. So each starter gets at least 4-5 days of rest in between starts. The closer pitches every game that there's a lead in the 8th or 9th inning. So if the starting rotation is successful for three weeks straight, the closer has likely played every single game, for an inning or two. If the closer shows signs of tiring, the team may rest him for a day or two, and then the best short reliever will be held back and serve as the closer for the duration. The ideal situation for a team is to only need the closer for the 9th inning. The starter pitches 7 innings - UNLESS the starter is pitching a NO HITTER, and isn't too high in his pitch count, in which case they'll leave him in to see if he can close out his own game. This is a respect thing - teams will never pull a pitcher throwing a potential no hitter or perfect game
(side note:
NO-HITTER = no hits by the opponent, but getting on base with walks, errors, or batters hit by pitch may happen;
PERFECT GAME = NO ONE on opposing team gets on base - NO hits, NO walks, NO errors, NO batters hit by pitch, NO ONE gets on base)
unless the pitcher has long passed a pitch count threshold, or his pitches are starting to slow or lose movement from tiring out. He can still get a no-hitter if the relievers and/or closer finishes the game out with no hits given up, it's typically referred to as a "combined no-hitter."
After the starter pitches his 5-7 innings, short-relievers come in to pitch 2-3 innings, try to get to the 9th inning. If the bullpen is struggling, the closer may be called in to close out the game for a couple of innings, but they try to not have to do that. They usually need their closer for every win, so they try to have him only pitch the 9th inning to close out a win, so his arm is as fresh as possible the next day. Sometimes, they may even leave in a short-reliever who's pitching really well, to give the closer an extra day of rest. If they don't HAVE to use him, they'll let him rest. But on a team with a lot of wins, the closer has pitched almost all of the winning games, often making them close to the most used pitcher in total innings pitched in a season, even more than some of the starters.
another thing, baseball relies a lot on percentages, it's a very strategized game, things like sacrafice fly, bunts, stealing bases, intentional walks , etc are all called into play by the team manager to runners, batters by hand signals (some that mean something and some that don't) based on the strategy of advancing the base runners with the highest percentage of success , say, a bunt for instance . Most intentional walks by the pitcher are done to increase the chances of making a double play, to get out of a bad inning, etc , etc. The idea is to get as many guys on base to hopefully string a few hits together to get hopefully a big run scoring inning. A lot of strategizing goes on that the typical fan watching is unaware of, unless the TV commentator explains them to us watching on TV, That's how we learn mainly.
Most teams have 5 starting pitchers, and in the playoffs they will mostly use 4 starting pitchers. The 5th starting pitcher usually slots in as the primary long relief pitcher postseason.
Right- #4 moves to cover second base if a play needs to be made there- otherwise, he fills the gap on the right side of the infield . The pitcher acts as the defender for any= ball hit "up the middle" (meaning directly toward 2nd base...). Since most batters hit "right handed" (with their right hand lower than their left hand on the handle of the bat), the majority of hit balls head for the left side of the "diamond, " so the "shortstop" is involved in a large number of ground ball plays. You guys are very sharp and very quick studies- nice to see you picking up the admittedly arcane nuances of this wonderful game as quickly as you do! Kudos, and enjoy the baseball season!
You guys are nailing these baseball vids, you definitely are grasping the nuances of the game. One thing, its called 1st base, not base 1. 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base and home. Love the vids!
4 and 6 (Shortstop and 2nd base) cover 2nd base depending on where the ball is hit. If the SS fields the ball, the 2nd Baseman covers the base, and vice versa.
Getting on base is very important. So much so that there have been players who specialized in getting hit by a pitch to get on base. Because if the pitcher hits you with a pitch you automatically get first base.
I love your videos, guys! I truly appreciate your genuine respect and curiosity for the game I love so much and am super stoked that this specific video has helped you understand more about the game.
Thank you! Really appreciate this!
I do wonder if there's a video that's more geared toward beginner international fans and really explains all the basics in a clear way. This information video was mostly made with youth league players and coaches in mind. We still haven't really had a video that thoroughly explains how players get outs or about balls and strikes which is what most of the game is spent watching.