Chapter 24. Matching Players with A Baseball Position

Until a boy gets to be 13 or 14 years old, it's usually pretty difficult to decide, in a final sense, the baseball position he's best suited to play. At eight, he may look like a good 1st base prospect. At 12, because of physical changes alone, he may look more like an outfielder. It's a definite mistake to say early in a player's life that he's going to be a pitcher and nothing else. Even in the Major Leagues there are many examples of players being changed from one baseball position to another.

In a group of eight-year-olds, only one or two boys are likely to have any stand-out ability. The others will per- form at about the same level. As this group gets older, there will be some slight changes in every boy.

How, then, does the manager know which boy is best suited for a baseball postion like 1st base, 2nd or 3rd? What should he look for as the boys go through their paces?

The first thing any manager should do is evaluate his material. He knows his boys have to run, hit and throw. He knows they have to field. All right then, who are the fastest runners? The best fielders on ground balls? On fly balls? Which boys have the best throwing arms?

If the first practice session is in the gymnasium, the manager can pick out the fastest runners immediately. If outdoors, he can quickly find out who can run and who can throw. To find the best runners, simply line the boys up in groups and race them! To find the best throwers, mark a throwing line at one end of the field and put markers at 50-foot depth intervals at the other. Mark down on a rating sheet which boys throw the farthest, (also, which boys run the fastest). At the start of this test, by the way, the manager would do well to emphasize the need to throw the ball on a straight horizontal line and not with a high arc. To drive home the point, he might say something like this:

"There's two ways of throwing the ball 100 feet. If you throw it straight up 50 feet, it will come down 50 feet and that adds up to 100. But runners don't run up, or down, but along the ground. If you want to catch a runner, throw the ball on a line and throw it hard."

Once the manager knows which boys can run and throw and which one's can't, he can start thinking about each boy's defensive assignment. Obviously, he's not going to find a boy with ideal qualifications for each baseball position. He must make the best of the material in the squad.

Here are some things he might consider:

THE OUTFIELD

In the outfield, the manager should first look for the boys who are steady on fly balls. Say he finds five of equal ability in this department. Of the five, which three are the best runners? Which three throw the best? Assuming that he has selected three, he must now pick his centerfielder, the most important member of the trio. This boy wants to be the fastest, because he's required to cover the most ground.

In professional baseball, the right and left fielders may have equal fielding ability, but the man with the strongest arm always plays in right as he has more long throw possibilities than the left fielder. In amateur ball, especially in the younger groups, the throwing ability of the right fielder is of less importance. And since more balls are hit to left, it's wiser to put the second-best outfielder in left, the weakest in right.

The manager, in building his outfield, should give as much attention to a No. 4 outfielder as to his regulars. The No. 4 boy will have to know how to fill in at all three outfield spots (other factors might dictate other methods of making outfield substitutions).

THE INFIELD

Selecting players to fill an infield baseball position is a lot more difficult than picking an outfield baseball position because the playing requirements are different at each spot and somewhat specialized.

The two boys who are the fastest runners, have the quickest actions and are steadiest on ground balls should be considered for the 2nd base and shortstop baseball position. The boy with the strongest arm should be at short.

The boy who is equally steady on ground balls, but perhaps a little slower afoot, would make the 3rd base possibility.

At 1st base, a number of qualifications are desirable. First of all, the boy who takes over this spot wants to be able to catch the ball with as close to 100% consistency as possible-whether throws are good or bad. The manager should look for a big boy. The big fellow makes a better target for the infielder and has more "reach."

The first baseman also wants to be steady on ground balls. He need not be a speed boy, however. As a matter of fact, if there's a boy on the squad who doesn't run well, but can field grounders and can catch the ball with reasonable regularity, he should stick to 1st base, or consider catching.

The left-handed first baseman has some advantage over the right-hander, all other abilities being equal. It's easier for him to make the lst-to-2nd-to-lst double play and its easier for him to hold a runner on 1st base. Since the left hand thrower is normally only considered for 1st and out-field play, he should be carefully tested.

Behind the plate, of course, we need another boy with rather special talents. In the younger groups, size isn't too much of a factor. Neither is speed. But the catcher, like the first baseman, must be able to catch the ball consistently. He must also have enough courage to feel comfortable in back of the plate and be able to throw hard and accurately.

There's more to catching, however, than meeting the physical requirements. The catcher "quarterbacks" the defense. He's got to be one of the smartest boys on the club, and he has to be aggressive enough to direct the team effectively when it's in the field.

Since pitching gives the team from 70 to 90% of its defensive strength, the manager would do well to spend a lot of time looking for hurling prospects. In a sense, it's not too difficult. He can almost eliminate running ability and size. Highest on the list of qualifications is power and accuracy in throwing. Next, and often overlooked, it temperament. This is particularly important in the younger boys. The lower the class of ball, the greater the number of defensive errors. And the greater the number of errors, the tougher it is for a pitcher to win. The young pitcher, it must be remembered, takes his losses pretty seriously.

Our pitcher also wants to be able to think rapidly and be fairly quick and steady on ground balls.

The Batting Order

The base hit, of course, is every ball club's major run-producing weapon. When a team goes to bat, the manager wants his players to bang out as many hits as possible before the defense can complete three-put-outs. And since the first half of the batting order will come to bat more often than the last half, it is obvious that the "top of the order" should be populated by the team's best hitters.

Batters, however, have different characteristics. Some hit for distance, but not consistently. Some hit consistently, but without much power. Some batters have great speed afoot, others are slow. The manager, then, must carefully evaluate the potential of each batter when he fills out the lineup card.

Theoretically, the order wants to look something like this:

1. The boy who is apt to get on base more consistently than any other. (Power not a requisite).

2. Another boy who can get on base consistently and one who is also a good bunter.

3. The team's fastest long ball hitter and the boy with the highest batting average.

4. A power hitter, but one who does not have to be as consistent or as fast as No. 3.

5. Another power hitter, but one who does not have to be as consistent or as fast as No. 4

The next four hitters should be ranked according to ability, with the best boy batting sixth and the poorest batting ninth.

In amateur ball, bat the pitcher where he will do the club the most good.

Shaping the Attack

The material on hand tells the manager what kind of attack to use. If the team is weak at bat, but runs well, the club should bunt, steal and use the hit-and-run at every opportunity. If, on the other hand, the hitters are consistent, but slow afoot, the manager should "play for the big inning"; he should not rely on the sacrifice, or steal, but put all his chips on the base hit.

The Substitute

Manager and players alike must remember that few, if any, pennants are won with a weak bunch. The manager should give substitutes as much attention as his regulars.

The defensive strength of any baseball team is "up the middle"; meaning catcher, pitcher, the second base combo and center field. Since the manager in amateur ball probably isn't going to have a replacement for every baseball position, it's important to keep this principle in mind. He cannot do without two catchers, three pitchers, alternates at 2nd and short and a reliable sub for the centerfielder.

Coaches

Most physical education people will agree that of all the major American sports, baseball is by far the toughest to teach. That's because the game is so highly skilled and because so many skills are involved.

To operate a team successfully and efficiently, the manager, whether he be in professional or amateur ball, needs the help of assistants. The junior league manager needs at least two. In general, the coaches want to be able to:

1. Attend all practice sessions and games.
2. Teach what the manager wants taught.
3. 3. Instill confidence in players and win the confidence of players.

If the manager expects to keep volunteer assistants through the season, he should plan the program so that the coaches have something constructive to contribute at every practice session, baseball position and game.

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