Experimenting With Fielders In The Fall

Joshua Rodrigues
Sep 7, 2018 · 2 min read

Fall is a time for experimentation. A time for players to invest back into the programs they go to but to me above all it is a time to play around with ideas that you think might just work out. I have created a list of ideas that centers around experimenting with ways that fielders go about their “normal” days in the field. Here we go I will try to go beyond this list but I thought it was a good reminder for myself:

Ankle weights in the fall for fielders is an idea that I can’t take full credit for but it is definitely an idea that I champion as much as we possibly can. It is going to make players take different routes think differently about how they go about their footwork without really thinking about it. Players who use ankle weights are going to consider how they should step and where they should step. They will have to consider angles they take because of the change of the speed they will have. To me this is a really cool idea as players will adjust and when they do adjust you should change back to normal or go heavier with the ankle weights.

Have players play all positions. Especially when it comes to lower levels of baseball. You should have a pretty interchangeable roster of infielders that are going to be able to move around kind of seamlessly without much panic on your end of things. This is first going to give you a security blanket encase things go sideways but the added benefit is getting players different angles distances and views of groundballs which is beneficial for them.

Going hand and hand with changing positions is the idea that players should take groundballs from multiple different depths on the field. SS might take a few from beyond the infield or deeper and slightly creep up to around the pitchers mound. This will again give them a sense of different angles how they approach balls without giving them direct instruction that might remove their instincts from them.

When it comes to data for fielders there is a lot you can collect but to me the easiest is the amount of time it takes the fielder to go from contact to the bag on multiple different plays. Good fielders get out. Timing them and ranking them is an easy way to build accountability in your program. Once players see themselves behind they will want to catch up. Pinning players in competitive environments is essential.

Props to Driveline Baseball for creating the command baseballs that they use with pitchers. But I think that these do have some application with fielders as well. All of the uncertainty of fielding I think this adds just another variable to the system that makes the fielding and throwing of a ground ball even more difficult in practice than in a game.

Joshua Rodrigues

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MED: Instructional Tech, Future MLB Coach, UMass Dartmouth, Salve Regina, Baseball EDU Previously: Old Colony Baseball, Bourne Braves. K-Vest Certified Coach