Fielding Practice Is For Pitchers Too!
- Updated: October 24, 2012
Always remember that as a baseball pitcher, once you throw the baseball to the plate you become a defensive player like everyone else. One of the best baseball pitching tips has nothing to do with baseball pitching at all. It’s that you should set aside some time and practice your baseball fielding as well and it will be time very well spent. I would really like to see pitchers spend more time practicing their baseball fielding, which will greatly help their team, as well as themselves.
I’m well aware that most of a pitcher’s practice time should be spent throwing the baseball. I’m also well aware that a baseball pitcher who is serious about being successful should find some time for practicing his baseball fielding as well. Ten minutes a day, twice a week is all it takes. Let’s look at five basic baseball fielding drills that a baseball pitcher should practice.
1. Grounders Back To The Mound. Field the ball and throw to all four bases a couple of times. It’s amazing that some baseball pitchers with pinpoint control will miss their target by a wide margin when throwing to first, second or third base. The reason is quite simple. They are making throws that are unfamiliar to them. Practice throws to all four bases and they will no longer be unfamiliar throws for you.
2. Fielding Bunts. Practice fielding bunts out in front of the plate as well as down both lines. Practice throwing to all four bases.
3. Fielding Bunts In A Squeeze Situation. Practice getting your throw to your catcher quickly and accurately.
4. Covering First Base. In a nutshell, sprint to the first base line about five steps from the base. Turn and run in fair territory down the line. Chest high target, receive the throw and tag the inside of the base with your right foot.
5. Covering Home Plate. Be very cautious when covering home plate. Along with the line drive back to the mound, it is an extremely dangerous play for a baseball pitcher! Make sure to stay in front of the plate and in fair territory. Make a quick swipe tag with your glove going quickly toward the ground to tag out the base runner. In other words, you only want the base runner to slide into your glove and make sure the rest of your body is out of harm’s way. Baseball pitching careers have ended when a pitcher has stood in the path of a sprinting base runner. Stay in front of the plate!
Baseball pitching tips do not always involve the actual pitching of the baseball. Pitchers should practice their baseball fielding like it’s a live game. If you practice at only half speed, the results you get may be only slighter better than if you did not practice at all. Hey, if you’re willing to put in the time to practice and improve your baseball skills, you deserve to get all the benefits from that practice time. Don’t cheat yourself.
In closing, just remember that it makes no sense at all for a baseball pitcher with pinpoint control to not be able to make a half way decent throw to a base. It can cost the baseball game. Finding some time to work on your baseball fielding is time very well spent and you should always make it a priority to find that time.
Come on…ten minutes a day, a couple of times a week is all it takes!