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How To Determine Your Best Baseball Infielders
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All positions require certain skills which eventually determine where ballplayers will settle in over their years.
At the younger levels, determining your best infielders may just be your best athletes and sometimes, your biggest kids … the ones who can actually catch and throw the baseball. I recently watched a 9-10 yr old game and saw the biggest player on the field playing shortstop… it happens at these ages… but this tends to be short lived.
As kids mature, growth evens-out and the true skills, training and experience tends to decide where players may be best-suited…. Again, with exception, of course.
But What Are The True Attributes of Infielders?
- Quick Active Feet–lets call them “educated feet”
- Quick, Soft Hands–easily working Down to Up-Out to In
- Instincts – just what you think!
- Agility – just what you think!
How Do You Determine These Qualities?
By
using the 5 tools that pro scouts use!
- (RA) Running Ability
- (TA) Throwing Ability – Arm Strength
- (FA) Fielding Ability
- (HA) Hit for High Average
- (HP) Hit For Power
* Intangibles/ Make Up
There is a hierarchy by position… let’s compare in order by position.
- First Base – HP, HA, FA, RA, TA
- Second Base – FA, TA, RA, HA, HP
- Short Stop – FA, TA, RA, HA, HP
- Third Base – FA, TA, HP or HA, RA
* Intangibles & Make Up – The more that’s at stake… the more they will look closely.
This is where coaches, whether they be HS, College or Pro Scouts will dig deeper into who the player actually is. This can become a deal breaker when it is seen that a player is perhaps a poor student, does not appear to be serious about his game, doesn’t seem coachable, is a whiner, not a team guy or maybe has poor practice habits.
Remember players… coaches and scouts will always catch you, so let them catch you doing things right!
They are watching you as soon as you get off the bus or step out of the locker room or the dugout… make ‘em remember you for all the good that you are!
(And remember parents… in High School and College, you will be observed as well… no HS or College coach wants 4 years with an annoying ballplayer… or problem parents either.)
Note: I will soon be publishing an article about us parents and the baseball dreams we have for our own kids… I know it can be of help and may assist in opening doors for our own players…check this link to read this and 200 of our other free articles on baseball and fastpitch instruction. http://baseballtips.com/instruction.html
And finally…
• Without quick hands, an infielder becomes…an outfielder!
• Without quick feet, an infielder becomes… an outfielder!
• Without a quick bat, an outfielder becomes… cut, benched,retired or worse... a soccer player!
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