Fielding

Fielding is another part of the game that sometimes gets overlooked. Fielding a baseball whether it's in the infield or outfield is a key part to winning a game. The infield and outfield both require a much different skill set.

To field a ground ball one must have the proper stance. Your glove should be out in front of you and your back should be level with your head up. While the ball is coming towards you, you let it travel into your glove. Then to finish the play off, if you're playing second base, shortstop, or third base, you throw it to the first basemen.

Infielders need to be quick on their feet and have quick reaction times. Sometimes the ball comes so fast that you barely have any time to react. Infielders also need to have good footwork because if they don't they will miss a lot of ground balls.

To catch a fly ball you must be able to track it. Tracking a ball can sometimes be difficult depending on the weather conditions and the spin of the ball. In my book Splitters, Squeezes, and Steals, "A good outfielder knows the offensive tendencies of the batter at the plate" (Gentile 163). This means that a good outfielder knows where the batter generally tends to hit the ball which allows the outfielder to set up properly.

Once you get under the ball you can either catch it with one hand or two hands. It doesn't really matter as long as you make the catch. According to Splitters, Squeezes, and Steals back then , "the conventional thinking was that catching a ball with only the glove hand invited disaster" (Gentile 158). Nowadays it's okay to catch a ball with one hand but using two hands is the safer option.

Q: When you played baseball what was your preferred position?
Citation: Gentile, Derek. Splitters, Squeezes, and Steals: The inside Story of Baseball's Greatest Techniques, Strategies, and Plays. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009. Print.