Errors

Very.  Defense is a lost art.  You'll always find the kid that is just smooth at short, but overall even at the better levels, there are a lot of errors from 13u-18u.

PS.  and every single one is a bad hop base hit according the the kid and his dad doing the scoring ;-)

The number of errors on the left side of the infield has a lot to do with how good the first baseman is. As kids get older throwing errors are more common than fielding errors. A first baseman that is skilled at catching throws in the dirt, and good with his footwork around the bag, can really make a difference.

@adbono posted:

The number of errors on the left side of the infield has a lot to do with how good the first baseman is. As kids get older throwing errors are more common than fielding errors. A first baseman that is skilled at catching throws in the dirt, and good with his footwork around the bag, can really make a difference.

100% Agree!   I've mentioned in many posts that a good first baseman is worth his weight in gold, and that I cringe when coaches still think they can stick anyone with a bat there.  I feel any ball that hits the dirt within the semi-circle you can draw while in the stretch is a ball that should be picked.  And if it's not, it's on the first baseman.

but throws are only half the equation, too many middle infields don't know how to pick the hop or which balls you charge regardless of how hard they are hit.  then blame the field for the bad hop they played themselves into.

Dad of 3;

"Never" acceptable. Do you know the phase "Range work"? First you need a expert fungo hitter [no one hand fungo with a metal bat]. Use a fungo 37" or infield fungo 34".

Plan a 1 hour infield practice; always hit "left" then "right"; right and left. No easy "hops"! Always work the DP [the pitcher's best friend]. The thrower always retrives the bad throws.

Bob

My son played with an incredible high school first baseman. The kid could pick anything. My son know from short he could throw from any position including on the ground and worst case scenario the first baseman would knock it down.

My son’s nickname became Oz in high school. He said there were throws he never would have attempted without the first baseman he was throwing to.

I can still picture a play from years ago. My son dove to his right and trapped a hard one hop liner. The ball tricked away. He reached out, grabbed the ball and threw to first from his hip on the ground. The ball hit something on the short hop and came straight up at the first baseman. Like waving a magic want the kid flicked his glove and picked it.

My son was very calm when he played. This was the third out of the inning. He did a jump bump with the first baseman after this play coming off the field.

@adbono posted:

The number of errors on the left side of the infield has a lot to do with how good the first baseman is. As kids get older throwing errors are more common than fielding errors. A first baseman that is skilled at catching throws in the dirt, and good with his footwork around the bag, can really make a difference.

My son's club team has a P5 first baseman who's incredible.  I'm pretty sure he's save 15-20 errors from our middles this summer.  He made a double play one game that went, 6-3-5 and was 95 across the infield.  Its been so entertaining to watch.

I just mentioned to a friend how colleges and mlb have tall 1b and why.  can make a huge difference

@Dadof3 posted:

I just mentioned to a friend how colleges and mlb have tall 1b and why.  can make a huge difference

It’s more they can’t be short than the have to be tall. Tall is a benefit. Many colleges don’t recruit first baseman. It’s another place along with DH to place a good hitter who doesn’t have a position.

A friend’s son was recruited to a top ranked team as a shortstop. The junior shortstop wasn’t happy with the MLB offer he received and returned for senior year. My friend’s son played first. He looked more like a goalie than a first baseman. But with great hands he caught everything. Soph year he was at short. Junior year he was an All American shortstop and first round pick.

I would argue it's harder to play 1B in college than it is the OF. A ball in the dirt needs to be automatic in college, there is pretty much zero tolerance for missed picks.

We have the shortstops who fizzle out and bats without a position take reps in RF/3B in the fall. We had two first baseman, one a true 1B, the other a converted SS. The SS had to DH his first year, then played an entire summer at first before he was able to get innings at the position in his second year.

@Dadof3 posted:

How common are errors for a ss or 3b? At the different age levels

Since you asked for a number, at an age level, I will give you one. As a JuCo freshman in 2019 my son played 3B on one of the better JuCo teams I have ever seen. In a 60 game season he was charged with 14 errors - which is too many. The first baseman on that team was a home run hitting JuCo All American. He was a D2 All American a few years later and is now playing pro ball.  One of my favorite players of all time to ever be associated with. But he was not good at picking throws in the dirt. Had he been more skilled at that, at that point in his career, my son’s error total would have been 7 or less, which is an acceptable amount.

Agree that a first baseman can make a big difference and wish the position was more valued from a defensive perspective.  If my guy throws balls in the dirt and is getting bailed out by a gold glove first baseman, I am not calling college coaches and hyping fielding percentages.  I am talking to him in the car after the game about practicing so that the throws are where they should be.  This is what is fun about baseball.  It is a team game and an individual game at the same time.  Great shortstops and second baseman can make a strong armed catcher who is a little wild with his throws look really good just like a first baseman can with fielders.  Great players on the receiving end of throws cover many sins.  Only the very best players can do this.  My experience at the amateur level is most guys try and ole' balls in the dirt (hard throws and/or hard shots off the bat) and hope that it magically sticks in their glove.   The great ones have the courage to stay in front and with the ball regardless of the sometimes painful consequences.

@ClevelandDad makes a very good point. Baseball is a catch and throw game and the fundamental truth of that often gets lost in the clutter. Teams that have players that throw and catch well are going to win a lot more games that teams that don’t. That’s why catch play is so important and not near enough attention is paid to it prior to college.

"The cup" is the infielders best friend.

Bob

"You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball."  Simple.