I am trying to teach my kids cut-off and relays. On a ball down the line or in the gaps, is having the shortstop and second basemen go out in tandem still the best way to set up the defense?
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BB27:
Yes. Or at least that’s the way it’s taught by every good high school, college and professional team. Other characteristics include:
1. At 60/90, on all balls hit past the outfielders that go to the fence, the defense concedes a double to the batter and the play is at third base.
2. The coach can easily change this to “home” during the play.
3. The shortstop is the 1st guy on balls to left and left center (second baseman 30 feet behind him in line with 3b)
4. The pitcher backs up 3b or home (30 feet behind the base)(keep it out of the dugout).
5. The first baseman trails the batter/runner to 2b hoping he’ll take a wide turn past 2b.
6. The outfielder immediately slings the ball at the 1st relay man (no crow hop). The 3b coach makes his decision to send/stop runners the moment he releases the ball (not whether or not it’s a good throw).
7. If the 1st relay man can catch it in the air, the 2nd one ducks
8. If the 1st relay man cannot catch it in the air, he lets it go to the second one.
9. In teaching this to 13 year olds for the first time, When I switched the play from "3" to "4", during the play, I would have my third baseman leave 3b to become the cut off man on throws from left field to the plate. Similarly, the first baseman peel off from trailing the batter/runner to 2b and become the cut off man on throws from center and right field to the plate.
Hope this helps.
THop
Yes. Or at least that’s the way it’s taught by every good high school, college and professional team. Other characteristics include:
1. At 60/90, on all balls hit past the outfielders that go to the fence, the defense concedes a double to the batter and the play is at third base.
2. The coach can easily change this to “home” during the play.
3. The shortstop is the 1st guy on balls to left and left center (second baseman 30 feet behind him in line with 3b)
4. The pitcher backs up 3b or home (30 feet behind the base)(keep it out of the dugout).
5. The first baseman trails the batter/runner to 2b hoping he’ll take a wide turn past 2b.
6. The outfielder immediately slings the ball at the 1st relay man (no crow hop). The 3b coach makes his decision to send/stop runners the moment he releases the ball (not whether or not it’s a good throw).
7. If the 1st relay man can catch it in the air, the 2nd one ducks
8. If the 1st relay man cannot catch it in the air, he lets it go to the second one.
9. In teaching this to 13 year olds for the first time, When I switched the play from "3" to "4", during the play, I would have my third baseman leave 3b to become the cut off man on throws from left field to the plate. Similarly, the first baseman peel off from trailing the batter/runner to 2b and become the cut off man on throws from center and right field to the plate.
Hope this helps.
THop
Teach the outfielder how to throw it and the ss/2b how to postion themselves and you don't need to. You still can if you want.
I can teach it in 1/2 hour and you'll seldom make a mistake and the outfielder will never make a mistake.
I can teach it in 1/2 hour and you'll seldom make a mistake and the outfielder will never make a mistake.
You could modify the system Thop outined by having the opposite OF cover 2nd if 1st base is occupied when the play begins. This would allow the 1st baseman to easily be in cut-off position for throw home and the 3rd baseman would be able to cover his sack.
Flintoid,
Why does 1B need to cutoff the throw home from the relay man? Assuming a sure double is scoring the runner on 1b and the throw is most likely going to 3b or 2b behind the runner. if the play is at the plate for the batter runner ther's no one on base to cut the ball for.
Why does 1B need to cutoff the throw home from the relay man? Assuming a sure double is scoring the runner on 1b and the throw is most likely going to 3b or 2b behind the runner. if the play is at the plate for the batter runner ther's no one on base to cut the ball for.
New generation?? Tandem relay?? What happened to Dbl Cut?? Oh well, 1b and 3b never relay or cut in that situation...1b trails to 2b and 3b always stays home...why complicate it?
cball- I was not assuming runner from 1st would score w/o a play; cut-off man would cut throw that is off-line or if there is no play in order to prevent batter-runner from advancing to 3rd.
Cball
Yourprobably right at the college level orpro ball, but at the High school level there are different.
When the ball is hit down the left field line or in the gap and a runner is at first base.
In High school, the runner might not be that fast, the runner might not have taken a good secondary lead,therefore not a good jump on the ball and third the fences may be shorter where the ball in the gap will be only at 340' instead of 380'. This all makes for action at the plate. That is why the first baseman should be in cut-off position and the right fielder comes in to cover second.
Yourprobably right at the college level orpro ball, but at the High school level there are different.
When the ball is hit down the left field line or in the gap and a runner is at first base.
In High school, the runner might not be that fast, the runner might not have taken a good secondary lead,therefore not a good jump on the ball and third the fences may be shorter where the ball in the gap will be only at 340' instead of 380'. This all makes for action at the plate. That is why the first baseman should be in cut-off position and the right fielder comes in to cover second.
Making sure that the players know where to be before the pitch is thrown and then being able to make the proper ajustments after the ball is hit is what it is all about. Cut plays are simple and easy to teach. Understanding what your goal is, is the important part. Keep a single a single keep a double a double. Dont give the other team bags because you dont understand where you need to go with the baseball and you dont know where you need to be. One of the most important parts is TALK. Be vocal and decisive with your calls. You have to practice it and you have to use runners not all the time but alot of the times. For instance ball hit back up the middle for an apparent singe. CUT 2 call. Middle talks ss goes out second takes the bag 3b stays home. Whats your goal here? (hold the runner to a single). Now same situation but the ball is hit in the gap for an apparent double. CUT 3 call. Whats your goal here? (hold the runner at second). General rule left side of the infield SS cut man 2b takes second pitcher backs up third. Same situation no one on kid hits a bomb an obvious double probable triple. Cut call CUT 3 you see he has third ajust the call CUT 4. Pitcher rotates behind home SS or 2b is cut man SS or 2b is double cut man 3b has 3b. Again your goal is to keep a single a single and double a double and a triple a triple. By keeping throws down on a line with players in posistion to cut throws if needed backside runners are forced to be station to station. The worse thing in the world is to give a kid a double behind a runner who already has third. It puts two guys in scoring posistion and takes away the double play or force at second. As a coach I run when I know it can not be cut and I wont when I know it can be cut. Im talking HS baseball here. OF's should be able to hit the cut man and the cut man should be able to carry it to the bag. In some situations depending on where the ball is RF corner cut is 3b or Home you will use a double cut to carry it there on a line or redirect the cut. My favorite saying when we work on this is EVERYONE HAS SOMEWHERE TO BE SO GET THERE.
