When a ball hits off the fence and causes the outfielder to run around like a chicken with its head chopped off, you often hear a reply from the outfielder saying he didn’t know it was going to do that. Here at Baseball Tuts, we don’t want you to say that, we want you to hold them from getting that extra base.
Both practice and preparation are the keys to fielding a ball cleanly off the wall, hitting your cutoff man quickly and accurately and throwing out the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth.
So let’s start with preparation … There is no better time to learn how a ball will bounce off of an outfield wall than during BP. Not only should you play a round or two of BP live (off of the wall), but you should take the time to throw a few of your own off of the top, middle and bottom of the wall. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen an outfielder misplay and/or overrun a ball that hits the wall which turns into extra bases and extra runs. Learn as much as you can as soon as you can!
What is the correct way to field a ball off the wall? After you have picked a spot the ball will fall due to your preparation, approach the ball with your shoulders aligned to the infield (not with your back/numbers to the infield) and legs beneath you. Do NOT pick up a stationary ball with your glove, but rather stab it with your throwing hand into the ground so not to leave without it. If it’s still moving try to pick it with two hands. By this point your fellow outfielder(s) and infielders(s) should be communicating to you what base you will be throwing to. After fielding the ball cleanly be sure NOT to stand up. Stay athletic, stay low and create a good upward angle with your shoulders to get the most out of your throw. You may have time to shuffle your feet or you may not. I’ve seen tons of outfielders stand straight up and use nothing but arm to make a throw that has nothing on it. Remember that your ONLY RESPONSIBILITY is to get the ball quickly and accurately to the next guy in line (cutoff man).
4 Responses
I understand what you are getting at, but what do I do when some of the fields we play at have chain link fences? Kind of hard.
Oh I understand. I’ve played on fields with snow fences (those orange netting looking ones). Granted, you won’t know the exact way a ball will kick off of the fence, but you should have a good idea. What’s it going to hurt, five minutes of your time before the game? Trust me, pitchers will appreciate the effort. Not to mention if you have scouts watching you, you will get an A for baseball knowledge.
Too funny, that’s northern baseball for ya
Hey hey, some Yankees dropping in around here. Also a fellow PA native myself, we were lucky to even have fences on some fields. I remember a few that were cornered off of a football or soccer field and if you hit them just right they’d role forever.
Good points here. It will only take a toss or two to get the just of it, but that time spent may save you the game winning run. More importantly, if you’re at a showcase or big tournament you may also catch the eye of a baseball savvy recruiter/scout.