First and Third Defensive Strategies?

[jbolt_2000]

Situation:
Your team is on defense with runners at first and third. You want to either get the runner out at second or hold, or tag out the runner at third.


I want to try and incorporate some 1st and 3rd defensive strategies to my 9-10 Little League team this year. We did some basic plays last year with the catcher throwing to pitcher or to third base to try and get the runner at third.

I want to get more technical with the plays this year, similar to what I've seen at a recent 10u tournament.

I noticed the catcher gave the signals to the defense (after receiving it from the coach) by touching his head, chest, shoulders, etc.

So I ask you coaches out there, what are some plays you have in this situation? How do you call them (what are your coach signals)? How does your catcher call them?

Like I said, I know some of the basic calls/concepts, but I want to get more advanced for my players. I think it will be good for them to learn and it will make them feel more competitive I think. Plus it helps give the kids a feeling of more control of the game if they are calling plays. I saw this alot in Pony level and travel ball, but never in Little League.

Thanks in advance!

[BallCoach06]

We run three basic plays in 1st and 3rd situations:

1. Throw Through and get runner stealing
2. 2nd Baseman Cut (catchers throws to second, second baseman cuts in front of bag to cut throw)
3. Catcher Pump Fakes To 2nd, and throws to 3rd. (Must be good fake).

There are some other plays that I have used over the years, but those are the basic ones that we have in the game plan every game.

I recently saw Mike Martin of Florida State give a presentation on 1st and 3rd Defense and Offense at the ABCA Convention in Philly. I believe you can buy a dvd copy of that presentation at www.abca.org if you want more detailed information, etc.

[Jake Patterson]

We run three basic plays in 1st and 3rd situations:

1. Throw Through and get runner stealing
2. 2nd Baseman Cut (catchers throws to second, second baseman cuts in front of bag to cut throw)
3. Catcher Pump Fakes To 2nd, and throws to 3rd. (Must be good fake).

There are some other plays that I have used over the years, but those are the basic ones that we have in the game plan every game.

I recently saw Mike Martin of Florida State give a presentation on 1st and 3rd Defense and Offense at the ABCA Convention in Philly. I believe you can buy a dvd copy of that presentation at www.abca.org if you want more detailed information, etc.

Ours are similar.

[wogdoggy]

Ours are similar.

number 3

leave ball in glove and throw a small amount of batters box dirt...sometime it gives the illusion of a throw..

[jbolt_2000]

What signals do you give the catcher and in turn what are the signals the catcher gives to the defense?

[JeffK 29]

Situation:
Your team is on defense with runners at first and third. You want to either get the runner out at second or hold, or tag out the runner at third.


I want to try and incorporate some 1st and 3rd defensive strategies to my 9-10 Little League team this year. We did some basic plays last year with the catcher throwing to pitcher or to third base to try and get the runner at third.

I want to get more technical with the plays this year, similar to what I've seen at a recent 10u tournament.

I noticed the catcher gave the signals to the defense (after receiving it from the coach) by touching his head, chest, shoulders, etc.

So I ask you coaches out there, what are some plays you have in this situation? How do you call them (what are your coach signals)? How does your catcher call them?

Like I said, I know some of the basic calls/concepts, but I want to get more advanced for my players. I think it will be good for them to learn and it will make them feel more competitive I think. Plus it helps give the kids a feeling of more control of the game if they are calling plays. I saw this alot in Pony level and travel ball, but never in Little League.

Thanks in advance!

I know it does not answer your question but i'll throw it out anyway-

I'm sure it depends on the talent pool you're dealing with. However, in general at 9/10 I train my guys (even at tourney level) to not throw the ball around. Nothing good can happen when 9/10's make rushed throws...even back to the pitcher. I also train my base runners to make the other team throw the ball around....big leads at first, slip and fall at first, big leads at 3rd etc A skilled runner at 3rd will usually beat 2 throws. Well trained teams will not react to these...ploys. Simple eye contact with the runner on 3rd usually shuts it down.

Jeff

[CoachB25]

OK, so I've retired and so, here's a vital option. On the first and third most often, the runner has been told to steal/stop some 15-20 feet from 2nd. Probably closer for younger kids but still off of the base. We have a play designed for the 2ndbaseman to break to that area where the runner has been told to stop. We expect the SS to cover 2nd knowing that the 3b runner has been told that if there is no cut, they run. The throw to 2nd baseman will not have the cut and so, 3rd base and ss let 2nd know what to do with the ball when they catch it. We typically tag the runner out before the runner at 3rd crosses home. I bet we pulled this off 5 times last year easily. Oh, any off line throw and the 2nd baseman catches and guns home. Our philosophy is get the out without allowing the run. That means if we have to gun home do so.

[glovemedic]

We run three basic plays in 1st and 3rd situations:

1. Throw Through and get runner stealing
2. 2nd Baseman Cut (catchers throws to second, second baseman cuts in front of bag to cut throw)
3. Catcher Pump Fakes To 2nd, and throws to 3rd. (Must be good fake).

We usually cut the throw and gun them at the plate. At the very least the runner at 3rd gets hung up in a run-down and if he is able to retreat safely, doesn't take a big lead for the rest of the time on-base. This only works once or twice until the opposing team gets wise to the play. After that catchers are instructed to allow the steal to 2nd and keep the runner at
3rd close.

[glovemedic]

I know some of the basic calls/concepts, but I want to get more advanced for my players. I think it will be good for them to learn and it will make them feel more competitive I think. Plus it helps give the kids a feeling of more control of the game if they are calling plays. I saw this alot in Pony level and travel ball, but never in Little League.

At 9-10 LL, I would make sure the kids can play catch, get the high % out all of the time, and turn a DP some of the time. You might have the catcher throw down to 1st for a pick off when no one else is on base. If they can master those fundamentals and consistently get 2/3 of their outs each inning in the field then I would start trying to add some advance plays to their repetoir. If they can't execute the above consistently and they risk throwing the ball into the outfield, the advanced plays will not give them the feel like they have control of the game. One of the best Ripken quotes going is "the team that plays catch the best is usually the team that wins the game. "

Have an awesome season and have fun!

[jbolt_2000]

At 9-10 LL, I would make sure the kids can play catch, get the high % out all of the time, and turn a DP some of the time. You might have the catcher throw down to 1st for a pick off when no one else is on base. If they can master those fundamentals and consistently get 2/3 of their outs each inning in the field then I would start trying to add some advance plays to their repetoir. If they can't execute the above consistently and they risk throwing the ball into the outfield, the advanced plays will not give them the feel like they have control of the game. One of the best Ripken quotes going is "the team that plays catch the best is usually the team that wins the game. "

Have an awesome season and have fun!

I agree completely. This is all just wishful thinking at this point. It all depends on how well the kids play catch.

I have been reading a few of Ripken's books recently and I think that quote and a few others are engrained in my head at this point. Very good books!

[TG Coach]

In LL we had a catcher with a gun. Since there aren't leads in LL the second baseman would come straight ahead. The catcher's throw would arrive before the runner. The second baseman would tag the runner out and throw home. After doing this twice no one ever tried to steal on first and third again.

Our catcher allowed one stolen base in four years of LL and LL all-stars. When he was twelve an opposing all-star runner took off for second down 15-0. The catcher was surprised. He double pumped and threw the ball into center. The throw passed over second long before the runner, but it's still a stolen base.

With leads in 11U and 12U travel we had the standard plays listed about. We still do at 16U. However, we do have a cut play where we let the ball bounce through to second. We've caught a couple of runners pulling up and not sliding.

[wogdoggy]

OK, so I've retired and so, here's a vital option. On the first and third most often, the runner has been told to steal/stop some 15-20 feet from 2nd. Probably closer for younger kids but still off of the base. We have a play designed for the 2ndbaseman to break to that area where the runner has been told to stop. We expect the SS to cover 2nd knowing that the 3b runner has been told that if there is no cut, they run. The throw to 2nd baseman will not have the cut and so, 3rd base and ss let 2nd know what to do with the ball when they catch it. We typically tag the runner out before the runner at 3rd crosses home. I bet we pulled this off 5 times last year easily. Oh, any off line throw and the 2nd baseman catches and guns home. Our philosophy is get the out without allowing the run. That means if we have to gun home do so.

we use the same..its not a bad option thats for sure!

[jbolt_2000]

What kind of signs do you give your catcher or fielders to know which plays to use? Do you give the sign to the catcher and have them give the plays to the defense?

I know the signals, per se, such as touching the mask, chest, shoulders, etc. But what do you give as signs to the catcher and how do you make it complicated enough so the other team doesn't figure it out and simple enough so the players understand it quickly?

[SimiBaseball]

1st & 3rd Strategy @ 9u/10u

First I would reiterate that your 10u's must be well drilled and able to play high level catch. My teams spend more time on this aspect of the game then any other. In addition, a significant amount of practice time must be spent on rundowns, specifically executing a rundown between 1B and 2B with a runner on 3B. When we practice option 2 below, the receiving middle infielder lays the tag and immediately throws to 3B or Home. Don't use the fake to 3B, look to 1B move unless your team can deal with the rundown with a runner at 3B situation (unless, of course, you are willing to concede the run for an out).

In this situation we use the following tactics:

Option 1 - Middle infielder cuts the throw in front of 2B
Option 2 - Middle infielder fakes the cut and throw goes through
Option 3 - Direct throw to 3B
Tactic to slow jump - Fake to 3B, Look to 1B

I discontinued using the pitcher as a cut because the catcher tends to lob it back or is otherwise unconvincing in his attempt to appear to be throwing through. At this level the pitcher is only 38-40 feet away after delivery. The catcher's throw is exactly the same for the two above plays. The movement of the middle infielders is also identical for all three plays. The cutting middle infielder must break a little early on this play. The other infielder breaks normally to cover the bag (IOW, one side of the infield will be vulnerable - nonetheless, this strategy has paid big dividends).

The first time we are in this situation, we will usually go to option 1 to "show" the play. Subsequently, we will use the fake to third to delay the jump followed by option 2 to get the out while freezing the runner at 3B. If we sense that the opposition will respond by just sending the runner at 3B on the throw, we will use option 3.

I use a number sign system to give the sign to the catcher who in turn signals the infield. Here is an example:

My sign to the catcher will be a flash of three numbers. One of them is the "hot" sign (we discuss before the game and can change between innings if necessary). So if the "hot" sign is the second one and I want to run Option 1, I will flash 2-1-3.

A sample sign system for the infield is an indicator followed by an area representing where the throw is going. For example, the catcher's chin represents home plate, his belt represents 2B, his shoulder represents 3B, a sweep of the letters represents a cut in front of 2B. In this case, use the chin as the indicator followed by the hot sign.

[JeepTJ12]

This takes a lot of practice and might not work with the younger guys. As a catcher and I get the throw down to 3rd play, I will step towards 2nd but give a throw to third. The man on third will get caught leaning thinking the ball is going to 2nd. It gets them every time.