knowing the score and count

[banny]

how many players young or old really are aware of the count on the batter or the score every minute of the game? i know it's something to strive for but i honestly struggle with it. i do try to keep good track of outs and baserunners but confess i have come in and said are we up 2 or 3? anybody else?

[Jesse]

I think some people are naturally better at this than others. I umpire 7-8 yo games, and I'm constantly being asked what the pitch count is, how many outs, etc. so lots of people struggle with keeping track. A lot of times the players are more on top of things than the coaches, at this level. I know there are certain kids that I can ask any time, what's the score, and they can tell me.

To answer your question, I'm not great at this either but my role as an umpire has forced me to learn to be good at it. So you can train yourself.

[Richmond Hill Phoenix]

Personally, as a catcher, I can say that I know the count pretty much all the time. There are alot of times that I forget though. After a long at-bat, with a lot of foul balls, it is sometimes tough to remember how many outs there are. Same deal when there are a couple of pick-off attempts in a row, I need to ask the ump what the count is.

As a catcher, I try to always remind the players how many outs there are. I think it's pretty standard that after every at-bat, the catcher will yell to the middle infielders how many outs there are and what the play is, and then they'll relay it to the outfielders. I see most teams doing the same thing.

[korp]

Outs should be the easiest thing. Every batter about I relay outs to other players for myself as well as them. Score ... I depend more on the scoreboard and score keeper than myself unless its late in the game. Count requires alot of concentration but I know the count 99% of the time and that 1% is usually due to a non vocal umpire or one that you can't understand what they say and rarely show the count.