What is the right play?

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Here are a couple of things to consider ...
by: Dan

Thanks for your question. What I have always told my players is this:

1. Make an assessment as to the likely speed of the runner. If smaller, likely fast, if a big girl, likely slow. This is done when the batter first comes to the plate.

2. If the ball is hit to right field and the rightfielder's weight is going towards first, make the throw to first. (The catcher should be backing up the throw to first so you really should have nothing to lose)

3. If the ball is hit to right (more towards right center) and the right fielder's weight is taking them towards second, throw the ball in to second if a fast runner (and you really have NO shot). If you think it is a slow runner, throw to first, but this is much more risky, because it will be hard for the catcher to get in a good spot to back up this throw.

Not a straight forward answer, but I always believed it depended on where the ball was hit in right field. It also assumes your rightfielder has a very strong throwing arm.

A good drill for this is to stand in the infield and throw the ball to the right or left of the outfielder and direct them on what to do with the ball in this type of situation. Then just provide them the situation and see what they do with the ball. Make adjustments to what they did as necessary. This way, during the game, they are not thinking about what to do with the ball, but rather reacting to the ball and therfore making a quicker play and more likely to get that out.

What is the right play?

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What is the right play?

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