Category: Baserunning
Type: Strategy
FIRST TO SECOND
At 1st Base:
1) Always take your sign while on the base - You can and will be made to look silly if you are over looking at your buddy in the dugout or your girlfriend in the stands and the 1st baseman tags you out. Funny now....try it in a game and see how funny it is.
2) After taking your sign, you should begin your primary lead (the lead you take before the pitch). Always focus on the pitcher while you are taking your lead. If the pitcher is right handed, look at his front heel (the heel of his left foot). If he is left handed, look at his front shoulder (his right shoulder). You will stay in your primary lead until you see daylight under the front heel of the right hander or until you are certain the left hander is going home. At first base, you are expected to take as big a primary lead as possible and still get back safely on a pickoff move. Your lead is not big enough if you never even come close to being picked off.
3) When the pitcher makes a pickoff move, Always come back to the inside of the bag if you are standing...the outside of the bag if you are diving back. When you come back standing turn your back to the pitcher and do not push the 1st baseman. This is a very important way to put pressure on the defense. When you come back diving, the idea is to "just get back."
4) Take an aggressive secondary lead as soon as the pitcher gives you enough information that he's going home. The secondary lead is the extension of your primary lead, to be taken as the pitcher delivers his pitch. Crossover, hop, hop, hop...GO if the ball is hit, get back if it is not. Do not "float" or nonchalantly return to the bag.
5) You are responsible for getting back if the catcher throws to 1st. Do not rely on your 1st base coach. If you are getting a good secondary lead, many catchers will throw over. That is good, because he cannot get you out if you are taking care of your business. What will happen is he will throw the ball into right field sooner or later and you will be on third.
6) Only tag up if the ball is foul, otherwise we should be "halfway" on popups and flyballs at first base. "Halfway" means as far as you can get toward 2nd base and still get back safely if the ball is caught. That could be 2 feet on a pop up to the first baseman or 89 feet on a fly ball to deep center field.
7) With less than 2 outs, Always freeze on a line drive. The reason we need to freeze (or not run) is to make sure the line drive goes through the infield. If it is caught in the infield and we have already started our move toward the next base, we will be doubled off.
8) Stealing against a lefthanded pitcher, I teach my kids to go on first movement. You must learn that the only first movement you cannot GO on is when the lefthanded pitcher steps off the back of the rubber with his back foot. If the hit&run is on, go when you would normally start your secondary lead. If the pitcher is right handed, GO on steal or hit&run when his front heel picks up. When steal or hit&run is on, you should look in and find the ball on your third step. This will give you valuable information for you next move. Delayed steal is very similar to the normal primary-secondary progression. When that play is on, you should start your secondary lead as you always would, only this time it goes crossover, hop, hop, hop, GO.
9) If we are bunting, see the ball down before you run! GO when you are sure the ball will hit the ground.
10) You should want to run to third base. If the ball is hit in front of you (to Left or Center), you will decide if you can make it or not and carry out the appropriate actions. If the ball is hit into right field, pick up the third base coach before you get to 2nd base (about 20 feet before) and he will tell you to stay or GO.
11) Never get picked off when the batter has a take sign and you are not stealing.
3-0 is a count that we will normally shorten up our lead and make the pitcher throw a strike before we do anything.
12) If we have a 1st and 3rd situation and a play is on, your job at 1st base is to NOT run into an out, especially with 2 outs. That means stay in a rundown. If the defense refuses to make a play on you, advance to second base. Sometimes we will try to get picked off. Sometimes we will leave early. Those plays will have special signs. Otherwise we will run our regular steal, hit&run, or delayed steal.
13) The rules require that you avoid all batted balls and fielders in the act of fielding. If you run into a batted ball or a fielder trying to field, you will be called out. A good baserunner can disrupt a fielder by timing it so that he jumps over the ball in front of the fielder. This is a visual hindrance and is completely within the rules.
Submitted by: Tom Collins
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