Everything about Infielder totally explained
Baseball teams take turns, one "out" in the field and one "in" at bat. The nine
fielding positions are commonly grouped as three
outfielders, four
infielders, and "
the battery" (two). Meanwhile the team in at bat sends nine
batters to home plate one by one in fixed
batting order.
The nine fielding positions are universal in high-level competitive baseball, and the actual positions taken on the field are exceptionally stable. Teams differ, and players shift, at most several steps for tactical purposes. This contrasts with the fielding positions in
cricket and some "football" games where, even within a single team, positions vary so much from time to time that they've different names. What varies in baseball is how people think and write about the game, occasionally using
infielders to mean a different group of positions. In writing, such a departure from the standard grouping should be explained.
Standard grouping
In the standard arrangement of a baseball team in the field, three players are in the distant outfield and six on the infield, the square
baseball diamond (light brown in the diagram) plus a rounded region beyond it (roughly where "3B" "SS" "2B" and "1B" are written in the diagram below).
The
infielders are the four who play along the basepaths from
first base to
second base to
third base, namely the
first baseman (1B),
second baseman (2B),
shortstop (SS) and
third baseman (3B). The
pitcher (P) also plays on the infield but is distinct from the infielders and is jointly referred to with the
catcher (C) as
the battery. The other three players are called outfielders and they usually play far out beyond the basepaths.
Utility infielders are bench players who can play at least two infield positions. They are often weak hitters but skilled fielders who play in the late
innings when the team leads, as defensive substitutes.
Among the four infielders in modern professional play, shortstops are generally the best fielders, followed by second basemen, third basemen, and first basemen in that order. First basemen should be adept at fielding poorly thrown balls, as many a throw is hurried to put out the
batter-runner on a close play at first base. Normally, first and third basemen are better hitters than second basemen and shortstops. Second basemen and shortstops are often called "middle infielders" while third basemen and first baseman are called "corner infielders" or simply "corners".
In professional play, essentially all shortstops and second and third basemen throw
right-handed for greater efficiency throwing down to the lower bases where force outs are available — third basemen and shortstops throwing to second base and any of the three throwing to first base. First basemen are often
left-handed throwers because they usually throw in the opposite direction and because catching throws to first base is easier when catching with the right hand.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Infielder'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://infielder.totallyexplained.com">Infielder Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
