Playing Third
Base
Baseball Field Positions - Baseball Infield:
What a Third Baseman Needs to Know about
Playing 3rd Base
The third
base position is perhaps the most difficult to play of all the infield
positions. No other position is
as close to the batter, which eliminates the opportunity to catch the ball on
good hops and often means the ball is traveling at a high rate of speed. No
other position requires the player to
make quick plays on bunts and off-balance throws to first base as does the
third base position. The third
baseman also has the longest throw to make across the ball diamond to the
first basemen to record a putout.
It takes skill, courage and a lot of practice to be a great third
baseman.
Where to Position The
Player
The third
baseman will play in different locations at third base throughout the course
of the game and even inside of a single pitch count. Early in the game the third baseman
will play deeper (a few steps behind the bag) and wider (no more than 5
steps). This location helps to
prevent balls from going through the hole between third base and shortstop but
does give up more room down the line.
If it is noticed
that a team likes to bunt you may elect to have the third baseman play
even with the bag or in a step or two early in the count and then back up as
the count progresses and the bunt play becomes less likely. I have played against some teams who
simply tell the pitcher that he will cover all bunts to the third base side
and let the third baseman play back to take away base hits (I have especially
seen this be effective for younger teams who have an athletic pitcher to cover
the bunts along third base). Later in the game the third baseman will tend to
play closer to the line, giving up a single in the hole between third and
short but wanting to prevent a double down the third base line. I have also seen the third basemen play in closer to
home plate extremely far when a certain play calls for a bunt to occur. This move can put tremendous pressure
on the batter to have to lay down a terrific bunt. Against left-handed batters the third
baseman may play much farther off the bag to allow the shortstop to cover more
ground up the middle of the field.
The role of the third baseman is to guard
the third base line and attempt to get everything to his left. He is typically playing closer to the
batter than the shortstop so conventional thinking is that if he can get to
the ball and field it cleanly, he can have more time to record a putout at
first base.
One of the
more subtle items to teach is that of footwork for the third baseman when
picking up a ground ball. The right handed
third baseman should field the ball, achieve a balanced position by shuffling
or chopping their feet to try to stop any momentum they have moving in a
direction away from first base, step with their right foot first, then their
left to throw the ball after picking up a ground ball. This method gets the feet in the
proper position and gets the ball quickly moving to first base. The same motion should be used when
delivering the ball to second base on double play balls.
Handling Bunted & Slow Rolling
Balls
On a bunted
ball the third baseman should charge, break down his running into chop steps
as he approaches the ball, field the ball with his lead foot slightly ahead of
this rear foot and then quickly shuffle his feet to get momentum in the right
direction to first base for his body to deliver the ball quickly to the
bag. The third baseman should
only bare hand balls that have stopped moving. The rule to use is that if a ball is
moving it should be fielded with both the bare and glove hand, only use the
bare hand on stopped balls.
Stolen Base
Attempt
When a player is attempting
to steal third the third baseman should stand in front of the bag towards
home plate, providing room for the advancing runner to slide into the bag
to their left. The third baseman should then turn their upper body towards the
catcher to receive the ball and swipe or lay the ball directly in front of the
bag for the runner to slide into.
Do not chase the runner with the ball as they slide into the bag.
Leaving the ball at the bag will make the call easy for the umpire to
make. Because of all the injuries that occur when
straddling the bag (cleats in
the body, hard contact, etc), it is not recommend that players use the straddle
method to tag out a runner trying to advance to next base until they
are older and in competitive leagues.
As we summarize the baseball field positions
with a review of the positions of a baseball infield, we realize that because of
the specific skills required of third baseman to play third base, constant
skill development and solid fundamentals are needed to play the 3rd base position successfully at a competitive level.
Let’s move our discussion to the
Shortstop Position
.
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