At Gameday, we spend a lot of time working with our players to understand how to effectively play the infield. We start with our youth players and work the on the same drills and techniques that we with with our high school players. We know proper instruction, practice, and drills are essential for players to develop the correct mechanics and improve their defensive performance. Here are some tips and drills that can help improve infield play:
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Footwork: Proper footwork is crucial for infielders to move quickly and efficiently. Drills such as the “shuffle drill” or the “side step drill” can be used to improve footwork and quickness.
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Glove work: Infielders need to be able to field the ball quickly and accurately. Drills such as “soft hands drill” or “two-ball drill” can be used to improve glove work and reaction time.
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Throwing mechanics: Proper throwing mechanics are essential for infielders to throw accurately and with power. Drills such as “long toss” or “dry throws” can be used to improve throwing mechanics.
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Communication: Infielders need to communicate effectively with their teammates to make sure they are in the right position and to anticipate where the ball will be hit. Drills such as “communication drill” or “pop-up drill” can be used to improve communication and teamwork.
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Mental preparation: Infielders need to be mentally prepared and focused in order to make quick and accurate decisions on the field. Drills such as “visualization drill”.
Middle infielders (shortstops and second basemen) have a unique set of responsibilities on the field and require specific drills to improve their skills. We are grateful to have Doug Bernier on our staff to assist all of our infielders. Doug Bernier is a former professional baseball player who played in the MLB for the Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He is a utility infielder, he played mainly as shortstop and second baseman. He made his MLB debut in 2008 for the Colorado Rockies, he played for the Rockies for 4 seasons, then he moved to the Minnesota Twins and later to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has a reputation as a good defensive infielder and a versatile player, he has also played in minor league teams and independent leagues. He retired in 2019 and currently is a baseball instructor at Gameday and The Colorado Rockies.
Here are some of the best drills for middle infielders that Doug focus on:
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Double Play Turn: This drill simulates a double play situation and helps middle infielders practice turning the double play quickly and accurately.
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Backhand Drill: This drill is designed to help middle infielders improve their backhand fielding technique, which is important for getting to balls hit to the left side of the infield.
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Relay and Cut-off: This drill helps middle infielders practice receiving relay throws and making accurate cut-off throws to the correct base.
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Pivot Drill: This drill helps middle infielders practice the pivot footwork that is important for making quick and accurate throws to first base.
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Pop-up Drill: This drill helps middle infielders practice communication and teamwork, as well as their ability to quickly and accurately field pop-ups.
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Fielding grounders: This drill helps middle infielders practice fielding grounders and getting into the proper fielding position.
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Footwork drill: This drill helps middle infielders practice their footwork and quickness, which is important for getting to balls hit in the hole or to the left or right side of the infield.
It’s important to note that these drills should be used in conjunction with proper instruction on mechanics and technique, and that players should focus on one or two drills at a time to avoid overwhelming them.
All infielders must have quick hands. We have some drills that help players to develop quicker hands:
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Soft Toss Drill: This drill involves hitting balls thrown softly to the player. It can help to improve timing and reaction, and can also be used to work on different aspects of the swing.
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Hand-Eye Coordination Drill: This drill involves hitting a ball off a tee or soft toss with one hand while catching another ball with the other hand. This drill can improve hand-eye coordination and reaction time.
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Two-ball Drill: This drill involves throwing two balls to the infielder at the same time and having them field both balls. This drill helps to improve reaction time and quickness of the hands.
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Glove Flip Drill: This drill involves flipping the glove from one hand to the other and catching the ball in the flipped glove. This drill can improve quickness of the hands and reaction time.
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Quick Hands Drill: This drill involves hitting a ball off a tee or soft toss and then quickly flipping the bat and catching the ball with the same hand. This drill can improve quickness of the hands and reaction time.
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Hand Speed Drill: This drill involves hitting a ball off a tee or soft toss, and then quickly catching the ball with one hand and throwing it with the other hand, This drill can improve quickness of the hands and reaction time.
At Gameday, we also focus on working with our corner infielders.
First basemen play a critical role in the infield and require specific drills to improve their skills. Here are some of the best drills for first basemen:
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Fielding Grounders: This drill helps first basemen practice fielding grounders and getting into the proper fielding position.
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Pick-off Drill: This drill helps first basemen practice receiving throws from the pitcher and making pick-off throws to second base.
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Footwork Drill: This drill helps first basemen practice their footwork and quickness, which is important for getting to balls hit in the hole or to the left or right side of the infield.
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Stretch Drill: This drill helps first basemen practice the stretch technique, which is important for catching throws from the infielders and making accurate throws to other bases.
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Relay and Cut-off: This drill helps first basemen practice receiving relay throws and making accurate cut-off throws to the correct base.
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Bunt Defense: This drill helps first basemen practice fielding bunts and making quick decisions on whether to throw to a base or hold the ball.
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Stealing Drill: This drill helps first basemen practice the footwork and quickness needed to make a quick throw to second or third base when a runner is trying to steal a base.
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Infield Communication: This drill helps first basemen practice communication with other infielders in order to anticipate where the ball will be hit and make quick decisions on where to throw the ball.
Third basemen. Here are some of the best drills for third basemen:
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Fielding Grounders: This drill helps third basemen practice fielding grounders and getting into the proper fielding position.
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Charge Drill: This drill helps third basemen practice the charge technique, which is important for fielding balls hit directly at them.
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Footwork Drill: This drill helps third basemen practice their footwork and quickness, which is important for getting to balls hit in the hole or to the left or right side of the infield.
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Backhand Drill: This drill helps third basemen practice their backhand technique, which is important for getting to balls hit to the left side of the infield.
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Relay and Cut-off: This drill helps third basemen practice receiving relay throws and making accurate cut-off throws to the correct base.
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Bunt Defense: This drill helps third basemen practice fielding bunts and making quick decisions on whether to throw to a base or hold the ball.
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Stealing Drill: This drill helps third basemen practice the footwork and quickness needed to make a quick throw to second or third base when a runner is trying to steal a base.
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Infield Communication: This drill helps third basemen practice communication with other infielders in order to anticipate where the ball will be hit and make quick decisions on where to throw the ball.
Have you ever heard of the Ron Washington drill? We use this at Gameday. The Ron Washington drill, also known as the “5-3-2 drill” is a fielding drill that is designed to improve the footwork and quickness of infielders, specifically middle infielders such as shortstops and second basemen. The drill is named after Ron Washington, a former MLB player and coach who has used this drill in his coaching career.
The drill involves setting up three cones in a line, with the first cone 5 feet away from the second cone, and the second cone 3 feet away from the third cone. The player starts at the first cone and quickly shuffles to the second cone, then shuffles to the third cone, and then shuffles back to the first cone. The drill is then repeated, but this time the player simulates fielding a ground ball at each cone before shuffling to the next cone.
The drill is designed to improve the footwork and quickness of the player by simulating the movement and reaction time needed to field a ground ball and make a quick throw to the first base. This drill can also be modified to work on other aspects of infield play such as double play, backhand, and pivot footwork.
Playing the infield position at a high level requires years and years of dedicated practice.
There are many talented infielders in the MLB, but some of the players who are considered to be among the best include:
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Francisco Lindor – Shortstop for the New York Mets. He’s known for his exceptional defensive skills, powerful arm and quick hands. He’s a 4-time Gold Glove award winner, a 4-time All-Star, and a 2-time Silver Slugger award winner.
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Nolan Arenado – Third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s known for his exceptional defense, powerful arm and quick hands. He’s a 8-time Gold Glove award winner, a 6-time All-Star, and a 5-time Silver Slugger award winner.
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DJ LeMahieu – Second baseman for the New York Yankees. He’s known for his exceptional defensive skills, powerful arm and quick hands. He’s a 3-time Gold Glove award winner, a 2-time All-Star and a batting champion in 2016.
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Javier Báez – Shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. He’s known for his exceptional defensive skills, powerful arm and quick hands. He’s a 2-time Gold Glove award winner, a 2-time All-Star, and a Silver Slugger award winner.
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José Altuve – Second baseman for the Houston Astros. He’s known for his exceptional defensive skills, powerful arm and quick hands. He’s a 3-time Gold Glove award winner, a 6-time All-Star, and a 5-time Silver Slugger award winner.
If you are interested in learning how you can work with our instructors to improve your player’s infield play, please contact us at info@road2gameday.com
