Coaching Third

[daywalkerdad]

It takes experience to coach third, no way to get experience other than the jump in and do it. Rule number one of coaching third, similar to the number one rule of fight club , don’t ever make the first out of the inning at third or home. With two outs, you can be more aggressive, especially if you know what hitters are coming up. For a girl with even average speed, second base is a good base to be on.

Also, make sure your girls are drilled into tagging up when they’re at third. They have to fight the urge to just takeoff for home at the crack of the bat. When a ball was in the air, there’s no reason to break for home until it hits the ground. You don’t want an outfielder to make a diving catch and your girl has to double back to third.

At 10u, you probably don’t have too many outfielders that are going to throw runners out at home, but as you progress in the older ages, you will get a feel for where your runner has to be when the outfielder is approaching a ground ball. I can tell you when you get to high school age, if the outfielder gets the ball at the same time, the runners rounding third, she’ll be out most of the time. at 10 U, I’d send them home almost all the time. Just not with 0 outs .

While I am against almost all outs on the bases, however I am not for sure first out at 3rd is worse than any other in softball. Different from mlb baseball particularly at younger levels.
It seams a lot more scoring in softball on plays you would not score from second than baseball.
I checked a d2 chart that certainly does not apply 10u but at d2 The differences run output between 1st and 2nd was .32, 2nd and 3rd .38. With 1 out it is .225 advancing to second, .285 to third.
MLB they are about equal value.
In softball 3rd is some times more valuable than scoring. Lead off triple 1.8 runs lead off homerun 1.6 runs. Would not practice this but find it interesting.
This perplexes me, why a runner on 3rd mean more than one would think.
reasons maybe? Many teams gift the steal of second. Many teams stop a score vs. taking an easy out on a bunt, allowing another base runner.
Making the first out at second may be worse than third.

 

[CoachCeetar]

In softball 3rd is some times more valuable than scoring. Lead off triple 1.8 runs lead off homerun 1.6 runs. Would not practice this but find it interesting.
This perplexes me, why a runner on 3rd mean more than one would think.
reasons maybe? Many teams gift the steal of second. Many teams stop a score vs. taking an easy out on a bunt, allowing another base runner.
Making the first out at second may be worse than third.

To me this reads as bad defensive decision making. But yeah, it's because they try to stop the runner instead of taking the out, and they're doing it at a detrimental rate.

assuming you're looking at this 2019 6-4-3 chart, runner on 3B, no outs, 86.5% chance at least 1 run scores. Very rarely are you getting that out.

 

[The Man In Blue]

More arms less mouth. Most coaches are the opposite of this and use too many verbal instructions.

 

[daywalkerdad]

To me this reads as bad defensive decision making. But yeah, it's because they try to stop the runner instead of taking the out, and they're doing it at a detrimental rate.

assuming you're looking at this 2019 6-4-3 chart, runner on 3B, no outs, 86.5% chance at least 1 run scores. Very rarely are you getting that out.

Yes. It is hard to separate the data, with the decisions that created the data.
Softball appears to be managed primarily with aggressive base running and fielding. It most likely goes back to when mounds were 40’ and the balls were dead and most games were 1-0, 2-1.

 

[daywalkerdad]

What are the reasons changes were made to the MLB?. With the changes they have made to MLB what effect are they trying to make? Was that influenced by data?

Can not speak for mlb, know they steal less, sacrifice less, and strike out more.

Hmmm? At 40' There were not very many times even got a runner on base to consider having aggressive base running. We had to be very specific as to what were doing with runners. Getting lead out was more important.
Running into unnecessary outs would be very bad.


Nowadays it seems there are a lot more runners to be able to send them at more risk situations. That catcher obstruction rule at the plate imo created more Runners going home than otherwise would have. ( now obstruction rule newly revised let's see if that changes)

I think that is where still going after the lead runner comes in.
With more runners, big innings win games, either the defense not taking or offense giving an out matters more.

 

[uncdrew]

10U

As the 3B coach, you're most likely giving signs to the runner on first.

When I was 1B coach in 10U, I asked my girls standing on first base to tell me what the sign was. Sometimes I even just said "Ok, coach wants you to steal. So you'll steal".

The first baseman probably heard me. But they are surprised by that, and don't do anything. And even if they yell "she's going", it's 10U. Knowing the runner is stealing makes it more likely that she'll be safe.

Like others said before, the girls will miss signs all the time and not ask for it again. I liked just helping them learn and get more confident.