Hit and Run. How do you teach this?

[Gambler Bob]

I might have been wrong. In MLB each team turns roughly 1 double play per game (little less).

Rolling hard said 1 DP per game. I am assuming that is between both teams combined turn 1 double play per game.

Just like I tell my wife. "Even when I am wrong, I am still right"

 

[_MIA_]

Just like I tell my wife. "Even when I am wrong, I am still right"

How does that go over?

 

[Gambler Bob]

How does that go over?

Can't talk now. I am on punishment.

 

[CoachJD]

In softball, where MI stay put on steals until the ball is hit, hit and run plays don’t make a lot of sense.

I see this said all the time and I just don't see many MI who are good enough athletes to pull this off. Even if the person covering is shading very close to the base, there really just is not time to get into a proper position to cover the base if you're waiting until the ball hits the mitt to cover the base. We're talking moving 15-20 feet in the opposite direction of the one you're facing in less than a second. Who can do that?

To the OP: I don't like the hit and run. Too many bad things can happen, and not enough positive outcomes. The run and hit is better. By not putting pressure on the hitter to swing at whatever, you're more likely to get good contact if you get contact, and the runner knows she's not going to be "protected" so she's going hard for the steal. Still, I usually only do it with 2 outs to avoid line out double plays.

 

[_MIA_]

I see this said all the time and I just don't see many MI who are good enough athletes to pull this off. Even if the person covering is shading very close to the base, there really just is not time to get into a proper position to cover the base if you're waiting until the ball hits the mitt to cover the base. We're talking moving 15-20 feet in the opposite direction of the one you're facing in less than a second. Who can do that?

You might be right.

 

[Cannonball]

Years ago when I was the HC of our baseball team, I had a run of players who had exceptional speed. I abandoned the hit and run and only did the run and hit. The rules were simple. You didn't have to swing and the runner was running. If you took a strike, I might get a little upset. If you were the runner and it was a base hit to the OF, I most like was sending you home unless it was directly at the fielder. I was a bit aggressive. If you were the runner and got doubled off on a line drive, that was on me so be aggressive.

 

[benjey]

Approximately 1 DP per game in D1

Curious where you saw this because when I look here I only see 10 teams in the country averaging .5 DP's per game

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Anecdotally I can say of DD's approximately 40 games this year definitely less than 1 per game and the vast majority were line outs with a runner doubled off. I believe a total of 4 ground ball double plays of the type that would be impacted by a hit and run ( 2 for us and 2 by our opponents)

 

[CoachJD]

Years ago when I was the HC of our baseball team, I had a run of players who had exceptional speed. I abandoned the hit and run and only did the run and hit. The rules were simple. You didn't have to swing and the runner was running. If you took a strike, I might get a little upset. If you were the runner and it was a base hit to the OF, I most like was sending you home unless it was directly at the fielder. I was a bit aggressive. If you were the runner and got doubled off on a line drive, that was on me so be aggressive.

We share a philosophy on this.

Steal sign = batter better take the pitch
Run and Hit sign = batter gets to swing (and probably should if it's a decent pitch)

 

[Fury_Mike]

What he is describing has been called hit and run for 150 years in baseball. It’s a play with signs. As a hitter they used to make us practice it in pre-game BP. Usually the idea was to hit the ball to the right side (as a RH hitter) and yes we were supposed to swing regardless of pitch location. I know as a coach I wouldn’t make a kid give him/herself up. In softball, where MI stay put on steals until the ball is hit, hit and run plays don’t make a lot of sense.

Yes I understand what the term means, I just dont think there is much of a true application is FP.

 

[Fury_Mike]

Conditions for calling hit and run:
1) We are winning
2) We already scored in this inning
3) 2 outs
4) Fast runner on 1st base
4) Good hitter in the box with favorable count (3 and 1).

So the stars have to align but the idea is even if the batter swings a misses, the runner has a good chance in stealing 2nd and if caught stealing then you still have a good hitter in the box to start next inning. The hope is that the runner on 1st base is going to score on a well hit ball.(even a long base hit)

Yes, that makes sense.