Outfield Positioning

[GunnerShotgun]

In baseball players are trying to hit home runs at the best, and doubles at worst. In this scenario shifting makes sense because the hitter literally doesn't care where you position yourself, it doesn't change their approach. This is why common fans say, why don't they bunt? Why don't they hit the other way? Because they only want doubles or better. Singles require too many other things to happen to score runs.

I have not seen this in softball for the most part. I have seen teams without slappers that are all pull. In that scenario, shifting would make sense to me. Shifting would also make sense if you had data (played hitters or teams multiple times).

As a fan, I hate the shift but I also don't see how you can ban it. I would rather see the stadiums reimagined (600 ft fences down the left field line) for example.

 

[daywalkerdad]

I have noticed in 12u you can tell how good a team is by how deep the outfielders play.
A team coming up from 10u or req will be 20’ from the grass, a top level team will be 20’ from the fence.

 

[Bullseye]

Everybody always says it's easier to make a catch coming in than going back, but I've never found this to actually be true. I'm not sure it even makes sense logically for anybody who can properly read a fly ball. It's hard for me to explain, but it has to do with running toward/against the direction of the ball and running with the flight of the ball. It's also not easy to dive forward (sliding catches are easier, but still difficult), and knowing if/when you need to make that move adds a level of difficulty. The one caveat: A hard line drive hit directly at and over the head of the CF is very difficult to judge, but if it's angled at all, you just drop step, run like hell, and catch the ball. The real problem is most coaches don't give OFs enough reps reading balls over their heads for them to become good at it.

Positioning is a matter of preference so not saying you're wrong to play them deeper, but I don't like the philosophy. I believe in making the other team earn it. I want my OF a bit on the shallow side until the offense proves they can hit it over their heads (we play a bit deeper on turf fields, and even deeper when we play on a turf field with no fence to have a better chance of cutting off balls on the ground). Those dinky singles kill us, not the once-per-game ball over an outfielder's head.

I get the logic behind playing deeper, and it's not always bad, but I see so many games where I'm not sure a hitter can actually hit a ball over an OFs head without it going over the fence and I wonder why the heck they're so deep as the offense drops in base hit after base hit all game.

Running backward on the ball must be hard for you to do because it's hard for you to explain.

 

[Westwind]

I think this applies to our discussion of why first step is so important. Maybe we should say the “first few steps” is what is important….


Dd played with a kid in 12’s whose dad was a sprinter. She was a great base stealer, didn’t look like a racehorse. Opposing parents always complained “she left early” because she beat the throw so bad so I started watching her. Turns out she didn’t leave any earlier than any other kid, she timed it well.

I asked her dad. He smiled and said he worked on sprinter technique with her and that those first few steps were the most important part of base stealing…

Dude was a bull. I never guessed he would have been so fast. one of the parents I truly enjoyed being around too.