How should a pitcher cover and set up for runner stealing from 3rd on a past ball to best prevent injury.
Mike
---------------------------------------------------------------------Hal, I was under the assumption that you were a bright guy.....oh well. You make alot of assumtions based on a simple question, and you know what happens when we assume. I should clarify that this is 10-U and I am also talking about practice. Along with positive rienforcement I also coach based on reality, and the reality is there are going to be past balls, and rather than have our pitchers freeze or risk injury I want them to react appropriately based on proper training. I am sure that others know how to teach a pitcher to react on a past ball, how to set up at the plate, tag with one hand or two, or anything else they can add from expierence.
Mike
p.s. I should note this is the same mike that posted the original question, I have 2 different logins.
Rule 8 Section 4G: (10-Under Class B Fast Pitch) Comments: The section on stealing and running the bases in 10-Under now only applies to 10-Under Class B Fast Pitch. 10-Under Class A Fast Pitch will play by the same rules as the other Junior Olympic Fast Pitch age classifications.
2007 ASA Rule Changes
As to the question, we teach the pitcher to straddle the plate facing 3rd with glove out front on the 3b line. basiclly the same as coverage of second base on a stolen base except backwards. All of this good planning usually goes down the drain whan the pitcher is late.
ASA eliminated the "can't steal home" and no advance on dropped third strike provisions for 10U ball 2 years ago. Rec leagues and local ASA associations are free to put those rules back in place and many do.
If I wanted to teach the kid how to cover home plate as a pitcher on a passed and I wanted it to translate to how they will eventually play in high school, I would tell them to get there feet into position ~2 ft from the 3rd base line such that when the throw comes they can drop the tag between home plate and the runner (exact placement varies for righty and lefty) . If they get too close to the 3rd base line with their body they run the risk of #1 being called for interference and #2 getting creamed. As they get older and play high school ball getting creamed includes metal cleats.
The most commong mistake I see is that the pitcher over pursues (toward backstop) in their setup and ends up tagging on the plate or having to reach back to tag up the line.
At a coaches clinic recently a local college coach explained to me that he coaches his SS to take the following position on a throw down to 2nd base on a steal. SS moves into a position with left foot on the third base side of second base and receives the ball there and sweeps a tag around the bag. Throws that are off the mark are tracked down by going towards first base rather than accross the running lane. This philosophy is based on again #1 don't get called for interference #2 Don't lose your short stop due to an injury sustained with metal cleats.
Straddling the bag seems like a bad idea to me because if the throw doesn't make it in time, the runner is under no obligation to slide either at 2nd base on a steal or at home on a passed ball. They can get in trouble if they collide standing up with a fielder with the ball, but only the fielder can get in trouble on the collision if they don't have the ball. So your catcher throws high and your SS stands up straddling the bag and can't reach the ball, KABBOOM!! next thing you know the SS is on her back in LF after being blasted by the rounding baserunner and the umpires got his arm out calling interference on your daised and confused SS.