Infielding At Its Best

So you want to become a better infielder?! Then learn the importance of...

Creating the Angle of Ground Balls

Do you ever wonder why great MLB infielders always appear to make infield plays very routine? Have you ever wondered why MLB infielders rarely get bad hops when fielding ground balls? Have you ever really watched how MLB infielders prepare their bodies to field ground balls? We can talk all we want about instinct, positioning, range, hands, arm strength, etc. as all critical components of infield play, but this article will be designed around the infielder's ability to create angles when fielding the routine ground ball.

The first major difference between an amateur infielder and a MLB infielder is the way in which they approach a ground ball. Most young players take a straight "B" line to the ball, thus when they get their feet set up to field the ball, they typically have the glove on the wrong side of their body. For example, as a right handed throwing infielder, most young players have the glove positioned in the center of their body or toward their throwing side when the ball is fielded. Conversely, a MLB infielder would generally place their glove to the left of center or directly underneath their glove hand eye. So, now the question... why do MLB infielders position their glove differently than the young player? Simple answer... they create an angle to the ball, ensuring their movement pattern approach places the ground ball outside their glove shoulder. When the MLB infielder moves and approaches the ball, they always work from the out of the ball to the inside or for the 2B, SS and 3B, the movement would be from slightly right to left.

The approach should always be to try and keep the ball outside the glove hand shoulder, thus, when the infielder is preparing to field the ball, they can fluidly and smoothly transition into their last two steps (right, left) prior to fielding the ball. At this point, the glove will be presented to the ball slightly left of center and in front of the glove hand eye.

A simple indoor drill to see if your kids are creating angles is to simple place a ball on a line in the gym. Have your players back up about 10 feet from the ball. Once they have backed up, have them walk toward the ball. What you will generally see is a direct path or "B" line to the ball. What they should be doing is move so that they approach the ball with it slightly outside their glove shoulder. This will then create the angle toward the ground ball.

In summarizing angles, it is very important that infielders find a way to create angles to ground balls. When they can do this on a consistent basis, infielders will find their "flow" and "transition to throw" improves in addition to their ability to read hops. We all should know that reading the best hop to field the ball is a by-product of how we create the angle to the ball.

Rick Johnston

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