Fly Ball Pecking Order

The Twins got swept by the Royals in this week's battle for first place in the American League Central.  The three game series had been hyped ahead of time as the most important June series the Twins would have played in the last half dozen years.  The series proved at least one thing: The Royals clearly have better personnel from top to bottom than the Twins.  The Royals have better starting pitching, and the best bullpen in the Major Leagues.  As for the eight "position" regular starters (nine if you count designated hitter), there are only two places where the Minnesota player is superior to his KC counterpart:  Brian Dozier over Omar Infante at second base, and Torii Hunter over Alex Rios in right field.  (Yes, I would rather have Eric Hosmer than St. Joe at first base.)

I took Momma Cuan to the game last night, a 7-2 loss, and our home town heroes committed three errors.  They are officially in a June swoon, having lost five of their last six, all at home.  The Twins' record for June so far is 3-7, and in two of those wins (the two against Boston last week) the Twins' victories came in spite of their sloppy play.  Thankfully, the Red Sox played worse.

A play occurred in last Friday's humiliation at the hands of Milwaukee which is emblematic of the Twins' fielding woes.  It was the first game of a three game series between the (then) first place Twins and last place Brewers at Target Field.  With two out and the Twins trailing by just a single run, the Twins let an eighth inning popup in front of the plate fall unattended to the ground while an insurance run scored.  The Twins never recovered, and the Brew Crew cruised from that point forward to a five run victory.

How could this incompetence occur?  The combined salaries of the pitcher, the catcher and the first and third basemen (i.e., the four fielders closest to the ball) is approximately $35 million per year.  Isn't Terry Ryan paying them enough dough to catch an easy popup?  Isn't this stuff covered in spring training, if not Little League?

The next day I was strolling down Nicollet Mall when several people, who had obviously watched the Twinks' Bad News Bears performance the previous night, came up to me and asked what the protocol was for fielding fly balls.  I was wearing a big hat with "Self-Proclaimed Baseball Guru" across the front, so maybe that's why they singled me out.  I referred them to my blog, and promised to address this weighty matter within a few days.  Those few days are up, so here goes.  What follows are the almost universally held rules for catching a fly ball before it hits the ground.

Think of a baseball diamond as separated into four distinct zones.  The rules for catching a fly ball change, depending on which of those zones is the landing area of the ball.  There are, however, at least two rules that are static regardless of the relevant zone.  First, no one should call for a ball until it has reached its apex in flight.  (Exception: line drives.) Second, don't call for a ball which clearly should be fielded by a teammate.  For example, if the third baseman is camped under the descending ball, the shortstop should not call him off.

ZONE A - Medium To Deep Outfield

1. There is only one player who always has first dibs, and that is the center fielder.  If a corner outfielder is called off by the center fielder, the former must give way to the latter.  The center fielder is the boss, even if the right fielder is an eighteen year veteran like Torii Hunter and the center fielder is someone like Aaron Hicks who has spent much of the last few years in the minors. 

ZONE B - Beyond The Infield Skin

2. What if there is a shallow outfield fly which could be caught by an infielder, most likely the shortstop or the second baseman?  Here is the rule: If an outfielder calls off an infielder, the infielder must get out of the way and let the outfielder do his job.  The two main reasons are (i) it is generally easier to catch a ball while running in than to catch a ball running out, and (ii) if a throw is required, such as on a potential sacrifice fly, a fielder running in can get more on his throw than a fielder who is back-peddling.

3. If a ball is hit behind first or third base either in foul territory or close to the foul line, it is preferable to have the middle infielder call off the corner infielder.  The middle infielder usually will have a better angle on the ball, even though he has to run farther to get to it.  Also, middle infielders generally are more athletic, faster, and better fielders than corner infielders.  Here is a rule of thumb: If the corner infielder has to turn his back to the plate in order to reach the ball, he should give way to the middle infielder who calls for it.

ZONE C - Beyond The Mound

4. Zone C is the part of the diamond, fair or foul, which is past the pitcher's mound but not past the infield skin.  This situation calls for the shortstop to take charge.  He should either call for the ball or yell for one of the other infielders -- not the pitcher -- to take it.  The pitcher is the least desirable player to field a popup because he has to deal with getting off the mound -- a sometimes difficult task given his follow-through -- and, honestly, does not practice that part of his game.  He is being paid to pitch, not catch popups.  Just like the center fielder is the boss of the outfield, the shortstop is the boss of the infield, unless Rule # 5 applies.

ZONE D - In Front Of The Mound

5. Ideally, the pitcher should take charge if the ball is in front of him.  That means he should designate one of his teammates, not himself, to catch the popup.  This identification process entails keeping a couple of things in mind.  First, the catcher should only catch a popup if he is clearly able to do so much more easily than his teammates.  A catcher has to come out of his crouch, locate the ball, ditch his mask in the opposite direction, run with all sorts of equipment attached to his body, and use a mitt with a smaller pocket than his teammates.  Also, high fouls near the plate tend to backspin more than other popups.  No, the catcher should not be the preferred option if a teammate is close at hand.  So that leaves the choice between the third baseman and the first baseman.  The latter is using what is creatively referred to a "first baseman's glove."  (It used to be called a "trapper's mitt.")  All other things, such as distance to reach the ball, being equal, the first baseman should be the first option in Zone D.

That's it, five easy rules.  You will note that no one player has to know all five, and for most fielders only two of the rules pertain to their positions.  C'mon guys, don't give away outs!  By the way, the fifth paragraph of this post might be pure poppycock, but the rest is nothin' but the truth.