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Step 1
Watch baseball on television. It takes time to appreciate the subtleties. Broadcasts almost always have color commentators who explain what is going on, and with instant replay, the action can be repeated as an illustration.
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Step 2
Read a book about baseball. There are a number of excellent books that detail strategy, idioms and how baseball philosophy has changed over time.
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Step 3
Watch the way the defense changes its positioning for each batter. This is determined by the probability of where a batter is likely to hit a ball against a given pitcher. For example, if a right-handed batter is a "pull hitter" against a fastball pitcher, the third baseman will play closer to the foul line and the shortstop will play closer to the third baseman.
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Step 4
Pay attention to the way batters are pitched. If the catcher continually sets up inside, close to the batter, then the batter probably does not hit inside pitches well. If the batter hits a 480-foot home run, see if on his next turn at bat the catcher sets up the same way or not. (It's possible that the home run pitch was supposed to be an inside pitch but was not quite inside far enough.)
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Step 5
See if the infield "draws in." For example, the third baseman and the first baseman move to the infield grass, closer to home plate, for a batter known to bunt. Conversely, if a batter is known to have power, see how deep the outfielders play. If an outfielder buys a bleacher seat, it's a pretty good sign the batter hits with power.
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Step 6
Watch to see how a team defenses a player who is known to steal bases. The pitcher may try to pick him off or the catcher may call for a pitchout, a pitch that is outside and will be called a ball but is easier to catch and throw in an attempt to catch the runner stealing.
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Step 7
Develop an understanding for all the possible ways a defense can change in particular circumstances. Some examples are when a batter is trying to sacrifice a runner to second, in a tight game when the defensive team tries to prevent a runner on third base from scoring on a routine ground ball, and with a slow-moving hitter up with a runner on first and one out.
