Scouting for Baseball Base Coaching

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Adrian Arceo and now we're going to get into a little bit of scouting. Now, one of the main jobs a first or third base coach has to do before, during and after the game is scouting. Now, three of the main things a first or third base coach has to consider are the field, the other teams capabilities and the weather on that day. For one thing you have to consider the field itself, for example: is it a big ballpark, a little ballpark, all these things are going to play into your decision as to whether or not to send your runner. Now, for ballparks, one of the things you want to consider is actually the cut of the grass. If you have high grass, tall grass, the balls going to die out a lot more, so you may want to hold your runners up. Also, the amount of foul territory is important. Another thing you have to scout, is actually the arms of the other players. As a first or third base coach your main responsibility is to help your guy advance to the next base. So, the one thing you want to pay particular attention to, is who has the strongest arm in the outfield, infield and if the catcher has a good arm also; because that's really pretty much going to make or break your decision whether to send your guy to the next base or to hold him here. Another thing you also have to consider is basically the weather and the atmosphere. For one thing, the wind is very important as it can blow from right to left, left to right and cause balls to curve and swerve and may actually lead to extra bases. The next thing is actually the position of the sun, is the sun going to be in somebody's eyes, do you see a lot of guys hesitating before they catch balls in the outfield. All this stuff can lead to errors and you have to make sure that your runner knows, that he can head on to the next base. And these are some of the key things to consider when coaching first or third base."