Practice #11--On the run

Running the bases might be the most elementary part of playing baseball. It doesn't require the hand-eye coordination of hitting, or the physical strength of throwing. Sit a non-baseball fan down to watch a game and running the bases is likely to be the one part of the game they think they could step on the field and do without much training. How simple does it look? Even Johnson-Lambe doesn't sell any equipment to make someone a better baserunner.

But as the Mudcats have seen through the first two games of the regular season, good baserunning often makes the difference between a two-run inning and a five-run inning. Here's the tricky part: it's largely instincts that makes a good baserunner. And there's very few ways to train those instincts other than putting players in game situations and forcing them to react. You're on first base, there are fewer than two outs, the ball is hit in the air and you just have to immediately know to take a couple steps and watch the ball before deciding whether to dash for second or head back to first. In that same way, when the scoreboard flips to two outs, it has to be second nature to sprint as soon as the ball is hit, whether it's in the air or on the ground.

Coach Mike and Coach Jim will always be on the bases, of course, ready to shout instructions as soon as the ball is in play (if the runners can hear Coach Mike's quiet tone over the gentle whisper of the pines). But the difference between waiting to hear their instructions and knowing the play as soon as the ball hits the bat is often worth at least one extra base. This is where you can see one of the most noticeable differences between the youngest Mudcats and the more experienced players. The veterans have been in these situations before, and they know when to round the bag and when to slide in and be content with just one base. At this level, aggressive baserunning usually pays off--but intelligent aggressive baserunning almost always pays off.

That's why a significant portion of Sunday afternoon's practice was devoted to baserunning. The Mudcats were split into two groups. While one group went through infield drills with Coach Andrew, the other group spent time in the outfield running through a variety of game simulations both as baserunners and as fielders. For outfielders, the goal was simple: get the ball to the cutoff man and back into the infield to allow an infielder to call time. For runners, it was more complicated, as they practiced learning how to evaluate whether a ball in the air would likely be caught or would safely drop and when to hustle to the next base when the ball was on the ground.

After an hour on the field, the Mudcats spent the next hour in the batting cage, going from tee to soft toss to the cage, where Coach Andrew's supply of bubblegum once again took a serious beating from his hitters peppering the back net of the cage.

The Mudcats return to game action Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. (pregame at 4:30) against the undefeated Bees, one of just three teams in the Minor League without a loss. And since Sunday's practice ended a little early, here's some more baseball reading to get you through the day--an interesting look at the way the Little League World Series tries to balance what's best for the kids with what has rapidly become a money-making enterprise.