20 Strategic Baseball thoughts for successful team play.

1. Pitching. When using two pitchers, start with your weakest pitcher and close with a stronger one. Weak middle relief is better than a weak starter or a weak closer when using three pitchers.

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2. Be intelligently aggressive on the bases even if you are down a few runs. If the opponent is susceptible to giving up the extra base, take it. A passive team must string together multiple hits, walks, and opponent errors to score runs.

3. There are reasons to bunt, steal, hit, and run, suicide squeeze, etc. Knowing the proper situation for each is more important. Then try to show spectators, other coaches, and players that you have them in your offensive arsenal.

4. Teaching your team situational baseball by drilling and demonstrating in practice, along with post game conversations, gives the team opportunities to grasp the important concepts. It is not what the coach knows but what the players know and can execute that leads to game day success.

5. Positive coaching will carry a team further than negative coaching. Positive strokes keep the lines of communication open. Negative comments shut down the listening power of most players.

6. Taking pitches for the purpose of reaching base safely may work early in the season but seldom works late in the season. Hitters who are constantly behind in the count are usually unproductive. A hitter who studies the pitcher and knows the type of pitch and the location he is looking for can be consistently successful.

Ted Williams once said, "The most important thing in hitting is getting a good pitch to hit."

For most hitters, the fastball is the preferred pitch to hit. It is easier to time and has the least amount of movement. The best way to hit the curve ball is by not missing the fast ball. Hitters who are ready to swing but can also wait for the right pitch to hit, have a good mental approach. Intelligent, aggressive hitters have the best chance for success.

7. Offensively, runners on first should set up the defense for an easy force or the double play.

Teams score runs by getting runners to second and third. Looking for pitches in the dirt, stealing, drag bunting, and the hit and run put pressure on the defense and can advance runners.

8. Players should run every batted ball out at top speed. Lack of hustle should be rewarded with a seat on the bench. The coach that is consistent with this rule can expect to have a hustling team.

9. Physical errors are a part of the game. Mental errors, however, must be recorded and pointed out to the team the day after the game. This is done not to belittle the player involved, but to provide a teaching moment. Keep a ledger of situational plays in games and practice. Those situations that are poorly executed should be practiced more frequently.

10. Strikeouts are the death of offenses. Most high school hitters should cut down on their swing with two strikes. Good teams strikeout less than three times a game and should have more bases on balls than strikeouts during a season.

11. Runners on second with no outs must be moved over to third. Hitters should be taught to look for a pitch that is conducive to achieving that goal. Ground balls to the right side, a deep fly ball, a sacrifice bunt, or a drag bunt are all good methods.

12. A hit and run calls for the hitter to hit a ground ball. Know your players and their abilities in handling the bat. A low ball pitcher who is around the strike zone consistently provides the best opportunity for the hit and run.

Teaching the inside out swing to a good low ball, right-handed hitter provides a player in the lineup who can produce in that situation. The lefty who can pull the ground ball between first and second is a good hit and run player as well.

13. Stealing is an art that must be practiced. Opportunities in practice should include reading the right-hander's heels, looking for other movements that might give away his pick-off move or move to the plate (the raising or lowering of his chin, the amount of time he holds onto the ball in the set position, his shoulder movement, open or closed) which can provide the runner with valuable timing information.

Read the left-hander's head movement: Is he looking at the runner or looking toward the plate? Watch his back shoulder when throwing to first, the front foot, and crossing the plane of the rubber.)

Knowing the speed of the runners and comparing their time with the pitcher's move to the plate and the catcher's throw to the base is helpful when deciding whether a runner has a chance to steal a base.

14. A good time to run is when a curve ball or change up is expected; usually, a favorable count for the pitcher is 0-1, 1-2, etc. Run after a team has just made a bad play or a big offensive play has occurred. It often catches the opponent off guard and deflates them further.

15. Run in the lefties face; it unnerves them. Also, jab-step back to first when not running; it gives the pitcher a false sense of security. Plus it keeps your weak base runners from possibly being picked off.

16. Use the delayed steal when the following applies: the second baseman and shortstop do not move toward second after every pitch and are not in double play depth, or the catcher continually goes to his knees. Even below average runners can be successful with the delayed steal.

17. Offensive and defensive signals should be reviewed with the entire team before every game. Keep signs simple but be aware of the danger in the other team picking them up.

18. Develop players who can drag and push bunt. The number 1, 2, 6, 7, and 9 batters in the order should be able to drag. Drag when the defense (1st and 3rd basemen are) playing back, with a runner on second and no outs, runner on first who runs well and the third basemen charges (the runner on first may end up on third), and a favorite a runner on third and two outs (the thirds baseman is usually playing back and is unsuspecting).

Anytime you need a base runner and this is a high percentage for success.

Push bunt against lefties, slow moving pitchers and first basemen. When the second baseman is playing toward the middle of the field.

19. Pitchers with good mechanics throw ground balls that can result in double plays. A team needs to work on perfecting both.

20. A defensive team must get outs other than fielding batted balls. Pick-offs and decoy plays should be a part of your arsenal.

By Steve Cramblitt, Head Baseball Coach

Juan Diego Catholic High School, Draper, UT