Catching the Routine Pop Fly.

Most dropped fly balls are due to errors of omission rather than commission

TOP OF THE NINTH inning, bases loaded, two out, and the home team leading by a run.

The pitcher winds up. He delivers. The batter swings. It's a pop up.

The shortstop waves his arms, moves two steps to his right, and makes the catch. The winners slap high fives and head for the locker room. Another day. Another dollar. That's the way it goes on a routine fly ball.

Nobody wants to think of the possibilities: two or three players going after a pop fly and then allowing the ball to drop to the ground. Or colliding as they get to the ball, with no one making the catch and one or two of them requiring medical attention.

These mishaps are not usually caused by a mechanical problem or poor fundamentals. The mistake is more an error of omission than commission -- a failure to understand the priorities involved in the catching of the ball. Call it a failure to communicate.

What can the coach do to alleviate these problems?

Who Calls for Pop-Ups?

Obviously, you have to start with the organization of a good set of the practice procedures and techniques involved in running down the ball, calling for it, and actually making the catch.

Whenever a pop fly goes up, it seems that everyone in the ballpark will yell advice to the fielders. It can be very disconcerting. For example, on a pop-up between the left fielder and center fielder, it really doesn't make sense for the catcher to start yelling at the top of his voice for Tom, Dick, or Harry to make the catch.

Neither should the head coach in the dugout get involved. It's not their call. It's the involved players who should make the decision because they are in the best position to do so.

Only they should be allowed to make the call. Everyone else should remain quiet -- initially anyway.

Once the outfielder calls for the ball, it will be okay for the other guys to reinforce his call. To repeat: The initial decision and call must be confined to the player in the best position to make the catch.

When Do You Call?

The players in the best position to make the catch should wait until the ball is on its way down. It's absolutely foolish to call for the ball on its way up. A lot of those "I have it! No, you take it!" problems can be avoided by waiting until the ball has reached its highest peak before deciding who is in the best position to make the catch.

Probably the most common mistake is calling for the ball too quickly. Teaching the players to be patient and to wait until the ball starts coming down to make the call will go a long way toward improving your proficiency in handling the play.

Call With Authority

The player in the best position to make the catch should call for the ball with authority. Again, the "I have it, no, you take it" call that causes so much trouble (and injuries) is often the result of tentative calls.

We once had an outfielder who would call for fly balls the loudest and the longest of anyone in the ballpark, but only on routine fly balls that only he could catch. On balls on which a decision had to be made, he would never say a word.

He was the #1 cause of dropped fly balls and bad collisions because of his reluctance to make a decision when it was needed.

If the #1 problem is calling for the ball too quickly, the #2 problem has to be calling for it in a tentative manner.

Big-League Pitchers?

One of the unwritten rules of baseball is that "Pop-ups near the mound should be taken by an infielder." This precept makes a lot of sense in professional baseball simply because pitchers do not play every day and their defensive skills are suspect.

Whenever the pitcher is in position to make the catch, a highly skilled defensive pitcher (such as Greg Maddux) may take charge of the low pop-up he can easily get under. That makes more sense than having him force some infielder to come running in at full speed to make the catch.

Youth-League Pitchers?

In youth baseball, where the pitcher may be a full-time position player on the days he is not pitching and where he may well be the best athlete on the team, it makes sense to allow him to catch all pop-ups in his area.

Coaches must be aware that a pitcher coming off the mound onto flat ground to make the catch, especially on a pop-up behind the mound, could put the play at risk.

Coaching point: If you're going to allow (and encourage) the pitcher to catch pop-ups in his area, you will have to drill him on the skill the way you do with your infielders, outfielders, and catchers.

What About Catchers?

Some catchers are so good on pop flies, especially behind the plate, that you may occasionally see major league infielders defer to them on a pop-up.

Coaches must also understand that catchers are not always skilled at this play and have the added disadvantage of having to use a catcher's mitt for the catch.

Adding to the problem is the fact that a pop-up near the plate will always curve toward the mound as it comes down, which means the catcher will often have to chase a ball curving away from him, whereas the infielder has the ball coming in to him.

Catchers & Infielders

For the same reasons stated above, most coaches prefer their first baseman or third baseman, rather than catcher, to take pop-ups down the foul lines. Remember, the catcher is going out after the ball while the first or third baseman is coming in, and that the infielder's glove is more suitable than the catcher's mitt to catch fly balls.

Catchers and infielders have to team up on pop-ups near the stands to avoid colliding with the stands or backstop or falling into the dugout. The catcher, third baseman, and first baseman should learn to play the fence like an outfielder looking up at the ball, then glancing at the stands, backstop, or dugout to get an idea how close he is and then looking back up to find the ball and make the catch.

It is very important for the infielder/catcher to run hard toward the stands and then slow down and get his body under control as he nears the barrier. A player who starts after the ball at half-speed may still be running at half-speed when he reaches the stands. By starting at full-speed, he'll be able to slow down and put himself under control by the time he reaches the stands/backstop/dugout.

Just as outfielders help each other out as they near the fence to make the catch, the corner infielders and the catcher should shout a warning to their teammate as he goes for a pop-fly near the stands.

For example, on a pop-up near the stands that can be caught by the catcher, either the first or third baseman (depending on the direction of the ball) can move toward the barrier to get a good angle and then shout to the catcher to let him know how much room he has to make the catch.

The infielder cannot do this from a normal defensive position. He has to move over to get a good angle on the play. Check Diag. 1. If possible, the catcher may also move over to get a good angle and make a call on a pop-up to the first or third baseman.

The catcher cannot do this with a runner on third and less than two out because he has to stay at the plate in case the runner tries to score after the catch.

In any other situation, the catcher can help the corner infielders as they near the fence or dugout by moving over to get a good angle on the play. Check Diag. 2. The commands should be "Plenty of room! Fence! or No!" depending on how close the infielder is to the stands/dugout/backstop.

A good example of the way the priority list works would be on the short pop-up down the right-field line or which the right fielder, second baseman, and first baseman all have a chance to make the play. The right fielder would have the first priority (better "fly-catcher" and a better angle to the ball), the second baseman would be next (for the same reasons), and the first baseman would be the last in the priority list. Check Diag. 3.

Infielders & Outfielders

Professional baseball infielders must become highly skilled at going back on short pop flies since the outfielders have to play quite deep to protect against long fly balls in the outfield.

On the younger levels, the outfielders do not play as deep and are thus more likely to catch short fly balls in the in-between areas. This is a good-news, bad-news situation because the outfielders have a better chance to get the short pop fly, but are more at risk from a collision with an infielder.

Short fly balls should be caught by the outfielders, if possible, as they are coming in for the ball, can see it better, and have a much easier play than the infielder who is going back and must often make the play over the shoulder, which is difficult at best.

However, the infielder cannot assume that the outfielder is going to get to the ball until he calls for it! The infielder should go back without calling for the ball until he knows he can get it. He should then call for it by turning around, waving his arms to attract the outfielders, and alert everyone by yelling that he can make the catch.

It is very important for the infielder to have the correct mindset: "Any short fly ball behind the infield belongs to me," and go after it with determination.

Once the outfielder calls for the ball, the infielder must swerve off to one side to avoid a collision. He should not simply stop when he hears the call, since he and the outfielder are both running at the same angle on a collision course.

If the call is made too late for the infielder to swerve, he should slide or dive to the ground to minimize the danger of collision.

Be Consistent in Calling for Ball

Teams use various words or phrases to call for the ball, ranging from the grammatically correct "I have it!" to the more common "I got it!" or "Ball!" or "Me!" or whatever.

We actually heard a team yell "Bonzo!" to indicate a catch. Why "Bonzo!" Because "it's distinctive."

We prefer "Mine!" for the catch and "Take it!" for the response. They both sound completely different, are short, and (according to psychologists) very possessive words.

The "Priority List"

In addition to teaching players how to catch pop flies and how to practice the skill, coaches should develop a priority list based on the skill levels of the players and the angles of pursuit.

You obviously want to give preference to the players with the best catching skills and the best angle on the ball.

By posting the list in a prominent place in the dugout and referring to it often in practice drills, you can increase the players' confidence in their skills and minimize dropped balls and collisions.

The list will generally place outfielders first, then the catcher, and then the pitcher. On some teams, the individual differences in the skill may warrant a slight change in the order -- placing the right fielder above the left fielder or the first baseman above the third baseman. But the changes will not violate the basic idea of giving the most skilled player priority over the lesser-skilled player and the player with the best angle for the ball the priority over the player with the poorer angle.

The same holds true (to some extent) with the third baseman and the first baseman, since they normally do not compete for a pop fly unless it is near the mound.

The pitcher is listed last because he is not in the lineup every day and also because his most important skill is throwing rather than catching.

On some teams, particularly on the lower levels, the pitcher could be the best athlete on the team, and the coach may choose to tell him to catch everything he can reach.

Further Explanation

The outfielders are listed first because they are supposed to be the best fly-catchers on the team, just as the infielders are supposed to be the best ground-ball fielders and the center fielder is placed in the top position because he is the best flycatcher on the team.

The No. 2 and No. 3 spots will often vary widely because of the wide difference in age and skill levels between the left fielder and the right fielder.

In major league ball, the second best outfielder is often placed in right field, especially if he has a stronger arm than the third outfielder. Right field requires the stronger arm because of the vital (and longer) throw to third base on singles with a runner on first.

Actually, right field and left field have no meaningful significance on the priority list since the two players involved never compete for a fly ball.

The shortstop is generally the best infielder on the team and if his fly-catching skills are as good as his ground-ball catching skills, he should top the infielders on the priority list.

If, for example, a shortstop is not as skilled as the second baseman or third baseman in catching pop-ups, the list should be changed to reflect this fact.

The most important thing is for the list to reflect the fly catching skills of your players. Once this list is established, it is up to the coach to sell the players on the importance of understanding the list and why it is organized the way it is, then practice the use of the priority list in drills and games to perfect its execution and eliminate (or at least minimize) the mishandling of pop fly balls.

Suggested Priority List

* Center Fielder

* Left Fielder

* Right Fielder

* Shortstop

* Second Baseman

* Third Baseman

* First Baseman

* Catcher

* Pitcher