In outer space.

PART ONE

Outfielders have to have speed, a strong arm, good hands - and live in a constant state of readiness 

Although a nine-inning game may involve anywhere from 250 to 300 pitches and/or potential plays, the outcome may very well be decided by just three or four pitches (or plays).

Unlike the infielders who set up fairly close to one another and do a lot of communicating between pitches, the outfielders are far removed from the action and have to work harder to keep focused on every pitch.

To become a great outfielder, a player must want to play defense. He must understand that preventing runs on defense is as important as driving them in on offense, and that he will have to work as hard with the glove as he does with the bat.

Good outfielders are never stationary. They react to every swing and every movement by the opponents, and they are always thinking and always in the right position, whether backing up a play or aligning in the right spot for the particular hitter.

They run at top speed on and off the field on every play, and they are always aware of the score, inning, outs, count, and situation.

POSITION ADJUSTMENTS

Outfielders also understand that they have to play to the pitcher first, as the location of the pitch and the hitter's tendencies are the critical factors in determining how to set up.

With two strikes on the hitter, the outfielder must move more toward the opposite-field side and shorten up his positioning.

The conditions will also play a role in the positioning: how long is the grass? how strong is the wind? where is the sun? All these things must be assessed before the game, as well as the warning track, background, ground rules.

The ideal time for this is during pregame batting practice, where the fielders play the ball live off the bat. If there is no pregame batting practice, the outfielders will have to check the field before pregame infield.

Getting a jump on the ball is critical. The chief determinants are sound (bat-ball impact) and the bat angle, but the bottom line is total focus on the pitch. Though an outfielder cannot stay 100% focused out there in the field, once the pitcher goes into his motion, he must move into his defensive circle of concentration.

The center fielder can follow the pitch and read the bat angle or the hitter's body position. The off-outfielders, unless playing the gaps, have to focus on the strike-zone area in front of home plate in order to read the bat and body angle.

The infielders can be a big help by relaying the pitches and pick-offs to the outfielders. This has to be done subtly to avoid tipping off the pitches to the offense.

The outfielders must also understand that the hitters will pull the ball more when ahead in the count and that the low pitch will be pulled more often than the high pitch.

PREPITCH STANCE

The outfielder's prepitch stance is much like the infielder's stance. He must keep his hands up like a boxer's, with his feet modestly spread, maybe shoulder-width or a little less, and shoulders square to home plate.

Since a body at rest tends to stay at rest and a body in motion tends to stay in motion, the outfielder should adopt some kind of movement routine - learn to creep up a bit on the pitch and make an intelligent guess about where the ball is going to be hit, maybe even move a bit in that direction.

Prepitch anticipation, based on the pitcher, hitter, score, count, etc., will prepare the outfielder to make a positive first step upon ball-bat contact.

Young outfielders intent on getting a good jump tend to break on the pitch before seeing where it is hit. This produces a lot of false first steps.

While an outfielder can lean or start moving on (1) the flight of the pitch, (2) how the hitter's body stays closed or opens up, and (3) the hitter's bat angle, he cannot choose an angle or depth for his first step until the ball is actually hit. The sound of the contact, the force of the swing, and the trajectory of the ball leaving the bat must all be factored into the angle of the first step.

The outfielder should use the bill of his cap as a reference point. If the ball rises above the bill, he must go back on the ball. If the ball stays below the bill, he must stand still or be ready to charge a low liner. When in doubt, he must go sideways on his glove side, facing away from home plate.

Hard-hit balls right at the corner fielder call for a quick jump turn toward the glove-hand side. This will put him in a neutral position that will enable him to move in or back with equal facility.

On hard-hit balls to the left or right fielder, the fielder must jump-turn to face the foul line.

Balls hit to the right or left (not back) can be accessed with a lead or cross-over step. The key is to hustle to the ball and loaf under it. It is much like the fast-slow-fast action of an infielder approaching a ground ball.

If the ball is hit back to the right or left, the outfielder should drop-step with the foot closer to the ball, then take a deep step back with the other foot. The step must be deep enough to take the fielder directly back to the anticipated landing spot.

The fielder should avoid taking an overly flat "L" route to the ball, as this will force him to run a longer distance to the ball.

On a ball hit straight over his head, the right-handed fielder should drop-step with the right foot and step straight back with the left foot and look for the ball over the right shoulder.

This technique allows for a positive first step to the ball on the glove (left) side and keeps the ball far enough away from the body to be reached with an extension of the glove. It also allows the player to run straight (rather than sideways) to the ball.

The exception to this rule would be the left or right fielder, who must always drop-step with the foot closer to the foul line on balls hit straight at them, since bails hit right at the corner outfielders will curve toward the foul line.

On all fly balls (with no one on base), the outfielder must try to get behind the ball and play through it - catching the ball over the throwing shoulder with the momentum going through the ball.

After catching the ball, the outfielder must get rid of it quickly. On extra-base hits and balls caroming off a fence, he must throw with only a lead step - no crow-hop. He must get the ball to the relay man as soon as he can.

In catching fly ball while going away from the infield, the outfielder should jump-pivot and get rid of the ball while in mid-air, especially on an extra-base hit. He must again get the ball to the relay man as fast as he can.

Third-base coaches will usually hold up the runner at second whenever the relay man has the ball in his hand. They will advance the runner whenever the outfielder still has the ball or the ball is in flight.

Outfield Correction: Outfielders who misplay a fly ball may find themselves facing one side of the field while the ball is behind them on the other side.

Imagine a left fielder chasing after a fly ball. He is facing the foul line, but the ball is in the air behind him. Rather than turning to his left (toward the infield) and adjusting to the ball, he can turn to his right (away from the infield) to line up his head and body with the ball. It is a quicker and smoother way to run down the ball.

It is much like a defensive back who gets beaten by a receiver. Instead of crossing his feet and turning toward the quarterback, he just rotates his head and adjusts to the other side.

THE CAPTAIN

The center fielder is the captain of the outfield. He has a priority on all balls he can reach. But he must exercise judgment. He doesn't want to take a fly ball on the run while another outfielder is already camped underneath it.

The center fielder is expected to make certain the left and right fielders are properly positioned and that they adjust whenever necessary. Whenever he decides to change his basic positioning, he should take the off-fielder with him. For example, if he decides to play a right-handed hitter more toward right center, he should move the left fielder more into the gap in left field.

COMMUNICATION

On balls hit over an outfielder's head, the off-fielder can direct his teammate's flight, relieving him of the necessity to look at the ball while running. The off-fielder can yell "Run, run, run!" or "Look!" as the outfielder runs down the ball.

The off outfielder can also monitor fly balls that are putting the chasers on a collision course with a fence. Since most warning tracks are too small (or nonexistent), we use a verbal signal - 3, 2, and 1. "3" tells the fielder he's 20 feet from the fence; "2" tells him he's 15 feet away; and "1" tells him he's 10 feet away.

This verbal system enables the outfielder to run hard until he hears "1." Most teams will call "You're all right! You're all right!" and "Fence, fence!" just before the fielder hits the fence. That kind of signal will work only until the inevitable accident occurs. From then on, no one is going to trust the signal, and the fielders may begin shying away from the fence.

Coaching point in going after a ball nearing a fence: Get to the fence, feel for it with your throwing hand or glove, then work off the fence. On balls hit to the right or left of the fence, go right for the fence, then run parallel to it avoiding a collision.

On balls hit over the outfielder's head that he cannot reach, he can try to deceive the runners on base by putting his glove up as if he were going to catch the ball. This will often freeze the baserunner or make him tentative about advancing.

For example, with a runner on second base and the outfielder chasing a ball in the alley, he can, by putting his glove up as if to catch the ball, dupe the runner into going back and tagging up - forcing him to hold up at third after seeing the ball hit the ground.

The outfielder can also deke the runner on fly balls he has to come in on. By waving his hands and calling for the ball, he can, at best, make the runner hold up or retreat, or maybe even get him on a force play. At worst, he can keep the runner from taking an extra base.

Note: Make sure the verbal deke call is different from the one used in catching the ball. This will encourage other defensive players, usually infielders, to go hard for the ball without fear of being run into.

On fly balls between outfielders and infielders that the infielder knows he can reach, the infielder should be taught to wave his hands overhead and call for the ball. If the outfielder has not called for the ball or knows that he will have to make the catch on the run, he should peel off (at the infielder's call) and let the infielder catch the ball, even though he's drifting back to make the catch.

This will eliminate the possibility of a collision or an Alphone-Gaston routine, where you have both players pulling up and letting the ball drop.

If the outfielder can catch the ball while standing still, he will be expected to call off the drifting infielder. If the latter is camped under the ball, we don't want the outfielder to call him off the ball.