The 1.5Baseman
Anyone who was paying any attention to me at firstbase a couple of weeks ago (probably no one) would have noticed that I play WAY off the line- almost halfway to second base. I try to place myself at the end of the second baseman's range and consider any ball hit to my right to be the his play. I also "lean on" or anticipate the ball hit to my left which allows me to adequitely defend the line. I do this because I don't want to have to move to my right to defend any balls, knowing that my foremost responsibility is covering firstbase (which is to my left) for the throw. As it is obviously harder to change directions than it is to run in one direction, I like to position myself in such a way that I never have to (attempt to)field a ball hit to my right, and then change directions and sprint back to cover first base. From where I set up on the field, the entirety of my "territory" or defensive zone is to my left, which means that I will never have to move right and then switch directions.
The exception to this rule is the 3-6-1 double play ball hit between me and the second baseman. On this ball, my momentum (from moving to my right to field the ball) will make for an easier throw to second, but note that I still won't have to double back (which as stated before, is my main concern) as in this situation it is the pitcher's job to cover firstbase.
The Basics
Ok, so now that I've gotten my personal heresy and conjecture out of the way, we can move on to the way "the experts" say to play first base.
The most common mistake I see our firstbasemen make is holding the bag on a misthown ball and watching as the ball rolls past them or sails over their head. A few times I've seen Anthony do a great job of coming off the bag to field the bad throw and then going for the tag to get the out. Firstbasemen have to remember that a throw that goes over your head is an automatic base. It's much better to come off the bag and not get the out than it is to insist on staying on the bag, not get the out and allow all the runners to move up 90 feet. You have to be able to judge the ball as it approaches and make the decision whether it will be high or off target, if it is- abandon the base and concentrate on keeping the ball in front of you.
The Bag
On any ball hit on the ground (with the exception of the ball hit to the first baseman) the first baseman should sprint to first base, plant his foot on the edge of the bag (a lot easier with 3-dimentional bases, but you get the idea) put his glove out and look for the throw. The foot on the bag should never move unless the throw is off target (think of the way you plant your back foot in the batter's box) as moving your back foot is an easy way to lose track of the base which may allow the batter to reach. With our flat bases, there really is no "edge" so the rule should be that the inside half of the base belongs to the fielder and the outside half (toward foul territory) belongs to the runner. A lot of times there will be collisions or crushed toes if either the first baseman or the hitter (or both) try to control too much of the base.
The Stretch
This one's simple, but often overlooked. DON'T STRETCH UNTIL THE BALL IS IN THE AIR. If you stretch for the ball before you know exactly where it's going you can take yourself out of position. It will make it much harder for you to field a throw that is basically on target, but doesn't go exactly where you expect. Don't stretch until the ball is in the air and you can accurately judge where it will be.
When stretching remember not to move your back leg, but to move your front leg and glove hand (both are left for right handed throwers and right for left handed throwers) as far as you can (hence the term "stretch") so you catch the ball as early as possible. The quality of a stretch can easily be the difference between an infield hit and a ground out.
The Scoop
The hardest throw to field for a first baseman is the one that bounces right as it gets to you. There are two ways to increase your chances of fielding this ball cleanly.
The easier way is to shorten your stretch and catch the ball as it bounces up. This is generally effective, but every now and then the ball will skid or take a bad bounce, which could lead to the ball getting past you.
I prefer to hold my position and widen my glove as much I can, listening and feeling for the ball to hit it, and then close on the ball (much like fielding a batted ground ball). Remember to let the ball come to you and not to swipe at it, i.e. keep your body still as the ball approaches. Not only does swiping at the ball make it harder to catch it, but it also makes in easier for the ball to pop out at the top of your swipe.
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Yup. I'm the bomb. I left out the section about warming up the infield, because I feel like that's pretty self explanitory, but I still feel like there may be something else I'm forgetting about. Feel free to comment, add or subtract as you see fit.
Next week: The Hot Corner: Where the real ballers play
