The two greatest times of year to watch baseball:
- The MLB AllStar Game
- The Playoffs/World Series.
This is when the game’s best are on display. The networks do a great job of slowing play down, showing slow motion videos and giving expert analysis (most of the time). If as a player you want to see how the best in the game do it, pay attention. You can learn a lot.
Below are a few examples of what you can be looking for when watching the World Series at each position. Pick your primary position(s) and watch how that particular player plays on defense/offense. If your cable has the capabilities, you can see a lot of this in one pitch/play. Here is the hard part, compare that to how you do it.
Baseball Homework
Pick something you want to learn more about and focus on that. You have at least four games to do it, possibly seven. See the motion you are trying to get better at and replicate it, slowly at first, then speed it up. Get the feel for it. You do not need a live ball to do this.
Extra Credit
Tell your parents what you learned. Discuss it with them. Show them. Tell your siblings what you learned. Discuss it with them. Show them. Tell me what you learned. Discuss it with me. Show your coaches. Tell us (@baseball_zone on twitter - Extra, Extra Credit!).
Hitting
How the hitter gets in the box
Positioning in the box
Stance
Posture
Grip
Hands
Head
Rhythm
Stride
Load
Hands again
Timing
Firm frontside
Contact position
Extension
Follow through
Balance
Getting the barrel to the ball
Tip: Do not watch the pitcher or the ball, focus on what the hitter is doing only.
Pitching
Wind up/set position
What part of the rubber
Ball/hand movement in glove (can determine pitch)
Ball in hand (can determine pitch)
Ball into glove (can determine pitch)
Hiding the ball
Grip
Rockback step
Leg lift
Initial stride direction
Hand break
Front hip
Stride
Arm slot
Glove hand/lead arm
Follow through
Balance
Backing up
Covering 1st
Bunt plays
Covering home
Tip: One of the easiest defensive (offensive?) positions to watch because you get to see every rep.
Outfield
Ready position
Set up for standard basehit
Angle on liners/basehits
Set up for making a throw on a fly ball
Crow hop
Recognizing trajectory/speed of hit
Hitting cut off man
Backing up
Shielding the sun (may be N/A for World Series, all night games)
Playing the spin of the ball
Tip: Watch their footwork, glove/throwing hand work and angles of attack.
Infield
Ready position
Creep step
Angle of attack
Reading the hop
Last 2 steps before catching grounder
Glove position at catch
Body position at catch
Body movement after catch
Footwork
Follow through
Balance
Footwork around their respective bases
Underhand flips
Covering bases on tag plays
Throwing to different bases
Alignment for cut off plays
Rundowns
Pop ups
Creating throwing lanes
Tip: Infielders have lots of responsibilities, especially middle infielders. Watch how they field a grounder, throw, how they play the game and their positioning.
Catching
Receiving position with no one on
Receiving position with two strikes and/or a man on base
Plate and pitch positioning
Giving a target with the glove
Receiving pitches
Framing pitches
Talking to umpires
Throws back to the pitcher
Throws to bases
Footwork
Blocking balls
Blocking the plate
Pop ups
Tip: Pay attention to how they receive pitches, block pitches and their stance in each situation. Secondly, watch their footwork when they throw to bases on steals.