Using cut off for HS age?

[ChrisSB]

I am curious on what the current thinking is on using cut offs when outfielders get to the age where they have a strong enough arm to make an accurate throw to home when there's a potential for a play at the plate? Should an outfielder still have to hit a cut off (which seems like it takes more time) when she has the strength and the skill set to make the throw directly home?

 

[Northball]

I am curious on what the current thinking is on using cut offs when outfielders get to the age where they have a strong enough arm to make an accurate throw to home when there's a potential for a play at the plate? Should an outfielder still have to hit a cut off (which seems like it takes more time) when she has the strength and the skill set to make the throw directly home?

Even in college they use cuts, but many times it's to make a play on a trailing runner when there isn't a chance to get the lead. Depending what level of HS your fielders are at, they may have a strong arm and an accurate throw in practice, but put them in the rushed situation of a game with a ball hit to the gap that stops at the fence, the rate of cutting down runners at home by the outfielder is not that high.
Our problem is our home field is 230' and we don't have THAT good of athletes. Our cut-offs have to get out farther than normal on deep balls.

 

[Strike2]

Are you talking about an infield cutoff in/near the circle (pitcher or 1B), or a relay on a deep OF hit (2B or SS)?

The throw should go where it needs to go. If the throw should go Home and the OF is close enough to throw directly there, they should do it. However, the throw should be low enough that the middle-infield cut can stop it and go for the trailing runner, if the catcher calls for that. If the OF is at the fence when they throw, not many can throw it all the way Home on a line. In that situation, a relay throw to the 2B/SS is the right thing to do.

 

[quincy]

From about 10U DD could throw a strike from the fence. Annoyed some of her coached that she ignored the cutoff person sometimes.

The player needs to be confident of an out if she makes those throws. Safer decision is to hit cutoff person.

 

[Westwind]

From about 10U DD could throw a strike from the fence. Annoyed some of her coached that she ignored the cutoff person sometimes.

The player needs to be confident of an out if she makes those throws. Safer decision is to hit cutoff person.

Older dd was a center fielder. She would lasers to third every so often if a runner got to second and no play. I asked her why. “So they know not to run on me”. I miss seeing that kid play!

 

[_MIA_]

Bo don’t Know Cutoffs

 

[Orange Socks]

9 of 10 times you should hit the cut off rather than throw home. I got so tired of seeing the trail runner sitting on 2nd after an outfield single. We would have had a better chance at getting the runner out trying to get to 2nd than getting the out at home.

I loved seeing the CF overthrow the catcher or 15' off line because the coach never corrected them on hitting the cutoff. Other players were too scared to say something. Everyone in stands and the other fielders could see it, but for some reason the OF and coach couldn't.

If you have a cannon and it's accurate more times than not, go for it depending on the situation, but 90% of the time you should hit the cut off.

 

[CoachCeetar]

9 of 10 times you should hit the cut off rather than throw home. I got so tired of seeing the trail runner sitting on 2nd after an outfield single. We would have had a better chance at getting the runner out trying to get to 2nd than getting the out at home.

I loved seeing the CF overthrow the catcher or 15' off line because the coach never corrected them on hitting the cutoff. Other players were too scared to say something. Everyone in stands and the other fielders could see it, but for some reason the OF and coach couldn't.

If you have a cannon and it's accurate more times than not, go for it depending on the situation, but 90% of the time you should hit the cut off.

Probably even more than that, unless your cutoff can't catch/throw. The ball arrives faster with two hard-straight 100ft throws than 1 arcing 200ft throw.

It might lead to less immediate outs because that runner maybe doesn't go if you hit the cutoff. So I could see maybe justifying that throw if the runner is a winning run and the trail runner doesn't really matter, and there are less than two outs, but that's maybe it.

 

[_MIA_]

This isn't hard..throw it through the cutoff's head and let the catcher/etc decide whether it should be cut or not.

 

[Orange Socks]

This isn't hard..throw it through the cutoff's head and let the catcher/etc decide whether it should be cut or not.

There have been times when the cutoff should NOT have made the cut, but those are far and few between.