Looking for thoughts/strategies. My DD is 12U. I'm an assistant coach, curious what everyone's take is on outfield. Do you play them deep/shallow? When do you have them shift in/out/left/right? I'm good on the backing up the throw aspect of outfield. We have our girls moving around every batter, but the higher caliber teams we play have their outfield deep and rarely move. For this thread, let's just assume our outfield talent is average ability to slightly above. No elite talent out there.
Outfield strategy
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- Sep 29, 2014
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Well like any good coach IMO this is going to mean in game adjustments. You also need to train your girls to do the same, 12U is past time to be picking daisies out there.
As a general rule look at the batter; its still 12U so you could have a 4 1/2 ft 70lbs 10 year old up there...as a general rule I'm not playing 180 ft deep when she is batting 8th in the line up now on the other hand when the 5 1/2 ft 130 lbs 13 yr old girl steps up batting clean up then maybe yeah im playing back at 180 ft. You gotta be paying attention and keeping score clearly showing spray chart type info. Then after first time through you need to adjust. I would start with 3 basic depths (deep, neutral and up) and a 3 position shift (neutral and slightly or very left or right). But as the default no I'm not playing deep maybe 3,4 and 5 hitters but that is it without more information.
I actually had an outfield and infield asst coach and this was my outfield coaches responsibility during the games to position the girls but the bigger part was to teach them to actually watch game and remember things on their own once they get out of the the ball is never coming to me mentality to the what I do as far as positioning and back up responsibilities could be the difference between winning and losing they actually do pick up things faster. As many others have said put a girl who has played nothing but infield out in the outfield at advanced 14U/16U and they will have two reactions. First I can't believe you are sticking me in the outfield (that's beneath me) a couple games later their reaction will be...this is hard work.
As a general rule look at the batter; its still 12U so you could have a 4 1/2 ft 70lbs 10 year old up there...as a general rule I'm not playing 180 ft deep when she is batting 8th in the line up now on the other hand when the 5 1/2 ft 130 lbs 13 yr old girl steps up batting clean up then maybe yeah im playing back at 180 ft. You gotta be paying attention and keeping score clearly showing spray chart type info. Then after first time through you need to adjust. I would start with 3 basic depths (deep, neutral and up) and a 3 position shift (neutral and slightly or very left or right). But as the default no I'm not playing deep maybe 3,4 and 5 hitters but that is it without more information.
I actually had an outfield and infield asst coach and this was my outfield coaches responsibility during the games to position the girls but the bigger part was to teach them to actually watch game and remember things on their own once they get out of the the ball is never coming to me mentality to the what I do as far as positioning and back up responsibilities could be the difference between winning and losing they actually do pick up things faster. As many others have said put a girl who has played nothing but infield out in the outfield at advanced 14U/16U and they will have two reactions. First I can't believe you are sticking me in the outfield (that's beneath me) a couple games later their reaction will be...this is hard work.
- Apr 28, 2019
- 1,423
- 83
In the OF the idea is to keep everything in front of you. 1st step is always back then read & react.
I like to play my outfield according to the batters being faced and pitches being thrown to location and speed.
The conventional wisdom has kind of shifted over the past few years. It used to be your contact/speed hitters were at the top of the order followed by your power hitters and then your hitters that make less contact with less speed/experience.
Now you want your three best hitters at the top of the order so they get an extra at bat or two during the game. More of a shift to a power game than a contact move em along approach.
As an example RHP with above average velocity you want your best OF in RF & CF. With good speed batters are more likely to be late to the ball and the right side of the IF/OF should have a busy game.
If your facing a slower/off-speed pitcher it’s more likely the left side of your IF/OF will be busy.
Having said that I would play my OF deep 1-6 and bring them in 7-9.
Other than depth the OF positioning should be based on pitch selection.
I want my OFs to play how I like to play: Make them hit it over my head, then back up next time. Hitters have to earn my respect.
Nothing (OK, many things) drives me crazier than a decent contact team hitting bloop singles all day long. But if a girl gets into one and sends it to the gap? Fine. Good for her. I'll remember that next time.
Of course game situation may dictate different positioning, but I tend to want my OFs playing a bit closer than I think other coaches would prefer.
Nothing (OK, many things) drives me crazier than a decent contact team hitting bloop singles all day long. But if a girl gets into one and sends it to the gap? Fine. Good for her. I'll remember that next time.
Of course game situation may dictate different positioning, but I tend to want my OFs playing a bit closer than I think other coaches would prefer.
I constantly felt (at 10U) that our outfielders played too deep. Seems that so many bloopers and soft line drives could have been caught had we played more shallow. Like CoachJD says above, if they crush one to the fence good on them, take your double/triple. That happened (in 10U) less than once per tournament.
- Jun 8, 2016
- 16,118
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Coaches sometimes compensate for not teaching their kids how to go back on balls by having them play 20 feet too deep..then they complain that balls are dropping in front of them..
That's my general thinking as well. Feel like we can catch 5 bloopers for every rocket hit to gap.
sjw62000
just cleaning the dugout
Concur with all above. Also, my OF's mantra is "let your eyes tell your feet what to do." I'm not a big fan of "first step is always back" after 10U, by 12U OF has to understand their role and know that it's a lot of work. Last cliché: "errors in the infield cost bases, errors in the outfield cost runs."
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