2B...From Kids to the NFBC
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2020 7:38 am
PART 1
When I was a kid, I would climb up on my Schwinn with the baseball cards in the spokes and head off to the sandlot to play in a pickup game. As I was riding with the motorcycle sound (or so I thought in my mind) buzzing in my head from the baseball cards, glove stuck on my handlebar, and bat in my hand, I always hoped for a lot of kids to be there.
If there were a lot of kids there, we could play a regular baseball game. If only four or five, we would play 'workups' or '500'.
If there were around 10 kids, we could have a game, but anything hut on the right side of second base would be an out.
Who knew that we were ahead of the times with a self-imposed shift!
When progressing to organized ball like Little League and school baseball, the right side was treated similarly.
It was ok to hit to right field, sure, but that was where coaches would put the worst of fielders.
First base, the place to put the 'slow, 'gangly', or otherwise uncoordinated kids that can still catch balls.
Right field, the worst fielder, period.
Second base, the kid with little or no arm.
When watching Major League Baseball at that age, I saw that Right field was not a weakness at all.
Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron playing right field was a thing of beauty.
Watching Clemente throwing to third base on a fly, incredible.
I grew up watching the Giants mostly.
They had a problem for years in that they had Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda.
Two players that are in the Hall of Fame. The trouble being, they were both slow, gangly, and sort of uncoordinated defensively.
Who's on First? became more than a comedy routine in San Francisco. For years, the Giants would stick one of them in left field. Neither had much of an arm, precluding right field.
The offense dictated this move. It's what you do when having two Hall of Fame first baseman.
Second base was also the same as our sandlots at the Major League level. Infielders without much of an arm.
Fast forward to now.
All outfielders are gauged by how they perform routes to a ball. Speed is a must in Center. An arm in Right.
The idea of McCovey or Cepeda would be like the Cubs sticking Kyle Schwarber in left field. So it still happens, just not as much.
First base is still the slow, not-as-athletic guy.
Second base?
Ah, second base.
Have you noticed second base?
Second base has changed a lot.
It started with the shifts.
Big left handed hitters get up and all the fielders flood the right side.
Some teams used their third baseman or shortstop in short right field because they had the better arms.
THAT started something.
Edit- To change the title...
When I was a kid, I would climb up on my Schwinn with the baseball cards in the spokes and head off to the sandlot to play in a pickup game. As I was riding with the motorcycle sound (or so I thought in my mind) buzzing in my head from the baseball cards, glove stuck on my handlebar, and bat in my hand, I always hoped for a lot of kids to be there.
If there were a lot of kids there, we could play a regular baseball game. If only four or five, we would play 'workups' or '500'.
If there were around 10 kids, we could have a game, but anything hut on the right side of second base would be an out.
Who knew that we were ahead of the times with a self-imposed shift!
When progressing to organized ball like Little League and school baseball, the right side was treated similarly.
It was ok to hit to right field, sure, but that was where coaches would put the worst of fielders.
First base, the place to put the 'slow, 'gangly', or otherwise uncoordinated kids that can still catch balls.
Right field, the worst fielder, period.
Second base, the kid with little or no arm.
When watching Major League Baseball at that age, I saw that Right field was not a weakness at all.
Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron playing right field was a thing of beauty.
Watching Clemente throwing to third base on a fly, incredible.
I grew up watching the Giants mostly.
They had a problem for years in that they had Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda.
Two players that are in the Hall of Fame. The trouble being, they were both slow, gangly, and sort of uncoordinated defensively.
Who's on First? became more than a comedy routine in San Francisco. For years, the Giants would stick one of them in left field. Neither had much of an arm, precluding right field.
The offense dictated this move. It's what you do when having two Hall of Fame first baseman.
Second base was also the same as our sandlots at the Major League level. Infielders without much of an arm.
Fast forward to now.
All outfielders are gauged by how they perform routes to a ball. Speed is a must in Center. An arm in Right.
The idea of McCovey or Cepeda would be like the Cubs sticking Kyle Schwarber in left field. So it still happens, just not as much.
First base is still the slow, not-as-athletic guy.
Second base?
Ah, second base.
Have you noticed second base?
Second base has changed a lot.
It started with the shifts.
Big left handed hitters get up and all the fielders flood the right side.
Some teams used their third baseman or shortstop in short right field because they had the better arms.
THAT started something.
Edit- To change the title...