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Why is there such a problem for big league players throwing the ball back to the infield? I am talking about when there is a runner(s) on and the outfielder needs to get the ball back in.
I see bad throws all the time. In today’s game Carlson’s throw to Gorman got away from Gorman and De La Cruz was then able to come home and score.
I watch a ton of games – Cardinal games, Reds games, and late games from the West Coast. I just don’t understand why this is such a problem for major league caliber players.
r/Esteemed Rat
I hadn’t noticed an increase in throwing E’s by OF’ers, but when an OF’er misses a cut-off or throws to the wrong base it has a strong tendency to not only stand out as an overt mistake, but also to affect the score.
They don’t necessarily go for errors. But if you watch enough games and pay attention to this, and the folks running the cameras cooperate, you will see it. Short hops, over-throws, throws that are way off the mark, etc, etc.
Yeah, it got sloppy for a minute today and like you pointed out, the throwing E-9 cost them. Ironically, Carlson was placed in RF as a D replacement…Haha!
And I don’t there’s any question that there’s the genuine possibility that the quality of play has been negatively affected by several factors such as expansion, big money, the DH, numerous rule changes, interleague play, odd scheduling etc.
Edit…I neglected to mention MLB’s loyal and devoted support of legalized gambling…Haha!
Well in general they are taught to quickly get the ball in to hopefully the right position. That of itself freezes most runners. Of course if the ball gets away, a smart runner will take advantage
Good point, Rat. Even in Little League we were coached to always hit the cutoff man. And the cutoff man needs to be in position too. It seems even major leaguers don’t practice this basic skill. Many think they have stronger arms than they actually do, and others seem not to be aware of the play that’s developing on the field. Trying to throw home from the outfield when a runner is approaching second base is usually foolish, but seems to happen all the time for example. Would be interesting to hear the coaching staff talk about how (or if?) they practice relay throws from the outfield.
It’s been two weeks since I started this thread. And in those two weeks I don’t know how many times I’ve seen this same thing happen. Again and again. It’s amazing to me how many times the ball gets thrown away either by the outfielder or an infielder making a relay.
It happened in St. Louis the other night when Gorman’s throw to Arenado at 3rd hit the runner and the 4th runner scored for the little league homerun.
I just keep seeing this – over and over.
I’m not sure Gorman’s throw was a good example. He’s not an outfielder. He was the relay. And the throw looked good but hit the sliding runner. Ideally you don’t hit the runner, but since he’s sliding into the base you are throwing at, it can happen pretty easily.
“Even in Little League we were coached to always hit the cutoff man. “
This takes me back to my own little league days – 1966 at a Braves-Phillies game in Atlanta. My mom was from Georgia and every few years we would go down there to visit. The first year the Braves were in the south my dad and uncle took me and my cousin to a game.
Richie (later “Dick”) Allen was playing left field that night for Philadelphia, and my dad pointed out how he was never hitting the cutoff man. Former Cardinal Dick Groat was playing short, and he would go out for the cutoff on hits to left and Allen constantly heaved the ball over him.
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