Advanced Base Running

Basic Base Running

Basic base running is pretty simple and anyone who has played for very long understands how to run the bases.  We have been taught since the earliest playing age to "watch the coach, not the ball" and how to run through first base or "turn and look".  I will not spend much time talking about basics here, but there are a couple of things that I see not routinely done that are a part of basic base running.

The principles that I see most often not employed especially in younger leagues where they are allowed (9U/10U, etc.) are below:

• Take every base you can get - hustle to first and you may be able to get two on a wild pitch for a walk.  Look for opportunities to take an extra base - no station to station baseball.  We have drills in practice specifically working on taking every base you can get so that is second nature to runners during a game.
• Never turn your back on a live ball - even to talk/listen to your coach.  If the ball is still in play the base runner should be watching the ball to prevent a pick-off.  This is especially important in the younger age groups where children are taught to look at their parent when they are talking to them.  Those rules are different in baseball and they need to learn that.
• You don't have to return to the base after every pitch.  Many times a runner can steal a base on an overthrow if they still have a reasonable lead-off when the ball is thrown back to the pitcher from the catcher.  See the above principle, though, if you are off the base, you are in jeopardy of being thrown out if you are not paying attention.

In this post I will provide some of the more nuanced base running techniques which can help take your base running to the next level.

Leadoffs

Lead-offs have a several purposes.  First, it gets them closer to the next base so that when a ball is put into play or a runner is trying to steal a base, there is less ground to cover to get to the next base.  Second, a runner with a sizable lead will help take the pitcher's focus off the batter possibly making him a bit less accurate - especially if he is really annoyed by the base runner.  Third, it keeps the defensive player close to the base opening up bigger holes through the infield to allow more chances for a base hit.

Different coaches will have slightly different approaches to taking the lead off at first, I will discuss here the way I coach it.

Because of the discussion above about never taking your eye off a live ball, I never want a player to turn his back on the ball or get his feet into a situation where they can get "tied up".  This means to take a lead off (from any base) I want them to stand facing the pitcher and then take sideways steps, not allowing the feet to cross.  It's like skipping sideways - the right foot goes out first with the toes pointed at the pitcher, then the left foot moves up against the right foot and that is repeated until the desired distance is achieved.

I have seen a number of different stances from runners - some will lean back toward the base with their arm extended toward the base.  Some will lean toward second, especially if they are going to try to steal (catchers love to see this - for more information see my blog post on Catcher Techniques).  Some will just start walking toward second during the delivery.

I coach my players to maintain balance with their feet spread a little wider than shoulder width apart, both hands up and out over their feet, their shoulders equally balanced between their knees.  This achieves several goals.  First, it makes sure they are able to get back to first or break toward second without getting their feet tied up regardless of what the pitcher does.  Second, it doesn't telegraph to the pitcher and/or catcher that they are going to steal or not.  Third, it keeps them facing the ball and focused on the game.

One other thing that affects the leadoff is the location of the defensive player.  If the defensive player is not holding on the runner, the runner can take a lead at least as far out as the defensive player is playing, he just needs to be able to make it back to the base first for a pick-off attempt.

Leading off from first base

Some players are faster than others and can get a slightly bigger or smaller lead, but three large side steps is normally a distance that any runner can get back to first base on a pick-off attempt.  A pick-off from a left-handed pitcher is easier to first than for a right handed pitcher, so how daring a runner is in taking his lead is influenced to some degree by the pitcher's left or right handedness.

If the runner is a step or two toward the outfield from the base that can make it easier to get to the back corner without being tagged, but if he is too deep (toward the outfield) he is just giving himself more distance to cover to get safely to second base.  Jack in the picture on the right shows us the way.

Leading off from second base

Lead-offs from second and first are pretty similar, but lead-offs from second are normally one or two steps further than from first.  This is because it takes more time for a pitcher to spin around and make the throw to second, so the runner has more time to get back.  Also, because most pitchers are not as comfortable picking off to second, most will not attempt it unless the runner has an extraordinarily large lead.

Don't let this further distance fool you into thinking you can swipe third, though, the throw from home to third is a lot shorter than the throw from home to second.  If a runner is not being held on, though and can get a lead half way to third, a fast runner can normally take third before even a catcher with a good arm can get the ball down there.

Leading off from third base

Leading off from third is a bit different because the runner is leading off down the base line.  Lead-offs down the third base line should always be outside of the baseline as Caleb demonstrates.  This is because if a well hit ball makes contact with the runner who is in bounds, the runner is out, the ball is dead, and the batter gets first base.  If the runner is out of bounds, however, it is a foul and the ball is dead.  If you're going to be hit by a batted ball, it's best to not add insult to injury and also get out.

When returning to the base after a pitch, the third base runner should come back to the base in bounds to make the throw from the catcher more difficult.  By NFHS rules, a third base defensive player must have both feet in bounds.  This means they are normally on the in bounds side of 3rd base when the ball is pitched and a throw from a catcher to the out-of-bounds side will be more difficult potentially causing the catcher to attempt to throw the ball over the base runner's head (and thus potentially into left field) and the runner could at least partially obstruct the vision of the 3rd base player trying to make a play on the ball.  A ball thrown into left field is an easy score.

Sliding into a base

The vast majority of time I see a runner slide into a base at all age groups I see them sliding directly at the center of the base.  Many times this has them sliding directly into a tag for an out.  The rules say the runner has a distance of three feet on either side of the base line in which they can run.  Interestingly, the base line is not a straight line between two bases.  The base line is the line any reasonable runner would take between two bases and when running hard around second, that line could be eight or ten feet deeper than a straight line between second and third base.

This means the runner does not have to run directly toward the base and slide directly to the middle of the base.  They can slide to either side of the base as much as an arms length away and then reach out with their hand and touch the bag.  This has been the cause of much angst amongst our opponents over the years because on a ball that clearly beats the runner to the base the runner is called safe because the defensive player catches the ball and applies the tag to the middle of the base at the ground, but our runner was well to the outfield side of the base and sticking his hand in safely to avoid the tag.  Aidan gives a great example of this technique below.

In this photo we see the pitcher applying the tag where he thinks the runner should be, but Caleb slides right by him to the outside and reaches his hand out to grab the plate for the score!

Please note that my players never slide in head first, there are too many opportunities for injury.  As you can see in the sequence below, the runner still slides feet first, but he slides later than he normally would when sliding directly into the base and slides to the outside of the bag reaching his hand in to avoid the tag.

Pick-off Attempts

The stepping-off fallacy

I have seen many coaches and even some umpires say that a pitcher must step off the rubber before they can attempt a pick-off or it is a balk.  As a result,  many coaches teach their players to watch the back foot (foot in contact with the rubber).  In fact, the pitcher need not disengage with the rubber before attempting a pick-off (if you don't believe me, google it).  There are a number of rules concerning pick-offs, but no rules under MLB or NFHS require a pitcher to disengage (step off) before attempting a pick-off.

What the rules do say, however, is that if the pitcher does not disengage from the rubber, they must deliver the ball in whichever direction the front foot moves.  This means if the pitcher does not step off and steps toward home plate he must deliver the ball to home plate, if he steps toward first then he must deliver the ball to first and he cannot fake a throw (other than to second, see below).

The question then becomes: define "step toward first".  The answer to that question is geometry.  There is an imaginary line from the pitcher's rubber directly to home plate and another directly toward first base.  Exactly in the center of these two lines is another imaginary line 45 degrees between home and first base (where that 45 degree point actually is is a judgement call by the umpire).  If the pitcher's front foot moves toward the first base side of that 45 degree line he must deliver the ball to first, and if it moves to the home plate side then he must deliver the ball home.

I say "moves toward" because a pitcher is not allowed to lean one direction and throw another.   This means he is not allow to initially lean toward home and then step to the first base side of that 45 degree line to make the throw.  It is a balk if, in the judgement of the umpire, the foot moves in the direction of anywhere to the home plate side of that line and the ball is not delivered to home plate regardless of where the foot ultimately lands.

Another interesting aspect of the balk rules is the "feign to third, throw to first" rule.  This has been illegal in MLB for quite some time now, but NFHS rules still allow it with the caveat that if the pitcher does not step off the rubber and they feign to third, they must deliver the ball to first.  They cannot feign to third and then feign to first - that would be a balk.  If the pitcher steps off the rubber, though, they are an infielder and not a pitcher and they can do whatever rules allow for normal infielders (including feigning a throw).

In all leagues, a pitcher is allowed to feign a throw to second base without disengaging the rubber.

One last nuance is the "jump throw" where both feet leave the ground at the same time.  In all leagues, this is a legal move with the same rules applying for feigning a throw.  This means that rather than step directly stepping toward a base to make a throw (without disengaging the rubber), a pitcher can jump in the air with both feet at the same time and turn in the air to make a throw.  This is much more common for throws to second base and is legal.  If, however, the front foot leaves the ground first and then the back foot leaves the ground, this is not a jump step and the ball must be delivered based on the same rules as a normal throw without disengaging the rubber.

Getting back

The last aspect of good base running technique I wanted to cover is getting back to a base on a pick-off attempt.  The runner getting back to the base should be far enough off the base that a dive back to the base is required.  If the runner can just walk back to the base standing up, as a general rule their lead is not big enough.  When diving back to the base, the runner should attempt to get his hand to the back corner of the base - the back corner being the corner as far away from the baseball as possible.

So for a runner on first base, they want to jump to the side of the plate furthest away from home plate such that when the ball is thrown the defensive player must field the ball and move the glove as far as possible before being able to make a tag.  A base is 15 inches square and a runner diving to the back side of the base is requiring the defensive player to catch the ball and move the glove sometimes 15 inches or more in order to make the tag for an out.  Make him earn it by diving to the back side of the base and making it as hard on him as possible as Court demonstrates below.

The Squeeze Play

One great way to score a run is a good execution of the squeeze play.  This takes coordination between the batter and the runner at third base.  The squeeze play is only a valid option with less than two outs, less than two strikes, a runner on third, and a good bunter up to bat.  I normally only use it if I need a single run to either tie or win the game, but if it is executed correctly it is nearly impossible to defend.

To execute the squeeze, the batter squares around early to bunt letting everyone in the park know they are going to bunt (they are not trying to get on base, they are trying to sacrifice themselves to win the game).  Normally, when the batter squares to bunt, the corner infielders will come way in to field the bunt.  The third base runner can get as big a lead as the third baseman gets away from third base.  The third base coach must be vigilant to watch for the wheel play used to defend against a bunt where the short stop comes over to cover third base when the third baseman moves up to field the bunt.  If the third base runner is too far off the base and the wheel play is in effect, he can be easily picked off by the pitcher throwing the ball to the short stop who is covering third base.

Assuming the short stop is not covering third, and the third baseman is moved way in to field the bunt, the runner can  move up even with the third baseman (sometimes as far as half way home).

There are two types of squeeze play, the safety squeeze and the suicide squeeze.  In a safety squeeze, the runner waits to make sure the batter gets the bunt down and then as soon as contact is made, he takes off for home as fast as he can go hoping to be able to make it to the plate before the ball can be fielded and thrown to the catcher for the out.  Ideally, the batter puts the ball down the third base line so that there is a runner between the fielder and the catcher making the throw more difficult (making sure to stay in the running lane so they aren't called out for interfering with the play).

In the suicide squeeze, the runner doesn't wait for contact.  He assumes the batter will make contact.  For this reason, this should only be attempted with a good bunter at the plate.  Importantly, the batter MUST make contact with the ball no matter what.  If they do not make contact on a ball which is catchable by the catcher, the runner will be out because all the catcher needs to do is catch the ball and apply the tag - the runner is committed either way.  If the batter makes contact with the ball and bunts it in fair territory the play is almost impossible to defend.  The runner from third will be heading home with a full head of steam before the batter makes contact with the ball and often will often touch home plate before the ball is even fielded.  If it's the bottom of the last inning and the score is tied, this is a game winner as long as the bunter puts the ball in play, it's fair, and is not a pop-up for a double play which would be the worst case scenario.

Conclusion

Good base running skills are vital to playing competitive baseball and using good base running techniques can maximize your chances of scoring when a ball is put into play.  It is often said that the team that does the basics the best will usually win and doing these things well will result in fewer outs and more opportunities to score.

This post is illuminated by the amazing camera work of Andrea Wlazlowski who is responsible for all of the photos in this post.

Catcher Technique - Part 2

Setting Up and Pitch Selection

I find it amazing how many coaches at all levels of youth baseball do not allow their catchers and pitchers to call the pitches they throw.  Based on my experience I would estimate that something like 40% of coaches in the age groups where pitchers throw anything other than a four seam fastball (12U - 14U) call all pitches.

The coach will normally sit on a bucket outside the dugout facing the catcher and will put down signs between his knees which the catcher sees and then relays to the pitcher.  The pitcher does not have the option to change the pitch, he throws what the coach tells him to throw.

In my opinion, this does a huge disservice to the pitcher and the catcher who never learn how to make these decisions for themselves and are thus not prepared for High School ball (and later) where they will be required to understand what pitches to throw in what situations and why.

A huge part of developing pitchers and catchers is helping them to understand when to throw what pitches and why.  This post will discuss the thought process that goes through the mind of the catcher and pitcher when deciding what pitch to call through or throw and also how the catcher will setup behind the plate to receive the pitch depending on the pitch and game situation.

The Most Important Pitch in Baseball (the importance of the count)

There is an old adage: What is the most important pitch in baseball?  Strike one!

 It is important to start out ahead in the count and have the batter playing catch-up.  The chances of striking a batter goes up dramatically when the pitcher is ahead in the count.

According to studies, in American League plate appearances between 2015 and 2017, the average on base percentage (OBP) for all batters was .352.  When the count goes to 0-1, that OBP drops to .332, that's a 20 point drop in chances of getting on base just by establishing strike 1.

With a count of 0-2, that OBP drops to .165.

Interestingly, the OBP does not change appreciably with a 1-0 count, or a 2-0 count, but the OBP goes up to .944 with a 3-0 count.  That OBP stays very high when the count goes to 3-1 (.689) and even 3-2 (.450).  This means it is very important to stay out of 3 ball counts.

Conversely, once 2 strikes have been established, the OBP stays below .200 regardless of the number of balls until it gets to a full count at which time the OBP goes up to .450.

These statistics should inform the pitcher and catcher with regards to how to setup and pitch to the batter based on the count.

Setting up for the Pitch

 The diagram above illustrates the 9 quadrants of the strike zone and the locations where you would like for most pitches to cross the plate.  For an in-depth discussion of the strike zone see The Strike Zone.

The "center square" is the hot zone for every batter on the planet.  This is where batting practice is pitched and where the batter has the highest chance of crushing the ball.  In most fastball situations, throwing the ball in this spot should be avoided at all costs.

The ideal place to locate a pitch is on any of the four corners with as little of the ball touching the corner as possible.  These are the most difficult locations for a batter to make good contact.

When deciding to set up the batter inside or outside, the catcher will look at the location of the batter with respect to the plate.  If the batter is crowding the plate, a great place to set them up is on the inside corner.  It is very difficult to hit a ball three inches from your knee on the inside corner and it is very satisfying for the catcher and pitcher to see a batter jump back to keep from getting hit with the ball and hear the umpire call a strike.

If the batter is standing away from the plate, set him up on the outside corner.  It is also very difficult to hit a ball off the tip of the bat down at the knees.  Batters will swear a ball at the knees on the outside corner is a ball, but that's just because they are standing too far away from the plate.

Adjusting for the Count

When the ball count is getting higher (2 balls or more), the catcher would do well to try to make it easier on the pitcher by bringing the glove more into the center of the box, but staying at either the very top of the zone or the bottom of the zone.  These locations are also very difficult for the batter to hit and if contact is made, it will rarely be a solid hit.  Even if contact is made, pitches at the top of the zone are typically a pop-up and pitches at the bottom of the zone are typically a ground-out.

Adjusting for the Pitcher

If a pitcher is struggling to find the strike zone or if the batter is known to be a weaker hitter, the catcher can setup closer to the middle of the vertical plane of the strike zone, but on the inside or outside edges.  This will provide more opportunities for a swing and miss or a weakly hit ball.

Mostpitchers will be less accurate with pitches other than the fastball.  For this reason, when calling for a curveball, slider, changeup, etc., the catcher will normally setup the batter directly in the center square.  This is less risky for those pitches because the effort to get a strike on the batter is from the misdirection (different speed, ball movement, etc.) and not location.

I always know when my catcher has called for a breaking or other off speed pitch because he is setup right in the center square.

Adjusting for the Batter

Another exception to this "center square rule" is with a particularly weak batter and a particularly fast pitcher.  I have heard many people say "you've got 2 strikes and no balls, this next pitch shouldn't be anywhere near the strike zone".  On a particularly bad hitter this may work, but a pitcher only has so many pitches in his arm and a ball that is nowhere near the strike zone will not likely entice a swing and is just a waste of one of those pitches.

If the batter is known to be a weak hitter and is consistently behind a fast pitcher (or shying away from the ball), the catcher may choose to just call for the fastball closer to the center square to get the batter out and get on to the next batter.  I would rather use that saved pitch on another batter with my ace on the mound than waste one and have to pull him one pitch earlier.

Changing the Eye Level

Another effective way to strike out a batter is to "change the eye level".  For example, if the first two pitches were strikes at the bottom of the zone, the batter is most likely looking for a third in that same spot or something off speed.

Setting up the batter at the very top of (and even slightly out of) the strike zone can get a batter swinging wildly and up at a pitch were they know they have to swing at "anything close".  It is extremely hard to hit a high fastball and is even more difficult when every pitch up to that point has been at the bottom of the zone.

Once again, this is a good way to get a K without having to waste any pitches and have to pull your pitcher earlier because of a high pitch count.

Helping a Brother Out

One other thing that affects where the catcher will setup a pitcher is how a pitcher may be struggling that day.

Sometimes, a pitcher will come into the game and is consistently killing worms (everything he throws is in the dirt) and he can't seem to bring it up to the bottom of the strike zone.  The responsibility of the catcher is to recognize this and start setting him up higher so that those low pitches start catching the zone.

Normally, as the game progresses and the pitcher starts to get in to a rhythm he will start dialing it in and the catcher can move back to a more conventional setup, but when a catcher notices that a pitcher is consistently missing high or low or in some specific location he can help him dial it in by adjusting the setup location accordingly.

Of course, this only works if the pitcher is actually throwing at the glove and has not just lost so much confidence that they are just aiming for the center of the strike zone on every pitch regardless of where the glove is set.  If this is the case, it's time to call a timeout and change the pitcher.

Pitch Selection

There are many things that go into deciding what pitch to throw at any given time including:

• Pitches a pitcher knows how to throw
• Confidence of a pitcher in a given pitch
• Skill level of the batter they are facing
• Presence of base runners
• Count

There are no hard and fast rules about what pitch to throw when.  In fact, it can be very helpful to throw a certain pitch where it isn't expected (like throwing a curve with 3 balls) if it can be effectively executed.  Having said that, however, there are some guidelines that I use for my team.

First, don't fall into a rut where you always throw the same pitches in the same situations so the batter can anticipate what you will throw.  You gotta keep 'em guessin'.

Also, as noted above, the first thing to consider when choosing a what pitch to throw is the count.  The count will dictate the pitch to a large degree.

Go-to Pitches

With three balls you will almost always want to throw the pitch in which the pitcher has the most confidence.  This should be the fastball.  It could be the 4 seamer or 2 seamer - but is normally the 4 seamer.  If a pitcher can't reliably throw a 4 seam fastball for strikes it should be considered if they should be pitching at all at any age.

Auxiliary Pitches

A pitcher will gain confidence throwing pitches they are just learning to throw if they can throw some during a game.  When a pitcher is up 2 strikes and no balls (or even just 1 ball) and there are no runners on base, it can be a good time to try out some of the auxiliary pitches.

As these pitches become more and more reliable they can be used more and more often in a game.  The pitcher and catcher should always be aware of where the pitcher is confidence-wise with every pitch in his arsenal so that they can work on it together and grow in confidence as the pitch continues to develop.

Remember the above discussion of OBP with various pitch counts?  There is not a huge difference in outcomes with an 0-2 count, or a 1-2 count, or even a 2-2 count.  That makes this the ideal time to try out those auxiliary pitches.  With younger or newer pitchers I would not go to a 2-2 count and assume they can throw 2 strikes in a row. :-)

Changing the Pace

The second pitch that every pitcher should develop is the change-up.  Pitchers can make a good living with no pitches other than a good fastball and a good change-up.  This is especially the case for younger pitchers.  If a 10 year old pitcher can throw a fastball and also a change-up for strikes they can usually dominate.  IMPORTANT: Pitchers younger than 12 - 14 should not throw a circle change - only a 3 finger change.  The forces placed on an arm from the circle change are similar to that of a curve ball and young arms are not yet well enough developed for that pitch and they are usually not disciplined to throw it correctly.  These forces can damage the growth plate and cause a lot problems for young pitchers.

The objective of the change up is for it to approach the plate 5 - 10 MPH slower than the fastball.  The change-up, however, is not effective, if the fastball is not established first.  Once the lineup has figured out the timing of the fastball, throwing a change up will have them swinging before the ball even reaches the plate.

The change-up can be used at any time during the at-bat and should not be used only with 2 strikes or at any particular count.  You don't want your opponent to be able to anticipate the change-up.  It can also be very effective as the very first pitch to a batter who has faced the pitcher before and is expecting a fastball on strike one.

I coach my pitchers that they should not throw anything other than fastball and change-up until they can reliably throw both of these for strikes.

Multiple Times Through the Lineup

It has been well documented and I have seen it myself time and again that once a batter has faced a pitcher 2 or 3 times in a game and have seen all the pitches that pitcher has to offer, their ability to figure out how to hit them improves significantly.  Players will (should) also come back to the dugout and tell their teammates what pitches they saw in that at-bat so they know what they could face when they are up.

To combat this "Third Time Through the Order Penalty" (TTTOP) many pitchers will not use all of their pitches the first time through the order - or even the second time through the order.  So, if a pitcher has a 2 seamer, 4 seamer, curve, and change-up, they may only show them the 4 seamer and change-up the first couple of times through the order and then break out the 2 seamer and curve the third time through the order.

Since most youth league players don't have that many pitches in their repertoire this does not nearly play as big a part in the game as it would for a high school, college, or pro pitchers, but the TTTOP is real enough that I will often pull a starting pitcher before they hit their pitch count if they are going through the lineup and seem to be less effective.  I can then bring in someone with different pitches or a different speed to change up what the batter is seeing.

Again, this is something that has much less bearing on most youth league games, but is real and something to be considered depending on the level of play.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the objective for the pitcher/catcher battery is to work together to try to keep the batters off balance enough that they get fewer solid hits leading to more outs and less runs scored.  The game plan for doing that will be different based on a bunch of different factors, but some principles remain the same regardless.

Hopefully, this discussion has helped to give young pitchers and catchers and less experienced coaches some idea of how the battery can work together to be a more effective team.

All Photos in this post credited to Andrea Wlazlowski  

Catcher Technique - Part 1

 Photo credit: Andrea Wlazlowski

The Fundamentals

Catcher is the most difficult position on the field to play.

The responsibility of the catcher goes way beyond just receiving pitches.  He is the on-field general of the defense and is involved in every single play.

The responsibility of the catcher includes:

• Calling the pitch based on:
• the strengths and weaknesses of the pitcher
• the way the batter is setup in the box
• batter's history of at-bats
  
• the count
• the location and speed of the base runners (if any)
• Calling for a pick-off or pitch-out when the runner has a big lead
• Appealing check swings if he thinks the batter went around
• Calling out plays on 1st and 3rd situations
• Calling the base to throw to from the outfield on a well-struck ball
• Establishing and keeping a good rapport with the umpire
• Helping dial in a struggling pitcher with pitch selection, setup position, and psychology.  A good catcher knows when to call time and go talk to his pitcher.
• Establishing confidence of the pitcher and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of all pitchers on the team

The catcher has to be tough enough to take a ball off an arm or foot, a kneecap, a thigh, or a crotch, walk it off and then get back into position to maybe take another one.

A good catcher is hard to find and understanding how to play the catcher position takes years of study, hard work, and practice.

I have found very few good tutorials or videos about playing the catcher position but have come up with some fundamentals over 17 years of coaching that I would like to share.

This is the first post of a two part series.  The first will discuss getting prepared for the game, setting up and receiving the ball, then making a throw down to catch a stealing runner or picking off a runner with too big of a lead.

Part II will discuss pitch selection and some of the more subtle nuances of playing the position.

The Strike Zone

I have been coaching baseball for 17 years and I don't think I have coached a game where an angry crowd didn't give the umpire grief over calling balls and strikes.  Most of those games also had players showing disgust over balls and strikes called by an umpire.

Based on what I have seen over literally thousands of games (including watching countless MLB and other games on TV), I think most people (and even a lot of umpires) don't really know what the strike zone is.

In this post we will define the strike zone as per MLB and NFHS rules and give some examples of what is and isn't a strike and hopefully help some coaches, fans, and players gain a bit of perspective.

“The official strike zone is the area over home plate from the midpoint between a batter's shoulders and the top of the uniform pants -- when the batter is in his stance and prepared to swing at a pitched ball -- and a point just below the kneecap. In order to get a strike call, part of the ball must cross over part of home plate while in the aforementioned area.” 

-- https://www.mlb.com/glossary/rules/strike-zone

Little League: NFHS rules are the same as MLB, but the Little League strike zone is a bit different.  According to little Little League rules:

"the STRIKE ZONE is that space over home plate which is between the batter’s armpits and the top of the knees when the batter assumes a natural stance. The umpire shall determine the strike zone according to the batter’s usual stance when that batter swings at a pitch"

-- https://www.littleleague.org/university/articles/definition-little-league-strike-zone/

Softball is the same as little league, but other than this, the same principles apply.

The difference in a ball and a strike is somewhat subjective.  For instance, where is "the midpoint between a batter's shoulders and the top of the uniform pants"? Note on the illustration above, that point is fairly arbitrary, especially if the batter's shoulders are not level with the ground (and they almost never are).

The bottom of the strike zone is equally as arbitrary.  Where is "a point just below the kneecap"?  In the illustration above taken with a camera level with the ground you can see that the area of the kneecap is different for the front and rear kneecaps because of the stance of the batter.

There is also an issue of where is that vertical zone if the batter is "waggling" (to borrow a golf term).  Some batters remain loose by bouncing up and down a bit as they wait for the ball to be pitched.  Where is "in his stance and prepared to swing" if the batter is not standing still?

The answer to all of these questions is: it is wherever the umpire says it is based on his/her interpretation of the rule and it cannot be appealed.

There are some specifics, however about how the umpire should interpret the rule.

One important aspect of the strike zone as defined by MLB is, it does not say anything about where the ball passes the batter in the horizontal plane.  By this I mean, the strike zone is not affected by the position of the batter within the batter's box - up or back in the box, crowding the plate, etc.  It doesn't matter if the batter is in the front, middle, or back of the batter's box, the strike zone is defined by the location the ball as it crosses the plate and not where the ball passes the batter.  Only the vertical aspect of the strike zone is affected by the batter and then only while in his/her stance and prepared to swing.

IMPORTANT: The term "prepared to swing" is important here.  A good indication of when MLB considers the the batter to be "prepared to swing" can be seen while watching the strike zone box that the television broadcast puts on the screen when it is showing the pitch delivery.

Often, when the batter is standing in the batter's box waiting on the pitcher to begin the pitch, you will see the box looks like it goes from the belt to the bottom of the knees.  However when the pitch is delivered and the batter begins his swing, he will bend his knees and couch down a bit as he starts to push off of his back foot and swing the bat.  This bending of the knees results in the vertical size of the strike zone shrinking to the point that the box that started out at the belt is now midway between the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants.  It is at this point that MLB considers the batter to be "prepared to swing".

NOTE: In many of the illustrations below the batter is in the box, but not "prepared to swing" as per the above definition. It is difficult to find usable pictures that depict a batter in the correct position with respect to the plate while in this position.  It does not change the point being made in the illustration.

The average Major League fastball is dropping at about 6 degrees as it crosses the plate, a curveball about 10 degrees.  When a ball is only traveling 60 MPH or less that trajectory will have a higher angle, but in youth league dimensions, the difference should be negligible.  A 60MPH fastball on the typical 12U field is equivalent to a 90MPH fastball on a major league field. The images below use the MLB average for lack of a better reference.

This batter is so far behind the plate that a strike at the knees doesn't reach him until it is a full ball width below his kneecap.  This is still a strike regardless of where it passes his body.

 

A batter with a back foot on the back line of the batters box could have a strike called if the ball is at the bottom of the knees at the front of the plate even if that ball hits the ground before it gets to the catcher.

 

Similarly, this softball player is so far in front of the plate that a ball coming in at her shoulders is still a strike if is passes the plate in the aforementioned zone.  A ball could pass her body mid-shoulder and still be a strike, especially considering a forward stride could take her even farther in front of the plate.

Albert Pujols shows us a good position with respect to the plate where the ball is hittable anywhere in the strike zone.

Important: The black area around the plate is NOT a part of the strike zone.  The definition of the strike zone above does not mention it, but the MLB and NFHS definitions of the home plate does not mention any black area and only talks about the white area.  Further, the size of the plate is defined as 17" across the top border and a total of 17" deep with the angled area beginning at 8.5 inches from the front of the plate.  If you measure the home plate at your local park you will find that adding the black area would make the plate too big.

Many times in youth league games a coach will tell a batter to move up or back in the box based on the speed of the pitches being thrown.  The coach, player, and umpire should all be aware that this does not affect where the strike zone is.

The other aspect of the stroke zone is the inside/outside aspect.

Looking at the illustration to the left shows the difference in a ball and a strike with respect to inside and outside pitches.  Both of these pitches are way too close to let go by with 2 strikes.

MLB pitchers can throw pitches which have been observed to break horizontally as far as 19 inches from release to crossing the plate.  The average is 2 - 8 inches which brings the back of the plate into play - this is the case even for a middle school pitcher with a good breaking ball.

Furthermore, if a player's toes are on the edge of the batter's box, a pitch that catches the inside corner can feel like it is way inside even if it is a strike.  Similarly, if a player is standing too far away from the plate, a ball thrown on the outside corner feels to the batter like it is way outside even though it is a strike.

For this reason, I coach my catchers to setup a player inside who is crowding the plate, and outside for a player who is way off the plate.

Both of the shown balls are too close to let go by with 2 strikes.

Now consider a ball that is thrown at the top of the strike zone and on the outside edge of the plate.  With just a few millimeters being the difference in a ball and a strike on both the horizontal and vertical planes, whether a ball "catches the corner" or not is purely a judgement call on the part of the umpire.  With no strikes, the batter will likely not get a good hit on such a pitch and if it gets called a strike the batter still has two more strikes to play with.  With two strikes, though, there is no excuse for striking out if he/she doesn't put a swing on it.

In youth leagues, many umpires feel it is their obligation to "help young players grow" by calling any pitch that is close a strike to encourage batters to swing.  In reality, these could go either way but a batter should always be prepared to be called out if they're looking at such a pitch with two strikes.

Finally, considering what has been discussed here and the tiny differences in a ball or a strike, perhaps showing a young umpire some grace on those pitches "on the corner" is the proper thing to do.