Middle infielders (second base and short stop) are extremely important for the defensive success of a baseball team. Many baseballs get hit into the part of the field, so it’s important that a baseball team have solid middle infielders. This blog is going to talk about important qualities that we should look for in middle infielders.
Speed
Speed is an important quality for a middle infielder. The middle infielder needs to be able to move quickly to ground balls and pop flies.
Agility
Agility is the ability to change directions. It is the summation of speed, strength, power, mobility, and sport skills. This is an important ability because baseballs are not hit directly to us, sometimes we need to change directions quickly to move to them.
Good glove
A middle infielder who cannot field ground balls or catch pop flies will be a huge liability for a team. Your middle infielders should be your best fielders on the team.
Accuracy
Not only do middle infielders have to field or catch the ball successfully, but they have to be able to throw it to the right place accurately. If the throw is off then the runner is getting on first base or we fail to make the double play.
Situational awareness
Middle infielders have to have great situational awareness. This means understanding where the base runners are, studying/understanding the batter’s tendencies (i.e. how do they hit, what can the middle infielder do to be prepared, etc.), watching the signs to know what pitch is going to be thrown, etc.
Baseball IQ
This is about knowing the situation (outs, runner location, batter count, etc.) and understanding what to do when the ball comes to the middle infielder.
As you can see, a lot goes into having a successful middle infielder!
