During baseball practice, one of the most important things you can do as a coach is to teach players about cuts and relays. This is a play that occurs when an outfielder gets too far away from a base to make it in one throw, so they need to rely on a cut or relay man to get the ball back into the infield and record an out. While this is a common play in baseball, it’s also one of the most complicated plays to understand for newer outfielders and players.
To perform a relay throw the outfielder needs to first find their cut man. Typically, this will be an infielder on the middle of the diamond. The cut man will then line up with the base they are trying to get the ball to. For example, if the outfielder is fielding a ball in right-center and there are runners on first and third base the cut man will line up with second base. This is because they are looking to get the runner at third out by throwing the ball to that base.
Once the cut off man lines up with their target they need to watch the runner and be ready for them to run at any moment. The cut off man will then work to receive the throw from the outfielder and try to catch it on their glove side. By doing this they can make sure the throw is at chest height, which is easier to handle than a high rainbow.
It is important for the cut off man to keep their eyes on the runner at all times because they need to know when it’s safe to let the ball go and not worry about getting hit by it. If they see the runner heading for a base or that they are going to take a short hop they can also let the ball go and let the second baseman catch it.
Another thing to note is that the cut off man will want to be in a straight line from where they are receiving the ball and where they are trying to send it. This helps reduce the chances of an overthrow, which can result in a runner scoring or being called out.
The last thing to remember is that the catcher should always be able to communicate with the pitcher through their sign. While this is still done through a series of finger movements, the MLB has started to use PitchCom, which allows a catcher to press a button and relay an audio signal directly to the pitcher’s hat. This is a huge step in stopping sign-stealing, which has been prevalent in the game for years.
As the season continues, we are looking forward to seeing all the great work being done by the MLB and its affiliates to bring more opportunities for young people in their communities to get involved with baseball. Whether it’s funding the construction of new fields or helping kids in need, there is no doubt that the MLB Relay the Way program will continue to change lives and inspire future generations of players and fans. MLB중계