Center Field/Key Attributes
Posted by The Little League Coach on 25 Apr 2008 at 11:00 pm | Tagged as: Center Field, General
Image by Boston Public Library via Flickr
Specialty Position
Center Field is a specialty position . We all know that in Little League the strongest players play in the infield. This doesn’t mean that outfielders are not important! Quite the contrary, picking up outs in the outfield is a huge bonus. The center fielder needs to be your best outfielders as they will likely get a majority action.
The center fielder should be fast and able to react with cat like instincts. They will need to be able to track fly balls and get to them quickly if needed. They also have to back up the left fielder and right fielder . They don’t have to have the strongest arm because they generally only throw the ball to second, cutoff, and third base . None of these throws are very long.
Key Characteristics
Here are some characteristics of a good left fielder:
- Dedicated
- Very Fast
- Able to track fly balls
A center fielder that makes every routine play as well as some spectacular ones can get a good pitcher some very key outs.
Can you think of any other valuable characteristics a left fielder should have? Please share them.
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Love the idea for the blob. As a baseball player my whole life im getting into my 20’s now and might think about coaching.
Thank you very much! I recommend you do it right away! It is very fun. Contact your local Little League, they would love to have you!
One great way to get started is to umpire. The leagues always need more umpires and doing this can familiarize you with the league and its culture. Once you see how things work, you can move right into coaching.
I started coaching in my mid 20’s and made hundreds of mistakes. That is the only real way to learn. So dive in! But remember, they are only kids!