Holding the runner at first, and what it costs on the right side

Holding the runner at first, a baseball defence drawn in Playmaker: 9 of our players and 2 opposition players on the pitch. — Pitcher — 1 of 11

Baseball · Defence · 9 of your players and 2 opponents

The first baseman is standing on the bag instead of where he fields, so the biggest hole on the diamond is the one you have just opened yourself. Sometimes that is still the right trade.

Open in Playmaker

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What being on the bag changes

Three players move and one of them moves a long way. First base is on the bag at 90 ft, where he has to be to take the throw over and apply a tag, rather than the 103 ft and several steps into the hole where he would normally be standing. The second baseman comes to about 140 ft and leans towards second, because he may have to take the steal throw. The shortstop slides a step across to about 145 ft to share that job.

Everything else is standard: third base at 110 ft, the outfield at 285 to 300 ft. The drawing carries eleven figures, the nine fielders plus the runner on first and the batter, which is the only honest way to look at this alignment — the hole on the right side and the reason for it are in the same frame.

Deciding whether it is worth it

The question is not whether the runner is fast. It is whether the runner going to second would change what you are willing to give up. A runner on first with a big lead in a close game is worth holding. A slow runner in a four-run game is not, and the first baseman standing on the bag for six pitches has cost you two ground balls for nothing.

Left-handed hitters make it worse. The gap between a first baseman on the bag and a second baseman leaning the other way is where a left-hander pulls the ball, and there is nobody there. That trade is the alignment. Make it on purpose.

What to work on

Who takes the throw at second. Second base and shortstop cannot both go, and they cannot both stay. Decide it by the count and the hitter, draw both versions, and show your middle infielders the two pictures side by side.
The pickoff, drawn as a throw. Mark the throw from the pitcher to first and animate it. A pickoff is a timing play, and timing is what an animation shows and a static diagram cannot.
Coming off the bag. The instant the pitch is committed, first base has somewhere to be. Draw that short route; it is the difference between a hole and a gap.

Open it in the designer, add the lead you are really worried about, and draw the throw to second so your infield can see who has the bag on the play that matters.