High-Scoring Baseball Todd Guilliams Human Kinetics Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Guilliams, Todd, 1966- High-scoring baseball / Todd Guilliams. p. cm. 1. Baseball--Scorekeeping. I. Title. GV879.G88 2012 796.357--dc23 2012020608 ISBN-10: 1-4504-1619-5 (print) ISBN-13: 978-1-4504-1619-1 (print) Copyright © 2013 by Todd Guilliams All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. The web addresses cited in this text were current as of October 2012, unless otherwise noted. Notice: Permission to reproduce the following material is granted to instructors and agencies who have purchased High-Scoring Baseball: pp. 192, 193, 195, 197, 198, 202, 206, 210, 216, and 218. The reproduction of other parts of this book is expressly forbidden by the above copyright notice. Persons or agencies who have not purchased High-Scoring Baseball may not reproduce any material. Acquisitions Editor: Justin Klug; Developmental Editor: Anne Hall; Assistant Editor: Tyler Wolpert; Copyeditor: Bob Replinger; Permissions Manager: Martha Gullo; Graphic Designer: Joe Buck; Graphic Artist: Tara Welsch; Cover Designer: Keith Blomberg; Photograph (cover): Robert Williett/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT via Getty Images; Photographs (interior): Neil Bernstein, © Human Kinetics, unless otherwise noted; photos on pages 3, 15, 27, 43, 53, 83, 103, 125, 145, 161, 175, 199, and 213 courtesy of B. Kevin Smith, www.PhotoCR.com; Photo Asset Manager: Laura Fitch; Visual Production Assistant: Joyce Brumfield; Photo Production Manager: Jason Allen; Art Manager: Kelly Hendren; Associate Art Manager: Alan L. Wilborn; Illustrations: © Human Kinetics; Printer: United Graphics We thank Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia, for assistance in providing the location for the photo shoot for this book. Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The paper in this book is certified under a sustainable forestry program. Human Kinetics Website: www.HumanKinetics.com United States: Human Kinetics Australia: Human Kinetics P.O. Box 5076 57A Price Avenue Champaign, IL 61825-5076 Lower Mitcham, South Australia 5062 800-747-4457 08 8372 0999 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Canada: Human Kinetics New Zealand: Human Kinetics 475 Devonshire Road Unit 100 P.O. Box 80 Windsor, ON N8Y 2L5 Torrens Park, South Australia 5062 800-465-7301 (in Canada only) 0800 222 062 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Europe: Human Kinetics 107 Bradford Road Stanningley Leeds LS28 6AT, United Kingdom +44 (0) 113 255 5665 e-mail: [email protected] E5561 This book is dedicated to my family: my mom, Shirley; and dad, Jim; and my brother, Greg; my wife, Julie; and children Casey, Grace, and Wyatt; and my in-laws, Dick and DeDe. What a blessing to have been coached by my father, to have learned how to balance toughness with love from my mother, to have coached alongside my older brother and childhood hero for 22 years, to be married to my high school sweetheart for 20 years, to have had my in-laws’ help in reuniting us, and to be the father of three children, who all know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Contents Drill Finder vii • Preface ix Acknowledgments xi PART I Offensive Baseball 1 1 Facts About Run Production 3 2 Assessing Your Personnel 15 3 Setting Realistic Goals 27 PARTR II un Production 41 4 Defining a Quality At-Bat 43 5 The Ultimate Hitter 53 6 Creating Pressure With the Bunt 83 7 Aggressive Baserunning 103 iv v 8 Intelligent Base Stealing 125 9 Get ‘Em On, Get ‘Em Over 145 10 RBI Situations 161 PART III Competitive Preparation 173 11 Organizing Effective Practices 175 12 Game Day 199 13 Team Evaluation 213 References 225 • About the Author 227 iv v vii Drill Finder SIX ELEMENTS of offeNSE Bat Base Base Strike zone Drills Bunting control running stealing Hitting awareness Page Tee Work ✓ 74 Side Flips ✓ 76 Underhand Front Toss ✓ ✓ ✓ 78 Batting Practice ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 80 Statue Bunting ✓ 97 One-Knee Bunting ✓ 98 Four-Base Bunting ✓ 98 Paddle Glove ✓ 100 Small Game ✓ ✓ 100 Baserunning During ✓ 120 Batting Practice Intrasquad Games ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 121 Reads and Reactions at ✓ 121 First Base Dive Backs on the ✓ 138 Grass Four Man (Stealing ✓ 138 Second) Two Man (Stealing ✓ 139 Second) Four Man (Stealing ✓ 142 Third) Four Man (Stealing ✓ 143 Home) Get ‘Em Over, ✓ ✓ 159 Get ‘Em In vii ix Preface A productive offense in baseball must have a well-defined game plan. The high-scoring offense has four game-specific goals. If the offense executes just one of those goals and the defense executes one of their four goals, the team will win 90% of its games. Scoring a lot of runs sounds good, but how can teams, even those with limited natural talent, make it happen? What are the building blocks of a high-powered offense? Every offense wants to have a big inning, but you need to know the components that lead up to it. More important, you need to know how to train both individuals and the team to accomplish that goal. This book is a how-to manual on run production, covering everything from how to score runs to answering the who, what, why, and how of run scoring. It is the culmination of research, observation, and input from outstanding coaches. A high-scoring offense seeks to score as many runs as possible before the defense can record three outs. Scoring seven or more runs is the primary objective, but a high-scoring offense needs a backup plan that allows the team to score runs when they are not hitting. The game of baseball, especially the offensive side, is full of failure. Coaches and players need to allow for failure. Productive teams understand not only the right way to execute a skill but also the correct way to fail. High-Scoring Baseball presents the three possible outcomes in almost every conceivable situation—the proper execution of the skill, the correct way to fail, and the wrong way to fail. High-Scoring Baseball details the eight ways to create offensive pressure that give every club the chance to be a high-scoring baseball team. It’s a proven system that helps players compete against the game and not their opponent. A player’s offensive productivity should be measured not by his batting average but by his ability to obtain one of the eight quality at-bats. A majority of coaches would agree that the most difficult job is in selling a philosophy to players. One key to selling your offensive philosophy is for it to be rock solid, proven, and backed up by facts. With 18 years of data to support its conclusions, High-Scoring Baseball identifies offensive goals for run production, presents ways to identify team strengths, shares facts about run production from college and Major League Baseball, and covers the skills needed to produce runs, such as bunting, baserunning, base stealing, bat control, strike-zone discipline, and hitting. These skills provide an array of weapons that are central to the goal of run scoring. ix x • Preface The book also covers the four offensive plays in baseball—getting on base, moving runners, scoring runs, and sustaining a rally. Practice plans show how to train individual players and teams efficiently. The book concludes with ways to evaluate players using grade cards to help teams stay on track and make adjustments throughout the course of a long season so that the offense can continue to operate at a high level of efficiency. xi x • Preface A cknowledgments I would like to thank my wife, Julie, for helping me put this book together. Without her journalism expertise, computer skills, and endless patience this book would not have been possible. A special thank you to my brother, Greg, who not only contributed to the content of this book, but also allowed me to spend time on this project through two seasons at Valdosta State. Thanks to my friends, colleagues, and former players who graciously served as models and did a great job in the South Georgia heat demonstrating skills for both the book and e-book: Greg Guilliams, Mike Croley, Eddie Anderson, Matt Williams, Jake Hicks, and Christian Glisson. To every coach, professional scout, player, and author from whom I have gained insight on the game of baseball I owe a debt of gratitude. To my mother, Shirley, and my father, Jim, who taught me never to be afraid to ask questions and gave me the opportunity to play and coach baseball. Above all, may my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, be glorified by my life and lips! xi PART I Offensive Baseball One of the singular beauties of baseball is that the components of success can be quantified. This can be done in baseball because we have a very measurable result, namely victory, which is created by means of a second, entirely measurable occurrence, that being runs. Bill Felber, The Book on the Book Victories in baseball are the result of outscoring your opponent. Many factors beyond a team’s physical talent contribute to its ability to score runs. As coaches and players become better acquainted with the mark- ers of a high-scoring offense identified in this book, they will be better prepared to train those skills and implement the strategies in games. 1 3 CHAPTER 1 Facts About Run Production A team’s most precious asset is its allotment of 27 outs.