How does an outfielder in baseball know exactly where a fly ball is going to com

Jump to Last Post 1-6 of 6 discussions (8 posts)
  1. IDONO profile image60
    IDONOposted 12 years ago

    How does an outfielder in baseball know exactly where a fly ball is going to come down?

    Are these guys that good at geometry or logorythmns with such speed?

  2. gconeyhiden profile image64
    gconeyhidenposted 12 years ago

    hi,  the old saying practice makes perfect holds much insight into the athletic skills that animals and humans have depended on thru time to survive in the wild.   Lions have to be taught how to hunt and Tiger Woods practiced w his dad looking over his shoulder from age 3 or so.   one of the first thing an American dad does when his boy reaches age 5 or so is buy him a baseball glove and have a catch to sharpen hand and eye coordination.   The pros listen for the sound of the bat to judge how hard the ball is hit.   Coaches hit zillions of balls.

  3. BLACKANDGOLDJACK profile image71
    BLACKANDGOLDJACKposted 12 years ago

    Practice is part of it, but some guys are blessed with extraordinary instincts that allow them to get a great jump on the ball.

    Like Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox. I was just watching the Red Sox game and Cody Ross hit a 3-run walk-off homer, after two 3-run homers last night. Now Cody Ross filled in for Ellsbury in center a couple games during Ellsbury's stint on the disabled list. Ross can not play center field. He just doesn't get a good jump on a ball over his head. He never got to balls that Ellsbury would have had, and probably would have made it look easy. Ross is okay in right, especially when he's hitting 3-run homers.

    Granderson of the Yankees is another one like Ellsbury. He made a catch on Mike Trout of the Angels 4 or 5 days ago that was incredible.

    1. gconeyhiden profile image64
      gconeyhidenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      really..you mean some guys are NOT Willie Mays.    Many balls are misplayed even by the pros.  if the outfielder cannot hear the crack of the bat he is at a disadvantage because thats the first indication he will get as to how the ball was hit.

  4. First Colony profile image59
    First Colonyposted 12 years ago

    I will also add that outfielders need to know something about a hitter's tendencies.  Often, it is a coach from the dugout that shifts the outfielders and plays them "shaded" to the right or left depending on the hitter.  Knowing what the pitcher is throwing helps as well.

  5. AJ Flanigan profile image60
    AJ Flaniganposted 12 years ago

    Being an outfielder myself, it all comes down to geometry.  Even though you don't think about it when you see the ball coming off of the bat, through practice, you are able to judge near perfectly how hard the ball is hit and what angle it travels.  Contrary to the other comments, judging where the ball lands is not what makes great outfielders great.  Any truely dedicated outfielder 13 years or older can predict where a ball will go (unless it curves, but that's a whole other story) What makes a good fielder great is quickness and mental awareness that enables him to know when to floor it to the wall, or follow it through for the duration of the play.  It's a lot easier than it looks, once you put some practice in.

    1. gconeyhiden profile image64
      gconeyhidenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      if the ball lands it's either a home run, a foul ball or a ball not caught.   practice reinforces the pathways in the brain that allows your body to make unconscious responses in split seconds giving you your best shot at a catch.

  6. adjkp25 profile image83
    adjkp25posted 12 years ago

    Baseball has many positions to learn in the game.  Being an outfielder presents a unique list of challenges but it can be played well with practice; here are a few tips. read more

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)