A.J. Pollock didn’t simply hit his way to the big leagues. The Arizona Diamondbacks rookie came into the season rated by Baseball America as the best defensive outfielder in their system.
Drafted in 2009 out of the University of Notre Dame, the 25-year-old center fielder honed his skills at RHAM High School in Hebron, Conn.
In the latest installment of Tips from the Pros, Pollock talks about what goes into being a good defensive outfielder.
On the key to being a good outfielder: “I think what makes an outfielder above average is anticipation. It’s more of a mindset. If you’re thinking ‘This ball is going to be hit far away from me and as hard as possible,’ you’re going to have a better chance to get there; you’re going to have more range. And you need to be anticipating what the guy is trying to do at the plate. On a 2-0 count, or a 3-1 count, a lot of hitters are trying to pull the ball, especially 3- and 4-hole hitters. You need to think the game and be ready to move. Having the right mindset, and knowing what kind of adjustments to make pre-pitch, is going to give you the most range. That’s pretty much the whole deal in the outfield: range.
“Everyone can catch a ball. If you don’t know how to catch a ball … that’s tough to teach. It’s one of those skills most guys just have. What you need to do is get yourself in a position where you can catch balls that aren’t hit right at you.”
On reading hitters: “You make your adjustments just like infielders. You watch what the hitters are doing. With some guys, it’s more difficult. Maybe they like to hit the ball in the air the other way, and when they hit it on the ground, they pull it. That’s because of the way their swing is, so you have to try to understand what the hitter is trying to do. You’re making those adjustments before the pitch is even made. You want the mindset of expecting that every ball is going to be hit to you, and it’s not going to be a pop fly; it’s going be in a gap or behind you. That way your body is geared up to get a jump on the ball.”
On positioning yourself to get a good jump: “You don’t want to be too stiff in the outfield. You have to be relaxed, but it’s not like the infield, where you have to get real low. In the infield, you’re usually two steps hard. In the outfield, you might be running 10 or 15 steps. You have to be loose and athletic, kind of like a tennis player ready to return a serve. You need to be balanced and ready to go in either direction.
“I don’t worry too much about what my first step is, as long as it’s direct. Different people might teach that differently. For me, I just want to be accurate with that first step. I don’t want to take a step in the wrong direction, I want to be perfect with where my feet are going, because when the ball is hit, it shouldn’t take me three steps in order to get in a straight line. It should take one step. If I have to be a little slower in order to be accurate, so be it. I think it’s better to do it that way than risk being wrong.”
On tracking fly balls: “You have to be willing to take your eye off the ball in order to maximize your range. Basically, you have to run to where the ball is hit. You have to work on taking two steps, tracking the ball, and if it’s over your head, turning your numbers to home plate. You can’t be in full sprint if your head is turned toward home plate and your body is turned the other way.
“Practicing that in batting practice is helpful. You’re not going to be comfortable right away taking your eye off the ball, and if you’re going to fail, do it during BP. You do a lot of work before the game. You practice like you’re playing, because you play like you practice.”On throwing with a purpose: “It’s important to be lined up right. You don’t want your body going one way and your arm going the other way. You want everything in line. The number one thing is, what are you looking at when you throw? Don’t be general; be pinpoint. If you’re not looking at the right thing — if you’re not throwing to the right place — your mechanics aren‘t going to matter. You also need to know where you’re likely to be throwing the ball, before every pitch. That’s part of thinking the game.
“It’s not about showing off your arm. It’s easy to take advantage of guys who are out of control with their throws, especially the higher up you go in levels. As soon as you miss the cutoff man, a runner is going to the next base. You mainly want to concentrate on throwing the ball accurately and hitting the cutoff man. Most of your outs will come that way. You’re still throwing the ball hard, and through the cutoff man, but you’re playing under control. Maybe in Little League, you can show it off and get every guy at the plate, but that doesn’t happen too often when you get to pro ball.
“You’re kind of throwing with pitching mechanics. Some guys do it differently, but I pretty much try to be over the top as much as I can. Outfielders do long toss, just like pitchers. I try to do long toss twice a week, trying to keep my arm in shape. Along with being able to get to the ball and catch it, you have to be strong and accurate with your throws. You need to be well-rounded defensively.”
Source: http://www.baseballjournal.com/news/players/tips/Tips_from_the_Pros_AJ_Pollock_on_outfield_defense
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