Video and Article by Cal Ripken, Jr.
Check out Cal's Coachable Moment from GetGreat.com about the Chris Young's bat-to-glove-to-glove time.
Description
Billy and I have been working with Under Armour to develop a Combine specific to baseball. One of the measurements we came up with is the "Bat to Glove to Glove" time for outfielders. In a controlled setting, we start the clock when a ball is launched from our pitching machine, which is placed at home plate to simulate a batted ball. Our fielder tracks the ball down, fields it and throws to a target. When the ball hits that target, simulating another defender
catching the ball, the clock stops.
The time we get takes into account all of the player's abilities: tracking the ball, taking a proper angle, fielding cleanly, footwork, making a transfer, and of course arm strength. We also record where the ball hits the target to give an accuracy score. It's an excellent indicator of a player's ability to make outs when you compare their bat-to-glove-to-glove time against a runner's time around the bases.
Age Appropriate
Any
Drill Objective
To gauge a player's ability to get outs by recording the amount of time it takes for that player to retrieve a batted ball and make a throw to a specific target.
Set-up
We use a more advanced set-up in the official Under Armour Baseball Combine, but you can still incorporate a simpler version of this test to utilize in practice.
All you'll need is a stopwatch and a pitching machine or a fungo. The pitching machine will give you more control and consistency over where the "batted" ball is going and at what pace. It's more scientific, but for an informal test, just use your fungo or whatever bat you typically use for infield/outfield practice.
You'll need at least four people to operate this station: (1) someone to operate the pitching machine or to hit the ball; (2) someone to operate the stopwatch; (3) someone to field the batted ball; (4) someone to receive the throw.
Executing the Drill
(1) Hits the ball into play. (2) Starts the timer as soon as the ball hits the bat. (3) Charges the ball, fields it cleanly, and throws to the required base - for outfielders, we usually have them start in center field and throw to home. (4) Catches the throw and (2) stops the timer as soon as the ball hits the mitt.
Make it Fun
Post each player's scores and continue to do this drill over the course of a season. Encourage player's to compete for better times and help direct them in how they might improve their times through better footwork, angles, or transfers.
There's a lot more to getting outs than simple arm strength. You might discover that the player who gets the best time isn't necessarily the player who has the strongest arm. As we've found, the best times often come from the players who manage to get to the ball and get rid of it quickly and accurately.
