Why Little League?

Coaching in LL minors, I agree that 1st and 3rd is an "automatic" steal more often than not, however I ALMOST ALWAYS contest the steal.

In order to get the out, you need 5 things to go right. If anything goes wrong, the runner is safe. 1) The pitch has to be catchable. 2) The catcher has to handle it cleanly. 3) The throw has to be accurate. 4) The 2B/SS has to catch it. 5) The 2B/SS has to apply the tag.

Nevertheless, despite remarkably low odds, my catchers are told to contest the steal unless I say otherwise (eg: tie score, no outs, runners on 1st and 3rd in the bottom of the 6th).

I feel that I have an obligation to teach "real" baseball to the kids. Teaching a defense to concede ANYTHING except under special conditions is not real baseball. Baseball is about outs. If you record them more efficiently, you win.

I've found a lot of kids are used to the idea of the automatic steal of second, so they trot down there. Imagine their surprise when they look up to see a SS waiting for them with the ball and tagging them out!

Also, there are very few "true steals" in the minors. Kids advance on wild pitches/passed balls, or the 1st-3rd situation. The result is your C, 2B and SS don't learn how to handle steal situations well. When these kids go up to the majors (which is the GOAL of the minors), they need to learn how to do it. It wastes the time of the manager in the majors who now has to teach this fundamental skill.

Also, when you routinely contest the steal, you r chances of picking off that runner at third increases, either via a direct throw, or a pitcher cut-off. In one game, we caught 3 runners napping at 3rd.

Another benefit is it keeps the offense honest, especially if you've nailed a couple of runners. In one game, our catcher nailed 4 runners at 2nd (he was an exceptional catcher - better than anyone I've had before or after; I think he ended up throwing out 20+ runners that year and was the #1 pick in the following years' draft). In the 6th inning in a 1st-3rd situation, the baserunner didn't leave 1st on a wild pitch, he was that intimidated.

This is still LL minors we're talking about, so the strategy often results in a run and possibly two when the kids finish overthrowing the ball around, but THEY ARE LEARNING, which is why the minors exist in the first place.

Finally, IT IS MORE EXCITING! If you are relying on the strike-out, you are in effect telling your kids that if you are not pitching, you're just taking up space.

And if you want some consolation when the bases are cleared after this type of miscue... The bases are cleared, your pitcher doesn't need to worry about the steals anymore, he can focus exclusively on the batter. Your defense doesn't have to worry about which base is a tag or a force. You are starting an inning all over, and you may already have a couple of outs in your pocket.

Don't sell this strategy short. In the short-term, it is a DISASTER, while your kids learn how to do it. By the end of the year, they'll be executing it properly --- JUST IN TIME FOR THE PLAYOFFS!