Baserunning is one of the most overlooked areas in the game. Players religiously work on their hitting and defense but more often than not once they get on the bases this seems to be an area often neglected. It is the responsibility of the coach not only to teach the fundamentals of baserunning but to also make certain the player concentrates once he gets on base.

Unlike hitting and defense which are both subject to slumps, bad calls, and pressure situations, baserunning is unique in that it is an area in which a player can exercise total command. He has control over his jumps, his reads, the decisions that he makes, and how hard he runs.

Although you always want to have the mindset of being aggressive on the bases, you want this aggressiveness to be under control. You can relate this to hitting. As a hitter I have taught you to be selectively aggressive. As a baserunner, you want to be aggressive under control.

In hitting, you want to think, “swing” at every pitch until you recognize that it is not your pitch. In baserunning, you want to think, “take advantage of every mistake the fielders make and be ready to capitalize on it.” You need to know when to be aggressive, when to force plays, and when to play it safe.

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