It's All in the Tag
How many times have we seen the ball beat the runner to the base but the runner is still safe or called safe by the umpire? A lot has to do with the slide as we talked about before. An offensive player doing an avoidance slide can definitely allow that player to be safe even when the ball has beaten the runner to the base. However, what about the defensive player’s role in making the out? The person throwing the ball plays a huge part in getting the ball to the receiving defensive player as accurately and as quickly as possible. But the player receiving the ball and making the tag plays the most important part in the play.

The ability of the receiving player to get in a position to cover the whole bag and sliding area, receive the ball and make the snap tag will determine if the runner is out or safe. Different coaches have different ways of covering the bag. I was never one to teach a player to block the bag especially without the ball, which is supposedly illegal. Some coaches do teach that and that’s up to them.

Covering the bag, like so many other skills in any sport, is not a one size fits all skill. You may have to adjust (tweak it) depending on the player. Here is one basic way of doing the snap tag.

For example, covering third with the ball coming from somewhere on the infield, we would have the player on the inside part of the base, right foot ahead of the base (not in front where the runner could slide into it), left foot behind the base with the body low. The player reaches as far as possible toward the ball. Upon catching the ball, the player snaps and sweeps the glove to the runner as fast as possible, tags and quickly shows the umpire the ball. As the player is sweep tagging the runner, the player pivots on the front foot which moves the back foot out of the way of the slide. As the player is pivoting away from the slide after the tag, she immediately shows the umpire the ball. The umpire, more times than not, will go with the action of the player showing the ball to determine the call.

How many times have we seen the player make the tag and for some reason make a second tag and the umpire calls the runner safe when she is really out? The defensive player has to show the umpire the ball with a definite look of the runner being out. If the runner uses an avoidance slide, the player may have to receive the ball and really reach to tag her or go to their knees to reach the sliding runner. A lot of times, the player can actually take the runner farther away from the base by tagging her hand/forearm and push it away from the base. This is not the same as pushing the runner off of a base after they have already reached that base. This is before they even reach the base and the defensive player can actually “ride the runner out of the play”. Again, even if the defensive player is lying on the ground, the player has to show the umpire the ball so that there is no question that the ball is still in the glove.

If the ball is coming from the outfield, the defensive player positions herself on the outfield side of the base with the left foot forward and the right foot behind the base. Again, they reach for the ball, catch, snap the glove to the runner, pivot out of the way and show the umpire the ball. The defensive player should be at the closest place possible to where the ball is coming from and should never allow the runner to be between them and the throw.

It takes practice to do the snap tag correctly, it takes feedback from the coaching staff so the player knows that they can do it quicker and it takes the player to find a comfortable, balanced position when covering the base. The snap tag makes the difference between out and safe.

Take enough time in practice to work on making the quick, “snap” tag. A player can definitely learn to become quicker in putting the tag on the offensive player.  Here are some of the drills we do to improve the player’s quickness:

Initially have the defensive player with a base or something used as a base to allow more players to work on the same drill and a player to make the throw to the player covering the base. Use a coach to talk them through it all at the same time. This way the coach can tell them “no, do it again, quicker this time”, again-quicker, again-quicker. Give them constant feedback in a positive manner but always pushing them to be quicker.
 

Have three players with the person covering the base in the middle of the straight line. One end player starts it but throwing to the player in the middle covering the base. That player receives the ball, makes the snap tag, pivots and quickly throws to the other end player. That player catches and quickly releases to the middle player again who has pivoted to cover the base on the other side. It keeps going until the middle player has done 20 snap tags. This also helps the player learn to get to the base quickly and in a good coverage position to receive the ball, receive it, make a snap tag, pivot out and make the next throw. Too many times, players are not ready to go on to make the second and third play. This type of drill teaches them to do that.
Another drill I like is to hit to an infielder who throws to first and then the throw goes to third-snap tag/pivot, to home-snap tag/pivot, to second-snap tag and either back to third and to home or just home with another snap tag and back to the hitter. The shortstop takes turns at second and at third. They should work at both bases instead of just one since they cover both bases. Here again, this teaches them not only a snap tag and pivot out of the way but to look for the next play.