Hitting Approach with a Runner on Third Base

When you are in the batter’s box and there is a runner on third base, it is up to you to drive him in. If there are two outs, your task can be a little harder. The only way you can score him (he can still score on mistakes by the other team) is with a base hit. Getting your teammate home is a lot easier with less than two outs. 

There are three things to avoid that hurt your chances when your team has less than two outs – not counting striking out, which you should always stay away from. They include hitting a ground ball to the third baseman, hitting a ground ball back to the pitcher or popping out to any infielder.  All three of these will keep the runner at third. 

These situations can become similar to a sacrifice bunt. You are sacrificing yourself to score the run. You should be willing to hit a ground ball to the second baseman or a fly ball to the left fielder. This will help your team score and that is what matters in baseball.

Now, it is easier for me to write this than for it to actually happen every time you are up in this situation, but that is why it is important for you to have a plan when you step in the batter’s box. 

If you are a left handed hitter, you should be looking for a pitch down the middle or inside. A left hander should be able to hit this pitch up the middle or to the right side of the field and allow the runner to score. 

If you are a right handed hitter, you should be looking for a pitch down the middle or away. As a righty, you are also looking to hit the pitch up the middle or to the right side of the field and these are the pitches to swing at. 

A third type of pitch, no matter if you are left or right handed, is a pitch you can hit to the outfield.  With less than two outs, a pitch hit to the outfield will give the runner at third an opportunity to try to score after the out is recorded. 

The most important stat in baseball is runs scored and you have to try and add to your total whenever possible. As a hitter, driving runs home, even when you get out, makes you a better player and a better teammate.

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Hitting Approach with a Runner on Second Base

In baseball, a base runner at second base is considered to be a runner in scoring position because he has a good chance to score on a base hit to the outfield. But getting a base hit is not the only way to have a productive at-bat with a runner on second base. 

With no outs, if it is your turn to hit, you should be looking to get a base hit and score your teammate. But hitting a ground ball to the right side of the infield (the first baseman or second baseman) also makes for a good at-bat.

 A ground ball to the right side will allow the runner at second base to move to third base, and give your teammate hitting next an opportunity to try to score the runner. With the runner now on third and one out, the next batter can score the run with a base hit, a ground ball or a sacrifice fly. 

Why with no outs? 

Why not with less than two outs?

Say you are batting with one out and a teammate is on second base. You hit a ground ball to the second baseman. The runner moves up to third and you are thrown out at first base for the second out. Now there are two outs with a runner at third base. Now the next batter has to get a base hit to score the runner. A sacrifice fly or another ground ball will not work. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are more ways to score from third base than second base other than a base hit – passed ball, wild pitch and balk, to name a few. So even with one out, a ground ball to the right side of the infield or a fly ball that the base runner advances on should not be seen as a disappointing at bat. 

The point I am trying to make is this – with one out, do not approach your at bat as if you are only trying to advance the runner to third. Again, it is a good consolation prize and a somewhat productive out. But with one out, you should be trying to get a base hit that will allow the runner to score. 

If there is one out and a runner at second base and you hit a ground ball to the third baseman, you will probably be thrown out at first base and the runner will stay at second base. But remember, runners at second base are considered to be in scoring position. Regardless of the runner being at second base or third base with two outs, your team will still need a base hit for him to score.

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Situational Hitting

A good hitter is a good situational hitter. Not every at bat is the same. Every at bat is a different scenario. As a hitter, when you step in the box, you should have a plan of what you are trying to accomplish depending on the situation.

I talk in another article about looking for your pitch. But you also have to know the situation to know what pitch to look for. 

Being the leadoff hitter of an inning, batting with no outs and a runner on second base, hitting with bases loaded and two outs and being called to execute a hit and run, are all entirely different situations. As a hitter, depending which one you find yourself in, the situation will dictate which pitch you are looking for. 

I’ll talk more in depth about a number of hitting scenarios, but let me expand on this. 

As a coach, I would rather have a good situational hitter that moves runners over, drives home runs and has a batting average of .350, than a terrible situational hitter that has a batting average of .400. If you bat 100 times in a season, the difference between the .350 and .400 batter is five base hits. I would rather have the guy that helps the team and is willing to forgo five at bats to do so.

Some of you may be asking yourself why? Isn’t the goal of the batter to reach base?

Advancing runners and driving home runs helps your team win games. Sometimes, although it still counts as an official at bat, you have to “sacrifice” yourself in a non-traditional way to help the team.  

The traditional sacrifice plays are a bunt to move the runner to the next base or a fly ball that scores a runner. If you are the hitter, the at bat does not count against you and does not affect your batting average. However, when you move runners over or score runners, it does count as an at bat because it is not a traditional sacrifice.

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