Billy Butler gets thrown out at first by the right fielder. I can't think of the last time this has happened in Major League baseball.
Maybe its just my lust for Hockey but I dont get it, Why is it rare to get thrown out at first? Just cause it was a single hop?
If i played right field and there was no one else on i would throw to first a lot because most players don't hustle down the line.
It's rare because most people are fast enough to beat out a throw even if they are not hustling. Billy Butler might get outran by a sloth, he's that slow.
Also, if the outfield was playing him straight up, then they would be much deeper. Billy lacks the power to force the defense to play him straight up, so they are playing way further in than normal. It's pretty embarrassing that a designated hitter gets played so shallow due to a lack of power and a propensity to hit ground balls.
Gotta give Bautista credit here too - Great heads up play! Speaking of Baseball... How bout this Encarcion guy? Glad I realized his potential and kept him in my fantasy keeper league!
Encarnacion is having a fantastic month. I still can't believe the Reds traded him for a washed up Scott Rolen. Toronto looks really tough right now.
Encarnacion is a beast right now. My fantasy team is grateful for him. Bautista has a canon which doesn't hurt, either.
I think Brett Butler is faster than Billy Butler at this point. -Great Moments in High School Badassery- In high school, I threw a guy out at 1st from center once. Was playing him shallow as our middle infielders were playing him to squeeze with a man on 3rd, one out in the bottom of extra innings. He lined a one-hopper to me that I caught on a dead sprint. Guy on 3rd had to hold up as I had to shade to the RF side and it looked like I might catch it. Rifled the ball to 1st, got the out by half a step, and the runner @ 3rd got caught in a rundown; out of the inning. 8-3-2-5-1 double play. Coolest play I was ever part of.
No doubt, but I can bet this has been discussed by the Blue Jays outfielders at some point before the game. Knowing he just doesn't have enough power to hurt them, they play him shallow giving Bautista a realistic chance of throwing him out. It just irritating being a Kansas City fan and having a DH that can't play in the field, can't run, and can't hit for power and makes 8 million a year doing it.
You would think "Professional" hitters could take advantage of this by just going the other way. Blows my mind how many times a Royal hits right into the shift. How about changing your approach when you see they have shifted on you. Just go with the pitch instead of trying to pull everything.
Pitchers also pitch to the shift which makes it hard to go the other way but a bunt down the 3rd base line when the 3rd baseman is shifted to SS should be the mandatory approach. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk
look under "Professional" hitter in the dictionary, there are pictures of Miggy Cabrera and Victor Martinez doing just that...
