Coaching Baseball:

In order to become a Good Youth Baseball Coach, it’s a good idea to see how the professionals perform their tasks, for just like the kids try to emulate their favorite player by watching and learning, a new coach is no different. Let’s take a brief look at the history of coaching and how it’s done today.

By definition, Coaches are non-playing members of a baseball team, which assist the Manager or Head Coach, in running the team smoothly. Baseball is a unique sport as it’s the only professional sport in which the coaches dress in the same uniforms as the players.

This was Not always the case though, as in the very early years of baseball, the coaches, who were most likely the most knowledgeable and one of the more talented players, were most likely a player as well as a coach. There were unique coaches who were owners, such as Connie Mack, who wore a suit and tie and Burt Shotton, wore a Brooklyn Dodgers cap and team jacket over his street clothes.Coaching Baseball

Original baseball uniforms did not have numbers on them, but in the early 1930’s numbers were initiated to keep track of players by position in the field and at bat. Head coaches in that day began wearing uniforms, but with No numbers, to indicate they were a coach and not a player.

Full time Coaches, who were not also players, were very seldom used, but in 1909 New York Giants manager John McGraw hired Arlie Latham and Wilbur Robinson as full time coaches, and by the 1920’s all other major league teams had full time coaches on their payroll.

As baseball became more sophisticated the increased usage of specialty players, such as early, middle and late relief pitchers instead of just a relief pitcher, and players who played only one position instead of every position, coaching positions began to expand as well, until in the 1960’s MLB instituted rules that a team could only have 6 coaches and a manager in uniforms during the course of a game.

Bench Coach: --Coaching Baseball

Although the position of Bench Coach is relatively new, their importance on most teams is crucial and they are usually considered second in command of the team.

Should the manager be ejected, suspended or unable to attend a game for personal reasons, the Bench Coach will run the team in his absence.

During the game the Bench Coach serves as an advisor to the manager offering advise on critical situations, having the manager bounce ideas off him and suggesting substitutions.

Perhaps the most important job the bench coach has during the game, is to instruct and counsel players on things they did wrong during the game in order to eliminate a repeat of the mistake and offering advise on how to perform tasks better.

The Bench Coach is instrumental in Spring Training, assigned the responsibilities of setting up practice routines, stretching and physical fitness periods and coordinating team meetings.

Pitching and Bullpen Coaches:--Coaching Baseball

The Pitching Coach is the sole teacher and mentor of the entire pitching staff including relief pitchers. For obvious reasons he is normally a former pitcher, but in a few cases, such as Dave Duncan with the St. Louis Cardinals, they are former catchers.

He is responsible for monitoring all Pitchers’ Spring training exercises, pitch counts and stretching routines, in order to reduce physical injuries to the pitchers.

He will evaluate a pitcher’s performance and offer suggestions and instructions on perhaps a different grip for a current pitch or facilitate the learning of a new pitch in order to increase the pitcher’s effectiveness. He is assigned the duty of improving the team’s pitching staff physically, mentally and emotionally.--Coaching Baseball

During the game he is responsible for monitoring pitch counts, which the next day’s pitcher is charting, and looking for signs of fatigue. He’s required to constantly monitor the pitcher for anything out of the ordinary and consult with the manager his opinions or suggestions of how the pitcher is performing.

When a manager visit’s the mound he is usually there to replace the pitcher or to discuss a particular defensive alignment or play for the situation with the entire infield. The pitching coach will go to the mound to discuss a detected mechanic flaw, strategy of how to pitch a particular batter or to just calm down his pitcher to refocus.

Historically the Bullpen Coach has been a former pitcher or catcher and has similar duties as the Pitching Coach but is usually relegated to only the relief pitchers.

He is stationed in the bullpen the entire game and carries out the orders of the manager as far as what pitcher to warm up in anticipation of being called in to pitch. It’s important he know his relief pitchers well in order to know if they are adequately warmed up or are experiencing an off day, which everyone evidentially has.--Coaching Baseball

He does not have the authority to counter a manger’s order, but is responsible to forward any concerns he may have about the effectiveness of a particular pitcher for that day.

Offensive Coaches:--Coaching Baseball

The Hitting Coach is usually the most well known of the offensive coaches as his named is highlighted if the team is hitting well, or not so well.

The Hitting Coach is usually a former player who had a history of hitting for a high percentage batting average, although power hitters have also been retained for this position. He will work with players on methods to improve their hitting techniques from analyzing their swing, foot control, power, bat speed and any other aspect of hitting.--Coaching Baseball

He will always be stationed at the batting cage and at pre-game hitting offering advise on anything he feels a player can easily adjust and improve on. Hitting is a science and no hitting coach would instruct or suggest a player utilize a radical change in his hitting mechanics during a game.

With the advancement of technology, video and computer analysis are becoming a normal coaching tool. The Hitting Coach can view videos (Video Analysis) of a player swinging to search for any detection of a recently developed bad habit, sometimes players will attempt to play although injured and they subconsciously alter their hitting mechanics to minimize the pain, which can destroy timing or basic mechanics.

Should the Hitting Coach require more help, the video can be transposed onto a computer program which will illustrate the hitter’s swing vs. the accepted normal swing, which could reveal an issue too small or too quick for the human eye to pick up.

Base Coaches:--Coaching Baseball

As the name indicates there are two coaches assigned to the field, one at first base, one at third base, while the team is batting.

The First Base Coach is responsible for evaluating the hitter’s chance of going to second base on a batted ball and to signal the player, by arm signals as well as verbal, to try and advance. He is also assigned to advise a runner on first base on his leadoff and to keep him from either getting picked off or getting a good jump on the pitcher in order to steal second base.

The Third Base Coach traditionally has more responsibility than the first base coach, as his duties include determining whether to hold a runner at second base or to have him try and advance on to third base on a batted ball. He’s responsible for watching the actions and location of the shortstop when there’s a runner on second taking a leadoff, because the shortstop is behind and out of the runner’s line of sight.---Coaching Baseball

He’s responsible for receiving signs from the manager and relaying them to the players without being detected and insuring all of his players received and understood the signs.

Perhaps the most critical job of the Third Base Coach is he must know the arm strength and accuracy of every outfielders’ arm in the league in order to make a split second decision of whether to have a runner try to score from third base.

Of course the runner’s speed and positioning are also determining factors, but all things being equal, the outfielder’s arm strength is the determining factor and the coach doesn’t have time to check his notebook for information.

Additional Duties Of Coaches:--Coaching Baseball

In addition to their normal duties the Bench, Third Base and First Base Coaches are responsible for teaching and assisting players in specific areas of expertise, mainly defensive training. They will divide the duties as they deem necessary and efficient between an Outfield Instructor, Infield Instructor, Catching Instructor & Base running Instructor.

Other So-Called Coaches:

There are other staff members who have the term “Coach” implied, but who are not really baseball coaches in the traditional sense. All MLB teams employ a Strength and Conditioning Coach, an Athletic Trainer a Bullpen Catcher and a Batting Practice Pitcher.

One must remember only MLB teams have so many coaches as minor league and amateur League teams normally have only 3 coaches, the Head Coach, Pitching Coach and Hitting Coach, who perform all the duties of the numerous MLB Coaches.

These Coaching Links provide In-Depth Information, Advice, Strategy and Philosophy on how to Coach Baseball of All Levels:

Baseball Coaching With Coach Bain

New Coaches Tips

Coaching Baseball Hitting

Coaching Little League Baseball

Baseball Coaching Tips

Youth Baseball Coaching

Coaching Youth Baseball

Baseball Coaching Challenges

Baseball Coach Information

Coaches

Baseball Coach

Coaching Youth

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