Butch Thompson

Philly Dawg

All-American
Oct 6, 2012
12,116
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Then I'm not sure I'm understanding the argument. We all agree that you don't run in that situation no matter what words we use.

Having said that, I think that once the SS looks a player at second back to the base, then the runner stays, even after the throw. So there is a "read" in the sense that you can decide to run if he doesn't look you back.
 

engie

Freshman
May 29, 2011
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I don't know what you're agreeing to, but ok. You obviously didn't read what I wrote. They definitely shouldn't have been running on contact. That was my point. He said it was a read and they played it wrong. My only point was that there really was nothing to read. The ball was right in front of them. If they were going to run, it should have been after the shortstop made his play, if it was available.

You are misunderstanding while accusing others of the same...

It's a "read" play because they are reading contact and relying on no one else to do that for them and on their own decision-making where they get the credit/blame personally. By the typical rules of baseball, if the ball is down angle behind you from your secondary lead, you are going on contact. If it is in front of you, you are staying home. Hence why both plays were bad READS -- and thus baserunning errors.

On the first one, it was a routine play -- and there was zero chance we were getting to third no matter what. However, getting in a rundown ended up being a "zero sum" mistake -- because we would have had a runner on second with 1 out either way. Actually could have helped us with that being Renfroe instead of Detz at second.

On the second one, it was deep in the hole and a long throw across to first. There was a chance that Renfroe could read the release and move up on the throw on that one -- and it was a pretty good chance Pirtle would have beaten it out anyway. But trying to move up on that is very risky, because you've GOT to go on first move toward first -- and that leaves you out to dry if the guy pump fakes -- which SS are taught to do if that runner appears overly aggressive. In that case, you still lose the runner at second -- when it likely could have been runners at first and second with one out simply by forcing him to try to throw Pirtle out. If you don't go on that, you are staying at home period on that play -- and we've either got runners at first and second with 1 out or a runner on second with 2 outs.

My point before you misconstrued and did what I perceived as questioning it was simply that BOTH of those mistakes were on the runners themselves. Not Mingione. There is plenty to question Mingione about on the base paths -- but those two plays were not those things.
 
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Toby Nash

Redshirt
Aug 22, 2012
216
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I'm pretty sure I understood your point. I never said it wasn't a read play. However, I thought you were making it sound like a much more complicated decision/read that it actually is for the baserunners. That's why I made my comment. There wasn't really anything complicated about it. The ball was hit to the shortstop right in front of them. They shouldn't have been running on contact, and it seemed like they were. I never said it wasn't a baserunning error. It definitely was, and shouldn't have happened, in either case.

I don't necessarily believe those mistakes were on Mingione. I hope they weren't.
 

Toby Nash

Redshirt
Aug 22, 2012
216
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They shouldn't have been running. Agreed. I just thought the way Engie presented it made it sound like a complicated decision/read for the baserunner. My point was that it shouldn't have been complicated at all. Not much "read" to it. The shortstop is fielding the ball right in front of them. They should be watching him, not running in front of him.

They didn't seem to be reading anything, though. They seemed to be moving at the crack of the bat.