Prep Baseball 2018

SPECIAL

EDITION

L L A B E S BA 18 20

& s e l c i t r A , Tips ct e r i D s i s y l Ana f o s e g a P e h From t e n i z a g a M e Refere

ules t NFHS R s e t a L e h • All t nges anics Cha and Mech h School • 100+ Hig nd Test Q&As a Caseplays iques ed Techn • Advanc pts ing Conce and Train eed to ing You N High • Everyth r the New Prepare fo ason!

School Se

INTRODUCTION T

he Prep Baseball: 2018 book is a collection of the best Referee has to offer. For more than 40 years, Referee has challenged and inspired baseball umpires with challenging rules reviews, detailed mechanics guidance, best-practice strategies and real-world quizzes and caseplays. The Prep book gives you all that in one clean and easyto-read format.

The chapter content not only comes from the editors at Referee magazine, whose sole mission in life is to make referees and umpires better. The content comes from some of the best contributing writers in the officiating industry, from coast-to-coast.

The content from Referee magazine is organized into logical sections: Rules, Mechanics/Signals, Philosophies and Quiz/Caseplays. Each section provides insights and strategies to make you and your crew better. Use this book to supplement your rulebook and casebook study. Use this book before the season and before each game. Make it a routine part of your preparation.

The book is based on NFHS rules, mechanics and signals and as such this book is targeted to youth and high school umpires. Please note that NFHS mechanics are not necessarily universally adopted in each state; there are often variations by state. Check with your state’s governing body for any state-specific nuances or deviations from the NFHS mechanics. This book gives you general mechanics content based on high school mechanics. It also gives you Referee’s approach to those mechanics, as needed.

Prep Baseball: 2018 will help you no matter how many years you’ve been umpiring. We thank you for spending your hard-earned umpiring dollars on personal improvement through our content. Best wishes for a great season.

The Referee Editors

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

CONTENTS RULES

PG.

02 MECHANICS/SIGNALS

PG.

46 PHILOSOPHIES

PG.

76 QUIZ/CASEPLAYS

Jon Bible George Demetriou Mike Droll Bill Madden Brent Killackey Jeff Stern Chris Szyolga Stephen Wanamaker

PG.

102

KEN KASSENS (BOBBY DUNNIGAN, BOONE, N.C.)

Copyright © 2018 by Referee Enterprises, Inc. The text and illustrations in this publication are protected by copyrights of Referee Enterprises, Inc. PlayPic® and MechaniGram® and their related graphics are registered trademarks of Referee Enterprises, Inc., and are copyrighted. Copying in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written consent from Referee Enterprises, Inc. Republication of all or any part of this publication, including on the Internet, is expressly prohibited. Published by Referee Enterprises, Inc. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN-13: 978-1-58208-378-0.

REFEREE SPECIAL EDITION PREP BASEBALL 2018

MECHANICS/SIGNALS

Dish It Out:

Five Time-Tested Tips to Be Great at the Plate

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STEWART WEST/NSP (JIM COURTNEY OF WARREN, ORE)

here is nothing quite like the feeling of walking off the field after a stellar performance behind the plate. But having a great game calling balls and strikes — and executing impeccably on everything else that goes with the plate umpire position — is not easy.

It takes focus and attention to proper mechanics. Here are five things necessary for doing your best work as plate umpire: Getting in the slot. It probably goes without saying that if you don’t have the best vantage point with which to judge pitches as the catcher catches them, you can’t expect to be at your best calling balls and strikes. Although most of us learn very early that the space between the inside shoulder of the catcher and the batter is where you always need to be, it is surprising how many good umpires don’t get enough into that slot position to see all the pitches.

Many young umpires are taught that you need to be in the slot so you can see the pitch that hits the outside corner at the knees.

However, many umpires miss the pitch that hits the inside corner at the knees because they are not sufficiently up into the slot to see that pitch. They get blocked by the catcher’s body and end up having to guess on its location when it is caught. The skill level of the catcher will determine how close you can get. Many lower level catchers will make it impossible for you to get too close without constantly making contact with them as they come up to throw.

PROPER HEAD HEIGHT A general rule of thumb to gauge your head height is to find the place where your chin is roughly even with the top of the catcher’s helmet. However, there is no single perfect place to always place your head in relation to the catcher. Catchers come in all different sizes and

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use different stances, so your position should be more a function of its relationship to the batter’s stance and your ability to see the entire plate than any point on the catcher’s anatomy.

However, the most common head-height error is to set up too low. An umpire who is too low will lose ability to see all of the plate. Find that position where you are high enough to see all of the plate, but not exposed to the point of being extra vulnerable to foul balls off the mask.

rather close to the strike zone, making yourself stay down in your stance a little longer will help your timing and promote the appearance that you are very sure of yourself and your call. It also will help you avoid the infamous “stee-ball” call or “umpire balk” where everyone thinks you are coming up to call a strike, but instead you flinch as you change your mind.

Good timing can also help you avoid many other mistakes. You’ll be better at judging checked swings, foul tip, batter interference and catcher obstruction plays. Those plays all take normal human beings time to process and rule on. Don’t be afraid to take the time that you need to sort out what just happened so you can rule accordingly.

TRACK THE BALL WITH YOUR EYES An often overlooked but essential ingredient of good plate umpiring is proper use of your eyes. When some experienced umpires get set to see the pitch, they already have an imagined strike zone etched in their mind based on the hitter’s stance. As they pick up the pitch from the pitcher’s hand, they work to make sure their head does not move as the ball travels to the catcher’s mitt. Especially on pitches to the outside part of the plate, if your head moves with the ball, you will have a tendency to push the ball outside of the strike zone on close pitches. Make sure your eyes stay with the pitch all the way through the receiving process by the catcher.

There are other important plate responsibilities where proper use of your eyes is critical. As the plate umpire has primary responsibility for judging a checked swing, moving your eyes from the location of the pitch to the bat as soon as possible is necessary to make this ruling properly. When your eyes have determined that the pitch will be out of the strike zone, you can afford to move your eyes immediately to the hitter. On more borderline pitches, you will have to keep your eyes fixed longer on the pitch’s relationship to the strike zone. Fortunately, the rules allow you to get help from your partner(s) on this difficult call.

PROPER USE OF YOUR VOICE As plate umpire, outside of calling the balls and strikes, your job is to manage the game.

How better to establish your competence in this regard than by using a strong and assertive voice. A strike call should be sharp and quick, not long and drawn out, but it should definitely be something that people can hear. Some umpires make it a point to be a little louder when calling a strike on marginal pitches, and especially so when that marginal pitch is called for strike three.

Some umpires will use a strong voice to call a ball on a marginal pitch. However, use this method sparingly. An overreliance on using your voice to sell your call of “ball” can create a belief that you are afraid to call strikes on the edges of the plate.

Quick Tip On-deck batters are great for gathering up foul balls and routing them back to the plate umpire.

Just make sure the on-deck batter doesn’t leave extra baseballs on the ground while taking warm-up swings. If a passed ball or overthrow rolls into the on-deck area, those extra baseballs could cause confusion. To avoid an interference situation, have the on-deck batter keep any extra balls in his hand, a pocket or in the dugout until it’s time to step up to the plate.

GOOD TIMING One of the best ways to become good at calling balls and strikes is to slow down your timing. See the pitch all the way into the catcher’s mitt, make a decision, and then make your call. If you think of those three steps as separate and distinct aspects of calling all pitches, you will likely find that your timing will improve. On pitches that are not strikes, but

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MECHANICS/SIGNALS

Double-Play Coverage on Ground Ball

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ith a runner on first base, a ground ball in the infield raises the potential for a double play.

The base umpire is responsible for the plays at first and second base. New umpires often make the mistake of moving too aggressively toward second base, leaving themselves too far away from first, which is usually the closer end of the double play.

It’s important for the base umpire to be stopped when observing the play at both second and first, but it’s acceptable to signal the call at second while on the move, to gain a few steps to first base before the play.

Additionally, after stopping to observe the play at first, the umpire can take a step or two toward the base while signaling the call. That gives the appearance the umpire was closer to the base, contributing to the credibility of the call.

The plate umpire will move to the third-base side of the pitcher’s mound to assist the base umpire with the playing action at second. In particular, the plate umpire will take primary responsibility for interference and slide-rule violations at second since the base umpire can’t let his or her attention linger too long lest he or she miss the play at first.

The plate umpire can then move toward first in front of the pitching mound. The plate umpire has secondary responsibility to assist U1 on a swipe tag or pulled foot at first.

If the batted ball is near the plate area or down the first-base line, the plate umpire will instead remain with the batter-runner to observe him running within the running lane.

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BOB MESSINA (RANDY SUTTON, NACHES, WASH.)

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Visitation Schedule

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rom the dugout, the plate umpire hears, “Can I get time?” Time is granted and the coach heads to the mound to talk with his pitcher, catcher and perhaps some of the infielders.

At some point, the plate umpire will need to consider whether it’s time to break up the gathering.

Here are a few pointers to consider:

conference does not require a substitution and for future reference.

Allow reasonable time for the meeting. Don’t rush recording the details on the lineup card and perhaps take a moment to sweep the plate.

By the time you’ve done those things, they’ve had enough time, and it’s time for you to head to the mound.

THE TRIP OUT Walk with a purpose. No need to run, as it looks like you’re rushing the meeting. But since you’re going out there to deliver a message, don’t dawdle either. Walk briskly.

BEFORE HEADING OUT Take the time to record details of the conference on the lineup card (inning, outs, batter, who made the visit) to ensure that the

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JOG BACK Jog back with the catcher and beat him to the plate. Your hustle will show and you’ll be helping maintain pace of play.

Check-up on Checked-Swing Assistance A plate umpire will go for help only after calling a ball on a half swing. If a strike is called, there is no appeal.

Pointing with the right hand on a request for help on a half swing remains a no-no, largely because some umpires signal a strike with a right-handed point. There’s a risk for confusion between a point for help on a half swing and a point for calling a strike. Pointing with the left makes it completely clear the umpire is going for help.

In NFHS, an umpire is not required to go for help on a checked swing when it’s requested (10-1-4a). But it’s a good practice to do so. Unless you’re looking to unnecessarily ratchet up the tension between yourself and the coach or player, nothing good comes from denying that request.

What about the two-umpire system when the base umpire is in B or C? There are some plate umpires who outline in the pregame that they simply want their call confirmed if the base umpire is in B or C. If we’re working to get the calls right, if a partner really has information that changes a call, why not use it?

But a base umpire in B or C better be certain — the view on a checked swing isn’t great from those positions.

What constitutes a swing? In NFHS, the rulebook doesn’t set specific criteria, except whether the batter offered at the ball — it’s a judgment call.

Approach the mound opposite to the coach.

Don’t say anything yet. Walk up on the hill facing the coach, even if you have to walk around the back side. You want to be in a position so he sees you.

ON THE MOUND Let the coach finish his thought. He knows you’re there to break up the conference, and usually he will say his final words and head back to the dugout. If he continues talking, then you can interject and note that it’s time to wrap it up.

AVOID ARGUMENTS Sometimes a coach will want to take the opportunity to discuss balls and strikes. Put a stop to that immediately: “Coach, I’m not here to discuss balls and strikes. Are you going to make a change?” If the coach continues, warn him and then follow through with the consequences if necessary.

HEADING BACK HOME When it comes to informing a coach how many trips he has used, there are two schools of thought. One says if he wants to know, he can ask — volunteering that information only sets up an opportunity for a coach upset with you or the pitcher to get a last word at you. The other school says it’s an opportunity for preventive officiating. Read the game situation and use your knowledge of the coach to decide which is appropriate, although if you’re deciding to proactively provide information on the number of mound visits to one coach, do so for the other coach as well.

Quick Tip Scoreboards can be great for keeping fans, players and coaches informed of the game’s status.

Plate umpires should know who is operating the scoreboard and where that person is located. That enables the umpire to quickly get that person’s attention and get the board corrected if there’s an error in the count. If it can’t be quickly corrected, it’s good to make sure the batter and catcher are aware. The plate umpire can say something like, “The scoreboard is wrong. The count is …”

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No Runners on Base, Overthrow at First

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n overthrow at first base with only the batter-runner to worry about means both the plate umpire and base umpire will be on the move during much of the playing action.

With no runners on, when the ball is hit in the infield, the base umpire will move from the A position into a position to initially call the play at first — moving to obtain a 90-degree angle on the throw. But when that throw breaks down and the ball gets by the first baseman, the base umpire will ideally move into the infield ahead of the runner. However, if the runner makes a quick turn, it might not be possible to move inside the diamond without first allowing the runner to pass.

U1 will have responsibility for the runner going to second base — or even third base depending on how playing action transpires.

The plate umpire will move up the line to initially be available to provide help on a pulled foot or swipe tag. On the overthrow, the plate umpire will have responsibility for ruling on the ball entering dead-ball territory. If necessary, the plate umpire can move into foul territory to observe where the ball goes on an overthrow.

In the event of continued throws in the infield and attempts by the runner to advance, the plate umpire will have responsibility for any plays at the plate.

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