What does a center fielder do in baseball? A center fielder catches fly balls and line drives, fields balls that may get through the infield, and backs up his teammates. A center fielder also needs to produce offensively and be a threat on the basepaths, so hitting and running are important skills for them to practice.
Center Field is an Important Defensive Role
The center fielder is arguably the most critical defensive position, after the pitcher and catcher. The person who plays center field is responsible for organizing the defense in the outfield as they’re often viewed as the captain of the outfield.
(baseball) The part of a baseball field which is beyond the infield and straight ahead left if you stand on home plate and face the pitcher. (baseball) The defensive position in the outfield in the middle, typically played by a player that can run fast.
Center field in baseball is one of three areas within the outfield, located directly behind second base and in between the left and right field areas of the field. The area is occupied by the defending team’s center fielder, who is responsible for fielding any baseball that is within reach.
Center field is “big shortstop.” It isn’t the toughest position to play in Little League, high school, or college, even the minors. But it’s the toughest to play in the majors because the parks are bigger and the hitters hit such ungodly shots.
Right Field
This is often considered to be, alongside the left field, the least important position in baseball.
Based on statistics and the position’s active involvement in the game, it’s believed that right field is the easiest baseball position to play. This is the case because of the number of balls hit to right field compared to other positions on the field.
A center fielder must be a well-rounded team player who can stand firm on the ground when needed. He should have a strong arm while being productive at-bat. This position is considered the captain of the outfield, as the center fielder connects with the right and left players in the outfield and lead.
While the center fielder is often considered the captain of the outfield, left and right field positions are just as important. Left field vs right field debates are common in baseball circles, mostly concerning which position is more vital and where you can best hide your weaker defender.
First, center fielders are usually among the fastest guys on the team. That being said, plus speed isn’t always necessary for a center fielder. You can lack some speed when you possess the second aspect of range: a good first step.
Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher’s mound. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the left fielder is assigned the number 7.
Comerica ParkStadiums
Name | Capacity | Distance to center field |
---|---|---|
Comerica Park | 41,083 | 420 feet (128 m) |
Coors Field | 50,144 | 415 feet (126 m) |
Dodger Stadium | 56,000 | 395 feet (120 m) |
Fenway Park | 37,755 | 390 feet (119 m) |
Herman Long is the all-time leader in errors committed as a shortstop with 1,070. Long is the only shortstop to commit over 1,000 career errors. Bill Dahlen (975), Germany Smith (973), Tommy Corcoran (961) are the only other shortstops to commit over 900 career errors.
Third Base is the Best Baseball Position:
Because no other position player is closer to the batter, a third baseman must have catlike reflexes, a strong arm and not be afraid of a hard hit ball. Most young hitters are right handed and the good ones pull the ball.
Center field is widely recognized as the third most important position on defense, behind both catcher and shortstop. That said, an argument can be made that center field is indeed the toughest position of any to play. It requires more versatility than any other position.
For this list, they focused on the positions from a variety of sports that are toughest to play from both a physical and technical standpoint.- 7: All Positions (Water Polo)
6: Goalie (Lacrosse)
5: Scrum-Half (Rugby)
4: Pitcher (Baseball)
3: Quarterback (American Football)
2: Goalie (Hockey)
1: Goalkeeper (Football)
A good center fielder is someone who is fast, has strong defensive skills, and is a solid hitter. Good center fielders also need excellent vision, as center fielders play further away from home plate than any other defensive position.
Of all outfield positions, the right fielder often has the strongest arm, because they are the farthest from third base.
Highest paid position player in MLB: Mike Trout, outfielder, Los Angeles Angels.
Ichiro has the strongest and most powerful arm of any outfielder in the major leagues today. Runners will not even try to advance extra bases when the ball is in Ichiro’s hands. Ichiro has won a Gold Glove all 10 years that he has been in the major leagues.
Being good at tracking and catching the ball is essential, but outfielders must know their arm strength, how to throw on a line and (most importantly) where to throw the ball. Quickly hitting the cutoff man is as valuable a skill as being able to throw the ball all the way to the base.
The shortstop is the sixth position because they were originally a shallow outfielder. With how light the baseballs were, outfielders needed a cut-off man between the outfield and the infield. When the quality of baseballs improved, the shortstop became an infielder and remained as the 6th position.
Generally, the left-field is where the worst player on a baseball team will be positioned. Even when the batted ball tends to go to the left side more often, the left fielder’s throwing arm doesn’t need to be so strong, and it’s surrounded by the most skilled players on a team.