Attention to Details

One of the things that I've been known for is attention to detail. Although at times I may not be vocal about things that I notice, it is quite frequent that people who are close to me accuse me of being extremely detail oriented. Call it what you want, but in the game of baseball details are what it is all about.

Demanding perfection, even when doing the mundane things, is what makes players become great players. Because baseball is a game of inches, every minor detail matters. In life and in baseball, there are no "huge" or "groundbreaking" achievements. Rather, it is an accumulation of doing a bunch of small things to perfection that result in an amazing end result! Since baseball is a game of development, it goes without saying that practicing perfection with many repetitions is what will give players the edge over competition. Otherwise, this game is extremely humbling and the moment you slack on a drill and put things into cruise control, is the moment the game will jump up and bite you and send a reminder. Much like "Stubby" told me at a young age: if you aren't working hard to get better, then you're falling behind.

So where am I going with this? Well let me ask you a few common questions that are commonly asked to players and see how you would answer them, let's turn the tables for a moment:

1) Where do you play (position)?

2) As a pitcher, rank your pitches according to your strengths and your ability to throw them.

3) When doing a pick off move to first base, where should you be aiming?

Most likely you answered something like the following:

1) "I play shortstop and second base, Coach."

2) "Well let's see, my best pitch is my fastball, second best pitch is my curveball, third best pitch is my changeup, and fourth best pitch is my slider."

3) "I dont know, I just try to throw and hope the ball beats the guy sliding back" OR "I try and throw chest high."


Now let me show you what I mean by attention to detail. While none of these are the wrong answer necessarily, what I demand from my players is more detailed and considered "perfection".

1) If a guy plays second base, I dont want him to tell me that he plays Second Base. Thats not what I asked! Unless he is telling me he plays his position standing on top of the second base bag. No no, what I asked was WHERE DO YOU PLAY. I'm looking for a kid to tell me he plays 8 steps off the second base bag and 4 steps back. Now we're getting somewhere. See, to have an idea of where to be and understand the game-- you first must know where YOU have to be placed according to your strengths and weaknesses! How can I trust my player to cover his position if he just stands where ever he thinks feels good?

2) Call these trick questions if you want, but what I'm looking for a kid to tell me is that he has TRUST in all his pitches and isn't afraid to throw any of them in any count or situation. If a kid can't honestly say this, then we know we have some work to do. I dont want a guy to tell me he has a second, third and fourth best pitch because he's automatically just told me he lacks confidence in certain pitches and if I called a slider in the bottom of the 9th inning with 2 outs to win us the Championship, he will be afraid to throw this pitch aggressively. I want him to be a perfectionist with ALL pitches and be able to throw any one of them at any given moment.

3) On this answer, it stems from Coach Rhodes at UNF. The answer I'm looking for here is 18 inches high, inside part of the bag. The way I teach my kids to pick off, I teach them to PICK THE GUY OFF!! Many guys do it just to "show" the runner he'll pick but why not try and get him out? Therefore, I will practice my guys endlessly like I had to, until reaching the point of perfection where each throw to the bag is 18 inches high and on the inside part of the bag so all the first baseman has to do is catch the ball and tag, not catch it chest high and bend down and bring his glove down with him--that takes time and baseball is a game of inches where that is wasted time and could be the difference between safe and out. Get it?

Obviously this is just scraping the surface of attention to detail. There are so many small aspects of the game that players/coaches could pay attention to and utilize to their benefits. Ever thought about which shoulder the umpire looks over and pitch to the opposite side of the plate? Ever seen a kid wearing a shin guard at bat and consider throwing him low and inside since he's practically advertising he struggles with that pitch? Ever noticed the little things a pitcher does to tip his pitches such as hold his glove differently, take a deep breath before certain pitches, doesn't lift his leg up as high on certain pitches, holds his finger a different way and the list goes on and on.

I dont mean to beat a dead horse, but so many players and teams get complacent with where they are in the game that they dont realize how many "small" things could make such a big difference if they'd just shift their focus to them. Don't ever under estimate the importance of attention to detail and how it can significantly improve your game... Just like starting a car by turning the ignition, the car doesn't immediately start on command but rather its a series of small things no one sees that produces the end result of the car starting, and this is how baseball development works as well. You can't expect change over night or to show up at the ball park and perform. You must take the time to focus on the small details and at times, boring aspects of the game, to achieve the results youre looking for.