First Basemen: Key Roles & Responsibilities
A first baseman’s job is to get big hits and play good defense. Championship baseball teams often have great first basemen. First base, along with third base, are the corner positions of the infield. They must have good reflexes to protect the foul line on defense. First basemen aren’t known for their speed on the basepaths. Their job is to be aggressive when batting, and to try to drive the ball to the outfield.
First basemen are typically some of the bigger players on a baseball team. The average height of a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) is slightly over 6-foot-2 while their average weight is 222 pounds. Below is a description of some qualities that make up a good first baseman.
Primary Defensive Responsibilities
First base is the only position in the infielder where it’s an advantage to throw left-handed. One skill that first basemen must master is throwing the ball to second base to start a double play. It’s easier to make that play because if you’re left-handed, you don’t need to pivot to make the throw. You can field the groundball and make the toss in one motion. A right-handed first baseman must field the ball, turn and throw it. It’s also easier to make a tag on a pickoff attempt. A right-hander must try to make a backhand tag. A left-handed first baseman can make the tag with a quicker, sweeping motion. Still, it’s not easy to find a left-handed first baseman. Currently, only 4 of the 30 MLB first basemen are left-handed. Below is a look at the skills a first baseman needs to excel:
Fielding Throws: One of the most important jobs a first baseman has is to catch balls thrown from the players in the infield. Every time a ground ball is hit and picked up by an infielder, the first basemen must receive a throw. Without a clean catch, a runner could beat the throw to first. Below are some skills first baseman need to properly field throws.
Stretching: A first baseman must be flexible so they can stretch for throws. It’s important to keep your foot on the bag while being able to extend as far as possible to get throws that might be slightly off-line or to just make sure you receive the ball before the runner gets to the bag. Sometimes, there’s a split-second difference between when the runner reaches the base and the first baseman catches the ball. A first baseman frequently must dive for a hard-hit ground ball. That requires good reflexes.
Positioning: A first baseman must be in the right spot near the bag for specific game situations. For instance, if a runner is on first base, they’ll have to hold them “on.” That means when the pitcher is throwing, they keep close to the bag so they can quickly get to the base and take a throw from a pitcher for a pickoff attempt. A pickoff is when a pitcher tries to throw a runner on base out. Often, a first basemen will play 2 or 3 steps off the bag without a runner on base because they want to guard territory. Once the ball is hit in the infield, a first baseman must get back to the bag quickly.
Errant Throws: A first baseman will often have to catch throws that bounce in one hop or jump to retrieve a high throw. They must always be prepared for the unexpected.
Toss Back: One of the trickier plays in baseball, a first baseman must learn to toss the ball back to the pitcher when the pitcher is covering first base. If a ball is hit too far away from the bag for the first baseman to get back in time to beat the runner, the first baseman must throw the ball underhand to the pitcher on the run. This requires impeccable timing and accuracy.
Essential Skills
Many of the skills a first baseman uses in the field can be taught with practice. They need to learn some fundamental skills to be effective defensively. Often, even though first basemen are naturally good hitters, they’re big and they’re not the fastest player on the team. Coaches can recognize when players are younger and ask them to play first base. Below is a description of those skills.
Footwork: First basemen need to have quick, agile feet. First basemen have to pivot frequently because they’ll use both their feet to touch the base, however, they never have both feet on the bag. First basemen also must know where to position their foot on the base to receive a throw. It’s always on the inside of the bag. If they leave their foot on top of the bag, there’s a chance the runner could step on it.
Lateral Movement: A first baseman must move side-to-side to field ground balls. They must be close enough to the base to get back to it in time to catch a throw but far enough away to field grounders that are to the right of them that the second baseman can’t cover.
Anticipation: A first baseman must be in position to field ground balls from the hitter. To do this, they should study hitters’ tendencies and position themselves properly. If a runner is on first base, they must be aware of where they’re on the field.
Primary Offensive Responsibilities
Hitting for power and driving in runs are the 2 biggest jobs of a first baseman. Often, the first baseman hits in the third, fourth, or fifth position in the lineup. Those are the spots where hitters are expected to deliver big hits to drive in runners who are on base. A good first baseman consistently gets on base and can be counted on to get timely hits in clutch situations. The Dodger’s first baseman Freddie Freeman is the quintessential high performing first baseman both offensively and defensively. Freeman has averaged nearly 25 homeruns and 88 runs batted in over 14 seasons. His on base percentage is .387. A good OBP, which is the percentage of time a player reaches base safely, is above .370. Freeman also won a Gold Glove in 2020. A Gold Glove is awarded to the best defensive player in Major League Baseball at their position.
First Base Mitt
Fielding ground balls at first base requires a specialized baseball glove or mitt. Aside from the catcher, the other infielders use regular mitts. A first base mitt is longer than a normal glove and it typically has extra webbing at the top. Why? The larger glove makes it easier to scoop up errant throws. A first baseman’s glove is up to 13 inches long while a regular glove is up to 11.75 inches long. Also, A first baseman’s glove is typically deeper than a regular glove because that makes it more forgiving when a ball is thrown into the mitt. There’s less risk of the baseball popping out when it hits the glove.
First basemen aren’t usually the best all-around players on the team. A first baseman’s primary job is to be an excellent hitter and to be an effective fielder. It’s a great position for a natural hitter who's muscular and tall but not necessarily fast. The most athletic players usually play shortstop or in the outfield.