As a middle infielder, the second baseman will be in on most of the double play groundballs turned in the infield, just as the shortstop will. But the biggest difference in the two positions is the angle and approach they take when turning the double play at second base. The shortstop is moving towards first base allowing him to make a more accurate throw as well as assess the path of the runner coming from first base.
For the second baseman, it's just the opposite. He's running away from where his next throw will be. He's awaiting the baseball from either the shortstop or third baseman, preventing him from being able to keep an eye on the runner bearing down on him.
Kevin McMullan is an assistant coach at the University of Virginia and was a former coach in the Atlanta Braves organization. McMullan said that the second baseman must be prepared for a lot of possible scenarios when turning a double play.
"The second baseman must be athletic and expect a bad throw," he said. "He should try to center the ball up or catch it off his left peck thumb-to-thumb. Just read the baseball and go to it with your feet more so than your hands."
Before any successful double play can be turned, the second baseman must first put himself in a position to get to the base in plenty of time. Of course, if there is a left-handed hitter at the plate, the second baseman may be forced to play a little closer to first base. But, he must still position himself in a spot where if the baseball is hit to the right side of the infield, he can still make it to second base to turn the double play.
"It really depends on how they are playing the batter," McMullan said. "But in a perfect world you would like to be at the base when the ball is reaching the base. Or at least be there a half step early."
One of the main reasons why the second baseman should attempt to get to the base early is so that he can have time to assess the situation with the base runner coming from first base. True, there isn't much time to make many decisions when turning a double play, but getting to the base early will allow the second baseman time to get out of the way of the base runner.
"In the Major Leagues the base runner can come get you at second base," McMullan said. "But in college baseball they can't. They have to go straight to the base."
Getting to the base early will also help the second baseman's throw to first base. If he's there early, he gets an opportunity to make a much better throw than he would if he was moving.
"It's better to be there early because it's a lot easier to transfer the ball when you're not moving," McMullan added.
But in all situations, the second baseman should be sure to get the out by touching on the base.
"Most kids touch the base," said McMullan. "I think in the Major Leagues you work around the bag and straddle it as long as you stay in the neighborhood of it. In collegiate baseball, though, most umpires are going to call it safe - at least I hope so, because that's what the rules read."
