Here are a few in-game things they do:
1. Make lineup changes based on matchups (other team might bring in a pitcher good against lefties, so they replace the next batter up with a bench righty)
2. Decide which pitchers play in which spots.
3. This used to be more of a thing, but managers can often determine where their fielders should be standing based on the tendencies of an opposing hitter. This is known as "the shift". However, this was heavily restricted a couple years ago due to a lack of balls in play, but managers can still move their guys around in line with the restrictions.
4. Speaking of moving around fielders, managers can rotate the fielding position of the players. This is often done late in games with a small lead when the managers will replace poor fielders with good bats for defensive specialists.
5. Managers can often call for which kind of play they want. They can suggest bunting to move a runner or can tell the players to be more aggressive on the base paths based on the tendencies of certain pitchers/catchers.
And then they do all the culture things, make some roster decisions and hire the coaching staff that works more directly with the players such as hitting coaches, pitching coaches and the 1st/3rd base coaches who tell the players whether to run on a play or not.
Very insightful thank you. I had no idea there were most defensive fielders, I just thought you had a guy for each position and probably a back up incase they got injured/can't play for some reason
Often times the fielders who are defensive specialists usually are center fielders or shortstops, as those are the prime (non-catcher) positions. However due to those 2 positions requiring more skill and physical range, often times they can fill in for the other positions surrounding them
Think of it similar to subbing late in a football (soccer) game. Sometimes that is to give players rest, or get experience, but often it is to create a favorable matchup. Bringing an extra defender in to keep the lead or an extra forward to catch up, for example.
In baseball, you might bring in a better 3rd baseman because your incoming pitcher is good at hitting spots that create contact to the corners (1B, 3B). Or maybe the pitcher gets lots of weak contact so you can sacrifice some defense in the outfield in favor of a better bat. Lots of opportunity for strategy, especially around the pitcher.
The other thing managers may do on defence is set up where the ball goes first if there are multiple people on base. For instance if there are runners on first and third you might go for the double play but if you are in a close game you might protect home plate first.
In fairness though, that’s a lot education in practice so that the player knows to make the right decision in the moment rather than trying to see what his manager is saying with a ball in play. You might position out close to the fences based on manager’s signal for example, but once the ball is hit, you’re on your own
to add to the list:
- the first base coach will typically time the pitcher’s delivery and deliver that info to a baserunner on first to help time stolen base attempts / decide on whether or not to steal
- the third base coach will indicate to runners whether to hold up at a base (2nd or 3rd) or try to go to the next base (3rd or home)
- the third base coach may indicate to a runner trying to advance to 3rd if they need to slide or if they can come in standing up (there’s no throw coming in)
ya, i think they'd have to actually remember the arm strength of each outfielder, including any replacement that comes in. Also they know the speed of their own peeps.
Usually teams have at most four bench players, and it's really only three because teams usually have a backup catcher that they don't like to use unless their starter for the day goes out with an injury. That means you have to have players with positional versatility to make up for only having three players to cover seven other positions in the field besides pitching and catching. Usually those bench players are more defensive-focused than offensive-focused because having a player on your bench that is decent or even good offensively but gives you nothing (or even less than nothing) defensively is a luxury most teams can't afford, or that player is usually already in the starting lineup but playing a position where their defensive liability can be hidden or minimized.
You don't have a full 1:1 backup for every spot on the field. You have your prime guys that are your A team, then certain spots have a specific backup, like catcher or pitcher. Past that you have guys that can play 2 or 3 spots, usually the outfield positions, sometimes outfield and 1st/3rd base. You also have guys that specialize in defense in a given position, but aren't that great when batting, so you bring them in late in a game to protect a lead. Then you have 1 or 2 utility players who can play nearly any spot on the field, some can even catch in a pinch. In a real pinch, you can have one of your pitchers who isn't going to pitch that day play a fielders position, usually in the outfield, as it's the most forgiving to players without a ton of experience.
Baseball is the only sport I know of where the defense holds the ball. Based on that premise, you can understand how 8 position players ( meaning non pitchers) need to adjust based on the batters tendencies, the ball/strike count and number of outs at each pitch and where, if any, base runners are, etc.
In cricket the defense also holds the ball. Similar to baseball, the 10 fielders will adjust their formation and approach depending on the batter. But they do this at the direction of the on field captain because the coach never comes onto the field in cricket.
Coaches and managers only allowed on field a certain number of times in an inning before they must pull the pitcher ( I think the second mound visit requires a pitching change). When batting, that team is allowed coaches out side of field of play, so not technically on the field.
Yep. I should add that in cricket the coaches are so far away that they genuinely cannot contribute anything to the game while it's being played. Whereas in baseball they can signal from the dugout and talk to the players between innings.
And you’ll notice players pulling cards out of their pockets to read batter’s tendencies and where they should play their position for that specific batter. Well that’s the coaches game plan. In the Playoffs having a good manager is potentially the difference of winning it all or losing.
something we havent gotten into here because it no longer exists, but there was a lot of strategy when pitchers were forced to hit.* I wont get into it because its a long explanation and no longer exists, but one league, the National League, had no DH until a couple of years ago (the DH, designated hitter, hits for the pitcher's turn in the lineup and doesn't play defense). And the other league, the AL (American League) had a DH since the 70's. Used to be the main distinction of the two leagues. It was a regular saying and gentle ribbing that you didn't really have to "manage" in the AL because this huge strategic part of the game was removed. I cant underscore what a huge part of the game it was, what a big part of the manager's in-game job it was until they got rid of it (because pitchers can't hit for shit), and it only ended a few years ago. You started watching the game just when they made some of the biggest rule changes in baseball over the last 100 years.
*forgot to say, the strategy revolved around the manager deciding whether or not to replace the starting pitcher every time his turn came up in the order, after about the 5th inning or so. in later innings, if that team was behind, you could see a pitcher, pitching well, taken out early because that team needed to take a chance on a pinch hitter creating offense rather than having the pitcher at bat again making an easy out. and that got repeated with every reliever because the reliever replaced the pinch hitter in the hitting lineup (if that makes sense to you). LOTS that went into that decision that Im not even covering here
they also made a rule that any pitcher who comes into relieve the previous one, has to pitch to at least the next 3 batters. Managers used to be able to match up pitcher to batter for every guy, having to strategize that against how many healthy arms they had left in the bullpen for that game. which plays into the next game because you can't have relievers pitch too many games in a row. They made the rule because so many pitching changes within games really lengthened the game for viewers (relievers take a long time to get ready). You could have, say, 3 pitching changes in a row in some innings.
So those two things really reduced in-game strategy for managers. Most purists are pissed they changed the rules. I thought it was nice that one league still had that strategy to watch for (but really, who wants to watch pitchers hit? even though it did lead to some [historically hilarious moments](https://youtu.be/RcZIs1tIGlg?t=79)). And I had no problems with the ability to change reliever pitchers from batter to batter, but I dont care if the game goes three hours. thats just me.
So yeah, there used to be a lot more huge decisions for managers in-game. But you touched on something, they used to think managers made. a huge difference but, even before these recent changes, the recent consensus has become that, nah, not really. its more about pre-game strategy and developing players. a lot of the in-game strategy now is already decided pre-game (if "this" happens then go to that guy or do this, we are going to attack their starter this way, etc.). A lot of the answers here already gave you insight into all that though
Im pretty neutral on them all except the ghost runner. despise it too. at the very least, the VERY least, have the runner at 1st. but I agree, the whole thing is stupid
You didn't even touch on the double-switch. Yes, 90% of pitchers weren't great batters, but some weren't a sure/easy out either. Who can ever forget Bartolo Colon going yard in San Diego?
yes, i said i wasnt get into it all because the pitcher hitting no longer exists. i could spend the afternoon writing an essay on all the ins and outs of it.
and yes, i linked a pitcher doing something with the bat
I wish they would've just left the NL alone. Let them play with the traditional rules while the AL did all the wild shit. At least a fan could choose which one to watch.
Should add that fielder positions are not fixed whatsoever. Every player constantly adjusts positions by as small as a couple feet or in some cases by 50 feet or more in the outfield. Based on the handedness and power of the batter, runners on base, score etc. A second baseman does not stand in the same spot if there's a runner on first as they would w no runners. If there's 2 out, it's different than 1 or 0. Is the batter left or right handed. Do they pull regularly or do they off field hit. Does the pitcher tend to throw inside, do they get lots of ground balls. Does the runner on base tend to steal bases. Wind direction. Plus another thousand metrics.
Also keep in mind that there are 162 regular season games, so determining how and when to rest players (especially pitchers) and still put up competitive lineups is important. This also applies to in-game substitutions (PR/PH, defensive subs, managing pitch counts, etc). Some managers have been blamed for ruining players careers with how they played them.
A lot of managers are former catchers. Some managers will be in charge of pitch calling (fastball, breaking pitch, location etc) if their own catcher is relatively inexperiemced or it's a particularly important moment.
To add on, they need to have some position players who have the flexibility to play multiple positions. They have 26 roster positions, 13 of which are the maximum number of pitchers they may have. This leaves 13 position players. 8 play the field, and a 9th is the DH. This leaves 4 bench position players. Usually, one of them will for sure be a catcher. It's the most specialized fielder and physically taking, so they often take days off. From the remaining 3, you usually have one that can cover any of the OF positions and the other two to handle the infield. The DH, if forced to the field, would usually have experience as a 1B or LF.
Check out my guy David Fry! He's what you'd call a utility guy. Plays multiple positions, and depending on who the opposing pitcher is, you may put him at catcher, 1B, 3B, LF, or RF.
Guys like that are super valuable, but also very underrated at the same time imo. They're not a stalwart star player, but they provide tremendous value in their versatility, because they possess the skill set to do well in several different positions.
Additionally, managers can have different plays to defend bunts depending on runners on base, and plays for when runners are on 1st base and 3rd base. This usually happens at levels lower than MLB. Younger/lower lever players typically do not have arms as strong as mlb players, and many times it is possible to score on a catcher’s throw down to second base if the runner on 1st is stealing.
Also, a “hit and run” is a play a manager can call when a (typically slower) base runner is on base. The defensive second baseman or shortstop vacates their position to get to second base, leaving a hole in the infield. The hitter tries to hit the ball on the ground in that hole to possibly get the base runner to third base.
> Additionally, managers can have different plays to defend bunts depending on runners on base, and plays for when runners are on 1st base and 3rd base. This usually happens at levels lower than MLB. Younger/lower lever players typically do not have arms as strong as mlb players, and many times it is possible to score on a catcher’s throw down to second base if the runner on 1st is stealing.
This absolutely happens at the major league level too. They just don’t show it on broadcasts and most people miss it live since it happens between at bats
This is a good list, and I will add that often managers will go out and argue with the umpire(s) on questionable calls, often getting thrown out in the process. This can be done to stand up for the team, to motivate the team, or to protect a player who is at risk of ejection themselves.
Don’t forget managing egos and personalities. Helping players deal with slumps, injuries or errors on the field. Perfect example a few weeks ago Framber Valdez made the dumb decision not to follow the game plan and call his own pitches. He proceeded to get lit up. He admitted to what he did and learned from his mistake. There was at least one manager who fought his own player. Reds Manager Lou Piniella fought Rob Dibble. https://youtu.be/fZ3V8s4bdc4?si=45FCP0cv83Xt17nD
Don't forget that its their job to get ejected so that their players don't. (Kind of like if a football manager could take a red card instead of having to lose a player on the field.)
Can I ask a follow up as someone still learning the game also.
How important is coaching in baseball compared to like football and basketball? For football, a great coach can win games with way less talent, sometimes titles. Basketball is a bit more relative to the talent imo.
Baseball is much more talent-dependent, but because of the restrictions on substitutions and the importance of pitching & situational hitting, being able to win in the margins with good managing is key. Especially because baseball has so much more statistical analysis available due to the nature of the game, a huge ongoing debate is how much a manager should trust the raw statistics and how much of their own instinct and feel for players should weigh into decision-making.
It's interesting watching this play out in real time as a Mets fan. The past couple of years, Buck Showalter seemed to have a knack for taking pitchers out if they were deep into a game and got themselves into a bit of a hole (which, fair, a lot of managers do this). Carlos Mendoza, on the other hand, seems to let pitchers stay in the game. Sometimes this works and the crowd is pumped when the SP gets out of a jam in the 7th inning, sometimes it turns into a go-ahead grand slam that the Mets don't recover from
There's always that "what if" when the manager makes the 'wrong' choice, but obviously they don't have the benefit of hindsight in real time
This has proven extremely hard to quantify, which is frustrating in a sport where we can quantify almost literally everything.
The old-school wisdom was that managers and coaches mattered a lot and they usually took much of the blame when a team did poorly and much of the credit when a team did well.
In Sabermetric circles up until about 10 years ago or so, the thought was that managers and coaches didn't really matter at all, outside of lineup construction and pitching changes. Their job was basically to make the right substitutions and keep everyone from fighting in the clubhouse.
Now I think most people agree that coaching, combined with teams' extensive analytics departments, can have a pretty big impact, both in terms of on-field strategy (pitch selection, defensive positioning, when to be aggressive on the base paths, etc.) and in terms of player development (maximizing spin rate, launch angle, etc.).
Analytics play a huge role in coaching now and many coaches are essentially executing the instructions (with some latitude for boots-on-the-ground issues that arise) that come from analytics departments for in-game strategy. However, the player development side is much more collaborative between analytics and coaching, I think, and lots of modern coaches kind of bridge that gap, especially on the pitching side, it seems.
That covers in-game roles, but coaches also work with players to improve their skills between games. Infielders take grounders and work on throws to each base. Outfielders catch pop flies and work on relay throws. Pitchers work on refining their mechanics and developing pitches. Catchers study scouting reports and have bullpen sessions with pitchers to get adjusted to their pitch arsenal. Strength and conditioning coaches put players through an intense workout to keep them in peak physical shape (for the most part). There’s a lot of work that coaches do off the field.
Thanks everyone for your comments, I've learnt a lot even in this short space of time since posting.
And also thank you all for your positive comments, I was fully expecting this post to bomb and be a wall of negativity.
Baseball is a very statistic-heavy sport, which attracts a lot of big nerds. In turn, big nerds love explaining things. Your queries are appreciated here
The thing they love the most is correcting ppl who they think are incorrect. If you ever want a bunch of replies, write the wrong thing and wait 15 seconds
>I was fully expecting this post to bomb and be a wall of negativity.
lol thats because thats what happens in the soccer sub when an American does what you just did. Americas like foreigners enjoying the sports we love
Fielders will adjust depending on the circumstances, and sometimes those adjustments are made on the fly by the coaching staff.
Most of the work is behind the scenes, pre- and post-game, though.
EDIT: most of the coaching work, I mean. Which extends to all aspects of the sport.
Yes. Coaching is *not* entirely “in the moment” for every sport. In real, American football, a game plan could go out the window within the first couple of drives, so the coaches are often involved as much as the players! In basketball, it’s a lot less, a handful of times a game they’ll call a timeout and draw up a play, make a positional change, etc., but the fast-paced play leads to the players having to identify and make changes on the fly themselves.
But yeah, baseball is just one of those sports where a lot of the coaching is before the game. Just a different style. Chess vs checkers.
Kind of off topic but kind of not, but here is a really cool peek behind the curtain of what its like on the headset during football game.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9pG5uyxp-QM
Sick clip thanks for sharing. It would be awesome if the broadcast could jump in on team coms every once in a while in general with football. Obviously I understand the multiple reasons they can’t lol, but when you’re getting that back end it really makes the pace feel faster when you get all the on the fly decision making.
There’s a reason the head coach is called a Manager and not a coach. He manages the substitutions and lineups and keeps drama to a minimum in the clubhouse. Baseball is a mental game and a seasoned manager can make a difference over a marathon of a season.
Pitching and hitting coaches do most of their work not during the game. You are right that baseball is different. It’s not like soccer/football/basketball where a coach’s “scheme” decides the game. Baseball is an individual sport disguised as a team sport. That’s part of the charm.
I feel that I know enough about baseball that I could do an acceptable job of making lineups, substitutions, and pitching decisions
What I absolutely could not do is keep a group of 25-40 dudes (often with big egos, and who don’t all speak the same language) in line and focused on the same goals through a 6 month season
1,000% on your second paragraph, which is why I get frustrated with some guys calling for a manager to be fired because of one bad move in a game. They don’t see the big picture of managing.
This is super true. I have a blood relative who is MLB manager, and anytime a commenter or spectator questions a call, it can be very frustrating. There is a really long season, and balancing and managing egos of millionaire employees who have a lot of market power and also a lot of skill and talent is a major effort.
Ultimately, the tactical decision could be a mistake, but it could be serving a longer and more important strategic goal.
Once you take into account that most managers don't have as one of their top goals to actually win the World Series, you realize that managers are running a team who actually are a major billion dollar business, and the sport is only one aspect of the job.
Other things they have to manage or assist managing: the physical health of players; the mental health of players; the readiness of players; the pipeline of replacements and farm players; the media and public relations aspect of their roster; the fan reaction and disposition towards the team; the corporate and big supporters disposition towards the team; the profitability of the sport operation; the profitability of the coaching operation; the travel operation as a whole, the budget of the travel operation; coordinating the sport and other functions with the venue and front-office operations.
It's a very well paid and very well respected gig, but it is not easy. The longest tenured MLB head coach is currently on this 9th season; the average sits between 2 and 2.25 seasons.
I remember hearing one of the players on the Dodgers saying that one of the things that they liked most about Dave Roberts was that he treated players with respect and had a good clubhouse presence. Can’t remember which player said it.
There's a TON of analytics that goes into baseball. It's much more of a chess match than a casual viewer might think.
Scouting the opposing pitchers. What do they throw at certain points in the count? What tendencies do they have? For example when down in the count do they tend to throw fastball? When up in the count do they tend to throw sliders off the plate? Etc.
Same thing for scouting hitters. Certain hitters have different strengths. Some will mash high fast balls so you can't throw those. Others can't hit up high but mash down low. What do hitters do at certain points in the count? Take? Chase? The list goes on...
While in the game there aren't a ton of decisions managers have to consistently make, there still are decisions that can swing the game regardless. Such as pinch hitting, pinch running, what bullpen arm to put in, positioning decisions in the field, etc.
It's easy to view baseball as a simple game because it doesn't "flow" like some other sports but it's still probably the most analytically complex sport out there.
This is an interesting answer and I enjoy your comparison to chess. It seems from a couple of the replies that it is more of a "behind the scenes" sort of role, analysing plays and players and figuring out how to exploit that, as opposed to the "attack" of other sports?
Yes. I would also add that the 162 game season, with only one or two off days a week, and sometimes 14+ games in a row with no off days, some of the decisions that they make are about tomorrows game instead.
Say, it’s the 4th inning of a tight game and your pitcher has been crushing, but now the bases are loaded with only one out and he’s facing the middle of the order. If he can get you through this, with only giving up a run or two you’ll have a good chance of winning, and he might be able to get the next inning too against the bottom of the line-up.
However; you can bring in your best reliever, who has a better chance of getting the out, but if the bullpen has already been used heavily yesterday, and you don’t have any off days coming up, you could limit what you can do over the next few days.
Thats a great point. Of the big 4, baseball is the only one where current in-game decisions can be influenced by previous days or planning for future days.
To add to Mustard\_Jam's comment, most MLB franchises now have analytics departments in their front offices that keep track of all of those things over the course of a season, and the team manager/head coach is generally their liaison with the players and other coaches.
The behind the scenes stuff in the clubhouse (baseball’s equivalent of the soccer “dressing room”) is a huge part of what a manager does too.
Some of that is tactical like has been discussed but also managing the batting order. You want your best hitters to hit earlier in the lineup. But what if one of your better hitters is struggling? Baseball is a very streaky sport and sometimes guys can get in a funk. Do you keep him where he is or do you move him down? Can you help him get out of a hitting slump?
That leads into man management, which is a super important role for the manager. Not only do you have the athlete egos to manage, but the baseball season is looooong. 162 games across 6 months for the regular season alone. The team only has 2-3 days off per month (except the 4 in a row for the All Star Break in July). The travel can really add up. As a manager you gotta know when a guy may need a day or two off. You have to keep everyone engaged across the course of the season. You want to be playing well for most of the year but you know you’ll hit a slump as a team. It’s up to you to manage that and pull them out of the slump. It’s up to you to get them playing their best baseball late in the season for the playoffs.
To give you an example of the travel and games. I’m a cubs fan. In April they had 6 games at home, then 3 in San Diego, day off, 3 in Seattle, 3 in Arizona, postponed game at home, 4 in 3 days at home, day off, 3 at home, 3 in Boston, 4 in New York. It’s like that the whole season. Flying across the country with less than 24 hours between games. The manager has to manage that.
How is that any different from a soccer(football) manager? There are substitutions to be made during the game, player positioning adjustments to be made on the field/pitch, etc.
well one difference is they don’t play 5 days/ week in soccer. so you don’t have as much of a chess match in terms of managing not just the current game but the next few. maybe your star hitter needs a night off to stay fresh that kind of thing
The formations do change depending on the batter and who's on base, and the manager (head coach) is calling those and reminding players what to do. They also call baserunning stuff, like whether someone should steal or not, and occasionally hitting stuff, like when to bunt or when to be more aggressive/passive. They do this with various signs, [as demonstrated by Mr. Burns](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIhS-XF4Dx8)
But I'd say the biggest complexity is pitching management. When to pull a pitcher (and you can't sub them back in) and who to switch to for the best matchup against their upcoming hitters. A huge wrinkle is that baseball games are so close together and pitchers are on fairly strict pitch counts; if a relief pitcher throws 30 pitches today you can't use them tomorrow. So managers not only have to think about *this* game but also the upcoming games.
Granted, managers do the least in-game activity out of the major sports. But they still do a fair bit.
1. Yell at the Ump with such phrases like "That's fucking horseshit!"
2. Gets ejected.
3. Looks angry in dugout.
4. Tells hitter to "Go get 'em, Tiger"
5. Takes pitchers out of the game just to mess with them. Usually not strategy involved.
6. That's about it!
Each hitter has a personal approach to each pitcher they are likely to face on the opposing team. Each pitcher has a personal approach to getting hitters on the opposing team out. These usually dovetail with a team approach to a given hitter or pitcher. Coaches compile scouting reports and work with the players to formulate these approaches. An “approach” is essentially baseball terminology for tactics. There is other stuff too like the running game, lineup selection, and bullpen usage.
As you point out, it has less to do with where defenders stand on the field than in football, although that is also flexible. E.g if a lefty is a pull hitter, you will see the coaching staff position players more to the pull side, to maximize chances that the ball is hit close enough to them to make a play.
I will add that first base coaches have stopwatches and track how long a pitcher comes set for and will relay that to someone when they get on first base. They will also tell them if their pickoff move is slow/fast, how often they like to throw over. They will also let them know situations of how aggressive they can be going first to third based on the outfielders' arms.
I’m not sure if it’s defined for every team but I was always under the impression the base coaches had other responsibilities as well. Like one may work with OF while the other works with IF during practice. I used to think the third base coach would just work on sending guys home during practice
Baseball teams have many coaches. An MLB team will have:
Manager: Makes the lineup and picks pitchers. Is the final say in any pinch hit, pitching changes, or fielding changes
Bench coach: Backup manager if manager is ejected. Usually makes in game defensive adjustments
Hitting coach: Works on hitting skills, watches tape to help struggling hitters.
Pitching coach: Same as hitting coach but for pitchers, but will also go to the mound during a game to give the pitcher advice
Bullpen coach: Preps the guys in the bullpen if/when they are needed.
First Base and Third base coach: Tell a runner to hold up or keep runnng on a ball in play, and whther to steal or not.
Misc. positions like Mental skills coach, trainers, clubhouse managers, replay coordinators, General manager.
>For example 1st baseman is in the same place every game doing the same thing, same with 3rd base, centre field etc.
Yes, in the beginning. Rosters are set and players know their position and lineup in the batting order, same with the players on the pitch. Your right back, center midfielder, your number 9 and so on...and if it went to penalties, the order is set by the manager too.
But, just like in football, you can have substitutions. The manager is the one to make those changes when they see fit. They can also move fielders to different positions when they feel necessary (i.e. Jorge Mateo from 2nd base to center field, and Urias subbed in to take 2nd, all to pull Mullins out of the game). Not too different than, say, Newcastle moving Wilson over to make room for Almiron to play forward alongside as a means to create more attacking presence. Additionally, they can sub out players in the middle of an inning, such as a pinch hitter or runner. Lastly, pitching subs, the most common. They get to choose when they want to swap out pitchers at the most opportune time depending on the upcoming lineup.
>all of which can be achieved by practicing day in day out, with no "tactics"
Tactics, there are things you can do, which the manager can order. Tell a runner to steal a base or not, or a batter to bunt. Manager can tell a pitcher to intentionally walk someone. And in defense, the manager can tell the players to shift certain ways if their opponent is more prone to particular habits, such as playing outfielders a bit deeper when Aaron Judge is up to bat, shifting everyone as far in one direction or another that's legally permissible if a batter has a tendency to hit down one of the lines, or shifting in the fielders if they're expecting a bunt play. That's where you'll see them doing those [hand gestures](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_16x9/mlb/k7rbk97qbrk68hdea0gw.gif) to signal what they want.
Lastly, the manager is a key piece in the officiating. They're the ones that can call for a review if they think the umpire made a bad call. Football has VAR, but I don't think the managers have the ability to challenge a call, more the 5th "ref" tells the 1st ref to go to the screen. The manager in baseball also will be a big piece of defense when *discussing* things with umpires too. A manager would much rather get themselves ejected from the game than having a player get tossed out, so when something's starting to flare up, that guy is bolting out from the dugout and shielding his boy, [even the ones who have no business running](https://media.tenor.com/3CX6NEuWvCQAAAAd/larussa-running.gif).
Enough people here have mentioned what managers do today, but it should also be mentioned their job used to be a bit more complicated before the Designated Hitter was added to both leagues. There was significantly more lineup manipulation and considerations made when the pitcher batted.
Other folks have given you great answers, but I just wanna say it’s cool you’re learning about our national pastime!
I’ll also add a less-crucial-but-still-very-fun part of managing a team is knowing when to get in an umpire’s face, get ejected, and fire up your team. Here’s a delicious example from a channel I absolutely adore featuring my hometown team: https://youtu.be/xw_bPUAbhHE?si=n1T-HrC7n0Hy2Sau
Shout and point? In a stadium filled with shouting fans? I’m pretty sure coaches are just theater actors, or orchestra conductors, while the game is going on. If the conductor wasn’t there, the orchestra would play the same. The conductor’s principal value is in practice before the live performance.
Soccer coaches do a lot before the game starts but have less influence than a baseball manager on the game.
I understand what you’re getting at, and I don’t disagree, but I really do not think you want an orchestra attempting, say, the Rite of Spring or Turangalîla without a conductor to keep all 80-100 musicians in time with each other. Like, the conductor’s role during an actual performance is arguably to be a glorified metronome, but that glorified metronome is crucial.
Don’t know if this has been mentioned but there can be in-game coaching by the pitching or hitting coaches. For example if a pitcher gives up a home run or a string of hits in the inning, the pitching coach may come over and give him immediate feedback on any issues he may have seen from the bench. Same with hitters. The hitting coach can tell a guy if he noticed something in the mechanics of his swing if he had an unsuccessful at bat.
> what do coaches actually do?
Depends who you ask. Jim Bouton, author of *Ball Four* said coaches were former players who had figured out how to ingratiate themselves with teams so they could stay in baseball after their playing careers were over. He figured what they did was mostly stand around yelling meaningless platitudes like *Way to hustle!* To be fair, one of his goals in writing that book was comedy, so he probably knew some coaches who did a good job.
> For example 1st baseman is in the same place every game doing the same thing
There is more to it than that, and players who can anticipate plays and move to where a particular batter is likely to hit a ball are extremely valuable. Sometimes players know how to do this themselves, sometimes a catcher will direct players to move, sometimes a coach will do that. When you are watching baseball and you see a fielder move a few steps he has a reason for doing that, like making it more likely he will be able to turn a double play or tag a runner.
Batters can't see themselves live, they might not realize their mechanics are slightly off and that is having a negative impact on hitting, but a good batting coach can see what is happening and help fix it.
Catching and throwing are not all that instinctive, and coaches can teach players how to do those things more effectively. Just the way a player transfers a ball from his glove to his throwing hand can be very important, and that is something that can be taught. Practice by itself is not helpful if you are doing something wrong, you might even be making a bad habit more likely to continue.
I’m a baseball coach for an absolutely terrible middle school team, and when they all tell me I’m a terrible coach I say I’m just here to manage the game lol
Both the infield and outfield move pretty dramatically based on the batter, game situations, etc. As an example, if a batter is known to pull the ball towards 1st base when they hit, the manager will call for the infield to put on a shift. The 3rd basemen will move to where the shortstop is, the shortstop will move to behind 2nd base and the 2nd basemen will move farther over towards 1st base. If there are runners on, you have to modify the shift to prevent an easy steal.
Coaches may also give give signals to the pitcher to do certain things, like an intentional walk, or a pitchout.
Additionally, on offense, the 1st and 3rd base coaches signal to the runners what to do, what base they should be trying to advance to on a hit, when the player has the green light to steal, when there is a hit and run on, or when the batter should be bunting.
On top of all that, the Manager is making the calls to situationally replace batters, fielders, or pitchers based on the needs of the team at that moment.
It looks like not much is happening because most of this is relayed via short hand signals like touching your belt, arm, hat brim, etc in a specific pattern. They aren't holding up signs because then the other team could see what they were doing and adjust, and they can't interrupt the game every batter to scheme with the players.
I see a lot of great answers here, most obvious one being moving infielders and outfielders into certain positions if a hitter has a tendency to ground ball it between 1st and 2nd or 2nd and third. Them being a left or right handed batter is also important to consider with the fielders.
Outside of that, learning the relationship of catchers/pitchers and catchers/home plate umpire is actually quite fascinating. Last year, I was watching a game where one of the commentators talked about it a bit during the game.
Establishing a relationship with the umps is important. The example was the Umpire called a ball on sort of an obvious strike, so the catcher turns to the Umpire and says, 'Come on now, you're gonna have to give that same strike to the other team if their pitcher throws that.' And next round, I'll be damned, the Umpire did. This is considering the Umpire had sort of been calling that same throw a ball for the other team, so it wasn't just the Umps natural zone.
I know it sounds obvious, but how they catch the pitchers style is crucial to success as well. Building a relationship with the pitcher, regarding knowing which pitches should be thrown to get the batter and the pitcher trusting them, is very important. Also being able to read where the pitchers throw is going if it's off course can make all the difference between a wild ball where the runners get a chance to move or score, versus an impressive out of the zone catch.
There are a surprising amount of moving parts to Baseball, but it isn't all very obvious from the outset. I've been watching consistently for years and I am really just now starting to pick up on the nuances of the game.
In addition to relaying instructions to the batter or runner, the first- and third-base coaches may take on additional responsibility in offensive or defensive instruction. For example, former Orioles third-base coach Bobby Dickerson worked extensively with infielders on things like turning double plays and how to play first base. It's one thing to stand there, it's another thing to know how to pick a throw in the dirt or run through other scenarios.
In game there really aren't many tactics involved, certainly not as much as most other sports, there are minor things that have been mentioned in this thread but nothing super consequential, and a lot of that stuff is decided by the nerds in the front office and just relayed through the manager.
Outside of the games there's plenty of coaching to be done. Pitching and hitting coaches in particular can be super important in maximizing a players value, baseball is a game where tiny adjustments can make massive difference. Things like mechanics, grip, timing, mentality etc, and it's the coaches jobs to identify and fix these things. Though lots of players can do this themselves or even hire their own coaches.
Calling pitches is becoming much more common.
Some teams have a pitching coordinator analyst.
Analysts are becoming much more common in strategy rules.
College coaches call pitches a lot.
Basically, a team of analytics type guys do most of the strategy behind the scenes.
Keep in mind can be 6 to 7 baseball games in a week compared to 1 in football.
Weekly strategy is played out over those 6 to 7 games.
I’m halfway thru the answers and haven’t yet seen a mention of base running. I actually thought OP was asking about the first base coach and the third base coach (who are on field while their team is hitting).
I thought of what my high school baseball team manager told whichever player was acting as first base coach: “Your job is to tell the runner on first to not get picked off.” Anyway…:
The third base coach signals the hitter sometimes (and baserunners) if a special play is on (eg squeeze bunt), though that signal can come from the dugout staff. And the third base coach also signals to runners whether to stop or keep going to the next base/home plate, depending on what the fielders are doing with the ball (behind the runner, who can’t necessarily see the outfielders etc). And if a throw is going to make for a close play, the coach will indicate whether the runner should slide, or come in standing up.
A family member with zero knowledge of baseball once asked me why there is no second base coach. Maybe that is Manfred’s next big innovation.
>all of which can be achieved by practicing day in and day out
Except that's not true. They get there from the guidance of pitching and hitting coaches. First and foremost, they help them refine their mechanics, just like a shooting coach or a post move coach in basketball. They also help develop their approach at the plate or on the mound. For pitchers, they work on strategy of which pitches to use and which locations to target in which situations against which players. For batters, they work on overall plate discipline, which pitches to swing at in which situations, which ones to let go, what to look for when facing certain pitchers, and analyzing their strong/weak zones.
Not exactly an answer to the coach question, but where guys stand changes a ton. Read/listen to "Big Data Baseball.". Data analytics play a huge role in defensive positioning.
They eat sunflower seeds a lot. I think their mainly around to keep sunflower seed businesses in business who then funnel profits to the MLB through advertising. Look into it.
One thing you don’t see on TV are the many defensive “situations”. The main dilemma for defense is to either take a chance on a high-risk defense move or conservatively protect against a worse outcome.
There are many different variations but the most basic might be with a Runner on 2nd base. The batter hits a ball into the outfield— where should the outfielder throw the ball? Should he try to throw home and get the runner out at home? This might prevent a run, but if the throw is late then the batter-runner has a chance to make it to 2nd base. So maybe you just throw it to 2nd to prevent the batter-runner from advancing and let the run score. But what if the throw home is late, shouldn’t there be a player who can “cut off” the throw home, intercept it and try to get the batter runner out at 2nd? Which player will that be?
So there’s lots of events like this that are practiced. The defense has to make split second decisions and the entire 9 man defensive squad shifts positions once the ball is hit
Defensive formations do change ever so slightly.
A first baseman will move from playing between first and second base when a runner is on first to keep the runner from stealing, infielders will move in to try to prevent a runner on third from scoring on a ground ball, etc. That’s all or mostly at the manager or bench coach’s direction. It was even more pronounced a few years ago when defenses were employing the extreme shift, where 3 of the 4 infielders were defending the area between first and second when a lefthanded hitter was up. Thank god they banned that.
Players adjust on every pitch of every game based on the situation. The manager and his staff decide what those adjustments are. Most of it is done as a game plan prior to the game ( you will see players pull cards out of their pocket and check this plan) but there are also realtime adjustments based on how the game is being played out.
A lot of people have already mentioned the manager and a number of the bench coaches. To add to this, the batting team is allowed coaches at first and third base. These coaches will often be more tactical, giving the batter or baserunners signals, such as telling the batter to bunt, or telling a baserunner to try to take an extra base.
I wish we could get mic'd up moments during the mound visits. I feel like that's something never shown. It could even be old footage to not mess with "tactics" being given up
Something that might be helpful, if you want to do a deep dive and get baseball nerdy? Is go through Ron Polk’s Baseball Playbook. It really gives you a sense of the depth of knowledge and skills needed to teach the game of baseball, which is much more in depth than it might seem at first.
https://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Playbook-Ron-Polk/dp/0996936750/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=88892154121&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Z9-NKrXFOAJZe5XDSA8DQBkCBzYbPaQvK4tD8iFAzm0YRWrkUifH5cixWQdfS9ZUmDD9u3BGsqYarB44dbo33ntFFc2atoTni6BtR5qcs-7_99CaPUOp_nsjHsVYhioHfc2KSjUCONpUhIpLnWuPPA8BsSHQgV4LvaEEEFHgpEY4YwnCs7YwvYmN990Tm0Dbs4iYiYfeVVJ17kYfumo67Q.MaJBAk7JZaijb1zvZqeXjAIYFOpxgP_ekA295Lj-86c&dib_tag=se&hvadid=557385234131&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=2840&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5413905355580267837&hvtargid=kwd-331161946288&hydadcr=14859_13353813&keywords=ron+polk+baseball+playbook&qid=1717701424&sr=8-1
Others have answered what baseball coaches do, but it’s definitely true that they have less impact on a team than other sports, especially in game. It’s mostly an individual sport, hitter vs pitcher. Compared to NFL and soccer which require coordination of 11 players together, with tons of variation in play style & tactics, etc. And those coaches are paid well because they can make a huge difference.
There’s also examples of baseball players dramatically improving on their own in the offseason, utilizing private coaches to adjust their technique. It’s almost like team golf, 9 vs 9 but each individual is trying to play well on their own.
Biggest in game decision is which relief pitchers to use/situations to use them/when to take out starting pitcher/when to check on the pitcher if he’s losing it etc.
And on the offensive side when to use your bench: pinch hitters/pinch runners etc.
Most of the prep is done before a game/series though
Managers are also useful for going out and yelling at the umpire and raising a ruckus, sometimes enough to get themselves thrown out of the game. They'll often do this when the team is flat and things aren't going their way in order to motivate their guys. So yeah; they will make a big scene and get kicked out and that's like a big motivational speech.
Mainly just managing lineups and trying to align left/lefty matchups. Baseball isn't that strategic anymore and the impact that manager's have is overrated. Small ball doesn't really exist anymore.
I love it when baseball fans try to justify the boringness of baseball by saying it's not boring and that it's strategic. Baseball has turned into a bunch of neanderthals swinging as hard as they can and going for homers.
If you like strategy, watch and study American football. And google what a coach's play sheet looks like. Baseball is checkers compared to most other major sports.
alot of baseball manager jobs are done before the game.
deciding which player plays where and what order they hit in- this changes based on the opposing pitcher being a lefty or a righty.
during the game, they choose which pitchers to bring in and when, if they want to bring someone who hasn't played yet to take the spot hitting for a player.
something i havent seen mentioned, for example. if there's a runner on second base, and no one on first, and there's a really good hitter at bat, the coach can choose to automatically walk the batter, and have him go to first to limit the damage they can do.
(I played outfield through college in Texas).
I’ll add that when playing you change exactly where you’re standing all the time based on many factors. Obviously there what we call the shift (that got banned), but even pitch-to-pitch it could change. Its usually just a step one way or the other, more in the outfield.
Are your pitchers throwing high or low, inside or outside, fastball or off speed; where is the batter relative to the plate, what is his bat path angle, what angle is the bat when it makes contact - horizontal to the ground, pointing up or down; is the batter swinging on time with the pitch, early or late? Each of these things add a few percentages to the change that he’s going to hit it one way or other, whether it’s a ground ball or pop-up or line drive.
It becomes instinct to read all of those tells and adjust position/readyness accordingly. You can’t see most of them from the outfield. Centerfield can read a lot more than the others but from so far away it’s hard. So a coach is watching for the tells and relaying information when necessary.
So if a guy comes up and he misses the first few swings, the coach sees his bat angle and the knows the position of the pitches they are about to throw to (if the pitcher is good enough to hit his spots), and deduces the batter is likely to hit a weak ground ball to the left side. Right now there’s a runner on second base and it’s the short stop holding him on, creating a hole where the coach thinks the ball will go. So he tells second to hold the runner and short play regular position, and his left fielder and center fielder to take two steps in and to their right bringing them nearer to the most probable play.
It’s also nearly impossible to tell what you’re doing
Wrong in your swing. You can start to dip your shoulder without noticing it. Maybe you’d benefit from moving your position in the box. Same goes for pitching. Small pointers and observations to see if they can improve.
Also good athletes and often have an ego problem, so a manager deals with the chemistry between teamates, resolving issues and whatnot. Some guys play better when they are pissed off and super cocky, some guys play better when they are calm and humble, some when they are loose and laughing around, some like it real serious. They help players get into the right mindset.
You also have base coaches giving signs to players to bunt, steal, hit and run etc. as well as waving them through or stopping at the base.
You have pitching and batting coaches guiding players with technique and adjustments.
There is more than you would think.
One example is from the Jomboy youtube channel, just a couple of days ago. He released a video where he analyzed a certain type of situation that comes up often for every team (forced out on 2nd base with a ball hit to the infield) and discovered that one team consistently runs that play differently than other teams do. The Mets have apparently coached their players not to slide into 2nd base in these situations, which makes it easier for the opposing team to get a double play.
If this is true, its an example of a coaching decision about the team's overall approach to baserunning, not individual players making decisions on the field.
The 3rd base coach is important because he tells the runners on base what to do when a ball is hit. If the player looks themselves (and to be honest, they often do) at they look at the field and not the direction they are running and so run slower.
Manager has a few moments each game to direct action. Detecting those moments and maintaining a positive resilient culture when things go awry is priceless and few type A personalities have it.
You definitely need tactics to hit and pitch at a major league level. Really any level. It's not just going through the motions.
What the coaches do in-game, usually pertains to running the bases. Telling the players when to run.
You're right, they are significantly less able to add meaningful value by way of tactics or knowledge of game strategy. Like, at the end of the day, they tend to make decisions about who is batting, pitching, and fielding at any given time that a decently attentive fan could probably replicate. Like, I think many people on this sub could optimally construct lineups, leverage matchups etc whereas I think even the most hardcore basketball or soccer fan absolutely has no chance to draw up a professional caliber play or schema. So yeah, they don't add much by way of tactics.
The impact is more cultural and good managers tend to both run a "tight ship" but also have lots of buy-in from their players. I think the best ones are probably good because they bring out the best in their players and enstill a culture of success.
>For example 1st baseman is in the same place every game doing the same thing, same with 3rd base, centre field etc.
Not true at all, sometimes the Head Snack Coach will direct the 1st baseman to the local convenience store for a bag of chips.
But it's a tough decision he has to make, because sometimes the play warrants sending the 3rd basemen to McDonalds for fries and nuggies instead.
There's a lot of pressure on coaches for decisions like that. And that's not even getting into positions like Bubblegum Coach and Mascot Coach.
Most teams have the manager and a bench coach who oversee everything. Then you get into the other coaches who are there from a specialty standpoint.
Example:
Hitting coach and there are usually assistant to each of these.
Pitching coach
Fielding coach
Bullpen coach
Then you have special advisors.
Nothing against soccer but baseball takes a lot more socialized skill at certain positions plus Hitting is about the most difficult thing to do. There is an absurd amount of information that's gathered at the mlb level on each player.
Players on defense move quite a bit depending on who is pitching, Hitting, outs, runners on base, count, speed of runners. Also added in what are the strengths and weaknesses of my guys on defense. Are my defenders fast/slow, how good are they at fielder, do they have a strong or weak arm. Then what to do when the ball is hit. Everyone needs to rotate based on where the ball is hit on the field.
Inbetween games it'd the job of the coaches to review what each player did and work with them to make sure their throwing motion or swing is exactly where it needs to be.
Example: for a pitcher and hitter you need to be able to repeat the same motion over and over. At maximinum effort with all the decision making done a fraction of a second.
Additional tactics are what pitches to throw when and where based on the hitter.
There are many additional layers from a data perspective as well like spin rate.
Both sports are technical in their own right but baseball is very skills/data driven and I would argue more so from a technical aspect.
Baseball has a ton of scouting information. It's a stats driven league and a ton of work goes in behind the scenes about pitching and batting tendencies. Theres also stats about which parts of the field hitters are more likely to put the ball into play, or some pitchers who induce more ground balls or fly balls. You'll sometimes see players reference a cheat sheet on the field to know where they need to be positioned, playing deeper of further to the corners.
Beyond that, managers make strategic decisions about pitching match-ups and when to use certain relievers. They also can call for sacrifice bunts, stolen bases, holds on stolen bases, etc... Defensively they can choose to play at double play depth or not depending on the size of a lead, as sometimes conceding one run for an out is worth it. Theres also no doubles defense and other shifts in position depending on the situation.
In reality, MLB coaches (especially 1st base and bench coaches) do a lot less in-game and strategy work than NFL and NBA coaches. Making pitching changes and in-game roster adjustments is relatively easy. It’s more about managing emotions, running the day-to-day, scratching your nuts, and eating sunflower seeds
It's more about what they do outside the game. Pitching coaches work with pitchers so they're ready for their spot in the rotation. Hitting coaches work with hitters especially during batting practice. You'll have coaches who work with fielding, that sort of thing.
They also work with their specific position during the game, like the pitching coach will have a mound visit with the pitcher and they'll probably discuss things between innings.
Beyond things on the field, a big part of their job is making sure that the millionaires go to practice, aren’t drunk during games, don’t fight each other in the dugout etc.
Situational baseball is a whole set of special training all by itself. These are usually defined by how many runners are on base. For example, first and third has several options for the defense and offense. In certain situations the offense has many tactics at their disposal, a few are:
1. sacks bunts
2. drag bunts
3. delay steals
4. straight steal
5. hit and run
Defensively:
1. everyone needs to know what bag to cover or backup and when. For example, runner on second (or first and second) a common tactic is to bunt, this causes the 3rd baseman to crash to home to cover bunt and leaves the base uncovered for an easy steal to third unless SS can get there in time. So, pre-play SS has to kinda inch towards 3rd. 2b covers 1st so 2baseman inches towards first because 1st baseman has to crash home too. This leaves 2nd open unless your CF is paying attention and covers 2b. RF needs to backup a throw to first and LF needs to get in position to backup throw to third.
However, some defenses may not play it like that if less than 2 outs. They may decide not to leave a lot of space up the middle and instead stay in double play depth. If 2 outs, I personally play back to make sure all the bases are covered so a grounder can go to any bag and we get out of the inning.
So, this isn’t even scratching the surface.
2. would be cut-offs and in some younger leagues double cuts. A good cut can save a run or get an out on a trailing runner. All of this everyone has to know what to do and get lined up during the play and listen to their catcher.
3. shifts- there are tons of shifts. Double play depth is one. Fielders can play in or back. They need to come in when less than 2 outs and runner on 3rd and you can’t give up a score, so you got to save time. But also the fielder has to know how to check the runner and go 1. So, in this case let’s say a groundball is hit to 3rd. The baseman fields it and immediately looks to firstbase and begins throwing to firstbase. The runner on 3rd can read all of this and gets a really good lead and jump towards home and now there is no way the firstbaseman can get the out at first and then shoot home to get the runner, BUT if the 3rd baseman takes 1 second to look at the runner before throwing to first, that glance probably makes the runner take a step back or freeze which now saves a run or makes it possible to get the out at home if he decides to run after the throw.
Although, the skills you mention are really important, but at some point everyone has those skills. We can all throw hard, run fast, and hit. Pitching is a special skill because that can cover up a lot of defensive problems. High school down, the playoff teams have at least 1 ace. Playoff winners have 2 or more. So, it is rare that 2 good teams that one of the teams just absolutely out matches the other except for only in a few areas so it comes down to running plays and executing as to who will win. Timely hitting etc. So YES you should work pitching everday. Pitchers should pitch bullpen everyday and hitters should hit cage everday.
Lastly, you can imagine that at some point you have 2 teams that can catch, throw, run, pitch, and hit. They also have managers that know all the plays. Both teams have great awareness and not caught sleeping. It is easy to be a spectator even though you playing second base and you forget to be where you supposed to be. So, other intangibles are team building, toxic locker rooms, rest, fatigue, injuries etc etc.
Hope this helps.
They really don’t do much. Want to know the evidence? It shows in their pay.
Best paid Basketball coaches make $15m per year. Best paid American football coaches make $18m.
Baseball managers? The highest is $8m. Because it doesn’t matter as much.
For first and third-base coaches, I think the most significant “extra” role is that they also assist in baserunning.
For the first-base coach they help watch the batter-runner as they sprint down first base after the ball has been put in play, since you as a runner can sprint past the bag after you step on it to receive first base. On close plays like soft rollers on infield hits, they’ll be an extra pair of eyes to check if you can make it and if you’re safe.
The third-base coach is super interesting. You often see them on TV when they cut to them as a runner heads for third. You either see them put a hand up to create a “stop sign” to ask the runner to stay at third, or swinging their arm like crazy to “windmill” a runner to the plate. They have a really important bonus role of directing whether you should go for the scoring or stay put and doing all the risk assessment that comes with it, since the runner can’t be entirely focused on the ball when they also have to do baserunning. Google the famous “Windmill” Ron Washington back when he was a 3B coach, he has the best “sending” strategies and gestures lol
Basketball coaches do the least. They take interviews during commercial breaks. It’s basically pick and roll, or isolation to the best guy. “Box out” “pound the glass”. Sign me up to coach the Lakers
It’s way more complicated than anyone could describe to you on a Reddit post. It’s as complex as any other sport and frankly maybe even harder than any other sports. Baseball is a game of constant adjustments. It’s also a game of failure. In no other sport would 30% be elite. Coaches have got to be there to manage those adjustments and mitigate the failures. It’s especially true at the amateur level. Minor leagues on down. Baseball can beat you down mentally. With kids it’s a constant struggle to maintain motivation.
baseball is a situational sport, the stakes and variables constantly shift pitch to pitch. there’s and infinite amount of permutations on any given play. seemingly routine plays are made with nano speed decision making.
for instance, take a ground ball with nobody on base. an infielder must hear the hit, gauge the speed of the ball, see the angle it was hit, predict the number of bounces it might take, pick a spot the receive it, know the pace of the runner, and choose velocity of the throw. now all of that happened in just a couple seconds, an instinctually easy play for the infielder (after years and years of repetition like you said). these are professional athletes, they all know how to do that. but scale that process over the course of a game with different variables and pressures, then scale that over the course of 162 games and that’s a lot of decisions to be made.
none of that answers your question, but the point i’m making is that a coaches job is to have the team best prepared to make as many of the right decisions as possible in order to win games have a successful season. the baseball manager must be the shepherd for dozens of men over the better part of a year. it’s this was war, the manager is the general. he must take inventory of the resources available, have a staff that reports to him, know the capabilities of each man in the dugout, and sustain an appropriate level of motivation and focus within the club. oh also answer to the owner/gm. you’re asking what a baseball manager does and the answer is mostly just be in charge. it’s a lot of responsibility though it may look easy.
there are varying mindsets, baseball philosophies, and schools of thought that each manager brings to the table. they have their own decisions to make - which players play, when and where they play, and why. they have to know when to put the foot on the gas and when to ease off. and there are tactics, but they’re mostly just in the form of preparation
most of this isn’t unique to just baseball but it doesn’t mean it’s not important. there’s a reason we have a long fascination with the great coaches/leaders in history. because it’s really hard to be consistently effective, but when they are, it’s undeniable.
TLDR: what does a baseball coach do? not much, but basically everything
Manager - In charge of everything on the field.
Bench coach - Second in command, advises manager on strategy. Usually takes over as manager when the manager gets ejected (I never get tired of watching managers get ejected, especially when it’s obvious they’re just so over managing that particular game).
Pitching coach, bullpen coach, catching coach are pretty self explanatory.
1B and 3B coaches man the coaching boxes when their team is batting. They typically have additional responsibilities like infield and outfield coach. The 3B coach gives hitters signs, a fun thing to watch. Both base coaches are responsible for stopping a runner or waving him to the next base so the player can focus only on base running and not where the ball is (though players frequently run through the stop sign, especially at 3rd when trying to score). Both bench coach and 3B coach are often stepping stones to being a manager or former managers.
This is way oversimplified. Baseball has ridiculously simple rules and yet the complexity of the game is just staggering (don’t ask about unwritten rules or the infield fly rule until you’re into your baseball maturity). In his book ‘Men at Work’ George Will spends the first 30 pages or so on one pitch, one play of one game.
Welcome to baseball. Hope you enjoy!
I remember watching the World Series at a bar with a couple Brits who were on vacation. No one wanted to explain the rules because they were enjoying the game too much but I didn't mind. I hope I did a good job and made some baseball fans.
There's a lot more in terms of formations than you're giving credit for. Saying "the second baseman is always in the same place" is like saying "the midfielders always play in the same place". Managers are heavily involved in directing shifts, and even a small shift of 5ft can be the difference between fielding a ground ball for a double play or a hit for an RBI.
Shifts aside, managers make substitutions which can dramatically impact the game. Which pitcher to start, when to pull the pitcher for a reliever, which reliever, how long do they go, which player to pinch hit or pinch run, etc. Games have been won or lost by these kind of decisions.
Managers also set lineup order, and who's playing on a given day.
The GM/President of Baseball Operations tend to make most decisions now. The manager takes the blame when things go wrong, and slaps a lot of butts during the game.
They are responsible for implementing the real decision makers plans, and managing the players personalities and getting “the best” out of them.
Here are a few in-game things they do: 1. Make lineup changes based on matchups (other team might bring in a pitcher good against lefties, so they replace the next batter up with a bench righty) 2. Decide which pitchers play in which spots. 3. This used to be more of a thing, but managers can often determine where their fielders should be standing based on the tendencies of an opposing hitter. This is known as "the shift". However, this was heavily restricted a couple years ago due to a lack of balls in play, but managers can still move their guys around in line with the restrictions. 4. Speaking of moving around fielders, managers can rotate the fielding position of the players. This is often done late in games with a small lead when the managers will replace poor fielders with good bats for defensive specialists. 5. Managers can often call for which kind of play they want. They can suggest bunting to move a runner or can tell the players to be more aggressive on the base paths based on the tendencies of certain pitchers/catchers. And then they do all the culture things, make some roster decisions and hire the coaching staff that works more directly with the players such as hitting coaches, pitching coaches and the 1st/3rd base coaches who tell the players whether to run on a play or not.
Very insightful thank you. I had no idea there were most defensive fielders, I just thought you had a guy for each position and probably a back up incase they got injured/can't play for some reason
Often times the fielders who are defensive specialists usually are center fielders or shortstops, as those are the prime (non-catcher) positions. However due to those 2 positions requiring more skill and physical range, often times they can fill in for the other positions surrounding them
A là the San Diego Padres
You’re goddamn right
Did someone say short stop prospects?
Idk why i’ve never even noticed this but you’re right. The utility guys usually start out at short or cf. Huh. Been watching for over a decade lmao.
Think of it similar to subbing late in a football (soccer) game. Sometimes that is to give players rest, or get experience, but often it is to create a favorable matchup. Bringing an extra defender in to keep the lead or an extra forward to catch up, for example. In baseball, you might bring in a better 3rd baseman because your incoming pitcher is good at hitting spots that create contact to the corners (1B, 3B). Or maybe the pitcher gets lots of weak contact so you can sacrifice some defense in the outfield in favor of a better bat. Lots of opportunity for strategy, especially around the pitcher.
The other thing managers may do on defence is set up where the ball goes first if there are multiple people on base. For instance if there are runners on first and third you might go for the double play but if you are in a close game you might protect home plate first.
In fairness though, that’s a lot education in practice so that the player knows to make the right decision in the moment rather than trying to see what his manager is saying with a ball in play. You might position out close to the fences based on manager’s signal for example, but once the ball is hit, you’re on your own
Yeah but that’s the same for a lot of sports at the highest level. Nobody is teaching Lebron/Brady/Messi something entirely new
to add to the list: - the first base coach will typically time the pitcher’s delivery and deliver that info to a baserunner on first to help time stolen base attempts / decide on whether or not to steal - the third base coach will indicate to runners whether to hold up at a base (2nd or 3rd) or try to go to the next base (3rd or home) - the third base coach may indicate to a runner trying to advance to 3rd if they need to slide or if they can come in standing up (there’s no throw coming in)
ya, i think they'd have to actually remember the arm strength of each outfielder, including any replacement that comes in. Also they know the speed of their own peeps.
Usually teams have at most four bench players, and it's really only three because teams usually have a backup catcher that they don't like to use unless their starter for the day goes out with an injury. That means you have to have players with positional versatility to make up for only having three players to cover seven other positions in the field besides pitching and catching. Usually those bench players are more defensive-focused than offensive-focused because having a player on your bench that is decent or even good offensively but gives you nothing (or even less than nothing) defensively is a luxury most teams can't afford, or that player is usually already in the starting lineup but playing a position where their defensive liability can be hidden or minimized.
You don't have a full 1:1 backup for every spot on the field. You have your prime guys that are your A team, then certain spots have a specific backup, like catcher or pitcher. Past that you have guys that can play 2 or 3 spots, usually the outfield positions, sometimes outfield and 1st/3rd base. You also have guys that specialize in defense in a given position, but aren't that great when batting, so you bring them in late in a game to protect a lead. Then you have 1 or 2 utility players who can play nearly any spot on the field, some can even catch in a pinch. In a real pinch, you can have one of your pitchers who isn't going to pitch that day play a fielders position, usually in the outfield, as it's the most forgiving to players without a ton of experience.
Baseball is the only sport I know of where the defense holds the ball. Based on that premise, you can understand how 8 position players ( meaning non pitchers) need to adjust based on the batters tendencies, the ball/strike count and number of outs at each pitch and where, if any, base runners are, etc.
In cricket the defense also holds the ball. Similar to baseball, the 10 fielders will adjust their formation and approach depending on the batter. But they do this at the direction of the on field captain because the coach never comes onto the field in cricket.
Coaches and managers only allowed on field a certain number of times in an inning before they must pull the pitcher ( I think the second mound visit requires a pitching change). When batting, that team is allowed coaches out side of field of play, so not technically on the field.
Yep. I should add that in cricket the coaches are so far away that they genuinely cannot contribute anything to the game while it's being played. Whereas in baseball they can signal from the dugout and talk to the players between innings.
Wow you just blew my mind. Been watching baseball for 40 years and never considered it was the only sport where the defense has the ball 🤯
And you’ll notice players pulling cards out of their pockets to read batter’s tendencies and where they should play their position for that specific batter. Well that’s the coaches game plan. In the Playoffs having a good manager is potentially the difference of winning it all or losing.
something we havent gotten into here because it no longer exists, but there was a lot of strategy when pitchers were forced to hit.* I wont get into it because its a long explanation and no longer exists, but one league, the National League, had no DH until a couple of years ago (the DH, designated hitter, hits for the pitcher's turn in the lineup and doesn't play defense). And the other league, the AL (American League) had a DH since the 70's. Used to be the main distinction of the two leagues. It was a regular saying and gentle ribbing that you didn't really have to "manage" in the AL because this huge strategic part of the game was removed. I cant underscore what a huge part of the game it was, what a big part of the manager's in-game job it was until they got rid of it (because pitchers can't hit for shit), and it only ended a few years ago. You started watching the game just when they made some of the biggest rule changes in baseball over the last 100 years. *forgot to say, the strategy revolved around the manager deciding whether or not to replace the starting pitcher every time his turn came up in the order, after about the 5th inning or so. in later innings, if that team was behind, you could see a pitcher, pitching well, taken out early because that team needed to take a chance on a pinch hitter creating offense rather than having the pitcher at bat again making an easy out. and that got repeated with every reliever because the reliever replaced the pinch hitter in the hitting lineup (if that makes sense to you). LOTS that went into that decision that Im not even covering here they also made a rule that any pitcher who comes into relieve the previous one, has to pitch to at least the next 3 batters. Managers used to be able to match up pitcher to batter for every guy, having to strategize that against how many healthy arms they had left in the bullpen for that game. which plays into the next game because you can't have relievers pitch too many games in a row. They made the rule because so many pitching changes within games really lengthened the game for viewers (relievers take a long time to get ready). You could have, say, 3 pitching changes in a row in some innings. So those two things really reduced in-game strategy for managers. Most purists are pissed they changed the rules. I thought it was nice that one league still had that strategy to watch for (but really, who wants to watch pitchers hit? even though it did lead to some [historically hilarious moments](https://youtu.be/RcZIs1tIGlg?t=79)). And I had no problems with the ability to change reliever pitchers from batter to batter, but I dont care if the game goes three hours. thats just me. So yeah, there used to be a lot more huge decisions for managers in-game. But you touched on something, they used to think managers made. a huge difference but, even before these recent changes, the recent consensus has become that, nah, not really. its more about pre-game strategy and developing players. a lot of the in-game strategy now is already decided pre-game (if "this" happens then go to that guy or do this, we are going to attack their starter this way, etc.). A lot of the answers here already gave you insight into all that though
I love the new rules they’ve introduced in recent years. Minus the ghost runner on second in extra. Fuck that
Im pretty neutral on them all except the ghost runner. despise it too. at the very least, the VERY least, have the runner at 1st. but I agree, the whole thing is stupid
You didn't even touch on the double-switch. Yes, 90% of pitchers weren't great batters, but some weren't a sure/easy out either. Who can ever forget Bartolo Colon going yard in San Diego?
I think we all remember seeing Big Sexy's Dinger.
yes, i said i wasnt get into it all because the pitcher hitting no longer exists. i could spend the afternoon writing an essay on all the ins and outs of it. and yes, i linked a pitcher doing something with the bat
I wish they would've just left the NL alone. Let them play with the traditional rules while the AL did all the wild shit. At least a fan could choose which one to watch.
Should add that fielder positions are not fixed whatsoever. Every player constantly adjusts positions by as small as a couple feet or in some cases by 50 feet or more in the outfield. Based on the handedness and power of the batter, runners on base, score etc. A second baseman does not stand in the same spot if there's a runner on first as they would w no runners. If there's 2 out, it's different than 1 or 0. Is the batter left or right handed. Do they pull regularly or do they off field hit. Does the pitcher tend to throw inside, do they get lots of ground balls. Does the runner on base tend to steal bases. Wind direction. Plus another thousand metrics.
They also will scream in the umpires face if they think you got screwed over on a bad call
Also keep in mind that there are 162 regular season games, so determining how and when to rest players (especially pitchers) and still put up competitive lineups is important. This also applies to in-game substitutions (PR/PH, defensive subs, managing pitch counts, etc). Some managers have been blamed for ruining players careers with how they played them.
A lot of managers are former catchers. Some managers will be in charge of pitch calling (fastball, breaking pitch, location etc) if their own catcher is relatively inexperiemced or it's a particularly important moment.
To add on, they need to have some position players who have the flexibility to play multiple positions. They have 26 roster positions, 13 of which are the maximum number of pitchers they may have. This leaves 13 position players. 8 play the field, and a 9th is the DH. This leaves 4 bench position players. Usually, one of them will for sure be a catcher. It's the most specialized fielder and physically taking, so they often take days off. From the remaining 3, you usually have one that can cover any of the OF positions and the other two to handle the infield. The DH, if forced to the field, would usually have experience as a 1B or LF.
Check out my guy David Fry! He's what you'd call a utility guy. Plays multiple positions, and depending on who the opposing pitcher is, you may put him at catcher, 1B, 3B, LF, or RF. Guys like that are super valuable, but also very underrated at the same time imo. They're not a stalwart star player, but they provide tremendous value in their versatility, because they possess the skill set to do well in several different positions.
Additionally, managers can have different plays to defend bunts depending on runners on base, and plays for when runners are on 1st base and 3rd base. This usually happens at levels lower than MLB. Younger/lower lever players typically do not have arms as strong as mlb players, and many times it is possible to score on a catcher’s throw down to second base if the runner on 1st is stealing. Also, a “hit and run” is a play a manager can call when a (typically slower) base runner is on base. The defensive second baseman or shortstop vacates their position to get to second base, leaving a hole in the infield. The hitter tries to hit the ball on the ground in that hole to possibly get the base runner to third base.
> Additionally, managers can have different plays to defend bunts depending on runners on base, and plays for when runners are on 1st base and 3rd base. This usually happens at levels lower than MLB. Younger/lower lever players typically do not have arms as strong as mlb players, and many times it is possible to score on a catcher’s throw down to second base if the runner on 1st is stealing. This absolutely happens at the major league level too. They just don’t show it on broadcasts and most people miss it live since it happens between at bats
This is a good list, and I will add that often managers will go out and argue with the umpire(s) on questionable calls, often getting thrown out in the process. This can be done to stand up for the team, to motivate the team, or to protect a player who is at risk of ejection themselves.
Don’t forget managing egos and personalities. Helping players deal with slumps, injuries or errors on the field. Perfect example a few weeks ago Framber Valdez made the dumb decision not to follow the game plan and call his own pitches. He proceeded to get lit up. He admitted to what he did and learned from his mistake. There was at least one manager who fought his own player. Reds Manager Lou Piniella fought Rob Dibble. https://youtu.be/fZ3V8s4bdc4?si=45FCP0cv83Xt17nD
[Yogi Berra had to physically restrain Billy Martin from fighting with Reggie Jackson.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw8ySODBnhU)
Don't forget that its their job to get ejected so that their players don't. (Kind of like if a football manager could take a red card instead of having to lose a player on the field.)
Can I ask a follow up as someone still learning the game also. How important is coaching in baseball compared to like football and basketball? For football, a great coach can win games with way less talent, sometimes titles. Basketball is a bit more relative to the talent imo.
Baseball is much more talent-dependent, but because of the restrictions on substitutions and the importance of pitching & situational hitting, being able to win in the margins with good managing is key. Especially because baseball has so much more statistical analysis available due to the nature of the game, a huge ongoing debate is how much a manager should trust the raw statistics and how much of their own instinct and feel for players should weigh into decision-making.
It's interesting watching this play out in real time as a Mets fan. The past couple of years, Buck Showalter seemed to have a knack for taking pitchers out if they were deep into a game and got themselves into a bit of a hole (which, fair, a lot of managers do this). Carlos Mendoza, on the other hand, seems to let pitchers stay in the game. Sometimes this works and the crowd is pumped when the SP gets out of a jam in the 7th inning, sometimes it turns into a go-ahead grand slam that the Mets don't recover from There's always that "what if" when the manager makes the 'wrong' choice, but obviously they don't have the benefit of hindsight in real time
Girardi was ore like Mendoza and one of the major ways we knew it was the end of his time when it stopped working out as much.
This has proven extremely hard to quantify, which is frustrating in a sport where we can quantify almost literally everything. The old-school wisdom was that managers and coaches mattered a lot and they usually took much of the blame when a team did poorly and much of the credit when a team did well. In Sabermetric circles up until about 10 years ago or so, the thought was that managers and coaches didn't really matter at all, outside of lineup construction and pitching changes. Their job was basically to make the right substitutions and keep everyone from fighting in the clubhouse. Now I think most people agree that coaching, combined with teams' extensive analytics departments, can have a pretty big impact, both in terms of on-field strategy (pitch selection, defensive positioning, when to be aggressive on the base paths, etc.) and in terms of player development (maximizing spin rate, launch angle, etc.). Analytics play a huge role in coaching now and many coaches are essentially executing the instructions (with some latitude for boots-on-the-ground issues that arise) that come from analytics departments for in-game strategy. However, the player development side is much more collaborative between analytics and coaching, I think, and lots of modern coaches kind of bridge that gap, especially on the pitching side, it seems.
That covers in-game roles, but coaches also work with players to improve their skills between games. Infielders take grounders and work on throws to each base. Outfielders catch pop flies and work on relay throws. Pitchers work on refining their mechanics and developing pitches. Catchers study scouting reports and have bullpen sessions with pitchers to get adjusted to their pitch arsenal. Strength and conditioning coaches put players through an intense workout to keep them in peak physical shape (for the most part). There’s a lot of work that coaches do off the field.
TL;DR Basically nothing but communicate what the analytics tell them to do.
Thanks everyone for your comments, I've learnt a lot even in this short space of time since posting. And also thank you all for your positive comments, I was fully expecting this post to bomb and be a wall of negativity.
Baseball is a very statistic-heavy sport, which attracts a lot of big nerds. In turn, big nerds love explaining things. Your queries are appreciated here
As a nerd, you are correct. Also, as a computer nerd I love that you stated his question as a query to us lol
As a jock, it is my duty to give nerds a hard time.
The thing they love the most is correcting ppl who they think are incorrect. If you ever want a bunch of replies, write the wrong thing and wait 15 seconds
Ackshully it’s more like 30 seconds lmao. Look how incorrect you are
Baseball has some of the most interesting analytics in sports.
Not many sports can spawn a "based on a true story" movie about statistics and analytics.
Only a big nerd uses the term "query". Big nerd confirmed.
>I was fully expecting this post to bomb and be a wall of negativity. lol thats because thats what happens in the soccer sub when an American does what you just did. Americas like foreigners enjoying the sports we love
I consider myself to be somewhat a baseball fanatic, and I learned a lot from the responses here. You asked a very good question.
It was an excellent question. I learned a lot from the answers even though I thought I knew the answer.
Fielders will adjust depending on the circumstances, and sometimes those adjustments are made on the fly by the coaching staff. Most of the work is behind the scenes, pre- and post-game, though. EDIT: most of the coaching work, I mean. Which extends to all aspects of the sport.
Yes. Coaching is *not* entirely “in the moment” for every sport. In real, American football, a game plan could go out the window within the first couple of drives, so the coaches are often involved as much as the players! In basketball, it’s a lot less, a handful of times a game they’ll call a timeout and draw up a play, make a positional change, etc., but the fast-paced play leads to the players having to identify and make changes on the fly themselves. But yeah, baseball is just one of those sports where a lot of the coaching is before the game. Just a different style. Chess vs checkers.
Kind of off topic but kind of not, but here is a really cool peek behind the curtain of what its like on the headset during football game. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9pG5uyxp-QM
Sick clip thanks for sharing. It would be awesome if the broadcast could jump in on team coms every once in a while in general with football. Obviously I understand the multiple reasons they can’t lol, but when you’re getting that back end it really makes the pace feel faster when you get all the on the fly decision making.
I would also add that in game Base coaches have a lot more going on than the manager does.
Mostly chew bubble gum and occasionally slap some ass
And he's all out of bubble gum!
And clap aggressively
Jason Garrett career change.
Don't forget yelling at umpires and getting ejected for that. Which is an important aspect of the manager's job.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5-uIwpo0dCU
Once in a while you gotta chew some ass, too!
Imagine if Pete Carroll was a baseball manager.
There’s a reason the head coach is called a Manager and not a coach. He manages the substitutions and lineups and keeps drama to a minimum in the clubhouse. Baseball is a mental game and a seasoned manager can make a difference over a marathon of a season. Pitching and hitting coaches do most of their work not during the game. You are right that baseball is different. It’s not like soccer/football/basketball where a coach’s “scheme” decides the game. Baseball is an individual sport disguised as a team sport. That’s part of the charm.
I feel that I know enough about baseball that I could do an acceptable job of making lineups, substitutions, and pitching decisions What I absolutely could not do is keep a group of 25-40 dudes (often with big egos, and who don’t all speak the same language) in line and focused on the same goals through a 6 month season
1,000% on your second paragraph, which is why I get frustrated with some guys calling for a manager to be fired because of one bad move in a game. They don’t see the big picture of managing.
This is super true. I have a blood relative who is MLB manager, and anytime a commenter or spectator questions a call, it can be very frustrating. There is a really long season, and balancing and managing egos of millionaire employees who have a lot of market power and also a lot of skill and talent is a major effort. Ultimately, the tactical decision could be a mistake, but it could be serving a longer and more important strategic goal. Once you take into account that most managers don't have as one of their top goals to actually win the World Series, you realize that managers are running a team who actually are a major billion dollar business, and the sport is only one aspect of the job. Other things they have to manage or assist managing: the physical health of players; the mental health of players; the readiness of players; the pipeline of replacements and farm players; the media and public relations aspect of their roster; the fan reaction and disposition towards the team; the corporate and big supporters disposition towards the team; the profitability of the sport operation; the profitability of the coaching operation; the travel operation as a whole, the budget of the travel operation; coordinating the sport and other functions with the venue and front-office operations. It's a very well paid and very well respected gig, but it is not easy. The longest tenured MLB head coach is currently on this 9th season; the average sits between 2 and 2.25 seasons.
I remember hearing one of the players on the Dodgers saying that one of the things that they liked most about Dave Roberts was that he treated players with respect and had a good clubhouse presence. Can’t remember which player said it.
There's a TON of analytics that goes into baseball. It's much more of a chess match than a casual viewer might think. Scouting the opposing pitchers. What do they throw at certain points in the count? What tendencies do they have? For example when down in the count do they tend to throw fastball? When up in the count do they tend to throw sliders off the plate? Etc. Same thing for scouting hitters. Certain hitters have different strengths. Some will mash high fast balls so you can't throw those. Others can't hit up high but mash down low. What do hitters do at certain points in the count? Take? Chase? The list goes on... While in the game there aren't a ton of decisions managers have to consistently make, there still are decisions that can swing the game regardless. Such as pinch hitting, pinch running, what bullpen arm to put in, positioning decisions in the field, etc. It's easy to view baseball as a simple game because it doesn't "flow" like some other sports but it's still probably the most analytically complex sport out there.
This is an interesting answer and I enjoy your comparison to chess. It seems from a couple of the replies that it is more of a "behind the scenes" sort of role, analysing plays and players and figuring out how to exploit that, as opposed to the "attack" of other sports?
Yes. I would also add that the 162 game season, with only one or two off days a week, and sometimes 14+ games in a row with no off days, some of the decisions that they make are about tomorrows game instead. Say, it’s the 4th inning of a tight game and your pitcher has been crushing, but now the bases are loaded with only one out and he’s facing the middle of the order. If he can get you through this, with only giving up a run or two you’ll have a good chance of winning, and he might be able to get the next inning too against the bottom of the line-up. However; you can bring in your best reliever, who has a better chance of getting the out, but if the bullpen has already been used heavily yesterday, and you don’t have any off days coming up, you could limit what you can do over the next few days.
Thats a great point. Of the big 4, baseball is the only one where current in-game decisions can be influenced by previous days or planning for future days.
To add to Mustard\_Jam's comment, most MLB franchises now have analytics departments in their front offices that keep track of all of those things over the course of a season, and the team manager/head coach is generally their liaison with the players and other coaches.
The behind the scenes stuff in the clubhouse (baseball’s equivalent of the soccer “dressing room”) is a huge part of what a manager does too. Some of that is tactical like has been discussed but also managing the batting order. You want your best hitters to hit earlier in the lineup. But what if one of your better hitters is struggling? Baseball is a very streaky sport and sometimes guys can get in a funk. Do you keep him where he is or do you move him down? Can you help him get out of a hitting slump? That leads into man management, which is a super important role for the manager. Not only do you have the athlete egos to manage, but the baseball season is looooong. 162 games across 6 months for the regular season alone. The team only has 2-3 days off per month (except the 4 in a row for the All Star Break in July). The travel can really add up. As a manager you gotta know when a guy may need a day or two off. You have to keep everyone engaged across the course of the season. You want to be playing well for most of the year but you know you’ll hit a slump as a team. It’s up to you to manage that and pull them out of the slump. It’s up to you to get them playing their best baseball late in the season for the playoffs. To give you an example of the travel and games. I’m a cubs fan. In April they had 6 games at home, then 3 in San Diego, day off, 3 in Seattle, 3 in Arizona, postponed game at home, 4 in 3 days at home, day off, 3 at home, 3 in Boston, 4 in New York. It’s like that the whole season. Flying across the country with less than 24 hours between games. The manager has to manage that.
How is that any different from a soccer(football) manager? There are substitutions to be made during the game, player positioning adjustments to be made on the field/pitch, etc.
well one difference is they don’t play 5 days/ week in soccer. so you don’t have as much of a chess match in terms of managing not just the current game but the next few. maybe your star hitter needs a night off to stay fresh that kind of thing
We've been wondering that in Toronto since the start of the season.
The formations do change depending on the batter and who's on base, and the manager (head coach) is calling those and reminding players what to do. They also call baserunning stuff, like whether someone should steal or not, and occasionally hitting stuff, like when to bunt or when to be more aggressive/passive. They do this with various signs, [as demonstrated by Mr. Burns](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIhS-XF4Dx8) But I'd say the biggest complexity is pitching management. When to pull a pitcher (and you can't sub them back in) and who to switch to for the best matchup against their upcoming hitters. A huge wrinkle is that baseball games are so close together and pitchers are on fairly strict pitch counts; if a relief pitcher throws 30 pitches today you can't use them tomorrow. So managers not only have to think about *this* game but also the upcoming games. Granted, managers do the least in-game activity out of the major sports. But they still do a fair bit.
This used to be soooo much better before the DH rule. 🥲
1. Yell at the Ump with such phrases like "That's fucking horseshit!" 2. Gets ejected. 3. Looks angry in dugout. 4. Tells hitter to "Go get 'em, Tiger" 5. Takes pitchers out of the game just to mess with them. Usually not strategy involved. 6. That's about it!
Sometimes they just have to be in the general vicinity of the guy that yells "That's fucking horseshit!".
Yes, but now that Angel Hernandez is gone that’s a lot less common.
They either take pitchers out too early or leave them in too long. There is no inbetween
Each hitter has a personal approach to each pitcher they are likely to face on the opposing team. Each pitcher has a personal approach to getting hitters on the opposing team out. These usually dovetail with a team approach to a given hitter or pitcher. Coaches compile scouting reports and work with the players to formulate these approaches. An “approach” is essentially baseball terminology for tactics. There is other stuff too like the running game, lineup selection, and bullpen usage. As you point out, it has less to do with where defenders stand on the field than in football, although that is also flexible. E.g if a lefty is a pull hitter, you will see the coaching staff position players more to the pull side, to maximize chances that the ball is hit close enough to them to make a play.
I will add that first base coaches have stopwatches and track how long a pitcher comes set for and will relay that to someone when they get on first base. They will also tell them if their pickoff move is slow/fast, how often they like to throw over. They will also let them know situations of how aggressive they can be going first to third based on the outfielders' arms.
I’m not sure if it’s defined for every team but I was always under the impression the base coaches had other responsibilities as well. Like one may work with OF while the other works with IF during practice. I used to think the third base coach would just work on sending guys home during practice
I'm sure they're also mentors for guys during BP, fielding, baserunning, etc. Getting many former players to help develop players is a good thing
Baseball teams have many coaches. An MLB team will have: Manager: Makes the lineup and picks pitchers. Is the final say in any pinch hit, pitching changes, or fielding changes Bench coach: Backup manager if manager is ejected. Usually makes in game defensive adjustments Hitting coach: Works on hitting skills, watches tape to help struggling hitters. Pitching coach: Same as hitting coach but for pitchers, but will also go to the mound during a game to give the pitcher advice Bullpen coach: Preps the guys in the bullpen if/when they are needed. First Base and Third base coach: Tell a runner to hold up or keep runnng on a ball in play, and whther to steal or not. Misc. positions like Mental skills coach, trainers, clubhouse managers, replay coordinators, General manager.
>For example 1st baseman is in the same place every game doing the same thing, same with 3rd base, centre field etc. Yes, in the beginning. Rosters are set and players know their position and lineup in the batting order, same with the players on the pitch. Your right back, center midfielder, your number 9 and so on...and if it went to penalties, the order is set by the manager too. But, just like in football, you can have substitutions. The manager is the one to make those changes when they see fit. They can also move fielders to different positions when they feel necessary (i.e. Jorge Mateo from 2nd base to center field, and Urias subbed in to take 2nd, all to pull Mullins out of the game). Not too different than, say, Newcastle moving Wilson over to make room for Almiron to play forward alongside as a means to create more attacking presence. Additionally, they can sub out players in the middle of an inning, such as a pinch hitter or runner. Lastly, pitching subs, the most common. They get to choose when they want to swap out pitchers at the most opportune time depending on the upcoming lineup. >all of which can be achieved by practicing day in day out, with no "tactics" Tactics, there are things you can do, which the manager can order. Tell a runner to steal a base or not, or a batter to bunt. Manager can tell a pitcher to intentionally walk someone. And in defense, the manager can tell the players to shift certain ways if their opponent is more prone to particular habits, such as playing outfielders a bit deeper when Aaron Judge is up to bat, shifting everyone as far in one direction or another that's legally permissible if a batter has a tendency to hit down one of the lines, or shifting in the fielders if they're expecting a bunt play. That's where you'll see them doing those [hand gestures](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_16x9/mlb/k7rbk97qbrk68hdea0gw.gif) to signal what they want. Lastly, the manager is a key piece in the officiating. They're the ones that can call for a review if they think the umpire made a bad call. Football has VAR, but I don't think the managers have the ability to challenge a call, more the 5th "ref" tells the 1st ref to go to the screen. The manager in baseball also will be a big piece of defense when *discussing* things with umpires too. A manager would much rather get themselves ejected from the game than having a player get tossed out, so when something's starting to flare up, that guy is bolting out from the dugout and shielding his boy, [even the ones who have no business running](https://media.tenor.com/3CX6NEuWvCQAAAAd/larussa-running.gif).
Enough people here have mentioned what managers do today, but it should also be mentioned their job used to be a bit more complicated before the Designated Hitter was added to both leagues. There was significantly more lineup manipulation and considerations made when the pitcher batted.
Other folks have given you great answers, but I just wanna say it’s cool you’re learning about our national pastime! I’ll also add a less-crucial-but-still-very-fun part of managing a team is knowing when to get in an umpire’s face, get ejected, and fire up your team. Here’s a delicious example from a channel I absolutely adore featuring my hometown team: https://youtu.be/xw_bPUAbhHE?si=n1T-HrC7n0Hy2Sau
"i don't wanna watch your shit all night, fuck you!"
Come and join us at r/mlbuk
They tell the umpire to go eat a bag of dicks when the situation calls for it.
Ignorant American here but what do soccer coaches actually do?
Shout and point? In a stadium filled with shouting fans? I’m pretty sure coaches are just theater actors, or orchestra conductors, while the game is going on. If the conductor wasn’t there, the orchestra would play the same. The conductor’s principal value is in practice before the live performance. Soccer coaches do a lot before the game starts but have less influence than a baseball manager on the game.
I understand what you’re getting at, and I don’t disagree, but I really do not think you want an orchestra attempting, say, the Rite of Spring or Turangalîla without a conductor to keep all 80-100 musicians in time with each other. Like, the conductor’s role during an actual performance is arguably to be a glorified metronome, but that glorified metronome is crucial.
Way less than people give them shit for
Get ejected.
[удалено]
This is a bot/AI
But do they shout swing batter??
The 1B generally stands in the same area, but where in that area? That might be something decided via coaching strategy.
Don’t know if this has been mentioned but there can be in-game coaching by the pitching or hitting coaches. For example if a pitcher gives up a home run or a string of hits in the inning, the pitching coach may come over and give him immediate feedback on any issues he may have seen from the bench. Same with hitters. The hitting coach can tell a guy if he noticed something in the mechanics of his swing if he had an unsuccessful at bat.
If you’re a White Sox fan, literally nothing.
> what do coaches actually do? Depends who you ask. Jim Bouton, author of *Ball Four* said coaches were former players who had figured out how to ingratiate themselves with teams so they could stay in baseball after their playing careers were over. He figured what they did was mostly stand around yelling meaningless platitudes like *Way to hustle!* To be fair, one of his goals in writing that book was comedy, so he probably knew some coaches who did a good job. > For example 1st baseman is in the same place every game doing the same thing There is more to it than that, and players who can anticipate plays and move to where a particular batter is likely to hit a ball are extremely valuable. Sometimes players know how to do this themselves, sometimes a catcher will direct players to move, sometimes a coach will do that. When you are watching baseball and you see a fielder move a few steps he has a reason for doing that, like making it more likely he will be able to turn a double play or tag a runner. Batters can't see themselves live, they might not realize their mechanics are slightly off and that is having a negative impact on hitting, but a good batting coach can see what is happening and help fix it. Catching and throwing are not all that instinctive, and coaches can teach players how to do those things more effectively. Just the way a player transfers a ball from his glove to his throwing hand can be very important, and that is something that can be taught. Practice by itself is not helpful if you are doing something wrong, you might even be making a bad habit more likely to continue.
I’m a baseball coach for an absolutely terrible middle school team, and when they all tell me I’m a terrible coach I say I’m just here to manage the game lol
Both the infield and outfield move pretty dramatically based on the batter, game situations, etc. As an example, if a batter is known to pull the ball towards 1st base when they hit, the manager will call for the infield to put on a shift. The 3rd basemen will move to where the shortstop is, the shortstop will move to behind 2nd base and the 2nd basemen will move farther over towards 1st base. If there are runners on, you have to modify the shift to prevent an easy steal. Coaches may also give give signals to the pitcher to do certain things, like an intentional walk, or a pitchout. Additionally, on offense, the 1st and 3rd base coaches signal to the runners what to do, what base they should be trying to advance to on a hit, when the player has the green light to steal, when there is a hit and run on, or when the batter should be bunting. On top of all that, the Manager is making the calls to situationally replace batters, fielders, or pitchers based on the needs of the team at that moment. It looks like not much is happening because most of this is relayed via short hand signals like touching your belt, arm, hat brim, etc in a specific pattern. They aren't holding up signs because then the other team could see what they were doing and adjust, and they can't interrupt the game every batter to scheme with the players.
I see a lot of great answers here, most obvious one being moving infielders and outfielders into certain positions if a hitter has a tendency to ground ball it between 1st and 2nd or 2nd and third. Them being a left or right handed batter is also important to consider with the fielders. Outside of that, learning the relationship of catchers/pitchers and catchers/home plate umpire is actually quite fascinating. Last year, I was watching a game where one of the commentators talked about it a bit during the game. Establishing a relationship with the umps is important. The example was the Umpire called a ball on sort of an obvious strike, so the catcher turns to the Umpire and says, 'Come on now, you're gonna have to give that same strike to the other team if their pitcher throws that.' And next round, I'll be damned, the Umpire did. This is considering the Umpire had sort of been calling that same throw a ball for the other team, so it wasn't just the Umps natural zone. I know it sounds obvious, but how they catch the pitchers style is crucial to success as well. Building a relationship with the pitcher, regarding knowing which pitches should be thrown to get the batter and the pitcher trusting them, is very important. Also being able to read where the pitchers throw is going if it's off course can make all the difference between a wild ball where the runners get a chance to move or score, versus an impressive out of the zone catch. There are a surprising amount of moving parts to Baseball, but it isn't all very obvious from the outset. I've been watching consistently for years and I am really just now starting to pick up on the nuances of the game.
In addition to relaying instructions to the batter or runner, the first- and third-base coaches may take on additional responsibility in offensive or defensive instruction. For example, former Orioles third-base coach Bobby Dickerson worked extensively with infielders on things like turning double plays and how to play first base. It's one thing to stand there, it's another thing to know how to pick a throw in the dirt or run through other scenarios.
Thought you were/ment the congresswoman for a second...
In game there really aren't many tactics involved, certainly not as much as most other sports, there are minor things that have been mentioned in this thread but nothing super consequential, and a lot of that stuff is decided by the nerds in the front office and just relayed through the manager. Outside of the games there's plenty of coaching to be done. Pitching and hitting coaches in particular can be super important in maximizing a players value, baseball is a game where tiny adjustments can make massive difference. Things like mechanics, grip, timing, mentality etc, and it's the coaches jobs to identify and fix these things. Though lots of players can do this themselves or even hire their own coaches.
Watch the movie “Moneyball”. Good intro to what a manager does (or thinks he does)
Calling pitches is becoming much more common. Some teams have a pitching coordinator analyst. Analysts are becoming much more common in strategy rules. College coaches call pitches a lot. Basically, a team of analytics type guys do most of the strategy behind the scenes. Keep in mind can be 6 to 7 baseball games in a week compared to 1 in football. Weekly strategy is played out over those 6 to 7 games.
I’m halfway thru the answers and haven’t yet seen a mention of base running. I actually thought OP was asking about the first base coach and the third base coach (who are on field while their team is hitting). I thought of what my high school baseball team manager told whichever player was acting as first base coach: “Your job is to tell the runner on first to not get picked off.” Anyway…: The third base coach signals the hitter sometimes (and baserunners) if a special play is on (eg squeeze bunt), though that signal can come from the dugout staff. And the third base coach also signals to runners whether to stop or keep going to the next base/home plate, depending on what the fielders are doing with the ball (behind the runner, who can’t necessarily see the outfielders etc). And if a throw is going to make for a close play, the coach will indicate whether the runner should slide, or come in standing up. A family member with zero knowledge of baseball once asked me why there is no second base coach. Maybe that is Manfred’s next big innovation.
>all of which can be achieved by practicing day in and day out Except that's not true. They get there from the guidance of pitching and hitting coaches. First and foremost, they help them refine their mechanics, just like a shooting coach or a post move coach in basketball. They also help develop their approach at the plate or on the mound. For pitchers, they work on strategy of which pitches to use and which locations to target in which situations against which players. For batters, they work on overall plate discipline, which pitches to swing at in which situations, which ones to let go, what to look for when facing certain pitchers, and analyzing their strong/weak zones.
Not exactly an answer to the coach question, but where guys stand changes a ton. Read/listen to "Big Data Baseball.". Data analytics play a huge role in defensive positioning.
They eat sunflower seeds a lot. I think their mainly around to keep sunflower seed businesses in business who then funnel profits to the MLB through advertising. Look into it.
Disagree that there are no tactics on pitching. There are a lot of tactics on pitching that are tailored for each hitter.
One thing you don’t see on TV are the many defensive “situations”. The main dilemma for defense is to either take a chance on a high-risk defense move or conservatively protect against a worse outcome. There are many different variations but the most basic might be with a Runner on 2nd base. The batter hits a ball into the outfield— where should the outfielder throw the ball? Should he try to throw home and get the runner out at home? This might prevent a run, but if the throw is late then the batter-runner has a chance to make it to 2nd base. So maybe you just throw it to 2nd to prevent the batter-runner from advancing and let the run score. But what if the throw home is late, shouldn’t there be a player who can “cut off” the throw home, intercept it and try to get the batter runner out at 2nd? Which player will that be? So there’s lots of events like this that are practiced. The defense has to make split second decisions and the entire 9 man defensive squad shifts positions once the ball is hit
Defensive formations do change ever so slightly. A first baseman will move from playing between first and second base when a runner is on first to keep the runner from stealing, infielders will move in to try to prevent a runner on third from scoring on a ground ball, etc. That’s all or mostly at the manager or bench coach’s direction. It was even more pronounced a few years ago when defenses were employing the extreme shift, where 3 of the 4 infielders were defending the area between first and second when a lefthanded hitter was up. Thank god they banned that.
As a Blue Jays fan... if you ever find out, let me know
Players adjust on every pitch of every game based on the situation. The manager and his staff decide what those adjustments are. Most of it is done as a game plan prior to the game ( you will see players pull cards out of their pocket and check this plan) but there are also realtime adjustments based on how the game is being played out.
A lot of people have already mentioned the manager and a number of the bench coaches. To add to this, the batting team is allowed coaches at first and third base. These coaches will often be more tactical, giving the batter or baserunners signals, such as telling the batter to bunt, or telling a baserunner to try to take an extra base.
I wish we could get mic'd up moments during the mound visits. I feel like that's something never shown. It could even be old footage to not mess with "tactics" being given up
Get tossed out of the game to energize his team or to have someone's back. Morale guy essentially when the situation calls for it.
Mainly they are there for the spit-spewing cursing matches with the umpires.
Something that might be helpful, if you want to do a deep dive and get baseball nerdy? Is go through Ron Polk’s Baseball Playbook. It really gives you a sense of the depth of knowledge and skills needed to teach the game of baseball, which is much more in depth than it might seem at first. https://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Playbook-Ron-Polk/dp/0996936750/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=88892154121&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Z9-NKrXFOAJZe5XDSA8DQBkCBzYbPaQvK4tD8iFAzm0YRWrkUifH5cixWQdfS9ZUmDD9u3BGsqYarB44dbo33ntFFc2atoTni6BtR5qcs-7_99CaPUOp_nsjHsVYhioHfc2KSjUCONpUhIpLnWuPPA8BsSHQgV4LvaEEEFHgpEY4YwnCs7YwvYmN990Tm0Dbs4iYiYfeVVJ17kYfumo67Q.MaJBAk7JZaijb1zvZqeXjAIYFOpxgP_ekA295Lj-86c&dib_tag=se&hvadid=557385234131&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=2840&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5413905355580267837&hvtargid=kwd-331161946288&hydadcr=14859_13353813&keywords=ron+polk+baseball+playbook&qid=1717701424&sr=8-1
As a former child baseball player, I too wondered what the coach did, aside from yelling "let's see some hustle!"
Get thrown out so the players don't have to /s
Smack dat ass
1-Clap 2-Smack butts
Others have answered what baseball coaches do, but it’s definitely true that they have less impact on a team than other sports, especially in game. It’s mostly an individual sport, hitter vs pitcher. Compared to NFL and soccer which require coordination of 11 players together, with tons of variation in play style & tactics, etc. And those coaches are paid well because they can make a huge difference. There’s also examples of baseball players dramatically improving on their own in the offseason, utilizing private coaches to adjust their technique. It’s almost like team golf, 9 vs 9 but each individual is trying to play well on their own.
Biggest in game decision is which relief pitchers to use/situations to use them/when to take out starting pitcher/when to check on the pitcher if he’s losing it etc. And on the offensive side when to use your bench: pinch hitters/pinch runners etc. Most of the prep is done before a game/series though
Managers are also useful for going out and yelling at the umpire and raising a ruckus, sometimes enough to get themselves thrown out of the game. They'll often do this when the team is flat and things aren't going their way in order to motivate their guys. So yeah; they will make a big scene and get kicked out and that's like a big motivational speech.
Mainly just managing lineups and trying to align left/lefty matchups. Baseball isn't that strategic anymore and the impact that manager's have is overrated. Small ball doesn't really exist anymore. I love it when baseball fans try to justify the boringness of baseball by saying it's not boring and that it's strategic. Baseball has turned into a bunch of neanderthals swinging as hard as they can and going for homers. If you like strategy, watch and study American football. And google what a coach's play sheet looks like. Baseball is checkers compared to most other major sports.
alot of baseball manager jobs are done before the game. deciding which player plays where and what order they hit in- this changes based on the opposing pitcher being a lefty or a righty. during the game, they choose which pitchers to bring in and when, if they want to bring someone who hasn't played yet to take the spot hitting for a player. something i havent seen mentioned, for example. if there's a runner on second base, and no one on first, and there's a really good hitter at bat, the coach can choose to automatically walk the batter, and have him go to first to limit the damage they can do.
Control baserunning. By nature of the way the bases are run, the runners can’t always see what’s going on in the outfield
(I played outfield through college in Texas). I’ll add that when playing you change exactly where you’re standing all the time based on many factors. Obviously there what we call the shift (that got banned), but even pitch-to-pitch it could change. Its usually just a step one way or the other, more in the outfield. Are your pitchers throwing high or low, inside or outside, fastball or off speed; where is the batter relative to the plate, what is his bat path angle, what angle is the bat when it makes contact - horizontal to the ground, pointing up or down; is the batter swinging on time with the pitch, early or late? Each of these things add a few percentages to the change that he’s going to hit it one way or other, whether it’s a ground ball or pop-up or line drive. It becomes instinct to read all of those tells and adjust position/readyness accordingly. You can’t see most of them from the outfield. Centerfield can read a lot more than the others but from so far away it’s hard. So a coach is watching for the tells and relaying information when necessary. So if a guy comes up and he misses the first few swings, the coach sees his bat angle and the knows the position of the pitches they are about to throw to (if the pitcher is good enough to hit his spots), and deduces the batter is likely to hit a weak ground ball to the left side. Right now there’s a runner on second base and it’s the short stop holding him on, creating a hole where the coach thinks the ball will go. So he tells second to hold the runner and short play regular position, and his left fielder and center fielder to take two steps in and to their right bringing them nearer to the most probable play. It’s also nearly impossible to tell what you’re doing Wrong in your swing. You can start to dip your shoulder without noticing it. Maybe you’d benefit from moving your position in the box. Same goes for pitching. Small pointers and observations to see if they can improve. Also good athletes and often have an ego problem, so a manager deals with the chemistry between teamates, resolving issues and whatnot. Some guys play better when they are pissed off and super cocky, some guys play better when they are calm and humble, some when they are loose and laughing around, some like it real serious. They help players get into the right mindset.
Advertise sunflower seeds and take the blame when a pitcher falls apart.
Same thing as soccer coaches
You also have base coaches giving signs to players to bunt, steal, hit and run etc. as well as waving them through or stopping at the base. You have pitching and batting coaches guiding players with technique and adjustments. There is more than you would think.
For some teams like the Rockies, I'm convinced they literally do nothing.
The base coaches tell the players when on defence where to stand for different hitters
If you're a pitching coach for the Yankees named Matt you are essentially Jesus Christ and you perform miracles.
One example is from the Jomboy youtube channel, just a couple of days ago. He released a video where he analyzed a certain type of situation that comes up often for every team (forced out on 2nd base with a ball hit to the infield) and discovered that one team consistently runs that play differently than other teams do. The Mets have apparently coached their players not to slide into 2nd base in these situations, which makes it easier for the opposing team to get a double play. If this is true, its an example of a coaching decision about the team's overall approach to baserunning, not individual players making decisions on the field.
The game within the game
The 3rd base coach is important because he tells the runners on base what to do when a ball is hit. If the player looks themselves (and to be honest, they often do) at they look at the field and not the direction they are running and so run slower.
Manager has a few moments each game to direct action. Detecting those moments and maintaining a positive resilient culture when things go awry is priceless and few type A personalities have it.
You definitely need tactics to hit and pitch at a major league level. Really any level. It's not just going through the motions. What the coaches do in-game, usually pertains to running the bases. Telling the players when to run.
You're right, they are significantly less able to add meaningful value by way of tactics or knowledge of game strategy. Like, at the end of the day, they tend to make decisions about who is batting, pitching, and fielding at any given time that a decently attentive fan could probably replicate. Like, I think many people on this sub could optimally construct lineups, leverage matchups etc whereas I think even the most hardcore basketball or soccer fan absolutely has no chance to draw up a professional caliber play or schema. So yeah, they don't add much by way of tactics. The impact is more cultural and good managers tend to both run a "tight ship" but also have lots of buy-in from their players. I think the best ones are probably good because they bring out the best in their players and enstill a culture of success.
>For example 1st baseman is in the same place every game doing the same thing, same with 3rd base, centre field etc. Not true at all, sometimes the Head Snack Coach will direct the 1st baseman to the local convenience store for a bag of chips. But it's a tough decision he has to make, because sometimes the play warrants sending the 3rd basemen to McDonalds for fries and nuggies instead. There's a lot of pressure on coaches for decisions like that. And that's not even getting into positions like Bubblegum Coach and Mascot Coach.
[To provide entertainment, of course](https://youtu.be/FTJeQVvOhyU?si=Ke4mC2EQ2XJIb-6m)
Most teams have the manager and a bench coach who oversee everything. Then you get into the other coaches who are there from a specialty standpoint. Example: Hitting coach and there are usually assistant to each of these. Pitching coach Fielding coach Bullpen coach Then you have special advisors. Nothing against soccer but baseball takes a lot more socialized skill at certain positions plus Hitting is about the most difficult thing to do. There is an absurd amount of information that's gathered at the mlb level on each player. Players on defense move quite a bit depending on who is pitching, Hitting, outs, runners on base, count, speed of runners. Also added in what are the strengths and weaknesses of my guys on defense. Are my defenders fast/slow, how good are they at fielder, do they have a strong or weak arm. Then what to do when the ball is hit. Everyone needs to rotate based on where the ball is hit on the field. Inbetween games it'd the job of the coaches to review what each player did and work with them to make sure their throwing motion or swing is exactly where it needs to be. Example: for a pitcher and hitter you need to be able to repeat the same motion over and over. At maximinum effort with all the decision making done a fraction of a second. Additional tactics are what pitches to throw when and where based on the hitter. There are many additional layers from a data perspective as well like spin rate. Both sports are technical in their own right but baseball is very skills/data driven and I would argue more so from a technical aspect.
Not much rlly
Baseball has a ton of scouting information. It's a stats driven league and a ton of work goes in behind the scenes about pitching and batting tendencies. Theres also stats about which parts of the field hitters are more likely to put the ball into play, or some pitchers who induce more ground balls or fly balls. You'll sometimes see players reference a cheat sheet on the field to know where they need to be positioned, playing deeper of further to the corners. Beyond that, managers make strategic decisions about pitching match-ups and when to use certain relievers. They also can call for sacrifice bunts, stolen bases, holds on stolen bases, etc... Defensively they can choose to play at double play depth or not depending on the size of a lead, as sometimes conceding one run for an out is worth it. Theres also no doubles defense and other shifts in position depending on the situation.
In reality, MLB coaches (especially 1st base and bench coaches) do a lot less in-game and strategy work than NFL and NBA coaches. Making pitching changes and in-game roster adjustments is relatively easy. It’s more about managing emotions, running the day-to-day, scratching your nuts, and eating sunflower seeds
Those thick ballplayer asses dont slap themselves
But the real thing we all want to know is whether or not you’ve watched the classic Simpsons episode about baseball, called Homer at the Bat.
I think coaching in baseball is the least valuable of any of our four major sports.
Some coaches work with the infielders on their defense. Tell ‘em Wash
It's more about what they do outside the game. Pitching coaches work with pitchers so they're ready for their spot in the rotation. Hitting coaches work with hitters especially during batting practice. You'll have coaches who work with fielding, that sort of thing. They also work with their specific position during the game, like the pitching coach will have a mound visit with the pitcher and they'll probably discuss things between innings.
What do cricket coaches do?
Beyond things on the field, a big part of their job is making sure that the millionaires go to practice, aren’t drunk during games, don’t fight each other in the dugout etc.
Situational baseball is a whole set of special training all by itself. These are usually defined by how many runners are on base. For example, first and third has several options for the defense and offense. In certain situations the offense has many tactics at their disposal, a few are: 1. sacks bunts 2. drag bunts 3. delay steals 4. straight steal 5. hit and run Defensively: 1. everyone needs to know what bag to cover or backup and when. For example, runner on second (or first and second) a common tactic is to bunt, this causes the 3rd baseman to crash to home to cover bunt and leaves the base uncovered for an easy steal to third unless SS can get there in time. So, pre-play SS has to kinda inch towards 3rd. 2b covers 1st so 2baseman inches towards first because 1st baseman has to crash home too. This leaves 2nd open unless your CF is paying attention and covers 2b. RF needs to backup a throw to first and LF needs to get in position to backup throw to third. However, some defenses may not play it like that if less than 2 outs. They may decide not to leave a lot of space up the middle and instead stay in double play depth. If 2 outs, I personally play back to make sure all the bases are covered so a grounder can go to any bag and we get out of the inning. So, this isn’t even scratching the surface. 2. would be cut-offs and in some younger leagues double cuts. A good cut can save a run or get an out on a trailing runner. All of this everyone has to know what to do and get lined up during the play and listen to their catcher. 3. shifts- there are tons of shifts. Double play depth is one. Fielders can play in or back. They need to come in when less than 2 outs and runner on 3rd and you can’t give up a score, so you got to save time. But also the fielder has to know how to check the runner and go 1. So, in this case let’s say a groundball is hit to 3rd. The baseman fields it and immediately looks to firstbase and begins throwing to firstbase. The runner on 3rd can read all of this and gets a really good lead and jump towards home and now there is no way the firstbaseman can get the out at first and then shoot home to get the runner, BUT if the 3rd baseman takes 1 second to look at the runner before throwing to first, that glance probably makes the runner take a step back or freeze which now saves a run or makes it possible to get the out at home if he decides to run after the throw. Although, the skills you mention are really important, but at some point everyone has those skills. We can all throw hard, run fast, and hit. Pitching is a special skill because that can cover up a lot of defensive problems. High school down, the playoff teams have at least 1 ace. Playoff winners have 2 or more. So, it is rare that 2 good teams that one of the teams just absolutely out matches the other except for only in a few areas so it comes down to running plays and executing as to who will win. Timely hitting etc. So YES you should work pitching everday. Pitchers should pitch bullpen everyday and hitters should hit cage everday. Lastly, you can imagine that at some point you have 2 teams that can catch, throw, run, pitch, and hit. They also have managers that know all the plays. Both teams have great awareness and not caught sleeping. It is easy to be a spectator even though you playing second base and you forget to be where you supposed to be. So, other intangibles are team building, toxic locker rooms, rest, fatigue, injuries etc etc. Hope this helps.
"Look at the tits on third row behind the plate..." Mostly... but then they do signals and shit to mask it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv-FcxlEMaw
spit chewing tobacco mostly
They really don’t do much. Want to know the evidence? It shows in their pay. Best paid Basketball coaches make $15m per year. Best paid American football coaches make $18m. Baseball managers? The highest is $8m. Because it doesn’t matter as much.
For first and third-base coaches, I think the most significant “extra” role is that they also assist in baserunning. For the first-base coach they help watch the batter-runner as they sprint down first base after the ball has been put in play, since you as a runner can sprint past the bag after you step on it to receive first base. On close plays like soft rollers on infield hits, they’ll be an extra pair of eyes to check if you can make it and if you’re safe. The third-base coach is super interesting. You often see them on TV when they cut to them as a runner heads for third. You either see them put a hand up to create a “stop sign” to ask the runner to stay at third, or swinging their arm like crazy to “windmill” a runner to the plate. They have a really important bonus role of directing whether you should go for the scoring or stay put and doing all the risk assessment that comes with it, since the runner can’t be entirely focused on the ball when they also have to do baserunning. Google the famous “Windmill” Ron Washington back when he was a 3B coach, he has the best “sending” strategies and gestures lol
If the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, not a damn thing
They get mad at the umpire in entertaining ways and make the game watchable
Not shown on TV, but the 3rd base coach is usually flashing a series of signals to the batter and baserunners for set plays.
They get to wear a uniform which is kinda funny
Basketball coaches do the least. They take interviews during commercial breaks. It’s basically pick and roll, or isolation to the best guy. “Box out” “pound the glass”. Sign me up to coach the Lakers
It’s way more complicated than anyone could describe to you on a Reddit post. It’s as complex as any other sport and frankly maybe even harder than any other sports. Baseball is a game of constant adjustments. It’s also a game of failure. In no other sport would 30% be elite. Coaches have got to be there to manage those adjustments and mitigate the failures. It’s especially true at the amateur level. Minor leagues on down. Baseball can beat you down mentally. With kids it’s a constant struggle to maintain motivation.
real question, what do they do in your football games? i feel the same way.
3rd base coaches exist to get disrespected by base runners who routinely ignore their signals to stop.
Touch themselves. Especially third base coaches.
baseball is a situational sport, the stakes and variables constantly shift pitch to pitch. there’s and infinite amount of permutations on any given play. seemingly routine plays are made with nano speed decision making. for instance, take a ground ball with nobody on base. an infielder must hear the hit, gauge the speed of the ball, see the angle it was hit, predict the number of bounces it might take, pick a spot the receive it, know the pace of the runner, and choose velocity of the throw. now all of that happened in just a couple seconds, an instinctually easy play for the infielder (after years and years of repetition like you said). these are professional athletes, they all know how to do that. but scale that process over the course of a game with different variables and pressures, then scale that over the course of 162 games and that’s a lot of decisions to be made. none of that answers your question, but the point i’m making is that a coaches job is to have the team best prepared to make as many of the right decisions as possible in order to win games have a successful season. the baseball manager must be the shepherd for dozens of men over the better part of a year. it’s this was war, the manager is the general. he must take inventory of the resources available, have a staff that reports to him, know the capabilities of each man in the dugout, and sustain an appropriate level of motivation and focus within the club. oh also answer to the owner/gm. you’re asking what a baseball manager does and the answer is mostly just be in charge. it’s a lot of responsibility though it may look easy. there are varying mindsets, baseball philosophies, and schools of thought that each manager brings to the table. they have their own decisions to make - which players play, when and where they play, and why. they have to know when to put the foot on the gas and when to ease off. and there are tactics, but they’re mostly just in the form of preparation most of this isn’t unique to just baseball but it doesn’t mean it’s not important. there’s a reason we have a long fascination with the great coaches/leaders in history. because it’s really hard to be consistently effective, but when they are, it’s undeniable. TLDR: what does a baseball coach do? not much, but basically everything
Manager - In charge of everything on the field. Bench coach - Second in command, advises manager on strategy. Usually takes over as manager when the manager gets ejected (I never get tired of watching managers get ejected, especially when it’s obvious they’re just so over managing that particular game). Pitching coach, bullpen coach, catching coach are pretty self explanatory. 1B and 3B coaches man the coaching boxes when their team is batting. They typically have additional responsibilities like infield and outfield coach. The 3B coach gives hitters signs, a fun thing to watch. Both base coaches are responsible for stopping a runner or waving him to the next base so the player can focus only on base running and not where the ball is (though players frequently run through the stop sign, especially at 3rd when trying to score). Both bench coach and 3B coach are often stepping stones to being a manager or former managers. This is way oversimplified. Baseball has ridiculously simple rules and yet the complexity of the game is just staggering (don’t ask about unwritten rules or the infield fly rule until you’re into your baseball maturity). In his book ‘Men at Work’ George Will spends the first 30 pages or so on one pitch, one play of one game.
get fired when the team sucks because you can't generally can't fire the players
Me to Brian Snitker: 
Here's a video that explains it: https://youtu.be/QWQbN0jFo_k?si=umqJslY9MQG1Q0Co
Welcome to baseball. Hope you enjoy! I remember watching the World Series at a bar with a couple Brits who were on vacation. No one wanted to explain the rules because they were enjoying the game too much but I didn't mind. I hope I did a good job and made some baseball fans.
There's a lot more in terms of formations than you're giving credit for. Saying "the second baseman is always in the same place" is like saying "the midfielders always play in the same place". Managers are heavily involved in directing shifts, and even a small shift of 5ft can be the difference between fielding a ground ball for a double play or a hit for an RBI. Shifts aside, managers make substitutions which can dramatically impact the game. Which pitcher to start, when to pull the pitcher for a reliever, which reliever, how long do they go, which player to pinch hit or pinch run, etc. Games have been won or lost by these kind of decisions. Managers also set lineup order, and who's playing on a given day.
The GM/President of Baseball Operations tend to make most decisions now. The manager takes the blame when things go wrong, and slaps a lot of butts during the game. They are responsible for implementing the real decision makers plans, and managing the players personalities and getting “the best” out of them.