Youth baseball players and coaches wanting to improve their level of play will need to
tackle the job of the cutoff man.
This higher level skill is not an easy one to master.
One of the overlooked skills in youth baseball is the correct way to be the cutoff man.
At the younger levels we start by helping players know which infielder covers the bag
and which is the cutoff man and then progress to helping them run to the right depth...not
too deep and not too shallow depending on where the ball is fielded.
As youth players progress in their ability and baseball knowledge, coaches will want
to teach the importance of cutting off throws while positioned in line with the intended
base.
Furthermore coaches will want to teach them when to cut the throw and when not to cut
the throw.
That higher level awareness and communication takes time and practice.
In most of these examples the players are positioned correctly, in line with the base
the ball needs to get to as well as at an appropriate distance.
Let’s look at them one at a time beginning with the play that didn’t line up correctly.
These players are 10U travel ball players, so a bit lower level, but this does show us
what happens when the cutoff is wrong.
As the outfielder is fielding it’s obvious that there is no play at 2nd base and the
throw is going to need to go to third.
The fielder is very deep and should have a cutoff, but here we see the cut off is inline
with 2nd base….or more likely this player simply went to where he always goes to cut
any ball regardless of the game situation.
Had this shortstop ran to cut a throw to third base that runner wouldn’t have gone to 3rd
base, but even if he did, he would have been out.
You can clearly see in this shot the ball traveling far further than was necessary.
In addition, had the shortstop been in the correct position, the third baseman, seeing
the throw and the knowing where the runner was could have called off the cut and taken
the throw from the outfielder.
But this type of skill and awareness level needs to be coached during practices so players
know when and how to communicate correctly.
The rest of the clips we are using are from a game between PA & SC during the 2015 LLWS.
In this first example the SS dives for the ball but immediately gets us, signals he’s
the cut, and gets in line with second base.
Since it’s obvious the runner is staying at first on this play, it is rather routine.
Even so, every player should always respond to ever hit correctly so when the play finally
IS close, they are in the habit of being in the correct position.
This next example we have the same players involved, but here the play might have been
close.
Typically it is the catcher who communicates how the cut should be handled.
Each team may have a different system, but a typical method is: Catcher yells clearly
and forcefully, cut,2 the cutoff cuts the ball and throws to 2nd base.
Cut 4 to home, etc.
If the catcher simply says “Cut” the ball is cut but held.
A cutoff man might be expecting the play to be at 2nd base, but when he hears Cut, 1 he
knows the runner is retreating and where to go before he has the ball.
If the catcher yells pass, the fielder does not cut the ball and lets it pass.
If the catcher says nothing, the fielder needs to determine what to do, and given the situation,
a pitcher or first baseman might interject.
However, at these world series games the crowd volume can be so loud that infielders will
not hear.
In this final clip we are looking at, the second baseman becomes the cutoff to home
plate.
Presumably the catcher yelled CUT because the runner going home wasn’t a possible
out and no other plays were possible
Like I said earlier, the volume at these WS games can be loud and we see here that the
second baseman checks the runner's position just before cutting the ball.
The outfielder makes a throw that can reach home, but is low enough to be cut which it
is.