New to Baseball (Questions, etc)

[MitchellGalindo]

I'm new to the whole baseball scene and was wondering if anyone could help me out with any ideas on how to learn the game at a quicker pace than trying to figuring out everything on my own. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I've been trying to watch every Jays game as they are my favourite team. I've also bought MLB 13 The Show. I've slowly been learning things about the game just want to learn faster.

Thank you for any or all the help you could give me.

Click to read more...

 

[Cutielemon07]

I was new to baseball in 2007-I STILL haven't figured everything out! There's like a million rules and regulations, but as long as you know:

a) the positions of the players and the roles they play
b) what's generally illegal (i.e. fighting, attacking an ump etc.)
c) basic pitches (fastball, knuckleball, curveball, splitter etc.)
d) the 'designated hitter rule'
e) the history of your team and league (in this case, AL and AL East-VERY storied)

Then you should be alright. Learn the basics first and then everything else as it comes.

 

[ChiGuySez]

Go to your nearest batting cage. Try hitting. Then check the speed. Major league pitches are high 80s to high 90s but not all the time. They usually alternate with some off speed stuff. If you can find one that throws curve balls, thats special. Wear a helmet. Starts off at your head and winds up below your ankles.

 

[iamjs]

Go to your nearest batting cage. Try hitting. Then check the speed. Major league pitches are high 80s to high 90s but not all the time. They usually alternate with some off speed stuff. If you can find one that throws curve balls, thats special. Wear a helmet. Starts off at your head and winds up below your ankles.

I found one that tosses in the low 90s. I knew it was coming and I'd usually hit 1 or 2 out of 20. By hit, I mean make contact where it would bounce off the side netting from a half swing; unacceptable even by the lowest of hitting standards.

 

[robert terwilliger]

used to love batting cages.

unfortunately, the places that have them here don't really take care of them and it's pretty common to get a few bouncers or an ian kennedy. there was a great place near me that's now closed but i went with my wife when she was just my girlfriend. i was getting some good swings in, making good contact and all that, got one up and in on my right shoulder blade. that kind of thing is common, unfortunately.

the best advice i can give you is to not only watch blue jays games. watch every game you can. mlb.tv has a game of the day every day. today's game, for example, is rockies v. dodgers. watch one of the best pitchers in baseball for free tonight at 10!

for learning the game, that'll come with watching. there are a lot of websites that explain the game, i wouldn't know which are best honestly, because i've been watching baseball pretty much my entire life. a quick click to a few of them breaks it down a little too much for me (ex. i think we all know what a baseball is). find one you're comfortable with and go with it.

just watch as many games as you can and you'll pick it up.

 

[TootooTrain]

just watch as many games as you can and you'll pick it up.

That's really the simplest way to go about it. All the little rule intricacies, players, etc. A

 

[IU Hawks fan]

There's no MLB Network in Canada, correct?

I was gonna say that along with watching games that watching a lot of MLB Tonight would be very beneficial. You get to see the unique situations and rule interpretations that are happening league wide each night. Easier to learn new things when you're taking things happening from 15 games instead of just 1.

For instance, they give a segment of balks either last night or Wednesday. I'm an umpire of 10 years and learned something I didn't know

 

[Scrub*]

Don't take this personally but this is a great book for beginners and even the most advanced baseball person needs to review some of the basics every once and awhile.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Don't take this personally but this is a great book for beginners and even the most advanced baseball person needs to review some of the basics every once and awhile.

LOL. Kinda hilarious that Joe Morgan is on the cover...

 

[Halladay]

Tim McCarver's picture should be on the cover.

 

[robert terwilliger]

tim mccarver didn't write a book but they typed up all of his ramblings from the fox sports game of the week and sold that.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

I'm new to the whole baseball scene and was wondering if anyone could help me out with any ideas on how to learn the game at a quicker pace than trying to figuring out everything on my own. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

what exactly do you mean? Do you understand the rules already or are you just looking for ways to apply stats to value players properly?

I've been trying to watch every Jays game as they are my favourite team. I've also bought MLB 13 The Show. I've slowly been learning things about the game just want to learn faster.

Thank you for any or all the help you could give me.

If you could be more specific that would help.

I've seen your posts in the season threads and you look like a positive addition to this forum. Glad to have you.

 

[Doctor Drej]

Don't take this personally but this is a great book for beginners and even the most advanced baseball person needs to review some of the basics every once and awhile.

that book is just one giant oxymoron.

 

[Big Poppa Puck]

tim mccarver didn't write a book but they typed up all of his ramblings from the fox sports game of the week and sold that.

Whenever I have the opportunity to post this, I can't pass it up.

 

[Kershaw]

tbh, just keep watching the sport with passion and it'll come together in a few years.

 

[12Gage09]

watching a sport you don't know much about will only get you so far. watch with someone/people who are knowledgeable so if you don't understand something that happened they can help you understand. maybe even just write down terms that the commentators use and look them up

 

[King Mapes]

Well I'm bored so here's random stuff to help a beginner that you may or may not know:

Lefty-lefty or righty-righty, pitcher has more of an advantage. Righty-lefty, lefty- righty the hitter does.

You likely know but AL has DH, NL does not. If they play eachother home teams rules.

Players have numbers assigned by position for scoring purposes.

P - 1
C - 2
1B - 3
2B - 4
3B - 5
SS - 6
RF - 7
CF - 8
LF - 9

So if you hear (most common) 6-4-3 double play! It means SS threw it to second for 1 who threw it to first for the double play.

 

[seafoam]

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/definition_terms_2.jsp

 

[pickforc]

LF: Baseball street game name and rules

As a child I used to play a game in the street with several of my buddies and I'm at a loss for trying to explain it to a work colleague. Here is what I can remember ....

All I do recall is the following:
- hit the ball and if they caught it midair they were given so many running leaps to get closer to the batter
- hit the ball and if they caught it first bounce less steps
- hit the ball and if they caught it in two bounces even less steps
- finish off where you'd roll the ball at the batter (with bat laying on the ground) and if:
batter caught ball - roller would return to field
batter missed ball - batter would goto field and roller would become batter

If anyone has a clue as to the correct rules or name of this game it would be fun to hear from you.

Thanks,
Corey

 

[flyersguy33*]

never ever heard of this

 

[Hire Sather]

what is this i dont even

 

[Smelling Salt]

We used to play two versions of this. It was called "500 Up" in our area. The "leap" version like you mentioned (though slightly different), or a version where each time the ball bounced on the ground before you caught it, it was worth less points. A ball caught in the air was worth the most, then a one bounce, two bounce, then a grounder. First to 500 points got to bat next.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Well I'm bored so here's random stuff to help a beginner that you may or may not know:

Lefty-lefty or righty-righty, pitcher has more of an advantage. Righty-lefty, lefty- righty the hitter does.

You likely know but AL has DH, NL does not. If they play eachother home teams rules.

Players have numbers assigned by position for scoring purposes.

P - 1
C - 2
1B - 3
2B - 4
3B - 5
SS - 6
RF - 7
CF - 8
LF - 9

So if you hear (most common) 6-4-3 double play! It means SS threw it to second for 1 who threw it to first for the double play.

I never even noticed this thread before...but a quick change here -

LF is 7 and RF is 9.

 

[Vicente]

Hi guys. I am half German / half Spanish, living near former Western German capital Bonn. I am also new to baseball if one can say so. I started following the game only in late March 2013.

I have the MLB TV package which I really enjoy with all the games in HD quality. Also got MLB 2k11 but I was told that MLB The Show is a lot better - unfortunately I don't own a PS3. Maybe I'll buy a PS4 because of that game. Next season I'll try to start playing baseball in a team (we have 2 clubs in our region). I am not very tall (170 cm), so what position would be best for me? 2nd baseman or 3rd baseman? I think I rather won't try pitching as I'd like to play ever game. And infielders off course have more action than the guys in the outfield.

I always was kinda interested in the game but always thought the rules were quite complicated. Well, to learn the game better I started reading lots of articles on Wikipedia but as always learning by doing (or in this case watching) is better and I am happy whenever I learn something new (which I then check at Wikipedia). I guess by now I understand all the important stuff. Sometimes though even the players look a little confused in certain situations and then I also don't know what's going on. But how could I know more about the great ball game than an MLB star player?!

Btw I am a huge Baltimore Orioles fan. Also have sympathies for Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs. Don't like Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees at all.

Fav MLB players Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Andrew McCutchen, Clayton Kershaw, Yasiel Puig, Miguel Cabrera, Jose Iglesias, Torri Hunter etc. Just the guys who play the game it should be played like!

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

Hi guys. I am half German / half Spanish, living near former Western German capital Bonn. I am also new to baseball if one can say so. I started following the game only in late March 2013.

I have the MLB TV package which I really enjoy with all the games in HD quality. Also got MLB 2k11 but I was told that MLB The Show is a lot better - unfortunately I don't own a PS3. Maybe I'll buy a PS4 because of that game. Next season I'll try to start playing baseball in a team (we have 2 clubs in our region). I am not very tall (170 cm), so what position would be best for me? 2nd baseman or 3rd baseman? I think I rather won't try pitching as I'd like to play ever game. And infielders off course have more action than the guys in the outfield.

I always was kinda interested in the game but always thought the rules were quite complicated. Well, to learn the game better I started reading lots of articles on Wikipedia but as always learning by doing (or in this case watching) is better and I am happy whenever I learn something new (which I then check at Wikipedia). I guess by now I understand all the important stuff. Sometimes though even the players look a little confused in certain situations and then I also don't know what's going on. But how could I know more about the great ball game than an MLB star player?!

Btw I am a huge Baltimore Orioles fan.

Second or Shortstop would be good for you. Usually first and third basemern need to be tall, as they would have a better chance at catching high lineouts or filelding high or off the mark throws (especially firstbase men.) As I mentioned in the Houston thread, Jose Altuve is an excellent second baseman. He's a great fielder, and he is only 5 '5.