How To Advance An Important Base Runner Can Win The Game!

By Larry Cicchiello
Updated: February 27, 2013

With an important runner on second base and no outs, try to drive the ball the opposite way if you are a right-handed batter or try to pull the ball if you are a left-handed batter. You have a much better chance of advancing an important runner on a grounder to the second baseman or even to the first baseman than if you ground out to the shortstop or to the third baseman.

One of the best baseball tips on hitting is to make sure you don’t lose your aggressiveness when swinging and hitting the ball the opposite way. In this case we’re talking about a right-handed hitter who would be driving the ball toward the right side of the field.

Don’t lose sight of the obvious fact that the base hit is always more beneficial than simply advancing the base runner. Look for a pitch that you can hit to the right side of the infield. You may have to take a pitch or so to get the right one. You have to walk a fine line here if looking for a specific pitch though because you don’t want to fall behind in the count. If you are ahead in the count, you can afford the luxury of looking for that certain pitch.

If needed, adjust your hitting stance. One of the better baseball tips on hitting is that many excellent hitters move three or four inches farther away from the plate if they are a right-handed hitter or three or four inches closer to the plate if they are a left-handed hitter. They are always looking for any possible edge that can help them hit the ball on the right side of the field or improve their baseball hitting in any way.

The opposing pitcher is usually well aware that you may want to hit the ball on the right side of the field to get an important runner to third base with only one out. If you’re a right-handed batter, a smart baseball pitcher may very well work you mostly over the inside part of the plate and if you are a left-handed batter, he may very well work you over the outside part of the plate.

Advancing an important base runner definitely falls into the category of little things. Very often it’s the little things that have a huge impact on a baseball game. It is not always what draws the most attention that decides the ball game. The name of the game, from a hitter’s point of view is to have a productive at bat. That doesn’t always mean hitting a seed up one of the gaps. This is a team sport and the focus should be on doing whatever is required to give your team the best chance to win.

Just remember that advancing the runner from second base to third base has its time and place and depends on the importance of that particular runner getting to third base with less than two outs. If you’re trailing by five runs late in a game and you ground out but advance a base runner, that is not giving your team a better chance to win.

It also is very important as to who follows you in the batting order. Baseball tips on hitting require clever use of the mind and not just the body. If two very weak hitters follow you in the order, you should be focusing solely on getting a hit to knock the runner in yourself.