Second base is where rallies go to die — if the middle infield knows its craft. Here is what we drill with our Advance Class infielders.
Footwork around the bag. On steals, the shortstop takes throws from the catcher on the inside of the bag; the second baseman handles first-base-side feeds and relays. Reps are walked through at half speed until the feet move without thinking.
The transfer. Glove to hand in one clean motion, funneling the ball to the throwing shoulder. We time transfers with a stopwatch — under 0.8 seconds is the goal for our oldest group.
Talk constantly. "Mine, mine, mine" on pop-ups, "turn it" versus "hold it" on grounders. A quiet middle infield is a losing middle infield, so we grade communication in every scrimmage.
Master these three and the 4-6-3 becomes the prettiest play on the field.