First baseman

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The position of the first baseman

First base redirects here. For other uses, see First base (disambiguation).

First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team. A first baseman is the player on the team playing defense who fields the area nearest first base, and covers most plays made at that base. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the first baseman is assigned the number 3.

Sean Casey, former first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds tries unsuccessfully to keep his foot on the base while receiving a throw from an infielder

Also called 1B, first base, first sacker or cornerman, the first baseman is ideally a tall player with good flexibility. The flexibility is needed for two main reasons. The first baseman receives throws from other infielders, the catcher and the pitcher after they have fielded ground balls. Because he must keep one foot on the base in order for the runner to be called out, he must be able to stretch to the ball before the runner gets to the base on close plays. Also, first base is often referred to as "the other hot corner"—the "hot corner" being third base—and he must have reflexes to field the hardest hit balls down the foul line, mainly by left-handed batters.

Players who throw left-handed are preferred at this position because after catching a batted ball, or a ball thrown by the catcher or pitcher, they do not have to turn before throwing the ball to another base. As a rule this is not a reason to keep a weak-hitting first baseman; the defensive differences between first basemen are less significant than batting ability. It does, however, encourage the use of good-hitting lefthanders at first base, because the only other spots available to them are the three outfield positions.

When there is no runner on first base, the first baseman usually stands behind first base, about 10 feet off the foul line. When there is a runner on first base, the first baseman may stand in front of the base to prepare for a pickoff attempt. In a fielding play, the first baseman generally stands with his off-glove foot touching the base, and then stretches toward the throw. This stretch is to decrease the amount of time it takes the throw to get to first, and encourage the umpire to call close plays in favor of the fielding team. The first baseman may have the responsibility of cutting off errant throws from the outfield to home plate. However, the first baseman only cuts throws from right field and center field, while throws from left field are cut by the third baseman. The first baseman's mitt is elongated, has a wide webbing, and no individual fingers. This design makes it efficient at trapping errant throws, particularly those which bounce (also known as "short-hops").

Because the nature of play at first base often requires first baseman to stay close to the bag to hold runners in place or to reach the bag before the batter, first baseman are not typically expected to have the speed, agility, and quickness required of infielders and outfielders. As a result, first base is (with the exception of the designated hitter) the easiest position on the baseball diamond to fill, a notion further evidenced by the fact that many players will move to first base later in their careers, as their range and athleticism decline. Due to this relative abundance of players at the position, and because first basemen are often among the taller players on a team, they are almost universally expected to be among their teams' stronger hitters.

Aside from being in position to catch the ball and touch first base (usually with their feet) on a throw from another infielder, the pitcher or the catcher on a ground ball and to catch fair and foul balls hit into their general area, first basemen typically charge bunted balls hit near the first-base line, in which case they ordinarily throw to the second baseman who covers first base or more rarely to the some other base to complete a fielder's choice play on a botched bunt. First basemen are often involved in rundown plays involving pick-offs and stolen base attempts.

Good defensive first basemen, according to Bill James, are capable of playing off first base so that they can field ground balls hit to the fair side of first base. The first baseman then relies upon the pitcher to run to first base to receive the ball to complete the out. Another rare play involving the first baseman is the so-called 3-6-3 double play in which the first baseman fields the ball, throws to second, where the shortstop catches the ball to make the first out and then throws back to the first baseman who reaches first base in time to tag first base before the batter-runner reaches first base. If the pitcher reaches first base and completes the double play it is a 3-6-1 double play of similar value. Far more frequent than any double play that a first baseman starts is a fielder's choice play, typically resulting from a throw to the shortstop (less frequently the second baseman) at second base. Fielders' choice plays by the first baseman rarely are made to home plate and almost never to third base.

One obvious indicator of a good defensive first baseman is a large number of assists; another is a low total of errors by other infielders.

[edit] Hall of Fame first basemen^[1]

Cap Anson
Ernie Banks (not listed at the HoF as such but played half his career^[2] at 1B)
Jake Beckley
Jim Bottomley
Dan Brouthers
Orlando Cepeda
Frank Chance
Roger Connor
Jimmie Foxx
Lou Gehrig
Hank Greenberg
George Kelly
Harmon Killebrew
Buck Leonard
Willie McCovey
Johnny Mize
Eddie Murray
Tony Perez
George Sisler
Mule Suttles
Ben Taylor
Bill Terry

[edit] Other notable first basemen

NOTES: Bold indicates a currently active player. Italics indicates first basemens became the team's Designated Hitter.

§ Converted from shortstop to replace the former Los Angeles Dodgers-now Tampa Bay Devil Ray first baseman Hee-Seop Choi starting in the 2006 season.
ǂ Erstad moved back to center field in order to make room for Casey Kotchman and Robb Quinlan starting in the 2006 season.
% Also is known as a third baseman,left fielder,right fielder,and a catcher.

[edit] References

Baseball positions

	Outfielders:	Left field \| Center field \| Right field
	Infielders:	3^rd base \| Shortstop \| 2^nd base \| 1^st base
	Battery:	Pitcher \| Catcher
	Other:	Designated hitter