2 outs man on 2B, 3B coach should consider what?

With a man on 2B and 2 outs the 3B coach needs to think about a variety of things. Here are some things that he needs to process to allow him to make the best decisions possible.

The first thing that needs to be understood is that an out will end the inning. This is obvious but it has some interesting ramifications. Here are the possibliities and what needs to be considered.

a) a single to the outfield. In all likelihood, I will be sending the runner since he is off on contact. With 2 outs and 2 strikes he should be off when the batter begins his swing. Therefore, with 2 outs and 2 strikes I might be even more willing to send the runner. In amateur baseball, I believe the runner should be waived about 95% of the time. The exception? A hot shot directly at an outfielder. Sometimes, it depends who is on deck but with 2 outs I'm thinking score the run when you can.

b) a ground ball to an infielder who needs to record an out at 1B. If the runner at 2B gets a good break and doesn't allow the infielder to tag him to end the inning a throw will be made to 1B. The 3B coach should weigh the thought of "what if the ball is thrown errantly?" If the runner has advanced far enough he should be sent home. If the runner has not advanced enough he should be held up. The thought process here is if the ball is in the dirt or the ball pulls the 1B off the bag, we went to score the run coming around 3B.

Many times innings end with a runner approaching home plate only to pull up as the inning ends. But, sometimes the ball ricochets off the 1B and that runner scores a run. If that runner were held up at 3B, a run would be lost. You can't blindly send them in this situation, however.

The batters speed should be a factor that gets considered. If the batter has the ability to beat a routine ground ball out, the last thing you would want to do is send the runner home when the inning could still be alive on a good throw. In this scenario, the 1B would simply catch and throw home to end the inning. Not necessarily a good decision by the 3B coach.

A major variable in all of this is the speed of the runner rounding 3B. If the runner is an "A" runner, send him regardless of how close the play might be at 1B. Of course, this depends on the break he got off of 2B. But, the risk is worth the reward.

Next time you're watching a game, take note of the runner at 2B with 2 outs. It's a very detailed part of coaching 3B but it can play big dividends if it is recognized.