Watch the outfield arms in pre-game warmups

There are a lot of things that go on prior to the first pitch of a game. One of the hardest things to do is occupy a teams focus when they are in the dugout with nervous energy. They have taken BP. They have taken infield outfield. They just want to get after it.

But, I think one thing of note is the arm strength that opposing outfielders have. It's important to know where the strong arm outfielders are. This is especially true if a coaches philosophy is to allow them to make their own baserunning decisions. I suppose that philosophy actually dictates whether or not a player needs knowledge of his opponents arms.

If a coach espouses the opinion that all runners should know their speed, the angle the outfielder takes to the ball, the number of outs- the last important variable that needs considered is "how strong is the outfielder's arm?" If the runner knows as much as possible- then informed decisions can be made.

It takes some time to observe these arms but in my mind it is time well spent. Now, if the opposing team doesn't show off the outfielder arms then that is a different story. In fact, maybe that's for another blogging.