By BK, Athletic Hitting Development
Complete Hitters Are Built… Not Given. Earned!
Walk up to almost any youth baseball or softball field and look at shortstop. Nine times out of ten, that’s the best player on the team. Ever wonder why?
About 90% of people are right-handed, and young righties often roll over by dragging the barrel under the ball or casting outside the pitch plane, sending ground balls to shortstop. Coaches put their best athlete where the ball keeps going; the fix is staying above and inside the ball and accelerating through it.
Train it: Swing Structure & Mechanics Masterclass →1. The usual theories
Ask around and you’ll hear the same answers:
- Strong arm for the long throw? True.
- Catches balls regularly? True.
- It’s the coach’s son? Maybe.
All fair. But none of them is the real reason.
2. The real reason: the world is right-handed
About 90% of people are right-handed. Yep, that’s the reason the best players on youth baseball and softball teams play shortstop.
What????
Well, this is a hitting blog, so you knew hitting would be involved.
THE BEST PLAYER ON THE TEAM
WHYSHORTSTOP?
- About 90% are right-handed.
- Righty rollovers go to short.
- The best athlete goes there.
THE WORLD IS RIGHT-HANDED.
3. The rollover swing, simple version
Young right-handed hitters tend to make one of two mistakes:
1. Dragging the bat under the ball
The barrel drops and drags below the path of the pitch. To make contact, the top hand turns over early.
2. Casting outside the pitch plane
The hands push away from the body and the barrel swings around, outside the plane of the pitch. Same result: the wrists roll over at contact. (More on this in Casting in the Baseball Swing.)
Both lead to a rollover swing. And a righty rollover produces one thing over and over: a ground ball to shortstop.
Multiply that by a lineup full of right-handed hitters, game after game, and shortstop gets more action than anyone on the field. So coaches put their best athlete exactly where the ball keeps going.
4. If the world were 90% lefty
Flip it around. A lefty who rolls over pulls the ground ball to the right side, toward second base.
So if the world were 90% lefty, we’d be having a different conversation. The best player on every youth team would be playing second base.
5. The fix: above and inside the ball
If you’re a coach and you don’t want your team hitting ground balls right to the other team’s best player, here’s the cue:
Stay above and inside the baseball with an athletic base, and accelerate through the ball!
What that means
Above the ball. Keep the barrel from dropping and dragging under the pitch. See the bat path basics.
Inside the ball. Keep the hands close so the barrel works on the plane of the pitch instead of casting around it.
Athletic base. A balanced, loaded lower half lets the body turn without the hands taking over.
Accelerate through it. Drive the barrel through contact toward the middle of the field. Don’t turn the wrists over at the ball.
3 quick checks in practice
1. Middle-of-the-field rounds. Line drives up the middle and the other way count. Ground balls to the pull side don’t.
2. Inside tee. Set the tee on the inner half. Casting shows up right away as weak contact or a ball off the end of the bat.
3. Finish check. Hold your finish. If the top hand has already rolled over the bottom hand at contact, you rolled over. Learn to keep the barrel behind the hands.
THE FIX FOR THE ROLLOVER
ABOVE &INSIDE.
- Keep the barrel above it.
- Keep the hands close.
- Build an athletic base.
- Accelerate through the ball.
DON'T TURN THE WRISTS OVER AT THE BALL.
6. For coaches, players and parents
- Coaches: chart where your hitters’ ground balls go. If they all go to short, it’s a swing problem, not bad luck.
- Players: a hard ground ball to short isn’t a good at-bat if it keeps happening. Get above and inside it.
- Parents: instead of “Hit it harder,” try “Where did your last three ground balls go?”
THELESSON.
- Don't drag under the ball.
- Don't cast around it.
- Stay above and inside.
- Hit it up the middle.
- Chart your ground balls.
- Hold your finish.
Complete Hitters Are Built…Earned.
7. Build the complete hitter
Don’t collect drills. Build a complete hitter.
Not sure if your hitter is dragging or casting? Run the free SwingChecker™ to find your #1 priority. The AHD Complete Hitter Masterclass trains all four pillars together, starting with Lesson 1 free, or see online remote baseball and softball training with BK.
Quick answers
Why do the best players play shortstop in youth baseball?
Because most hitters are right-handed, and young right-handed hitters often roll over. A rollover swing produces weak ground balls to the left side, so shortstop gets more balls than any other position. Coaches put their best athlete where the ball goes most.
Why do young hitters roll over and hit ground balls?
The two most common causes are dropping or dragging the barrel under the ball and casting the hands away from the body, outside the plane of the pitch. Both make the top hand turn over early, which drives the ball into the ground to the pull side.
How do you stop rolling over in baseball and softball?
Stay above and inside the baseball. Build an athletic base, keep the hands close as the barrel enters the zone, and accelerate through the ball toward the middle of the field instead of turning the wrists over at contact.
Do left-handed hitters roll over to second base?
Yes. A left-handed hitter who rolls over pulls ground balls to the right side, toward second base. Since only about 10% of people are left-handed, youth teams see far more rollovers to shortstop.
Is a hard ground ball to shortstop a good at-bat?
Not if it keeps happening. Chart where your hitter’s ground balls go. If they all go to short, it’s a swing problem, not bad luck.
From the 2015 archive: Youth Sports: Let Kids Play More Than One Sport.
This article is part of the AHD guide Youth Hitting Development. Start there for the full picture and every related article.
