Beginner

Pisar y avanzar (tag up)

Also known as: tocar la base, retocar, avance por elevado de sacrificio

Definition

Pisar y avanzar (tag up) significa que un corredor regresa a su base actual y la toca en el momento en que se atrapa un elevado, y luego arranca hacia la siguiente base: el método legal de avanzar en un elevado atrapado.

Cuando se batea un elevado, los corredores deben esperar en su base (tocándola) hasta que se atrape la bola. En el instante en que el jardinero toca la bola, pueden avanzar. Los mejores en pisar y avanzar observan los ojos y el lenguaje corporal del jardinero mientras mantienen un pie en la base, y luego arrancan de forma explosiva en el instante en que la bola contacta con el guante. En los elevados de sacrificio desde el jardín, los corredores en la tercera casi siempre deben pisar y avanzar. En los elevados cortos, la profundidad del jardinero, la velocidad del corredor y la fuerza del brazo del jardinero influyen todos en si pisar y avanzar consigue una base extra.

Beginner tip

Position your foot on the inside corner of the bag. This means closest to the base you are advancing toward. This means before the pitch is delivered. As a result, when a fly ball is hit you are already in the optimal push-off position without needing to reposition.

Advanced note

Practice watching the ball into the outfielder's glove from a tagged-up position in particular by having a partner track fly balls in the outfield. At the same time, you stand with your foot on the bag and call "catch!" the instant you see glove-ball contact. This means this trains the precise timing discipline that separates tag-up masters from average baserunners.

Example

Pisó y avanzó desde la tercera en un elevado de profundidad media al central y anotó con facilidad: su lectura de la colocación del jardinero le dijo que el tiro llegaría demasiado tarde.

How it shows up on video

On video, tag-up quality is measured by the runner's foot position on the bag at the moment of catch, the direction the body is facing. The explosiveness of the first step off the bag. Common errors include the runner having both feet flat on the ground rather than positioned on the bag in a ready-to-push stance, the body facing the outfield rather than angled toward the next base. The runner losing contact with the bag for an instant before the catch. This means which creates a retouch obligation that negates the advance.

Common mistakes

Leaving the bag too early before the ball is caught. This means even a tenth-of-a-second early departure is a legal violation that results in an out if appealed by the defense
Standing flat against the center of the bag rather than on the inside corner with the body angled toward the next base, losing the push-off position advantage that fast taggers use to gain an extra step
Making the tag-up decision based on the depth of the fly ball alone without considering the outfielder's arm strength, throwing angle. The presence or absence of a cut-off play
Not watching the ball all the way into the outfielder's glove. This prevents precise timing of the departure. This means watching the fielder's glove make contact is the signal that must be seen before the departure step

In SwingVantage Motion Lab

SwingVantage measures foot position on the bag at the catch frame and timing of the first departure step relative to the catch contact frame, identifying early departures and measuring the body angle at departure. The system computes a tag-up efficiency score based on departure timing and initial step direction, benchmarked against the runner's historical best.

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