Short Hop
Also known as: short-hopping a throw, picking a short hop
A short hop is a ball caught the instant it rises off the dirt. It is usually the most reliable point of the bounce, since the ball has had no room to deviate.
A ball's behavior is most consistent right where it leaves the ground, before surface irregularities and spin have had any distance to work on it. Picking it there removes almost all of the unpredictability that accumulates as the ball travels onward. That is why infielders are taught to attack aggressively enough to meet the ball at that point. They are taught not to wait passively for something more comfortable.
The technique is about the hands. The glove goes down early with the fingers pointed at the dirt and the pocket open. The wrist gives an inch as the ball arrives, absorbing the energy instead of punching it away. The same principle governs receiving throws in the dirt at first base or on the back end of a relay. Attacking the ball is more reliable than retreating and hoping it settles into something easy.
Present the glove with the fingers pointed down and the pocket open toward the ball, then let the wrist give an inch as it arrives. A rigid glove punches the ball away; a glove that absorbs keeps it.
Work the backhand pick separately from the forehand. The backhand has a smaller margin because the wrist cannot give in the same direction. It is the version most first basemen never actually drill.
Example
The throw came in low and skipped a foot in front of the bag. She got the glove down early, gave with it, and squeezed the pick for the out.
Why it matters
Reliably picking a ball off the dirt, on batted balls and throws alike, turns borderline plays into routine outs. It is among the most trainable skills an infielder has.
How it shows up on video
Watch the glove hand rather than the feet. A clean pick shows the glove already down and open before the ball strikes the dirt, with a small give at contact. A missed one shows the glove descending late, arriving after the ball has begun to rise, and stabbing rather than absorbing.
Common mistakes
- Waiting passively for the ball to arrive rather than attacking aggressively enough to take it as a clean short hop
- Keeping the glove and hands stiff at the moment of contact instead of giving softly with the ball's rise
- Positioning the glove too close to the body, reducing the margin for error if the hop is slightly off from expectations
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
Motion Lab does not see the glove or the ball, so it cannot judge your hands on a short hop.
Frequently asked questions
Why is picking a ball right off the dirt easier than waiting for it to climb?
Because it is the most predictable moment of the bounce. A ball taken immediately has had no time to deviate, while the same ball taken two feet later has been given room to change direction.
Does this apply to throws as well as batted balls?
Very much so. First basemen and relay men handle far more of these on throws than on batted balls. The technique — glove down early, wrist gives on contact — is identical.
Related terms
- Reading a HopReading a hop is judging early where a ground ball's bounce will arrive. The fielder can then set footwork and glove angle before the ball gets there, not after.
- In-Between HopThe in-between hop is an awkward bounce at shin or knee height. It is too high to pick off the dirt and too low to field out front, a common cause of errors.
- Glove PresentationGlove presentation (for catchers) is how the catcher holds and moves the mitt to receive the pitch cleanly and, in competitive baseball, to subtly show the umpire the ball in the strike zone.
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