Every position on the baseball diamond plays a critical role, and knowing what each player is supposed to do makes the game easier to play and a whole lot easier to follow from the bleachers.
If you’re new to baseball – or want to get involved in fantasy baseball – the various responsibilities and positioning players have on the field can be a little confusing. Fortunately, this guide will help walk you through it.
All Baseball Field Positions Explained
A standard team has nine players on the field while on defense. Ideally, all nine will work together in choreographed synergy, but which players are supposed to do what when the ball is put in play? Read on:
Pitcher (P)
The pitcher stands on the mound in the middle of the infield, 60 feet and six inches away from home plate in Major League Baseball (MLB), throwing balls toward the batter.
Everything starts with the pitcher, who wants to either strike out the batter or get them to hit into an out. Once the pitch is delivered, the pitcher effectively becomes an infielder — one who needs to be prepared should the batter hit a screaming liner, grounder or chopper back from whence it came.
The pitcher also sometimes needs to cover first on grounders that pull the first baseman away from the bag. And on balls hit to the outfield that might result in a play at the plate, the pitcher is the one who backs up the catcher in the event the throw isn’t quite on target or fielded cleanly.
Lastly, pitchers come in both the starter and reliever variety. A team’s starting pitcher ideally lasts five or more innings before getting pulled for a reliever to enter the game from the bullpen.
Catcher (C)
Covered in protective pads, wearing a mask and wielding a special glove, the catcher looks more like a hockey goalie than a baseball player. But it might be the most important baseball player of them all.
As part of “the battery” with the pitcher, a catcher’s primary job is to catch pitches. The catcher is also usually the one who calls the pitches, which is signaling what type of pitch should be thrown.
The catcher also handles a lot of the positioning and communicating on the diamond, telling the defense when and where to shift and constantly reminding infielders where to go with the ball if they field a grounder.
On top of needing a good glove and reflexes to block or scoop errant pitches, a good knowledge of opposing hitters while calling pitches and a keen eye for detail, catchers also need a strong arm to deter base stealing. They also occasionally need to make plays at the plate to retire runners attempting to score, or pounce on a bunt attempt to throw the batter out at first.
Throw in the fact that they are constantly destroying their knees in a squatted position and taking foul balls off every possible body part, and catcher is the most physically demanding position in baseball, even though there’s minimal running involved.
First Base (1B)
The person playing first is positioned relatively close to that bag. And if there’s a runner on first base, the first baseman will actually have a foot on the base when the pitch is being delivered, ready to receive a potential pickoff attempt from the pitcher.
Generally speaking, though, the first baseman stands a few feet behind the base and a few feet to the second base side of the bag, maximizing its ability to field balls hit to that side of the infield while still having ample time to get to first before the batter to field a throw from one of the other infielders.
More than anything, a first baseman’s value on defense stems from its ability to catch less-than-perfect throws. Anyone in the majors can catch a ball thrown right at their chest or somewhere within a couple feet of them. But there will be many plays over the course of a season when a first baseman needs to scoop a ball on one hop or stretch to catch a ball while keeping a foot on the bag to record the out.
Second Base (2B) and Shortstop (SS)
Commonly known as the middle infield, second base and shortstop share similar duties, depending upon where the ball is hit.
They’ll shift around depending on the batter, but the second baseman is generally positioned in between first and second base (a couple of steps closer to second) and toward the back of the infield. Same goes for the shortstop on the opposite side of the infield, usually a bit closer to second base than third.
On a ball hit to right field, the second baseman serves as the cutoff, which is a middleman of sorts who will field the incoming throw before delivering it to a spot in the infield where an out could be recorded. When the second baseman is the cutoff, the shortstop covers second. On a ball to left field, though, they switch those roles. And on balls to center, the shortstop usually takes cutoff duties, as it’s usually the shortstop who has the stronger arm.
Another shared duty of the middle infield is turning double plays. On a ball hit to the left side of the infield (third-base side of pitcher), the second baseman is the one covering second, ready to receive one throw for a force out and immediately throw it down to first for the second out. On grounders to the first-base side of pitcher, shortstop covers second.
For grounders right back to the pitcher or fielded by the catcher and for stolen base attempts, either player could be responsible for covering second. It’s crucial that the second baseman and shortstop are always communicating so they know the plan.
Of the two, the shortstop is almost always the better player, tasked with making more frequent and more challenging plays. If nothing else, it takes a strong throwing arm to get the ball from shortstop to first base, while second basemen can sometimes even underhand it to first.
Third Base (3B)
Third base is often referred to as the “hot corner,” because balls are constantly coming in hot.
A right-handed pull hitter might hit a laser of a line drive or a one-hopper right at the third baseman, who barely has half a second to field it. And if it is a ball off the ground, the third baseman then needs to throw the ball 120 or more feet across the diamond to get the batter out at first.
Third basemen also need to be prepared to field bunts, which is why they are often positioned much closer to those lasers than shortstops. And to field bunts, they usually need to be able to pick the ball up without using their glove, barehanded, and fire it to first all in one motion.
Outfield (OF)
The three outfielders — left field (LF), center field (CF) and right field (RF) — more or less share the same duties, so let’s address them together.
If you’re standing at home and looking out at the pitcher, left field is the one to the left and right field is the one to the right. And the only fundamental difference between the two fielders is that the RF is usually the one with the stronger arm, as throws from the outfield to third are much more common than throws from the outfield to first base.
Center field is almost always the fastest/rangiest of the trio, as it has the most ground to cover.
For all three, the primary goal is to catch balls before they hit the ground, thus recording flyouts or lineouts. And if the ball does hit the ground, the primary goal becomes getting it back to the infield as quickly as possible to prevent runners from advancing or scoring.
Outfielders are also responsible for backing up the nearest bases in case of errant throws. For instance, if the third baseman is throwing to the second baseman to try to turn a double play, the right fielder better be paying attention for a ball that could come sailing in that direction.
Designated Hitter (DH)
The positionless position, the DH bats in place of the pitcher without even needing to bring a glove to the ballpark.
The DH used to be the only real difference between the American League and National League, utilized in the former and not the latter. But MLB implemented the universal DH in 2022, and it is now a critical component of every lineup. Red Sox great David Ortiz even DHed his way to the Hall of Fame, acting as a hitter only in 88% of his career games played.
Pinch Hitter/Runner (PH/PR)
A pinch hitter or pinch runner takes the place of another player in the middle of the game — usually late in a close game where every base and every plate appearance feels more critical. A PH/PR enters while the team is batting.
A similar common practice is deploying a defensive replacement near the end of a close game, putting a good defender in place of a good hitter who isn’t a great fielder and whose spot in the batting order isn’t likely to come up again.
Further Reading: Baseball Rules for Beginners
Fantasy Baseball Roster Positions
If you’re curious about baseball positions for fantasy purposes, there can be some key differences from what has been discussed thus far.
For starters, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a league that distinguishes between LF/CF/RF. In fantasy, outfielders are simply outfielders. If you want to routinely start three OF who almost exclusively play RF, there’s nothing stopping you from doing exactly that.
And though most leagues will have a specific roster spot for each of 1B, 2B, 3B and SS, you might find leagues that lump together 1B and 3B as corner infielders (CI) and 2B and SS as middle infielders (MI). They could be even less specific than that and just have infield (IF) slots.
For Utility (UT or UTIL) slots, almost anything goes. You can’t put a bonus pitcher there, but any batter, including DH, can serve as a Utility player. Most leagues will have either one or two Utility spots.
Be mindful of positional flexibility in all of this.
Players like Luis Rengifo (2B/3B/SS/OF) and David Fry (C/1B/OF) inherently hold more fantasy value than similarly productive peers who only play one position, because of their ability to be moved around your lineup to account for days off and injuries.
Different sites have different rules about how many games a player needs to play at a certain position before becoming eligible for that spot in fantasy, but there are always a few utility men worth knowing about.
Fielding is almost always irrelevant in fantasy baseball. Maybe you can find some sort of diehard league where you get penalized for errors and/or credited for assists and putouts. Generally, though, there’s no fantasy difference between a Gold Glove shortstop and one who seems to commit at least one error per week.
See also: How Does Fantasy Baseball Work?
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the position numbers in baseball?
When you hear about a 6-4-3 double play or some sort of crazy 8-6-2-5-3-1-2 putout on a play where there’s a rundown between third base and home plate, those numbers in the scorebook correspond to specific positions. In numerical order, it goes Pitcher (1), Catcher (2), First Base (3), Second Base (4), Third Base (5), Shortstop (6), Left Field (7), Center Field (8) and Right Field (9).
So, a 6-4-3 double play is a ball that goes from the shortstop to the second baseman to the first baseman.
Which is the easiest position to play?
Each position has its unique challenges, not the least of which might be where the sun is positioned in the sky. On the wrong field at the wrong time of day, even an elite outfielder can be rendered helpless by the sun.
First base is generally considered the ‘easiest’ position, though that largely depends on the throwing accuracy of the other infielders.
If we’re talking about slow-pitch softball as opposed to MLB, though, the catcher pretty much doesn’t do anything. And against a predominantly right-handed lineup, the right fielder might not get a single ball all game. Those are the two spots where you can hide a weaker fielder.
Why is it better to have a left-handed first baseman?
One advantage is that left-handed first basemen can range a little more to their right on ground balls, since their glove is on that hand. The other advantage has to do with holding runners on first base, in that it’s a more natural motion for lefties to swipe at the runner trying to get back to the bag.
It’s not much of an advantage, though. In fact, most of the top first basemen in the majors these days throw right-handed.
Parting Thoughts
Now that you know a little more about the positions in baseball, perhaps you fancy yourself better positioned for fantasy baseball domination.
If so, do give Sleeper a try. The app is top notch, and the fantasy offerings are plentiful, including Sleeper Picks, where all you do is pick two or more players and predict whether they will do better or worse than their daily projected stats (runs, hits, HR, etc.)
