What are field dimensions?

Baseball field dimensions refers to the size of the field of play in a baseball stadium. The MLB rulebook lays out specifics for some elements of what the field’s dimensions should be, but leaves other parts open, allowing each team to have a unique ballpark. Some parts are uniform, those include:

The Infield, which must be a square where each side is 90 feet long.

The Outfield Fences, which are required to be at least 325 feet from home plate on the left and right field foul lines and at least 400 feet from home plate to center field. Older ballparks, built before 1958, are grandfathered in, and new ballparks have been allowed to get exemptions from this rule in certain circumstances.

Home Plate is 17-inch square of rubber with two of the corners removed so that one edge is 17 inches long, two sides are 8 1/2 inches each and the remaining two sides are 12 inches each. The Bases are 18-inch squares that are between 3 and 5 inches thick.

Lastly, the Pitchers Mound must be 60 feet and 6 inches away from home plate and 10 inches above it.

How are field dimensions used?

Field dimensions are used to give an idea of how each ballpark is different. Fans don’t usually worry about the parts discussed above, that are standardized across all parks. Instead, they focus on the differences, mainly the distance of the outfield fences.

As mentioned above, there is a minimum distance for the outfield fences, but no requirements beyond that. This gives teams the freedom to design their parks however they want. That means that some ballparks have famously hitter-friendly distances, like Yankee Stadium’s “short porch” in right field. Others are more pitcher-friendly, with deeper fences that make it harder to teams to hit home runs.

The field construction is an important part of baseball strategy on both a single-game level and in building a team. Teams will want to build teams that can take advantage of their ballpark’s quirks, including whether it is hitter or pitcher friendly.

How to calculate the field dimensions?

Baseball field specifications are designed by the team when building the stadium and carefully measured out during construction. After construction, teams can move the fences, bringing them closer or pushing them further out, if the park dimensions are causing problems.

Field Dimensions Examples

Fenway Park, the classic ballpark that the Red Sox call home, is a good example of how this looks in practice.

Fenway’s left field fence is 310 feet from home plate, while the right field fence is 302 feet. Center field is 420 feet, one of the deepest center field fences in the majors.

Additionally, Fenway’s left field is home to the famous Green Monster, a very tall wall that measures 37 feet high. The Green Monster adds an additional complication for away teams, who often struggle to field balls that bounce off of it.

What is a Strikeout?

A strikeout occurs in baseball when a hitter receives his third strike in a plate appearance before putting the ball in play or receiving four balls. On his third strike, the hitter is ruled out and his plate appearance ends

How is the term Strikeout used?

Strikeouts are a key component for judging baseball players. For pitchers, a strikeout is the most direct way for them to get a hitter out. While some pitchers are good at inducing the kind of weak contact that is easier to field, a strikeout is the only way for a pitcher to virtually guarantee the out.

On the other hand, a hitter wants to avoid the strikeout for the same reason. A common baseball truism is that “good things happen when you put the ball in play,” meaning that while a strikeout basically always results in an out, putting the ball in play could result in a number of good outcomes. However, over the last 25 years, hitters have become more accepting of strikeouts, as part of a strategy to increase the number of walks and home runs.

In swinging for the fences, hitters have come to see an increase in strikeouts as a necessary evil in order to maximize the number of home runs they hit. On the other side of the game, pitchers have spent more time than ever increasing their velocity and spin rate, in order to increase their ability to get strikeouts.

Note that through most of the article, we’ve said that strikeouts virtually guarantee an out. That’s because there is a way for a hitter to reach base after a strikeout. If the catcher drops the third strike, the hitter becomes a runner and has the chance to reach first base, the same as if he put the ball in play.

How to calculate strikeouts?

Strikeouts are one of the main counting stats that are tracked through every game. When keeping score, a strikeout is usually denoted with either a K or SO

Strikeout Examples

Players can strike out a few ways. A swinging strikeout is when the player swings and misses on strike through. They can also take strike three, thinking the pitch is a ball. Lastly, they can tip the ball into the catcher’s mitt.

For an example of what this looks like, please enjoy this video Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout

Interesting Strikeout Stats

On Baseball Reference, you can see the leaders in strikeouts by pitchers, for both single-seasons and full careers.

If you’re looking for hitters, we have that too. Both the single-season and full career leaders.

What is a Balk in baseball?

A balk, also known as the disengagement rule, is a rule relating to how pitchers must act on the mount when there are runners on base during an at bat. The rules for a balk in baseball guides how a pitcher is allowed to attempt to throw out runners who are taking a lead before a pitch is thrown.

The baseball balk rules, as defined by the rulebook, cover “an illegal act by the pitcher with a runner or runners on base, entitling all runners to advance one base.” In other words, if a pitcher commits a balk, the runners on base get to advance.

How are Balks called?

Balks are called by umpires and often involve minute or subtle movements, making them one of the most difficult rules for fans to understand.

As far as what constitutes a Balk in baseball, the rulebook outlines 13 specific actions that count as balks. A balk is called if the pitcher:

1. Starts his pitching motion without completing the pitch;
2. Fakes a throw to first base;
3. While standing on the rubber, throws to a base without stepping directly toward that base;
4. While standing on the rubber, throws or fakes a throw to an unoccupied base, unless a runner is running toward that base;
5. Makes an illegal pitch, including a quick pitch;
6. Pitches while not facing the batter;
7. Makes any part of his pitching motion while not touching the pitching rubber;
8. Unnecessarily delays the game;
9. Stands on or astride the pitching rubber without the ball;
10. After assuming the windup or set position, removes one hand from the ball except in the course of making a pitch or throw to a base;
11. Drops the ball while standing on the pitching rubber;
12. Pitches while the catcher is not in the catcher’s box;
13. Pitches from the set position without coming to a complete stop.

How to score a Balk?

If you’re keeping score, use BK to record a balk on your scorecard.

Balk Examples and History

Some interesting examples of balks include balks being called on balls in play. If a balk occured on a play where the ball was hit into play, the balk is only awarded if, as a result of the batted ball, the batter and baserunners do not all advance at least one base.

Additionally, it is possible to for the pitcher to be called for a balk, even with no runners on base. In that case, the hitter is awarded with a ball.

The balk rule was somewhat laxly enforced in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. In 2013, the Rules Committee added the “fake to third, throw to first” play to the list of balk actions.

What is a forkball?

A forkball is one of the rarer pitches, but one that can be a powerful addition to a pitcher’s arsenal. Considered a type of change-up, the pitcher throws a forkball by first setting up their grip in a specific way.

To throw a forkball, a pitcher grips the baseball by spreading his index and middle finger very wide apart and jamming the ball into the space between them.

Unlike the splitter, which has a similarly spread grip, the forkball is a slower pitch, closer to a change-up, as a result of the deeper grip. The grip also gives the forkball more downward motion and break, almost similar to a knuckleball

How is a forkball used by pitchers?

Forkballs are off-speed pitches, so they can be used to get hitters out, similar to a change-up, or to otherwise throw off a hitter’s timing during important pitches in an at bat.

How to measure a Forkball?

Today, MLB uses Statcast’s pitch arsenal data to calculate how many pitchers throw a forkball and how many they throw.

Forkball Examples

Here is an example of Robert Coello throwing a forkball

Interesting Forkball Facts

In MLB, the forkball was popular in the 1980s, with pitchers like Dave Stewart and Jack Morris incorporating it in their arsenal. Hideo Nomo was another pitcher who used a forkball, and generally speaking, the forkball is a very popular pitch in NPB.

 What is Sprint Speed?

Sprint Speed measures a player’s top speed. Specifically, it is an expression of the feet per second a player was running in his fastest one-second window.

How is Sprint Speed used?

Sprint Speed is a way to answer the age-old question of which player is fastest. By gauging a player’s actual running speed on balls in play, we can see who reaches the highest top speed, as well as looking at averages.

How to measure Sprint Speed?

Sprint Speed is calculated using Statcast, the advanced player tracking system that has been installed in every major league ballpark. Statcast allows teams and fans to understand and quantify elements of the game that were previously only able to be measured by the “eye test”.

Sprint Speed is one of those. In the past, we had to rely on eyeball measurements or non-game situations like timed practice runs to get an idea of which players were the fastest. Now, with sprint speed, we have hard data to back up our assumptions.

Interesting Sprint Speed Stats

In 2024, Bobby Witt Jr. had the top sprint speed, averaging 30.5 feet per second.

 What is the 26-Man Roster?

The 26-man roster, otherwise known as the active roster, is the list of players available to play in a game for a Major League Baseball team.

The roster size increased in 2020; before then, it was 25 players, but they increased to 26.

The 26-man roster is not the only MLB relevant roster. Teams also have something called the 40-man roster. This is a longer list of players who are eligible to be on the 26-man roster, but do not necessarily have to be. The 40-man roster also includes players on the shorter injured list and some players in the minor leagues. A player must be on the 40-man roster before they are eligible to be added to the active roster and play in a major league game.

How is the 26-Man Roster used?

The 26-man roster is how teams announce who is eligible to play. It is usually a mix of players under long-term contracts and players in their early careers on minimum deals. 

Players can be added to or taken off of the active roster before a game starts or after it ends. Players may be added from inside the organization, whether being promoted from the minor leagues or activated off the disabled list. They can also be added from outside the organization, through trades, waivers, and free agent signings.

Teams virtually always use all 26 slots on their roster in every game, which means that, in order to add a player to the roster, a corresponding player must be removed. Players can be removed by being sent down to the minors, placed on the injured list, traded, waived, or designated for assignment.

The roster increase also brought a rule change, for the first time limiting the number of pitchers allowed on the roster. In the late 2010s, as managers began to lean more and more on relievers, teams would carry more pitchers, feeling like they did not need as many position player back-ups. In 2020, MLB created a new rule allowing a maximum of 13 pitchers on the active roster.

How to see the 26-Man Roster?

At a baseball game, most programs will list the 26-man roster. You can also usually see it during a broadcast. However, the most reliable way is online. Websites like Baseball Reference track this, as do the teams’ websites.

26-Man Roster Examples

The roster size expanded from 21 players to 25 in 1920, however it wasn’t until the 1940s that teams started using all 25 slots. Before the advent of the modern farm system, a few roster slots were reserved to scout and train young players. Now, the minor leagues serves that purpose.

Occasionally, MLB has granted roster size exceptions. For example, in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, teams were allowed to have a roster size of 28 players. 

What is a hit?

Hits are the cornerstone of baseball, so much that the vast majority of major league players are referred to as “hitters.” But how would you explain baseball hitting to someone who had never watched a game before?

Simply put, a hit is when a batter makes contact with the baseball, hits it into fair territory, and reaches base safely. Not due to an error or a fielder’s choice, but in a way that evaded the defense and advanced the team’s goal of scoring before it runs out of outs.

Hits can be singles, doubles, triples, or home runs. A single is where the hitter reaches first base, a double is where he reaches second base, a triple third, and a home run is a complete trip around the bases.

How is hit used in baseball?

Hit is used in scoring, both on a player and a team level. For players, a quick look at the number of hits compared to the number of plate appearances can give you an idea of how the player did in a particular game. Over the course of a season, hits are used to calculate batting average, as well as being an input for stats like On Base Percentage, OPS, and even WAR.

For teams, hits appear on the scoreboard and in box scores, after runs, as the easiest way to see at a glance how an offense performed.

Hit Examples

When modern fans think hitting, they think of Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro holds the all-time record for hits in a season with 262 in 2004. He had 4,367 hits between the NPB in Japan and MLB in America, and he was famous for his ability to hit any pitch.

Interesting Hit Stats

You can see the hit leaders on Baseball Reference

 What are Outright Waivers?

Outright waivers is a process for a team that is trying to make room on its active (26-man) roster. If the team wants to send a player down to the minor leagues, but that player is out of options, they go through the outright waivers process.

The team puts the player on waivers and other teams have two-days to put in a waiver claim. If they claim they player, they can add him to their roster for the $20,000 waiver fee. If no one claims the player, his original team may send him down to the minors.

If an opposing team claims the player, the original team may opt to pull him back from waivers. This means that many teams are hesitant to put in a claim, since it would tie up roster space for a couple days.

How are Outright Waivers used by teams?

Outright Waivers are used to give players who are out of minor league options an opportunity to stay in the majors. It also ensures that teams can’t send veterans up and down from the minors and protects more experienced players.

Outright Waivers Examples

The outright waiver market is especially active on August 31, because that is the final day that teams can add players to their roster who will be eligible to play for them in the Postseason. With the trade deadline at the end of July, outright waivers is the best way to add Major League talent to a team.

Players added via waivers in 2024 included Lucas Giolito, Hunter Renfroe, Matt Moore, and Harrison Bader.

 What is a Changeup?

A changeup is an off-speed pitch that shows the hitter a different look from the fastball. It is released along the same trajectory as a fastball, but the pitch itself is much slower. To the hitter, it appears that the pitcher has thrown a fastball, causing them to swing early and miss the ball.?

The changeup is one of the most common pitches in baseball, because it builds so well off of the fastball. Most starting pitchers are able to throw one.

The drawback of the changeup is that, if the hitter can tell that it is coming, it is very easy to hit, due to the slow speed. Therefore, the deception and surprise is a crucial element to making the pitch succeed.

How is a Changeup used by pitchers?

Changeups are an off-speed pitch, used to deceive and surprise the hitter and induce a swing and miss. Because they build off the fastball, they are often thrown later in a count, or after a batter has already faced the pitcher in the game. This way, the hitter has already seen the fastball and is taken by surprise when he receives a changeup instead.

How to throw a Changeup?

The changeup grip can vary, but typically, the pitcher holds the ball further back in his hand, perhaps even all the way back to his palm. One type of changeup, the “circle change” involves the pitcher’s thumb and forefinger making a circle around the inside of the baseball.

The pitcher will usually throw the changeup with the same motion and release as the fastball, in order to deceive the hitter.

Changeup Examples

Here is Pedro Martínez talking about his legendary changeup: