Player Skills & Attributes

1. Be a competitor. Each moment is an opportunity for you to show up.  Give us your best.
2. Team First, over ME first. We are looking for players who accept their role on the team and support their teammates and team success.
3. Be athletic in many areas, not just baseball.  Skip rope, run ladders, compete in track and other team sports, etc.  Often when final decisions are made about position players, it comes down to athleticism and arm strength. Young players that play only baseball, often grow stale and sometimes develop major injuries because of the lack of overall muscle development.  Aim to become a well rounded athlete.
4. Take initiative to play catch and do throwing drills on your own.  Arm strength allows you more positional fits.  Try and learn different positions; players who have versatility, have a greater chance of being selected for Team Alberta.
5. Position Players need to work on hitting.  Try and get at least 75 cuts a day, 6 days of the week during the season.  In the few months preceding the season, try for 3x per week and get 75 cuts in each time. In the Off Season, take some time off but remember to strengthen your writs and forearms. Also, Core Strength is also recommended year round.
6. Be the type of player who doesn't dwell on past mistakes or poor performance.  Elite players, in every sport, display a great deal resilience.  i.e. After a player has had a poor at-bat, he/she should grab their glove and hustle out to their defensive spot. Players, who pout or fume about a previous result, show a lack or resilience and will not become elite players.  As well, if they are substituted for in a game, they should root for their replacement.  A "team-first" attitude displays resilience, and a confidence that I will do better when back in the lineup.

Hitting

• Balance, soft landing or no stride
• Stay on play with swing, can have a little lift at the end
• Bat should go directly to the ball, and shorter to the ball is preferable
• Bat speed
• Good two strike approach, strikeouts kill rallies
• Loose hands with some rhythm
• Pitch recognition

Pitching

• Good takeaway from glove
• Quiet head, balance during delivery
• Shoulders stay online
• Front toe doesn't flair out on plant
• Engaged lower half
• Break the hands down the body torso preferably the front knee
• Small or no arm wrap during delivery
• Hands stay on top of ball through arm circle
• Repeat delivery

Infielders

• Fields the ball usually between body midline and glove side foot
• Aggressive and tries to field ball at top off the hop, or just after it hits the ground
• Arm accuracy
• Soft, relaxed hands
• Good footwork, don't run the ball over first
• Arm strength
• Smaller arm circle than outfielders

Outfielders

• Reads off the batted ball (instincts)
• Foot speed
• Arm accuracy
• Balance in the field
• Arm strength
• Backup role to infielders

Catchers

• Ability to receive the ball with quiet glove
• Quick feet
• Arm accuracy
• Blocking ability of pitches in the dirt
• On field Leadership
• Arm strength
• Smaller arm circle
• Ability to shift weight/position behind the plate

Position Skills Ranking Breakdown:

Catchers

Primary - fielding, throwing

Secondary - hitting, power, running

First Base

Primary - hit, power, field

Secondary - throw, run

Second Base 

Primary - field, hit, run

Secondary - power, throw

Shortstop

Primary - field, throw, run

Secondary - hit, power

Third Base 

Primary - field, hit, power, arm

Secondary - run

Left Field 

Primary - hit, power, field

Secondary - run, throw

Centre Field

Primary - field, run, throw

Secondary - hit, power

Right Field

Primary - power, throw, hit

Secondary - run, field