Baserunning Reads — 3 Stations
Three baserunning decision stations: primary lead, secondary read, tag-up.
Your job today
Three stations on the bases. At each one I’ll give you a cue — pitcher’s first move, fly ball depth, pickoff — and you make the right read.
What good looks like: Right read, right reaction, every time. Not the fastest runner — the smartest.
Why it matters: You don’t need to be the fastest to take an extra base. Great baserunners SEE one thing earlier than everyone else. That’s what we’re training.
How it works
Three small stations train baserunning reads: (1) primary lead and back, (2) secondary lead off pitcher's first move, (3) tag-up read on fly ball depth. Coach or partner gives cues; athlete reacts and logs success rate.
- Reps / rounds
- 5 reps per station
- Rest between sets
- 30s
- Space needed
- full_field
- Coaches
- 1-2
Equipment
- bases
- 5 baseballs
Setup
- Place bases
- Assign coach to each station
Run the drill
- Rotate stations
- Coach cues, athlete reacts
- Log read decision and execution
Coaching cues
- See the pitcher's heels
- Pre-pitch ready position
- Hard read or soft read
Common mistakes
- Flat feet on secondary
- Late on tag-up read
Scoring
Track % correct reads (percent). On-track when at or above 70.
Adjust it
Make it harder
- intro: one station, slow cues
- intermediate: all three stations
- advanced: live BP simulation
Variations
- First-and-third: double-steal decision drill
Source
Author: platform · Status: Published · Last reviewed 2026-05-26