I’m Tim Dierkes, the owner of MLB Trade Rumors. If you’ll indulge me for a minute, I want to talk about an app I’ve created for youth baseball and softball coaches that has nothing to do with MLB or rumors.
How many times have you observed this scene in a youth baseball or softball game?
An infielder makes an amazing stop on a ground ball. It’s the highlight of the kid’s budding career to date. And then…NOOOOOO!!! Why did you throw it to THAT base? Or…why did you think you could just step on THAT base??! We’ve been over this in practice!
Fundamentals are crucial to understanding and playing baseball or softball. Chief among them: where are the force outs? Our free Baseball Force Out Teacher app for iPhones and iPads is the perfect at-home supplement to any player or watcher’s education.
The eight different baserunner scenarios are randomly presented, and this fun game-like app drills home the correct answers to one crucial question: Where are the force outs? Simply play it over and over until force outs are second nature!
Plus, if you’re a coach looking to freestyle or elaborate on infield scenarios, the app has a handy whiteboard feature.
At first I totally read this as some sort of scandal where Youth Baseball Coaches Try to Force Out Teachers
That’s what I thought!
Another scandal!
Now what!!!??? LOL
Get that ad revenue Tim!
I’ve used this with my son, and as a 6-year-old he picked it up very quickly and miles before any other kids understood on his LL team. I recommend.
Definitely will be using this at this week’s practice!
I coach little league and this app has been a tremendous tool for my younger team (5-7 ages). Definitely download it for younger players who struggle with understanding the force out scenarios on the field.
The wording on this title made me triple take, but the idea and app is great!
would you have opened the article if the title was ” a new app for youngsters learning the game”?
Marketing!
when will it be able for those of us too poor to own an iPhone? android app needed badly!
Too poor or too wise to overpay for Apple products?
yea because the droid phones that are comparable to an iphone are “so much cheaper”. also it’s a lot harder to make an android app than an apple app due to the fact that there are hundreds of droid phone configuration.
AMEN to stpbaseball….Android please!
Great idea. Good luck with the app. Can we gift this to a couple MLB players?!
Is the avatar a boy or a girl? Asking for a friend
friend says, an it
No, it’s Pat.
Blast from the past!
Does it matter?
I got an 8/8! Yes!
Oh… this is for kids.
Nice app, Tim. Keep them coming.
Next: How to calculate batting averages using a Slide Rule. For the nerd who gets stuck in right field.
Great idea! Perfect for beginning and novice coaches.
You should also design an app for baserunning scenarios and fundamentals….. run on contact, run on a groundball, halfway on a fly, freeze on a line drive, back on a ground ball to your right, run on a groundball to your left, halfway on a fly ball, tag up, etc…. this could be an app used from Little League through the Major Leagues considering the amount of fundamental base running errors made by the pros
I would recommend a different name? Or at least a different headline
good job tim on creating this app and making free i feel this app is going to help out a lot of kids. a few suggestion for future updates is add in base running, cuttoffs, defensive alignments, and pitch count scenario for batters and pitchers.
When can I get this in the google play store? Would love to try it w my 7u team
Second This.
i’m sure an apk version of the app will come, but from what it sounds like tim is an amateur programmer that has mac products. from someone who also have a lot of mac products it’s a lot easier to create an app for ios with a mac (xcode which is used heavily in ios app creation comes standard on os x/macos). to get an apk version of the app means finding/hiring someone familiar with the droid os and the many configs that droid phones have.
Guess its just too much too ask coaches, parents and the actual kids to learn on their own without there bestie (Mr Iphone) involved in the process
No knock on Tim, but the whole situation is kinda cringy imo –
Just one more notch in the “phones will solve everything” belt we are embedding in the youth today.
Failing is the greatest tool available in baseball ; and life really ….phones don’t fail, they only reinforce laziness
We are losing the battle against tablets and phones. Kids don’t have the patience for baseball. You can’t get them to stay interested with multiple coaches splitting them into groups for multiple infield drills and cycling them through each for 10 minute intervals. Forget sitting them down to learn rules, they don’t even realize they are failing throwing to the wrong base because THEY DONT CARE. The true failure is a coach who is not adapting to try to make more kids love the game we love. If it takes a phone or tablet to get through to a kid and improve the experience on the field I’m 1st in line!
I guess when it gets too “If it takes ___’ your ultimately right indeed
I just can’t help but recall the “Always Sunny” episode where Dee and Dennis decide they need to work out to get healthy –
Upon arrival to the gym and looking around at others, they decide they need new workout gear before getting started. After that’s resolved, they notice everybody else has pre-workout drinks so they need to load on drinks ofc before they can start. Finally they get to spin class but the musics not right so ofc they can’t workout
Leaving the gym (w/out working out) they decide the pre workout drinks are doing enough and they feel good about where they are at…….
But thats a comedy show …..and this is youth baseball….I cant help but sigh ….and I guess post it out into the real world. No disrespect to the platform, author or app thinga-ma-giggy
@cap & crunch did you read though all the data or take all of the info based on faith. because Science can be b17ches some of the times.
I mean an app for 5 minutes driving from school to ballfield or home from ballfield to reinforce something taught could really help.