shortstop (person)

The name "shortstop" comes from the fact that unlike today, in the very early days of baseball the second baseman covered the area on both sides of second base, whereas the "shortstop" was positioned just behind or to either side of the pitcher where he could field "short" balls, such as bunts and dribblers.

Defense

Shortstop is one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, positions to play on the baseball diamond (perhaps second only to catcher), because he must have the greatest range, the strongest arm, the softest hands, and the quickest release of all the infielders. Because middle infielders must be right-handed to throw to first base, the shortstop is expected to cover not only his own area between second and third base, but also the no-man's land up the middle behind second base, because even though the second baseman could get to those balls almost as easily, he would not be able to make a throw to first base in time. The shortstop is also called upon to make the longest throw of any infield play - the long throw from the "hole" between himself and the third baseman - which sometimes has to be made after a dive from the grass in short left field. Moreover, since most batters are right-handed, and right-handed batters tend to hit balls to the left side of the infield, the shortstop handles more batted balls than any other player on the diamond. Finally, like the second baseman, the shortstop must have the agility to start or turn the double play, which requires him to race to the second base bag, step on it, and make an accurate throw to first base while leaping over an oncoming baserunner who is attempting to barrel over him. In short, the shortstop makes more plays, requiring stronger, more accurate throws, with less time to make those throws than any other infielder.

Getting a good defensive shortstop is probably the first priority for building a strong team, as he will make the whole team better with his play, lowering the ERA of the pitchers, allowing other infielders to cheat away from his area of the infield, making the first baseman look good with his strong, accurate throws, and allowing the outfielders to play a bit deeper by chasing down pop-ups in shallow left and center. It is no wonder that Leo Durocher once famously said, "Nobody ever won a pennant without a star shortstop."

For scoring purposes, the shortstop is denoted by the number "6" and thus one of the most common plays in baseball, a groundout to the shortstop, would be scored