Baseball Infielder Tips: How to Exchange the Ball from Your Glove to Throwing Hand

Once you have gotten into a good fielding position, it’s time to make the exchange. Use your glove to secure the ball without closing the glove, so you can take your bare hand in and get a good grip on the ball to make a throw. The exchange should happen quickly and efficiently, which is why you want to field the ball with two hands. When you are going to grip the ball, try and get a four-seam grip every time. This will allow the truest and most accurate throw.

A way to work on the exchange is to take your glove off entirely while a coach rolls baseballs to you. You’re going to want to use your bare hands to field the ball. This allows you to get the feel of stopping the ball with one hand and quickly getting the ball into your throwing hand.

To advance this drill, add in a fielding paddle so that you cannot close your hand around the ball. Stop the ball, secure it and get it into your throwing hand and then make a throw to first base.

Finally, put the glove back on and go through the progression.

Going through this exchange progression will help you to develop a quick and efficient exchange with a four-seam grip, which can lead to more accurate throws to first base, and more outs.