This is a sequence of Derek Jeter on a ground ball a little to his right in the ALDS in 2006 vs. Detroit. The shot of Jeter on this title page is a photo taken in a previous year, from MLB.com. Comments by Coach Etter

You can start it by pressing F5, move back and forth using the left and right arrow keys, and stop it by pressing Esc.

The title-page photo, below, is so good I thought I would comment on it. Jeter displays an excellent fielding position in this photo. His feet are wide apart, his body is low, his arms are extended with slight bend in elbows, his glove is open, barely off ground, his glove-hand is from middle to slightly glove-side, his bare hand is coming down at a slight angle to trap the ball, and his eyes are on the ball. He is not moving but will begin his shuffle the moment ball lands in glove.

The first two slides show Jeter moving to his right with his hands together about waist high.

In the next few slides, Jeter comes to a stop with a left-right foot sequence and goes down with his hands. The lean to his left is a natural position to stop his momentum to his right.

He extends his hands toward ball with glove facing up and his bare hand several inches above glove and to the right of glove.

This is similar to the title-page photo except for the lean to his left. The actual play for the title-page photo was probably a ball hit straight at him.

Ball is entering glove.

Ball is being trapped by bare hand as it hits glove. Head comes up to pick up target.

Jeter is coming up and starting his shuffle by leaning to his left.

Hands are now waist high, still together.

He is now airborne, with his back foot coming to replace left foot. Jeter almost always uses this single shuffle when fielding and throwing to first, rather than taking extra steps or an extra shuffle.

His hands separate just before foot lands. Run back and forth between this and contact to see how he closes shoulder to target during this phase.

His right toe touches as left foot starts stride, while hands separate further, still at waist high. His forearms are about at a 45 degree angle, mirroring each other, and his eyes are focused on target.

Right foot is now flat, square to target. Stride and separation of hands have continued, with left foot almost touching. Glove arm is extended toward target, throwing elbow has rotated back and throwing hand is coming up to shoulder high with hand on top of ball.

Front shoulder is opening and ball comes behind head. Front foot is about at a 45 degree angle and throwing elbow is shoulder height. Weight is coming off back foot.

As his shoulders open to target, it reveals how close the ball comes to his head.

Jeter’s rotation has now completely opened up with his legs and body facing target. His throwing elbow is still at shoulder height, while his glove-side elbow comes down. His throwing forearm has made a natural backward drop-down as elbow has quickly rotated forward

His forearm is now whipping foreward with hand still laying back.

Move back and forth between this and the previous slides of his throwing hand coming up to throw, and you will see there is no point where the ball is facing back away from target as is generally taught.

Ball is being released at slightly above shoulder height with arm extended. Left elbow is close to body and left forehand is parallel to ground. Back foot has come slightly off ground.

Just after release, throwing arm pronates naturally (counter-clockwise from his perspective) and right foot stays back and close to ground.

Throwing arm extends toward target.

Throwing arm has followed through in its original throwing path.

When I first started analyzing major league infielders, I wondered why they looked so smooth in their fielding and throwing. I came to the conclusion that it was due to two factors:

1. A replacement shuffle, where the right foot follows the left foot instead of crossing in front or behind.

2. The low angle of release, approximately sidearm, which means there is no bending of the back, with the right foot coming up high in the follow-through, like a pitcher’s.

In studying Jeter’s infielding sequence, see if you agree.