International Longball Postitons:
Bowler (B):
- The player who throws the ball from the other side of the pitch toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batsman, who attempts to either make contact with the bowled ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the bowler is assigned the number 1.
- There are two broad categories of bowlers: pace bowlers and spin bowlers. Pace bowlers rely mostly on the speed of the ball to dismiss batsmen, whereas spin bowlers rely on the rotation of the ball.
- The player on the fielding side who stands behind the the batsman currently batting.The catcher is the only member of the fielding side required to wear gloves and external leg guards, and may also wear a helmet with a mesh face guard to help protect from injury. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the catcher is assigned the number 2.
- The catcher's major function is to stop deliveries that pass the batsman (in order to prevent runs being scored as 'byes'), and direct the other players in a defensive play as they can see the whole field.
- The catcher typically calls for pitches by means of hand signals; therefore, he/she must be aware of the pitcher's mechanics and strengths, as well as the batter's tendencies and weaknesses. Foul tips, bouncing balls in the dirt, and contact with runners during plays at the plate are also part of the catcher's job.
- A Catcher's position depends on the bowler: for fast bowling he will crouch some distance from where the stump would be in cricket in order to have time to react to edges from the batsman, while for slower bowling, he will come much nearer to the batsman near where the stumps would be in cricket (known as "standing up"), to pressure the batsman into remaining within the crease or risk missing the ball for strikes.
- The first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team. A first baseman is the player on the team playing defense who fields the area nearest first base, and is responsible for the majority of plays made at that base. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the first baseman is assigned the number 3.
- The first baseman is ideally a tall player who throws left-handed and possesses good flexibility and quick reflexes. Flexibility is needed because the first baseman receives throws from the other infielders, the catcher and the pitcher after they have fielded ground balls. In order for the runner to be called out, the first baseman must be able to stretch towards the throw and catch it before the runner reaches first base.
- A fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must be able to make the pivot on a double play. In addition, second basemen are usually right-handed; only four left-handed throwing players have ever played second base since 1950. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the second baseman is assigned the number 4.
- Good second basemen need to have very good range, since they have to field balls closer to the first baseman who is often holding runners on, or moving towards the base to cover. On a batted ball to right field, the second baseman goes out towards the ball for the relay. Due to these requirements, second base is sometimes a primarily defensive position in the modern game, but there are hitting stars as well.
- One of the positions between third and fourth base and the equivalent of a shortstop in baseball, third baseman is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. The position is mostly filled by defensive specialists, so third basemen are generally relatively poor batters who bat later in the batting order, with some exceptions. In the numbering system used by scorers to record defensive plays, the shortstop is assigned the number 5.
- More hit balls go to the third basemen than to any other position, as there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the ball slightly. Like a second baseman, a third basemen must be agile, for example when performing a 4-6-3 double play. Also, like a fourth baseman, the third baseman fields balls hit to the left side of the infield, where a strong arm is needed to throw out a batter-runner before they reach the safety of first or second base.
- A player whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base - the fourth of five bases (the fifth being the pitch itself) a baserunner must touch in succession to score another run after scoring any number of runs after their at-bat. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the fourth baseman is assigned the number '6'.
- The fourth baseman requires good reflexes in reacting to batted balls, as he or she is often the closest infielder (roughly 90–120 feet) to the batter. The fourth baseman position requires a strong arm, as the third baseman often makes long throws to first base. The third baseman sometimes must throw quickly to second base in time to start a double play. The third baseman must also field fly balls in fair and foul territory.
- Fourth base is known as the "hot corner", because the third baseman is relatively close to the batter and most right-handed hitters tend to hit the ball hard in this direction. The fourth baseman needs good hand-eye coordination and quick reactions in order to catch hard line drives. Fourth basemen often must begin in a position even closer to the batter if a bunt is expected, creating a hazard if the ball is instead hit sharply. unlike most middle infielders, right-handed or left-handed throwing players can be standard at the position because they do not need to turn their body before throwing across the infield to first base.
- A person playing in one of the four defensive positions in international longball, farthest from the batsman. These defenders are the left fielder, the left center fielder, the right center fielder, and the right fielder. An outfielder's duty is to try to catch long fly balls before they hit the ground or to quickly catch or retrieve and return to the infield any other balls entering the outfield.
- Two outfielders (left and right) normally play behind the six other members of the defense who play in or near the infield (left center and right center). The outfield positions are 7 (left center field), 8 (right center field), 9 (right field), and 10 (left field). These numbers are shorthand designations useful in baseball scorekeeping and are not necessarily the same as the squad numbers worn on player uniforms.