Quick and Smart
Infielders also must posses the ability to be quick and smart. When they get the baseball in their hands, they know what to do with it and deliver it quickly. They know the appropriate base to throw and maintain composure when the ball is in their hand - in the words of Coach John Wooden, they are quick but don’t hurry.
Developing smarts and quickness requires pace of play and pressure situations in practice. The Doghouse scrimmage setting is incredibly valuable in this regard, as is having live runners on the field for situational work.
Transfer
Related to quick and smart, an infielder must have the ability to transfer the baseball quickly from glove to throwing hand. Infielders should get out of the habit of catching the ball and into the habit of quick transfers into the throwing hand. The glove of the infielder is more like a “deflector” than a catching instrument. Below is a Quick Hands Drill to assist in teaching the transfer.