Pitcher Fielding Practice (PFP): A Coach's Guide to the Fifth Infielder

Pitchers spend hours on their delivery and almost none on what happens after they let go of the ball — and that is exactly when a fifth defender is standing 55 feet from home plate with a play to make. A comebacker, a bunt, a grounder to the right side: each one can become a routine out or a giveaway depending entirely on the pitcher's feet and hands. Pitcher fielding practice, or PFP, turns those plays into reflexes. This guide explains why it matters and how to run it; the pitcher fielding circuit for comebackers, covering first, and bunts is the practice piece.

The pitcher is a defender, not just a thrower

The mental shift is the whole thing. JZ Sports frames it directly:

"A pitcher isn't just a thrower; they are an athlete. They are the 'fifth infielder.'" — JZ Sports (source)

And the window to act is tiny. As the same guide describes the moment right after release:

"In the next 0.5 seconds, they may have to: React to a 100-mph comebacker. Charge a perfectly-placed bunt. Sprint to cover first base on a ground ball to the right side." — JZ Sports (source)

Half a second. That is why these plays cannot be improvised in a game; they have to be drilled until the body knows them cold.

The three core plays

Comebackers. A ball hit hard back at the mound is the most dangerous and the most rushed play a pitcher faces. The teaching points are react, then play: field it cleanly when you can, but on a true rocket, knocking it down and recovering beats a panicked bare-hand stab. After the ball is secured, a quick shuffle squares the shoulders to first for an accurate throw. Momentum after a pitch tends to carry a pitcher toward the third-base side, so the recovery footwork matters.

Covering first. On a grounder to the first baseman's right, the pitcher must get to the bag — and the route is the detail that separates clean from chaotic. The pitcher should sprint toward the foul line, hit the baseline well before the bag, and then turn up the inside of the line, running under control straight at the base. This curved path, often called the banana route, keeps the pitcher's eyes on the feed and their body out of the runner's lane, then they catch, touch, and clear toward the infield. Running straight at the bag instead leaves the pitcher crossing the runner's path and fighting to find the base at full speed.

Bunt defense. On a bunt, the pitcher charges under control, fields with two hands or surrounds the ball with the glove, plants, and throws. The first-base-line bunt is the harder one because of the throwing angle — the pitcher has to open the body to first and avoid throwing across the runner. Loud communication, calling the ball and the base, prevents the collisions and indecision that turn bunts into errors.

How the circuit works

The drill organizes these into a four-station circuit: comebackers, cover first, bunts to the third-base side, and bunts to the first-base side. Every rep starts with a simulated pitch so the pitcher's feet and momentum are realistic, then the play is fed and executed at game speed with a verbal call. As athletes progress, you add a runner who runs on contact to put a real clock on the throw, then add lead runners so bunt plays require a read, and finally combine the stations into a continuous circuit with a full defense. Full setup, cues, and the progression are on the drill page.

Common mistakes

The dangerous one is stabbing or bare-handing a hard comebacker instead of knocking it down and recovering — that is how balls get past pitchers and hands get hurt. On covering first, the classic error is drifting straight to the bag and arriving across the runner's path, fighting to find the base; the banana route fixes it. On bunts, throwing while still moving sprays the ball, and overrunning the bunt forces a rushed reach-back throw. And the quiet killer at every station is silence — no call on the ball or the base, which breeds collisions and missed cutoffs.

Age-appropriateness and safety

The footwork is appropriate for young players, but the comebacker station carries real risk: balls are hit firmly at the pitcher. For 12U and newer athletes, start with slower contact, use a protective screen, and coach fielding or safely deflecting the ball over making a hero grab. As reaction skills and arm strength build, increase the speed. The cover-first and bunt stations are low-risk and can be run at any level. Softball pitchers field comebackers and bunts from much closer to the plate with even less reaction time, so the react-and-recover habit matters just as much, even though the windmill follow-through leaves them in a different finishing position.

The takeaway

Great pitching can be undone by one botched comebacker or a blown cover at first. PFP is cheap insurance: a 20-minute circuit, run regularly, that turns the fifth infielder from a liability into an out-maker. Drill the react-and-recover on comebackers, the banana route to first, and the charge-and-throw on bunts until they are reflexes, and your pitchers will start finishing the plays their arms set up.

Sources

• What is PFP in Baseball? A Coach's Guide to Pitcher's Fielding Practice — JZ Sports on the pitcher as the fifth infielder and the half-second defensive window.
• Baseball PFP: A Guide to Pitcher Fielding Practice — GoRout on the four-station circuit and covering-first footwork.
• PFP (Pitchers Fielding Practice): Why It Wins Games — Baseball Scouter on comebackers, bunts, and cover-first fundamentals.
• Pitcher Fielding Practice (PFP) - Complete Guide — Dugout Edge on station setup and reps.
• Pitcher's Fielding Practice: 5 Essential PFP Baseball Drills — Nick Hagadone on the core PFP drills and execution.