Baseball’s Defensive Positions

To “keep score” of a baseball game it is essential to know the defensive positions and their shorthand representation. For example, the number “1” is used to refer to the pitcher (P).

NOTE: In the younger levels of youth baseball leagues 10 defensive players are used. This 10^th position is know as the Short Center Fielder (SC) and is positioned between second base and the second baseman, on the beginning of the outfield grass. The Short Center Fielder bats and can be placed anywhere in the batting lineup.

Defensive Positions, Numbers & Abbreviations

Position Number	Defensive Position	Position Abbrev.
1	Pitcher	P
2	Catcher	C
3	First Baseman	1B
4	Second Baseman	2B
5	Third Baseman	3B
6	Short Stop	SS
7	Left Fielder	LF
8	Center Fielder	CF
9	Right Fielder	RF
10	Short Center Fielder	SC

The illustration below shows the defensive position for the defense. Notice the short center fielder is illustrated for those that are scoring youth league games.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.