The captain on a baseball team is usually a player who is respected by the manager and coaches as well as his teammates. Not all teams have captains because they don't serve official functions the way they do in football and ice hockey. However, baseball captains may be able to help a team play its best game when it is needed most.
Correcting Lineup
The lineup for a game must be turned in to the umpire by the manager. If there are obvious errors in the lineup card and the game has not started, the umpire will point these errors out to the captain or manager, according to Section 4.01 of the Official Baseball Rules. For example, the lineup may only have eight men listed. This is an error and can be corrected before the game starts.
Rule Interpretation
When an umpire's call may go against a team, the umpire will not put up with arguments from players or managers, but both men have the right to raise questions. A team captain can ask the umpire about the interpretation of the rule, according to Chicago White Sox captain Paul Konerko. If the umpire has used the wrong interpretation, the player has the right to ask the umpire to consult with the other umpires on the field. Additionally, the captain has the right to ask the umpire if he was in the proper position to make the call. The team captain does not have the right to argue or verbally abuse the umpire, but he does have the right to ask questions.
Player Intervention
A manager may be unhappy with a specific player or a group of players. Instead of calling a team meeting and going public with his complaints, the manager may ask the team captain to do this for him. This is not because he wants to hand off his responsibilities. He wants to keep players from becoming upset and anxious. A brief conversation with the captain may turn around a situation before a full-fledged team meeting is needed.
Pulse of the Team
The team captain has to understand what his teammates are thinking and feeling. He has to know the pulse of the team. When players are upset by things the manager or coaching staff is doing, the team captain serves as his teammates' representative and presents that information to the coaching staff. If the team captain can get involved early, it keeps a bad situation from festering.
Advice to Younger Players
At times, younger player have problems because they lack the experience to handle specific situations. It may be the proper way to dress for a road trip or it may be how to be successful against a specific pitcher. The team captain may be able to shed light on the best response or behavior.
Member Comments