Odd Defensive Formation

[UmpIowa]

This is not an umpire question but thought I would put it out to all of you with a great deal of baseball knowledge.

I was watching a 12U USSSA game.  The home team came out in an odd defensive formation.  The infield was mostly normal with the 2nd baseman cheating toward 2nd base.  What I would call the right fielder was playing up right on the line of outfield grass to infield dirt.  He was splitting the difference between where the 2nd baseman was and F3.

The 2 remaining OF were playing LF center and RF center.

What possible benefit could a team get from this set?  Once the ball cleared the IF there was really no one to get it and the OF took advantage.  Even when a left handed batter got up to bat there was no shift.  I had never seen anything like this and just could not see how this benefited the team.

Thoughts?

[afaber12]

I could imagine someone that throws a lot of 12-6 curves or sinkers, or at least a lot of low pitches, getting an advantage from an extra infielder; they'd tend to get more ground balls so shoring up the infield would be helpful without as much risk of fly balls finding gaps, though in some ways the outfielders are playing "the gaps". Obviously with a righty at the plate you put the extra fielder on the right side if he throws fast for the level of play, and lefty at the plate you have a slow thrower. Could also be a loopy, slow pitcher which could also induce plenty of ground balls and popups and not so much other stuff.

I know there could be uses for it - if the big boys can put on shifts then it seems unlikely to be completely pointless - but you're right that it would seem a little unusual that if having the extra guy on the right side of the infield is the way to go for either a right-handed or left-handed hitter, that it would also be right for a hitter on the other side of the plate without some fairly specific scouting.

[Jimurray]

Select ball parent wants his kid to play infield?

[TheRockawayKid]

How many balls were hit into the OF and past the outfielders that were there? Any outs made by the "roaming" OF? 

[Umpire in Chief]

I had a college game where they played 5 infielders and ironically enough I saw it on MLB Tonight last night. 

I'm assuming it is a little extra bunt protection. 

This isn't from last night but what I've been seeing:

 

Edited May 28, 2015 by Umpire in Chief

[tjwoelfel13]

It was also in the Cardinal's game.

[UmpIowa]

How many balls were hit into the OF and past the outfielders that were there? Any outs made by the "roaming" OF?

​8 runs were scored the first inning and all were hits to the OF.  The additional IF did nothing in the first inning.  Even when a play was made in the IF the additional man did not even move.