The "slips" are the fielders who stand behind and at an angle to the hitter. The first slip, second slip, third slip, fourth slip (typically gully), fly slip, and so on. Three slips and a gully are the favored fielding positions among teams. A catcher often stands in the "gut" of the lineup to lead off an inning with a strikeout pitch. The term "slugging position" refers to any defensive position where a batter can reach base by hitting the ball. Because most batters want to hit the ball hard, they usually choose positions that give them a good chance of doing so. For example, a left-handed hitter who can handle right-handed pitching would prefer to play left field, because it's easier to hit left-handed pitches than right-handed ones. On the other hand, if he cannot handle right-handed pitching, he would rather not be put in that situation in the first place. Thus, a "slugging position" is simply a position where a player can expect to get on base via hits or errors. Left field, right field, first base, and pitcher are the most common batting positions, so they are all slugging positions. Second base is also a popular choice because many hitters find it easy to beat out an infield single or double at that spot.