Pitching and Pitchers Discussion should i be upset

I had my daughter try out for a travel team that needed a second pitcher for 14u team. I told the coach that this was her first full year of pitching. She has a screwball, drop, fastball between 48 and 51mph and a change that knuckles in about 30mph but she is not a over power pitcher like the 1st pitcher is that plays Jv ball. The girls hit off of her and the team make errors after errors. So this weekend he brings in another pitcher that he told me was there to fill in for the injuries that we have had the last couple games with out field players. Well she started the second game pitching!!!!! The only reason we picked this team was to get more pitch time for my daughter. Instead of fixing the error problem in the field he changes pitchers and the same thing happens. So What should I do any suggestions

Nothing, it's easier to change pitchers and hope they dont hit giving the opportunity to make errors. You can practice, practice and practice, but we cant go out there and catch the balls for them. If you know your dd did her job then that's all that matters, but know the easiest change to make in a game it to change pitchers and hope it can change the outlook of any game. If you are talking about JV players then you are discussing 16U, and everybody is allowed to have a bad game defensively or even bad weekends!
Remember these stats:
.300 batting average (good) 70% failure rate
.700 fielding average (good) 30% failure rate
3.00 era average pitching (good)
I have a 12U player playing 14U and the coach gave her an opportunity this weekend to pitch in a 16U tournament and I told him he should make sure he has a 15 run lead before doing so. She has the same pitches as you describe above, and I promise you those pitches and speeds against good 16U teams is nothing but batting practice! She served up 5 runs in 1/3 of an inning facing 6 batters and had she kept going they might of scored 20 runs! Great learning lesson for her, and when kids have the ability to hit a pitch that hard at defensive players, I gurantee it increases the chance for errors!

rdelawder

There are JV ( soon to be sophmores) players that are still 14 years old they just have summer birthdays.

Your right, I have one that will be in that situation, just didn't think it, but that's having the perfect birthdate. Oh well I'd say it still applies whether its a 16U or a last year 14U team. Last year 14U's play up in age all the time.

well i guess you all are missing the question lol yes the number one pitcher is a jv player but to bring another pitcher in to take my daughters place pitching was wrong.

I would have a talk, especially if he told you something different.

wolver70 said:

well i guess you all are missing the question lol yes the number one pitcher is a jv player but to bring another pitcher in to take my daughters place pitching was wrong.

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Are you taking about being relieved during a game or being relieved from the #2 spot in the rotation? I could of kept mine in 12U and been a #1 and maybe a #1 on some 14U teams, but if there is a better pitcher out there and it benefits the team then bring her in and let's play ball! I am happy that mine can play other postions, for she has plenty of time to get better at pitching, that's what home and pitching coach's are for! Tournament time isn't the time to work on getting better, good for a learning experience, but a pitcher can also learn while not pitching, from other's mistakes! I guess it depends on the team goals when you tried out. If the team goal was to just get better as the year goes on and not worry about Nationals or Qualifiers then her pitching time shouldn't be decreased, but if it's to WIN, then it's by whatever means necessary!
I get so tired of hearing "Pitchers Dads", that the team makes tons of errors and it's never her fault! Your not helping your child, your crippling her! "As a pitchers dad" I'm sure the infielder asked for the drop ball to be hung up by the batters waist so she could field a 90mph one hopper! It's your first full year pitching at 14U (now I know the age group) chalk it up to a learning lesson, most of your true starters have been throwing for 4-5 years and taking lessons for 2 or 3. You have to be able to see what is best for the team, because if you dont, I'm sure the coach will!

Moler, first thing is go to Head Coach ( not after a game) but following week and simply voice your concerns and hash it out that way.

Rdwalder-I agree with you that learning to pitch is not during the season , but in the off-season, however I do disagree on your other staement .
At 14u very few girls are gonna sit back and strike everyone out, so their job is to make hitters put the ball in play and let your defense make the plays ( not make excuses) (especially s-stops) for dropping balls after balls as Moler states.I am NOT saying that a pitcher should just groove one down the middle but walks are a pitchers worse nightmare
your defense is their for a reason use it!

If your daughter consistently hits her spots, changes speeds and has movement on her pitches resulting in the batters more often than not hitting 'the pitch she wants them to hit' and routine plays for the defensive players and her teammates aren't making the plays then -- you should find a new team for 2010.

And if true, your daughter probably shouldn't be a #2 she should be a #1. Velocity is important at 10u - good hitters at 12U and above hit speed - certainly at 14U. Being a good pitcher is more than about throwing hard.

If I were you I would make sure you aren't looking at the situation with your 'dad glasses on' because you may miss an opportunity for your daughter to ask "what do I need to do to improve" vs. "why am I not good enough already?"

My 2 cents.

At 14u very few girls are gonna sit back and strike everyone out, so their job is to make hitters put the ball in play and let your defense make the plays ( not make excuses) (especially s-stops) for dropping balls after balls as Moler states.I am NOT saying that a pitcher should just groove one down the middle but walks are a pitchers worse nightmare
your defense is their for a reason use it![/QUOTE]

I like the way you put it PC. It is better to have a pitcher that will get the ball in play, and where they want it. To make the hitters have to hit what you want not pick the one they want. You get grounders, and balls hit of the handle, or tip. Easy plays for the D, dont walk them, walks hurt time after time. Tell her to keep doing her work and it will work out. She will prove herself, to at least her teammates, and herself. As long as she knows she is giving it her best, thats all you can ask for. It will show her D will help her, and your team will gow as a team.

Judging by the fact that she is 14 and this is her first year pitching, I am inclined to believe that you have your daddy goggles on. The batters at the 14U level can hit the ball pretty good and just being able to get it over the plate no longer works. My 14U team would kill a 51 mph fastball, at that age that's a meatball. My daughter is 10, has been pitching with a pitching coach since she was 5, throws a 52 mph fastball and a good change, she's pretty accurate at hitting her spots, and she would get HAMMERED at the 14U level. She doesn't even dominate the 10U's. There is a difference between a pitcher who is not getting backed-up by her defense and a pitcher who is getting hammered, your defense can only do so much. It sounds like the coach did what he had to do by getting another more competitive pitcher and all you can do is keep working on it or next year find another team with goals set more for learning than winning.

wolver70 said:

I had my daughter try out for a travel team that needed a second pitcher for 14u team. I told the coach that this was her first full year of pitching. She has a screwball, drop, fastball between 48 and 51mph and a change that knuckles in about 30mph but she is not a over power pitcher like the 1st pitcher is that plays Jv ball. The girls hit off of her and the team make errors after errors. So this weekend he brings in another pitcher that he told me was there to fill in for the injuries that we have had the last couple games with out field players. Well she started the second game pitching!!!!! The only reason we picked this team was to get more pitch time for my daughter. Instead of fixing the error problem in the field he changes pitchers and the same thing happens. So What should I do any suggestions

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I think some of you are missing his point. Wolver says that the coach was aware of his dd's beginning skills as a pitcher and was "okay" with her being this team's second pitcher (at least prior to the season) Now that they are into the season, he's brought in another pitcher (it appears) to take her place. I think his question has more to do with "is it ethical to bring in another pitcher to take his dd place?" If he did, at minimum he should have been upfront with them about it.
As for the whole error thing, who knows, that certainly can be subjective as we aren't there ourselves, and it's very true that there is a difference between a pitcher allowing routing grounders/pop flys or giving up solid hard shot basehits that may appear more playable than they are. That however, is a whole different discussion in my eyes.
BTW, I have no idea whose team this is and no connection, just think everyone's being awfully tough out of the gate...although in general the comments about the pitching are right on, just not the focus of his discussion. Correct me if I'm wrong here Wolver.

Please don't take this the wrong way... if your DD is 14 and has been pitching a year or less, does she really have "5 pitches" or does she have 2 pitches and then 3 that look basically the same? I've seen plenty of 14U pitchers get shelled while claiming they have 5 pitches and 3 are bogus, and then another pitcher that goes in has 3 legit pitches and that is it, and she shuts a team down. If your DD learned 5 pitches in one year, I would question the quality of each pitch. As a pitching coach, I would also have spent more time perfecting the fastball's (using both 2-seam and 4-seam grip) location and velocity and perfect a devastating change-up before playing the game of "let's see how many pitches we can learn this month." Sadly, some pitching coaches think they are doing a great job when they teach more stuff, instead of better stuff. The best pitcher on my 16U team basically mixes a multi-grip fastball, drop and change, and her ERA is below 3.00 against very tough competition.

Pitching is the hardest position to be thrown into, and some travel teams will panic and take the first pitcher that tries out, fearing they may not have another prospect come along in time for the season to start. NOT saying this is the case with your daughter, but I see it all the time at all levels 10U-14U... 16U is a bit more selective. Maybe the coach is feeling pressure from the team's parents to get another pitcher in there that strikes batters out and doesn't walk many, and the new pitcher is his new "experiment." These are just ideas off the top of my head. Two rules to live by in competitive sports: Nobody's job is guaranteed safe, and competition makes everyone better. Just my 2cents.

If your dd is 13/14 yrs old, it is up to HER to go to her coach. She is old enough to ask the coach HERSELF what she needs to do to improve. Too many parents feel like it's their task to do this. Maybe at 10U but after that it is up to the girls. Also too many parents look at their dd's through the parent glasses. If my dd feels slighted, I tell her to take it up with her coach but only after practicing harder and putting forth all the effort she could.
If the coach asks parents if they have any issues then feel free to bring them forth.


GO Stingrays!