More on ASA rules and pitching

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I have believed for a number of years the ASA needed to make rule changes to show a difference between A and B ball. Changing the pitching to 43' is a step in the right direction. (No Pun) It gives serious teams a chance to play the "college game", and the change will make it safer without having corners and pitchers dressed like hockey goalies and add more scoring. My DD pitched for seven years and when asked about face masks she said " thats why the give you a glove" meaning you have to have both skills with the mental being most important. All sport has an element of danger. But in Feb. at the ASA JO national meeting look for a push for 16 and 14U A's to go to 43' in 09 as more of the high schools change. In addition I would like to see everyone batting on the B level and free subs. In the Cleveland Metro Area we have 6000 players signed up ASA with 1000's more playing rec, if these groups are going to use our rules I say let them play.

 

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"and the change will make it safer without having corners and pitchers dressed like hockey goalies"

Without wanting to start that old pitching distance argument over again... ;D Please explain to me how moving the pitching distance to 43' makes it safer for the "corners". It certainly means nothing in terms of measurable safety improvement for the pitcher or thirdbaseman (thirdwoman? )

 

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I would like to see 18u and high school varsity go to the 43' distance. If the pitcher can't handle it at that level, then they shouldn't be pitching.

 

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I also like the move to 43' for 18u and 16u is a possibility but I think 14u is pushing it as most 14u are 8th graders with just a few freshman. And it seems the most talented freshman are moving to 16u even when still eligible for 14u.

The change I would now like to see is move the bases back 5 feet. We talk about pitching and hitting but lets bring back defense. An infielder should be able to range to either side and still be able to throw someone out. Baseball made many changes in the early 1900's as the players grew athletically. The girls today are way better athletes than just 20 years ago. These small changes will be better for the game.

 

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If you move 14U and 16U to 43 feet I would not want my kid playing 3rd or 1st. The line shots down the corners would be dangerous. Watch a 18U game from 43 feet and see how much better the hitters see and hit the ball.

 

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14U?? ?Not sure where you think this is 8'th grade? ?With 13U's playing you have 6-7-8-9 all playing 14U. So anyone thinking about moving to 43 is nuts! ?Next you have same kids playing high school at 14? Do they pitch from 43 or 40 or go back and forth. I won't happen in high school if you follow high school ball. ?Read all the posts about this same subject on Spy post. ?Lady-Knights and Joe A have some good posts. Both are high school coaches and coach traveling teams . ? ?Acorn you make a good post that hitter brought up many pitchers in high school struggle to throw a stike, you put one over the plate and see how hard a good hitter puts it down third base. With a good hitter and today's bats, infield playing in to cover the slapping/bunter someone will get killed ! What the above posts don't understand , pitchers at the older age groups are taught don't throw strikes and no one throws a fast ball . So hitters are kept off balance , you do this and like Acorn posted will be true!

 

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IMO, there are a few reasons that the pitcher gets nailed in the upper body with a hit ball - and it has NOTHING to do with a difference of 3 feet. The corners playing up is another story. I compare that to walking a tightrope - some have the ability and do it without fear, others have no business.

You RARELY see a college pitcher get nailed in the face. Sure it happens, but it's rare. Simple math dictates that with a ball traveling 90+ miles an hour (132 fps), 3 feet won't provide any more appreciable reaction time - that's a dead horse argument.

Come on people - teach your pitchers to avoid the middle of the plate! Meatball pitches are infield injuries just waiting to happen! It ain't the bats, it ain't the pitching distance, it's the skill level of the battery and the level of risk that the corners are willing to accept by playing closer.

 

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Sammy hits it on the head, but at the younger age groups pitchers are still learning and many still throw a fast ball for a strike. Moving it back on helps the hitters and makes it unsafe for the rest of the players at this age.

 

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Sammy you are correct in saying that you rarely see a college pitcher get hit in the face, ?for most of us we rarely see a college pitcher at all. ? Take all the tv coverage and what games a person can get to locally and you can see what, ?less than one percent of of college games in one state not to mention the country, ?so I guess it is rare to see a pitcher get hit in the face. ? How often does it happen? ? I don't know but it sounds good. ? The pitcher must keep the batter off balance as has been said in this thread which most older pitchers do a much better job of this. ?Many u14 and u16 pitchers are stilling learning control and will miss and get the middle of the plate more and that can be a problem for these ages and the change to 43' pitching distance. ?Many more players in these age groups throw a lot of fastballs but will adjust to the 43' distance. ?My hunch is, ?is that when the pitching rubber is moved back and still hitters are not hitting .500 and the run production is not sufficient then the push will be for 46' and so on. ?

 

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Move it to 43!-If ya can't swing it play the outfield!

 

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Quantum leaps are made when kids are taught proper swing mechanics, how to visually track the ball, and (against good pitching) learn to work the count - and have a good idea of what pitch to expect in a given situation.

At 14u and below, good swing training will give a kid the ability to easily maintain a .400 batting average against ordinary pitching - using an old circa 1990's aluminum bat!

Buying and using a $300 bat might give your DD a confidence boost, but it may be short lived. IMO, better to spend that $300 on some good quality training, and use a 5 year old bat!

 

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Agree Sammy... most parents spend the money the wrong way, get a hitting coach teach them the RIGHT way and get on with it.....some have it ...some don`t

BTW....12 fingers ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

 

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Sammy reading your post on the $300 bat. Same conversation I had with Hitter. Parents keep asking what bat should I buy my dd. My response get hitting lessons!

 

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why not just move it to 63 feet and get it over with.