Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Pitchers v. Fielders and Playing Time

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Should pitchers be allowed to take away a position from a fielder?

In my case, should the #2 pitcher get to start at 3rd sometimes when she's not pitching? My daughter is a great 3rd basemen, but #2 pitcher's parents get really angry when there dauther only plays in 1/2 of the games.

#2 pitcher is a decent fielder too.

 

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Is the #2 pitcher than your daughter? If not, too bad, and play another position.

You put the best girls on the field to help support the pitcher. If the #2 pitcher is only a decent infielder, but you have a stellar infield without her, put that #2 where she fits best.

 

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With the temps going up into the 90's; it is not a bad idea to pick certain times to get your better players a break in order to keep them hydrated and able to play up to their best. If your #2 pitcher is decent, she should not hurt you defensively and she will get better as well.

 

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Who is the better third base fielder??

 

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slightly fewer errors on the 3B than the pitcher as a 3B, and the 3B has a much better bat. I'm thinking about the temperature issue too.

 

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Yes a pitcher should be allowed to take another position on the field as long as they playing at a higher skill level. And yes my dd is a pitcher, (was a shortstop) however our new coaches feel that she should rest. Why does she work out all year at hitting,pitching and fielding, to sit and rest. Sorry to rant on however if you would happen to catch a look at our team u would understand.(12u) If you are playing rec-ball i could see coaches trying to even everyone's playing time, however travel ball u are playing your best 9

 

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We are a 16U team and have 3 pitchers. Usually the head coach will sit one of them and have one pitch and the other plays the field. He is keeping 1 on the bench to come in for relief or to rest for the next game. If they can field, they give the team more flexibility to be rested, hydrated, and ready to go. You can rotate more players and be ready for the grind. Just my .02 worth.

 

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DD is a pitcher but a very good 1st baseman as well. Coaches are starting to realize she is a stronger 1st baseman then the current and giving her the position if she is not pitching. I think if the pitcher is better at a position than she deserves to play that when not pitching. Put the strongest girls in to support the pitcher

 

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Yes a pitcher should be allowed to take another position on the field as long as they playing at a higher skill level. And yes my dd is a pitcher, (was a shortstop) however our new coaches feel that she should rest. Why does she work out all year at hitting,pitching and fielding, to sit and rest. Sorry to rant on however if you would happen to catch a look at our team u would understand.(12u) If you are playing rec-ball i could see coaches trying to even everyone's playing time, however travel ball u are playing your best 9

""""however travel ball u are playing your best 9"""
Then you should only have 9 players.

 

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depends on who's daddy is coaching

 

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Amen to that all4 ball.

 

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Amen to that all4 ball.

This is true...I must add that no matter who is coaching you should play your best players in the positions they are best suited regardless of what position they say they play for the TEAM. Some are natural athletes and can play many positions. At 12U they shouldnt need much rest they are young (work them)...I coach rec but cant handle the non-competitive part on rec so wish I could only coach travel.....Anyone looking for a solid assistant or batting coach?;&

 

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You have to set the best field you can according to the offense you are facing, what pitcher you have on the mound, and what fielders you have after setting your battery. As a coach you have to adjust to the opposition so there should never be a "set" field. I have players who are awesome at certain positions but I need them to play somewhere else sometimes because it is what is best for the team. If you only have 1 person for each position and something happens, you will be in trouble.

 

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JMHO.. Pitchers should pitch..unless daddy is head coach then pitcher does it all. Most of your successful travel orgs. have pitchers that just pitch. And carry a couple utility players for the field. Keeping them fresh causes team to have better chance to be able to play late on Sundays. Late on Sunday means plenty of pitching time for all pitchers throughout tournament. I have seen both sides. Believe me playing late on Sunday makes for a better drive home.

 

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Klump great post you have shown wisdom and experience in your opinion.

Let me put a quess out there most people on this thread are parents of 12 and 10u girls. Just by some of the comments I have read, and as you mature with the sport you are going to see your team is very little without a quality bullpin and that means a happy bullpin (if they don't play they won't be happy). I agree that pitchers are usually some of the best skilled players on the field and most have more experience than the other girls on the field. The good pitchers are shelling out about $2,000.00 per year in private lessons, and I don't see many infielders nor outfielders doing this. Most pitchers thats #1s, 2s, and 3s I have seen over the past several years in travel ball are more than capable to play multiple positions.

 

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Klump great post you have shown wisdom and experience in your opinion.

Let me put a quess out there most people on this thread are parents of 12 and 10u girls. Just by some of the comments I have read, and as you mature with the sport you are going to see your team is very little without a quality bullpin and that means a happy bullpin (if they don't play they won't be happy). I agree that pitchers are usually some of the best skilled players on the field and most have more experience than the other girls on the field. The good pitchers are shelling out about $2,000.00 per year in private lessons, and I don't see many infielders nor outfielders doing this. Most pitchers thats #1s, 2s, and 3s I have seen over the past several years in travel ball are more than capable to play multiple positions.

""quality bullpin and that means a happy bullpin""
Is it Bullpen? Or Cowpen?

 

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""quality bullpin and that means a happy bullpin""
Is it Bullpen? Or Cowpen?

I'm glad I did'nt say that, especially when I will be the one sitting on the bucket at lessons. Its amazing how accurate they can be when they get upset.

 

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I like to keep the same infield together as much as possible. I believe this builds continuity and you will have less mistakes. Look at the HS Playoffs how dominate pitchers lose games because the other team beat their defense. One team #1 pitcher played third base when not pitching, got into playoffs pitches every game and the other third baseman commits 4 errors and loses game 3-1. Another team moves SS to right field and puts #1 pitcher at SS. In the playoffs the now starting SS and #1 pitcher allow a pop-up to hit the ground just outside the pitching circle run scores and the now starting right fielder misplays a ground ball three runs score lose game 5-4. In travel ball there should not be a great drop off in talent pitchers pitch catchers catch and everyone else hits.

 

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That's a brave approach!! Yes, your players get complete experience at 1 position and can get very good at it as opposed to dividing the experience between 2-3 players. It also makes for easy line-ups before the games. BUT, you need to have about 6 sets of EXCELLENT parents who aren't going to mind paying $400-$1000 for their kid to NEVER get a shot at the infield. You also have to pray to the good lord above that you never have an injury. By the sound of it, your infield does NOT adjust well if you don't have all the "starting infield" in, so you may be in big trouble if one of your infielders gets hurt. Players get hurt all the time at home, school, or the ball fields. They have weddings, funerals, graduations, or the Chicken Pox. There will come a time when all your players are not available, and if you don't prepare for it, it will bite you hard!! Not to mention you are left with a team of 1 dimensional players. If those players move onto a different team for whatever reason, they will only have learned 1 position the whole year. I know as a coach, I like my players to be more versitile. I want to know that they are capable of learning and playing more than 1 position. It makes them more rounded and they can understand the game better if they see it from more than one point of view. Our job as coaches is to develop well-rounded players, not win every game.

 

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There are many factors in setting up a lineup, besides just "politics" and/or soothing the egos of pitchers and their parents. A coach has to balance so many things on a travel team, including playing time for all, the hitting lineup, and the defense. Regardless of who is the better third baseman, you also have to consider the rest of the defense, and I don't think anyone has even mentioned here the batting lineup. How good of a hitter is the #2 pitcher? Playing your best 9 doesn't mean putting the best defensive player at each position. It does mean balancing the pitching, hitting and defense to give the best overall team result. And keep in mind that in pool games, most coaches don't even try to play the best 9 every game, because those role/bench players need to get some playing time as well.