Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Too many pitchers??

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I have reviewed the comments above and I feel obligated to comment from a previous college pitching coach point of view....

I am currently coaching for a 18&U team and am carrying 4 pitchers. They have received communication regarding my expectations up front. they each understand that the best girls will receive pitching time during the game, but they will each have weekly feedback from me regarding their areas of improvements. Each of them will be pitching every day in practice and warming up along side the starting pitcher before games to make sure they are keeping their mechanics fresh.

I understand that some coaches feel that 4 pitchers is too many. I think we need to consider the talent in combination with the number. If you have 3 solid starters and one weak pitcher that you honestly cannot see getting much playing time...then yes....4 is too many, but when you are playing 3-4 games a day and all 4 of your pitchers are potential starters then 4 is not too many. In fact...it is a smart game plan.

One more thing....on the comment that pitchers should be playing other positions to gain playing time...I do not agree with. (maybe at the 12&U or 14&U level) At the 16&U or 18&U level these girls are obviously considering playing in college. Girls (pitchers) in college do not generally play other positions for a number of reasons. See below:

1. Infield and outfield players need to develop synergy and trust among each other just as pitchers and catchers do. When a pitcher rotates in to get playing time the team isn't always used to the change in synergy. Just as a pitcher sometimes doesn't feel comfortable with a catcher that she is not used to.

2. Pitchers spend all of their time at practice working on their mechanics, pitches, speed...etc. They will generally not be as comfortable during a game thrown into a role that they have not been practicing.

3. Increased likelihood of injury. Fast-pitch pitchers can throw a lot of games in a season. They should rest when they can.

Sorry this is winded, but if you can't tell...I had a lot to say

 

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I know this might be a spin off of the topic but I need to ask. How many girls are on the roster in 16u and 18u if you have 4 pitcher and they do nothing but pitch? I am assuming you have back up for other positions as well? That must be one heck of a roster.

 

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I carry 15. Other than pitchers/catchers....there will only be 2 utility players on the bench.

 

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Good points Jamie, I guess if you look at it like major league baseball, pitchers pitch. Coachjwb, I like the 4 reasons you came up with on the previous page. I would hope that the #2 reason doesn't happen often.

 

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good points Jamie

 

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Sammy and Jamie K. are right on target of our coach's philosopy, our pitchers pitch, they are trying to get recrited as pitchers not as 1st basemen, I especially agree with the "synergy" of the team with temp players in positions they don't normally play .....but this is coming from an 18u showcase team perspective.....I think @ younger ages 10u, 12u, 14u where the players are really just learning their strengths @ various positions including pitchers that it is fine to learn other positions.....just because a kid is a pitcher @ 12u doesn't mean they still will be @ 16u or 18u.....

 

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Jamie - great perspective. ?I would add one thing. ?Sometimes players make a decision that they want to PLAY softball at the highest level. ?If they get to pitch D1 then they should focus on that and at age 16u and 18u - they might not play other positions. ?Obviously in college they will probably only pitch if they are playing D1. ?But really only a few of the pitchers in summer will have that opportunity. ?If they want to continue to pitch in college, or focused only on that in summer ball, they will choose a lesser division of college play. ?Others might choose to play D1 regardless of pitching opportunities. ?They will only be able to do that if they have been exposed to, and mastered, other positions - punchout you out there!!!???

Remember Jenny Finch probably only pitched in college. I bet she played other positions in the summers leading up to that though. She is one of the better hitters on the Bandits!!

 

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Totally agree with ohiorays my dd is listed as pitcher /utility in travel and high school ball and usually carries a ba of .400 she plays 16u and is a soph. and is a 4 slot hitter. Reason: her friend was a allohio pitcher that went to d1 school and now plays middle infield but the bottom line is she is getting a great education isnt that what we are all after. Fate plays a big part of all this and you need to go with the flow and not force any issues.

 

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Great thread,got off the topic a bit.My daughter was a back of the order pitcher for a pretty established team this year.It was our first year of travel ball(yes,I said us,dad and daughter spending a great deal of time together traveling and learning)and eventually she lost all pitching time to the other pitchers plus the "ace" we picked up after we qualified for Disney.We spent a great deal of time and money and what I consider to be a lost season to play for a "tournament team"that had no consideration for its lower tier players as they put it.Any parent that must make the decision between getting playing time for daughter with a "lesser team" or sitting the bench with a powerhouse organization needs to know the frustration thier daughter goes through not being able to prove herself.Get her playing time with the "other team",you will both feel better down the line.Lastly,there is a fine,fine line between a decent team and a powerhouse team,we've all seen some unheard of upsets in our time.

 

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It sometimes seems like a "catch 22" for girls who want to Win, and Pitch a lot. If you want to be on a Winning Team, the team usually has 3 or 4 great pitchers, but if you want to pitch a lot, you can't do it on one of those teams. I think if you have the "Team" mentality then you can be a great pitcher on a winning team, but if you just want to be the "Star" then you might look at a team of a little lower caliber. JMHO

 

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I think that good ole competition makes players better. In the case of pitchers, most teams that intend to compete week in and week out and play on sundays needs to have two strong pitchers and a third. Too many things can happen on any given weekend.

If a player just wants to get innings in then that is a different matter. I always believed that the best innings of work are meaningful innings. If a team is getting blasted 11-0 then belive me the wok that the pitcher is doing is nothing more then throwing in the back yard. Everyone is just ready to be done and move on to the next game. On the other hand if a pitcher is playing on a quality team that is in most games the she is going to be challenged by pitching deep into the game with a 2-1 lead. At this point she is definately growing as a player.

I will give you two examples of 3 pitcher rotations that happened in our organization this season. On one of our 14U teams the pitchers were all told that the status of being 1, 2, or 3 was simply up to them. At the beginning of the season there was a clear number 1, 2, and 3. By seasons end that order was totally flip flopped and the 3 was now the 1. BTW this did not happen because any of the pitchers slipped, it happened because competition made all three better.

On our 12U team we also had 3 pitchers. Same senario was in place regarding who was number 1, 2, or 3. During the season a clear number 1 stepped up. The number 2 and 3 pitchers both challenged during the middle of the season and by pushing the number 1 they made her even better. By doing so both the number 2, and 3 got better. They had to...because they were competing. Without that level of competition a player will get lazy, and find a reason to not push themselves. Seen is many times.

Therefore, I believe that just satisfying a players interest in pitching and giving them innings in meaningless games will do nothing for their growth. Again the pressure of pitching in meaningful games where you know that all your teammates are relying on you cannot be duplicated in games that you are being run spread. Being part of a good team and being made to compete and earn the starts that you get is what will make a pitcher better.