Using substitute players on your softball team

[TheSoftballZone]

In another thread (Down Fall of a Team, Everyone the Blame!)

The Coach talk about using substitute players on his softball team roster and how it effect his team. We see lots of players looking to Sub and Coaches looking for Sub for any given weekend for his team.

My question for the forum, if you're going to use a substitute player on your team what would your goal be for your team and your sub?

If you had only 9 players how many subs would you be willing to carry on your roster?

Would you guarantee your sub playing time? Would you guarantee them a position for the weekend? I'm aware it depends on the situation and your team's needs for the weekend so feel free to add situations you have found yourself in.

 

[CARDS]

I think the main reason we see so many teams these past few years looking for subs is because they do not do a good enough job in building the team roster. There seems to be many teams wanting to play an A schedule with a B roster.
There are just too many teams with 10 (maybe 11) ladies and this number includes 2 pitchers.

At the top levels this is not going to cut it for a full season. An injury, or parent/player leaving seems to be putting quite a bit of teams in a bad way. Even the top programs in Ohio are still looking for Catching and Pitching help.

If I was in a position to have to bring in a sub that sub would be playing in the spot I need the fill in for. If you need an OF the sub would play OF, not Middle IF, Corners etc. My goal for the team is to win, the sub goal would be to help the team win...If the lady had a Hot stick that weekend I would move her in the batting order where she could help the team the most but, I would not in game one or two say "hey Sally" we need you to hit clean up or lead off without proving she can help the team in those positions first.

I think a lot of teams get in a bind and say, we need that "utility type player" to make 10 or11 (some cases 9). Then pick them up to find they may be better than their current SS, CF, C etc. and move these committed ladies to a secondary position. Another thing that happens is teams pick up a player that may only be a 1st/3rd baseman so, they have to move their roistered players around to accommodate the sub and fill the hole without prior communication to player or parents a BIG no-no in both cases.
Another scenario that causes team problems is the catcher / pitcher that is picked up is not as talented as your back ups yet they see more innings than the back ups usually do.
In most cases a pick up player is just looking for innings and ABs. They have little interest in playing with that team the remainder of the season however; coaches use this as a recruiting opportunity and that too can cause issues with committed players on both teams...

 

[Olentangy Joel]

When we have picked up subs to get to 10, we tell them they will hit last, sit first and play wherever we need them. We have had girls decline because they wanted guarantees for playing time or position. We don't do that for the girls who are on our team - why would we do it for a sub? Girls obviously have positions, but they play where the team needs them to play. If we need a sub, that means someone is missing for some reason. The girls on the team are the ones who paid the entry fees to get in any tournament we are in. I can't sit them to play a sub over them. I could I guess, but don't think it would be right.

Having said that, after the subs sit the first inning or two of our first game, we work them in just like everyone else. They still hit last as the roster girls should get the most at bats, but besides that, we treat them as part of the team. When we get to bracket play, the sub will be on the bench at the start, but I will get them in.

You can't ask for loyalty from your team if you don't show loyalty to your players. You have to treat the subs with respect too. The sub gave up her free time to play with us, so we get her in as much as we can.

Joel

 

[Stupid Jim]

mroby - sorry but that is wrong, you signed the girls you play them, part of being a coach is teaching the girls to play different positions, they made a commitment to you, it should be honored. I don't blame them for quitting, I would have too and demanded my money back. If you didn't want to play them the you shouldn't have signed them.

 

[daboss]

Being a rural based team that consisted of local girls with other commitments, I was constantly trying to find players for a single weekend or 2. Especially at the 16u level, the girls dealt with school programs that "encouraged" them to attend volleyball camps, band camps, basketball camps, and things like this. It limited our weekends. They chose to participate with us but only if they could have certain weekends off. My solution seemed to work well.

I would keep 11-12 paying roster girls as our team. The others were offered an opportunity to practice with us the entire season and be our "pool" players to pick up on any given weekend but did not pay to play. They were always welcome to travel with us at their own expense and spend the weekend in the dugout. They were assigned a uniform for the weekend that had to be returned on Sunday. They were a part of our team but were not promised any weekend playing time UNLESS they were called up to be a roster player that weekend. If we were going to be short a girl or 2 due to their commitment elsewhere, we would ask a couple girls to be on our roster. They were treated like our regular girls the entire weekend except they still turned their cleaned uniform back in to the staff. If 1 of our regulars returned early, she sat the bench and gave way to the sub that had been activated. If we called a girl up, she got front line treatment that weekend. This did many things positive to our program. We always had a pool of girls to choose from. They received valuable coaching and training so when called on we already were aware of the talent and skills she possessed. For certain families it helped with their budget as they couldn't afford the fees even if their daughter would have been selected as a regular. Normally we had less stress with this policy because we always knew we could field a team each weekend. The team spirit and chemistry was very healthy all summer. By setting this up during the tryout period the families knew upfront what to expect and were very supportive of the program. It is not for everyone but worked in our area.

I need to share a quick anecdote that is a true story. I had a parent ride me for weeks to pick up a girl that would give us that special winning edge he felt was missing. We simply needed a few changes and the world would be right. I finally said if you feel that strongly about this special girl playing with us, go ahead and ask her to come for the weekend. This ace showed up and truly was an amazing talent but what followed wasn't what he had planned. I sat his daughter all Saturday while letting this young lady play every game. The dad came unglued that I woulds do such a thing. I pointed out to him we were all perfectly happy with our roster and it was he that thought this kid should be a part of our program. If he wanted her that badly than we would sit his own daughter to make room on the roster. I wasn't going to sit anyone of our other pay to play girls just because he thought this new girl would change the world! For some reason she wasn't back on Sunday. The dad and daughter returned. Never heard another word from any of the parents the rest of the season. I still wonder what he said to the other girl's family that they never came back. I DID send them an invitation to tryouts that fall. She didn't come. Wherever you are, you were everything he said you would be. Thanks for coming.

 

[Stupid Jim]

nope, still not right, they agreed to play for you, and you agreed to play them, I'm sure that at the beginning of the season if you told them that you will take them but if you find someone later in the season that you like at that position better, that they will be sitting, they would have never agreed to play

 

[softballmom2000]

I agree with Jim. You sat two girls who paid your fees and have been with you from the beginning. You have a younger team, your team should be about teaching. If they weren't ready, you should have spent more time with them.

 

[Honor&Glory]

mroby - sorry but that is wrong, you signed the girls you play them, part of being a coach is teaching the girls to play different positions, they made a commitment to you, it should be honored. I don't blame them for quitting, I would have too and demanded my money back. If you didn't want to play them the you shouldn't have signed them.

I have to agree with this 100%. You brought kids to your team and now you're saying you don't want them. Simple solution is don't take them at tryouts. Develop you players. Make them better. Communicate expectations with them and their families. Don't just bring in subs and bypass them and expect them to accept it.

 

[Run26]

unfortunately these girls did not improve enough where I felt comfortable putting either of them in the infield...I signed them thinking they had potential, I never really got it to come out....

What age group is this? If they were really this unprepared then you should have thought twice before taking their money and giving them false hope. Anyone that knows anything about ball (including baseball) knows second base can be played by a multitude of different skill levels. Some would actually opine that they would put their weakest player at 2nd.

Through all my years of watching, coaching and watching again - I have NEVER seen a player who specialized playing 2nd base. I don't promote quitting on a team but you quit on the players so you deserve it.

 

[TheSoftballZone]

I had my second baseman quit for personal reasons. I had two girls that are true bench players/outfielders and were not ready to play that position, so I picked a sub that plays second base to fill that void and help the team succeed. The parent of the other girls quit because, it was expected the girls would get to play second.

I'm not going to blast you for your choices, I'm just glad you shared your experience and weren't afraid to write about it. That what this forum all about sharing your experience. I see good from your reply maybe some Coach in the same position as you, may rethink the situation based on your reply and others opinion. Early in my Coaches career I made the same choice you did. But I'm 100% sure if I would have read this thread and your reply my choice would have been different.

 

[Mykidcanplay]

M Y DD coach did the same thing this summer! Not exactly the same ..... he promised her first base time when he talked us into his bs During tryouts last summer and this winter when I confronted him again. He promised us she would split first base time ... rarely did that happen. He chose to ignore the situation. So my DD quit. Too bad for him as she was the teams best hitter. False promises from a coach destroys the loyalty to a team and its members.. It all worked out in the end for my DD though. She's playing for a "true" showcase team now.

 

[mroby5172]

believe me, I wish this would have not ended this way at all...these girls were not the best choice in the first place and am not sure they even wanted to be there....they spent more time complaining about having to be there and slacking at practice, they were not ready in the first place and I took them in haste trying to fill the roster.

 

[CARDS]

What age group is this? I am guessing 10 or 12U...

Anyone that knows anything about ball (including baseball) knows second base can be played by a multitude of different skill levels. Some would actually opine that they would put their weakest player at 2nd.

As the ladies get older the middle infield positions are the most challenging,Second base comes with some unique challenges and really takes a special player. There is more flex at this position with the defense, throwing angles are awkward for some players to adjust too, player must be able to cover first base with the ball coming from a different angle and opposite of glove hand for most.

Through all my years of watching, coaching and watching again - I have NEVER seen a player who specialized playing 2nd base. We were blessed on our HS team and travel teams 16/18U to have true talent at this position. They worked very hard at the position the Curtis girls and Crystal Rains were some of the best I have seen at the position and we played all over the country.....

BP is a great example of how to approach the play at second base...

[video=youtube;E7N8iFi34aA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7N8iFi34aA[/video]

 

[ech92]

If you ask a sub to play with you then you need to find ways to play them a minimum of half of every game. We had to ask a sub to go to a national event out of state 1 year to give us 10 players due to a number of reasons. I told my players this sub will play a minimum of 4 innings every game as she was doing us a great favor and spending a lot of money to help us out. I rotated a few girls on our team and not one complained about it! Don't ask a player to sub if you don't have a plan to play them!

 

[Mykidcanplay]

Ech92 exactly right! Well put.. going to nationals spending a couple thousand my kid better play! At least half a game..

 

[softballmom2000]

believe me, I wish this would have not ended this way at all...these girls were not the best choice in the first place and am not sure they even wanted to be there....they spent more time complaining about having to be there and slacking at practice, they were not ready in the first place and I took them in haste trying to fill the roster.

My 18u's slack and complain too, they are girls LOL! You are in my area, I would gladly offer my help to you any time you need it and I would include my DD and some of her teammates in that. Sometimes bringing in older girls really motivates the younger ones. You can PM me any time.

 

[coachtomv]

As coaches we need to be flexible with the roster, we do not always get the talent we need/want and have to roll with it.

Our team last year did alot of shuffling at first to get the right mix after tryouts/recruiting. My job when filling the team was to look for team first, smart players, that were talented enough to play multiple positions, but mature enough to buy in no matter where they played. I lost out on some specific talents, but ended up with the "type" of team we envisioned, for the most part.

So, I ended up with a first baseman and third baseman that basically had never played those spots, playing a competitive 14u schedule. Not only did they do well, they were 2 of our most valuable players and now love those positions on their new teams and High School. I rotated at middle infield, with starters that started in the outfield or SS-2 as needed.

They believed in me, because I believed in them, and treated them as young adults with part of the ownership of our "team". They always knew exactly what was expected, what we were trying to accomplish and I listened and valued their input.

You have to have a plan, communicate, respect the players, and most of all be consistent. You cannot say something and not do it, you will lose all respect and lose the team. Bring in subs is fine, but communicate why (injury, short handed, tryout for an open roster spot, extra pitcher for long tournament, etc) and don't shortcut.

 

[Bink44]

^^^ Well said Tom...I concur with you completely )

 

[CARDS]

As H&G, ech92 and Coach Tom stated communication is key and is the downfall of most.

I do have a question for CoachTom as it relates to his roster statement.

I can see after tryouts and during fall ball changes to a roster with additions/subtractions to get that unit together for spring/summer. Naturally; any guest players or ladies that may be bubble players need to have that communication during the tryout process.
The examples in this thread and in the other thread were more summer time roster moves. Are you stating you keep a fluid roster year round or just as the team is getting built?

 

[coachtomv]

As H&G, ech92 and Coach Tom stated communication is key and is the downfall of most.

I do have a question for CoachTom as it relates to his roster statement.

I can see after tryouts and during fall ball changes to a roster with additions/subtractions to get that unit together for spring/summer. Naturally; any guest players or ladies that may be bubble players need to have that communication during the tryout process.
The examples in this thread and in the other thread were more summer time roster moves. Are you stating you keep a fluid roster year round or just as the team is getting built?

No, a "fluid" roster for summer is a bad situation I feel. We always try and lock in our team in the early fall and start setting the tone for the summer. Run what you brung after that if at all possible. Not all coaches know how to do it(build a roster), even some with a ton of experience, its not easy. Building a team of talent and an actual "team" are two different things at times, no silver bullit and sometimes its luck, lol.

If you have a plan, get the right type of players/families that are mature enough to buy in, you'll do well. Its not always about the most talented players either, the intangibles definitely matter, knowing what to look for is the hard part. Its also different for every coach vs the org they are in. Not all orgs/coaches get alot of players to choose from, so you have to reach a little farther at times, that's where knowing what to look for quickly in a player and luck(good or bad) comes into it.