sluggers

I think BGECOACH has the winning point. It isn't a question of who is the better athlete. The question is how many players can handle the duties at a particular position.

There aren't as many kids that can go both to their left and right to field a ball as well as having a good arm. Thus, it is harder to find an adequate player.

You'll find as the age of the girls increases, the outfielders become increasingly important. Finding someone who can really play CF is a major difficulty. A great SS basically cuts down on singles. But, a great CF decreases the extra base hits that a team gets. Fast outfielders who can really play the position allow the coach to position the outfielders closer to the infield, thus cutting down on the number of bloop singles.

But, this is really a theoretical discussion. On elite teams, every position is equally important, including pitcher and catcher. (Newbie coaches want a great pitcher, but the fact is that all elite teams have great pitchers. So, to play with the elite teams, you have to have great players at every position.)

Mark H

It's really not theoretical once you start trying to find players for your travel team or your college team. And it's really not theoretical when you realize more scholly money goes to F1, F2 and F6, on average, than the other positions.

Mark H

I agree with all that. As one of the winningest youth coaches I ever knew told me, all the pieces of the puzzle don't look alike. I would add that some of the pieces are harder to find than some other pieces.

sluggers

MarkH: I think we are in violent agreement.

The reason that SS's get money is because of supply and demand. There aren't many girls who can play SS, and therefore it costs to get a good one. Finding a good SS is difficult.

However, the question was, "Who is the best athlete?" Simply because there aren't very many people who can play SS does not necessarily mean that a SS is the best athlete on the team or the most valuable player on the team. E.g., which of these is the best athlete: Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Gaylord Perry or Jose Pagan? (All from the 1962 Giants).

Mark H

Got me laughing on that one.

bgecoach

i sure could have used a ss and another pitcher piece this summer.

i do realize that we are talking 12u here so there isn't as many girls that can make the throw across the infield at this age. this does cut down on players that can play the hot corner in 12u.

Texas

In talking with college coaches, F6 gets the money because they are the most gifted athlete on the field besides F1 & F2. The thinking is that they can play anywhere.
"Give me a pitcher, catcher, and 8 or 9 shortstops, and I've got a great team". I've heard that more than once.

mitts60

I have to go with F2. Look through your scorebook and see how many times F6 (or F5) handles the ball. Not too many in our case.

With a good pitcher, I want my best fielders at F3, F4, and F9. The right handers can't pull the ball. We've had two games where F9 had more put outs than F5 and F6 together!

StacieM

I'm with F6 being a better athlete. Someone who has more lateral movement than an F5 needs, more agile, can think on her feet, and can lead.

I'm not knocking F5 by any means, but I think the best F5 and F6 have slightly different strengths and weaknesses/different skill sets. Whether one is a better "player" than the other is tough to say, but generally I do think F6 is a better "athlete" just as others have mentioned.

At 12U you're getting to the point where multiple positions really do matter. A great catcher is not easy to find and I think there are less girls looking to be a catcher than there are looking to pitch or play short.

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