The Pitcher's Father

[WaSpeed02]

Ok then, let's leave the discussion at 12U. I don't care what level of 12U you're playing, when you get to championship Sunday in any tournament, the best teams are ALWAYS the teams with THE BEST pitching. Now, granted good pitching is always complimented by good defense, but still. Good defense with an average pitcher won't cut it.

You show me the 2 best pitchers in any tournament, and I will show you the teams that will most likely be battling it out for the trophy at the end. Just an observation....

 

[JJS]

Oops, good point. I stand corrected.

But, Lets play a game with just a pitcher, no other defense at all. If the pitcher is the only important position then that should be all a team needs. One player. Put a pitcher in the circle and that's it and lets see what happens.

I think most are missing the point. While the pitcher is one of the most important positions, its not the singular most important. If the catcher cant catch, you will be screwed also. Have a really weak first base that ducks when the ball is thrown to her, you're done. Can you get away with 2 outfielders? Even no outfielders? Yes, but you better be able to hit the ball when your team is at bat. But, I do not disagree that a really weak pitcher with a lot of walks will kill a team. Once again, for that team to be able to compete they better be good at hitting.

Point is, softball is a team sport and you cannot rely on one singular player to make or break the team.

You have obviously never had a true Ace on your team. Every position is important, but don't tell me that the phenom that averages 2.25 Ks per inning isn't your bread and butter.

 

[JJS]

Having said that, a strong catcher makes a very good pitcher look great. A poor catcher can make the very good pitcher look pretty good.

 

[YOCOACH]

Having said that, a strong catcher makes a very good pitcher look great. A poor catcher can make the very good pitcher look pretty good.

Sorry JJS, I have to slightly disagree with this. A poor catcher will make the very good pitcher look mediocre at best. I've seen it happen on a daily basis with DD behind the plate and catcher #2 during HS games. #1 pitcher is pretty good. By the end of the game with DD behind the plate she looks like a stud. Catcher #2 really needs a lot of work. When she gets in the game, walks almost quadruple and the pitcher looks average.

 

[JJsqueeze]

Well, this is clearly because the pitcher missed her spots. If she's throwing them where I'm calling them, they won't touch her.

And can everyone quit with the "would such and such trade their all world pitcher for another player" lines? You're only enhancing the argument for the other side....in that you put as much value into your 12U DD rec pitcher as some of the best to ever pitch a ball. After all, that's exactly what the original post was about!

That's crazy...I don't think my 12 year old daughter is Monica Abbot....I think she is Cat Osterman.

 

[MNDad]

Ok then, let's leave the discussion at 12U. I don't care what level of 12U you're playing, when you get to championship Sunday in any tournament, the best teams are ALWAYS the teams with THE BEST pitching. Now, granted good pitching is always complimented by good defense, but still. Good defense with an average pitcher won't cut it.

You show me the 2 best pitchers in any tournament, and I will show you the teams that will most likely be battling it out for the trophy at the end. Just an observation....

My experience at 12U was vastly different. We had a 12U B team with two A level pitchers (They should have played A, but that's another story). Most tournaments the two best pitchers were on our team. We rolled through B teams, but were about .500 vs A teams and only won one tournament that season.

Pitcher may be the most important position on the team, but she's not more important than the team itself. That's the problem with some pitchers Dad's. They think the team revolves around their DD's.

 

[MNDad]

You have obviously never had a true Ace on your team. Every position is important, but don't tell me that the phenom that averages 2.25 Ks per inning isn't your bread and butter.

Averaging 2+ or even 3 K's an inning at 10U and 12U doesn't make a girl a phenom. Half the girls they're playing against won't be playing softball in a few years and in rec ball K's are often the way teams get most of their outs. If she can still dominate at 16U/18U Gold/Premier then she's a phenom.

 

[BobInMadison]

I... I... I... just can't believe that there are people who can't see what wonders our 12U pitchers are!

 

[RetiredCoach]

I... I... I... just can't believe that there are people who can't see what wonders our 12U pitchers are!

So did my 12U DDs five pitching victories in last years nationals go to naught!?

 

[BobInMadison]

So did my 12U DDs five pitching victories in last years nationals go to naught!?

OK, that means her catcher and her fielders didn't mess up.