Pulling a kid mid inning

[SoftballMom2]

So, why isn't a pitcher emotionally scarred for life when she is pulled mid-inning? Seems that if the SS will suffer life long trauma from the indignity of being pulled, wouldn't the pitcher also be harmed?

I think pitchers know if ANYTHING goes wrong they may be pulled which I think in turn makes them more focused on taking total control of each pitch. My DD pitcher was pulled when her defense made 7 errors (5 by one kid and 2 by another) in ONE inning on routine ground balls/throws induced by drop balls(PS no one called a timeout)...she was not happy she was the sacrificial lamb for the defense and coach mistakes but she now calls off pitches and makes sure her drop is so sharp..she also now calls timeout her self...so in the end it just made her better. Personally at14u and later in competitive ball, I have no problem with kids being pulled or moved mid inning as long as its not done with anger...sometimes pitchers don't have it but sometimes position players don't either. Shouldn't be viewed as a punishment..

 

[Lenski]

I know a coach (ex-coach - retired from TB and quit college team to be home for his young son) who would pull the pitcher if the fielders were messing up, and would pull the catcher if the pitcher was messing up. His teams were awesome.......

 

[indianafp]

It's very rare I pull a position player in the middle of the inning. I have done it, but only after 3 or more of the same error committed and when I do, we have a convo about it in the dugout and I usually sit her one inning to calm down and back in she goes. And I know my next comparison is apple and oranges, but it is no different that pulling a Basketball player or Football player in the middle of the quarter for messing up The only difference is, that is made more part of the game and is seen as "giving the kid rest" more than anything else.

 

[coach james]

I'm not a fan of it, however I've done it and will continue to do it under the right circumstances.
For instance, last week my 2b missed 3 or 4 what most would consider routine ground balls. After 2 in a row the same inning, (runners on the corners with 2 outs) my patience had worn thin with her lack of effort. So I said something like, "I need more out of you". ...as the ball is being thrown in from the RF she catches it without knowing where the runners were...oops!.....delayed steel. Then to show her frustration, she throws the worst 20' throw you'll ever see, it hits the P in the toe of her shoe, takes a wild bounce towards the visitors dug out, batter/runner is now rounding 3rd. Catcher is there to stop her. So what should have been the 3rd out of the inning, turned into a 2rbi error on the 2b and the "easy out" is now on third.... she spent the rest of the game in the shade

 

[Happy Dad]

I once pulled my entire infield (sans P and C) during a scrimmage to make a point about them not 'talking it up.' For some reason these particular girls loved to talk whenever they weren't supposed to and were church mice on the field. I tried all kinds of things to get them to talk with no avail.

One day I had enough and did it....you should have seen the horror in their faces while the pitcher and catcher had to play by themselves. I explained since they obviously didn't care about the game by not talking that they might as well sit with me and watch.

After a couple of pitches and sending them back in, problem solved!

(BTW, don't do this during a regular game. I believe its an automatic forfeit according to ASA rules)....Too bad, I'd love to see the next female Eddie Feigner in ASA some day ☺

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[Rocketech1]

I know a coach (ex-coach - retired from TB and quit college team to be home for his young son) who would pull the pitcher if the fielders were messing up, and would pull the catcher if the pitcher was messing up. His teams were awesome.......

What's the theory on this that the players will work extra hard not to have their teammates punished for their actions?

I guess there is no personal accountability. If you screw up someone else gets punished?

So in golf, if a golfer misses his three putt, he should fire his caddy? If the pitcher throws a fat pitch over the plate for a triple, pull the catcher?

 

[riseball]

What's the theory on this that the players will work extra hard not to have their teammates punished for their actions?

I guess there is no personal accountability. If you screw up someone else gets punished?

So in golf, if a golfer misses his three putt, he should fire his caddy? If the pitcher throws a fat pitch over the plate for a triple, pull the catcher?

Yes at times that is extremely effective, especially on 0-2 or 1-2. But the ground rules have to be established early on and thoroughly communicated. In the end if it is properly implemented it enhances personal accountability.

 

[Lenski]

What's the theory on this that the players will work extra hard not to have their teammates punished for their actions?

I guess there is no personal accountability. If you screw up someone else gets punished?

So in golf, if a golfer misses his three putt, he should fire his caddy? If the pitcher throws a fat pitch over the plate for a triple, pull the catcher?

Think about it. What would make you feel worse? Because of your lack of focus and poor play, you get yourself pulled, or you get someone else pulled. The theory behind it is a player does not want to cause a teammate to leave a game, and it takes a group effort to make sure everyone is firing on all cylinders......redundant checks and balances. As Riseball states, in order to be effective, the players (and parents) are given a full understanding of the method.

 

[RetiredCoach]

I believe that this is a common and ineffective method, at least in the business world. Haven't we all seen a boss mess up and then blame someone and fire them?

 

[grcsftbll]

Plus it assumes the player is playing poorly on purpose. Maybe some do, parents making them play and rebelling any way they can perhaps. But mostly I think kids get in a slump, or are tired, or they make one mistake and it kills their confidence and snowballs. I don't think very many are trying to play poorly and could think logically, "Well, I better play well or else the coach will pull my teammate." Most of the time kids seem to really hate making errors, and will try not to for its own sake. But they're kids and they're not perfect.