Removing a player from the field

[02Crush]

I think it depends on too many variables to determines what is right or wrong. Are you trying to teach a young player to have a bit thicker skin? Is it a good player who is merely out of focus in the inning? And so on and so forth. If you are like me then you have probably allowed many kids this age to make mistakes in an effort to allow them to get better. This requires a willingness, albeit extremely painful, to allow the girls to lose and learn. I think you handled it okay. But then again I was not there and do not know you philosophy on the team.

 

[softball_mom1999]

My DD middle school and previous TB coach were both very fond of pulling girls after the first error or two. I think in our situation, it was a nasty byproduct of coaching very large rosters (16-20 girls). And it does affect their performance. The fear of making a mistake and being replaced is enough to make a young girl freeze in her tracks and it erodes trust between the player and the coach.

 

[qsort]

I appreciate all the responses. My feeling at the time was that I needed this girl to perform for me over the long term. I didn't feel there was anything to gain on defense by making a switch that would be worth the price of destroying this girl's confidence through public embarrassment...and possibly compromising her future performance.

 

[MNFastpitchDad]

I think for what you've described, it was the correct decision for your team. I have only pulled a fielder mid-inning twice in 6 years of coaching. Both times it was because they player had lost all focus (aka crying)after making at least two errors in an inning, and a one or two in prior innings. I employed the same method both times, by pulling the entire team into the IF, having our pep talk, and then swapping several position players. I didn't do it immediately after the error, I waited a batter on one occasion and a few pitches on the other.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

I wouldn't remove a pitcher mid-inning either, not for her fielding deficiencies.

They are two different things, GD. IMHO, of course. One is pitching, the other is fielding. A pitcher may experience a sudden and unexpected drop in her ability to pitch. It's very rare that a fielder will have a sudden drop in her ability to field. She might have a sudden drop in performance, but that is not usually indicative of her fielding abilities at that moment. (I can think of exceptions - If the shortstop suddenly can't throw a strike to first base (Steve Sax disease), then a mid-inning change might be called for.) But that would be very rare.

Pitchers, on the other hand, lose effectiveness frequently. Maybe it's fatigue, the other team getting used to her, confidence, or who knows what. And that must be managed and addressed quickly because the effectiveness of your pitcher is the single most important thing in the game.

Pitchers are usually changed mid-inning because the coach believes they can't get out of the inning without too much more damage. The criteria should be the same for fielders. Coaches shouldn't change fielders mid-inning just because they committed 2 errors - it should be because they believe the player isn't up to finishing the inning (e.g. the fielder is too upset over the errors).

Thanks for the replies guys. This was always a difficult topic for my fellow coaches and I, we didn't always see eye to eye on it. There are games where the SS has a "hole" in her glove, or the 3b couldn't hit a barn throwing across field, or an OF is dropping more balls than a one handed juggler. They ARE rare, but they do happen. The key is no different than a pitching change, it's recognizing the problem and removing the liability BEFORE anymore damage is done on the scoreboard.

No I'm not advocating pulling lil Susie because she bobbled a single line drive. These are your girls, you should know when they are struggling in a game for _____ reason. Errors are JUST as contagious to a team as hitting is, and yes, sometimes as a coach you have to contain the outbreak.

My 2 cents........

 

[FP26]

I think it depends on too many variables to determines what is right or wrong. Are you trying to teach a young player to have a bit thicker skin? Is it a good player who is merely out of focus in the inning? And so on and so forth. If you are like me then you have probably allowed many kids this age to make mistakes in an effort to allow them to get better. This requires a willingness, albeit extremely painful, to allow the girls to lose and learn. I think you handled it okay. But then again I was not there and do not know you philosophy on the team.

This is typically the way I look at it. When I make changes, I prefer that they occur between innings. However, there are cases when a mid-inning change is necessary. Typically it is because one of our players has become so worked up that my best efforts at calming her back down have failed. That said, I do tend to treat pitchers a little differently. At least in the case of my DD, I can typically judge when she is getting tired, but every once in a while she falls off a cliff for no apparent reason. She may sail through 4 innings without any trouble and then walk 3 batters in a row to start the 5th. I will try the conference and have her attempt to work out of it, but then sometimes the change becomes necessary. If anything, I probably leave them in too long sometimes...

 

[Rocketech1]

You can't compare pulling a pitcher in the middle of an inning to pulling a middle infielder. Pitching is a very demanding mental and physical position that requires handling the ball every single pitch and all pitchers know that sometimes the other team matches up well to a particular pitcher and she might get shelled. We have pulled pitchers with bases loaded and a 3-0 count. Talk about a tough assignment for the relief pitcher! But it comes with the territory. I have seen coaches pull a player mid inning for making an error or two and its a shame IMO. Fielders will make errors, it's part of the learning process. No need to embarrass them and the most important point is it won't help them next time. In fact they will probably play tight because they are scared to make an error. Have trust in your fielders, they will make some mistakes, work on it in practice and don't try to make a statement during the game. Thats counter-productive.

 

[SCDad]

My DD has been removed from the field for various reasons.

The best way to do it is to wait until the end of the inning. Treat it just like an ordinary substitution. When the rest of the team is back out there, the coach would sit next to my DD and have a private and polite conversation. Ending on a complementary note.

The key to being a successful coach and have players who will go to battle with you until the end, is to let the player save face. Do it the right way.

Coaches who called my player out in public ... were not our coach for very long. At my DD's request. The ones who coached my DD as exampled above, are still her coach today, and my DD has been paying dividends to these coaches for a long, long time.

College coaches are much different and many are screamers. I respect that also. But remember, college coaches are paying their players in various ways. The players are adults.

To each his own. I know what my DD responds to, probably because this is how I parent.

 

[JAD]

Last summer during pool play of a 12U "C" tournament, one of my infielders made two errors (physical, not mental) in one inning on routine plays. The assistant coach insists that I should call time out and immediately remove that girl from the field. I waited until the end of the inning before making a change.

The team was pure 11U and the season was recognized by the coaching staff to be "developmental" in preparation for the 2nd year of 12U. The girl in question had been on the team for several seasons.

I can imagine certain situations where it's appropriate to remove a girl from the field. Is this one of them?

The key words here are "12U "C" tournament". C-level TB is developmental and should be fun for the players. Learn the fundamentals and have fun, there is plenty of time to put pressure on your players at 14U, 16U and 18U! You did the right thing by waiting to make a change between innings.

 

[Cannonball]

Would you make the same decision on removing a pitcher, to wait? My friends, why do we feel position players are above replacement mid inning?

Here is my reasoning. For a pitcher, when they don't have it, so many other things can go wrong. For example, leaving the ball over the center of the plate. Also, they might make more pitches in an inning that I'm comfortable with for young players. IMO, it also depends upon other things such as team support. I've mentioned before that my dd pitched a game once where there were 21 errors behind her. She should have come out. She finished the game. I was not there but was told she cried entire innings.

I will admit to pulling an infielder once in the middle of an inning. She was a 2B and something just snapped. She didn't cover 1st on a bunt and before you knew it, she was in absolute mind melt. She had to come out. Her parents supported the move. After the game, she kept saying she was not a 2B. I told her she was and the best in the area. She was a freshman then. As a Junior and Senior, she was All Area 2B. So, they can go on to success even if you remove them during an inning.