Am I right or wrong here?

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Dec 8, 2015
249
18
Philadelphia, PA
DD is a second year 10u player. She is her TB teams #1 pitcher. Her team played in a Fall fast pitch league. The league was three games on Saturday's with 1.5 hour drop dead times. There were 6 teams in the league so we played teams multiple times. During the second to last Saturday of Fall league season, the HC didn't use my DD in the circle for any games. He came up to me in between games and told me that he wanted to get his fielders some work and that because my DD would strike everyone out his fielders weren't getting any work in. I told him I understood.

The final week of the season, the HC wasn't at the Saturday games and the AC told me that he wasn't going to pitch my DD because all she did was strike everyone out. I told him that she still needs to get circle work in as part of her personal development as a pitcher. AC coach pitched my DD that final weekend for 3 innings.

Fast forward to this Sunday (about 8 weeks since the end of the league). My DD hasn't faced any live hitters since the end of the league games. Our coaches have a 2 hour scrimmage scheduled. I figure, great my DD will get some work in facing live hitters again. She's been working on the dropball and hasn't had the opportunity to try and throw it against a live batter yet. We played 8 innings in the two hours. 8 different pitchers from our team threw 1 inning each and my DD didn't get any circle time again. Visibly upset after the scrimmage, my DD told me the coaches told her she would have just struck out all the batters so that's why she didn't get any time in the circle.

My positions:

1. You can't properly develop 8 pitchers on a team. There just aren't enough innings. Pick 3 or 4 pitchers and tell the rest, there won't be many, if any, innings for them on this team.

2. Pitchers need circle time to develop. You can't simulate things like adrenaline, pressure or an umpire with a fickle strike zone in practice. Pitchers need to learn to control their emotions, adjust to what's going on out there and then come sit for 10-15 minutes and go back out with limited warm ups and do it again.

Am I wrong to say something to the coaching staff? I just feel like I can't continue to allow them to hold DD back so they can bring along some of the other players who just aren't as good (we have 7 or 8 kids who are good B (possible A level) players and 3 or 4 kids who are developmental). All the coaching moves are geared towards bringing along these developmental kids. I've also been thinking that either her current team just isn't going to be good enough to play at the level DD should be at or the coach isn't putting them in at the proper level they should be at.
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
If your DD is pitching on a TB team even as the #1 pitcher she should not be striking everyone out, now maybe spreading out just two or three hits per game as well as a few ground and fly balls maybe while still shutting out the other team OK but the other teams 1-5 hitters should be though outs especially the second time through.

Now is this the same team she player for last year? Is the coach employing this strategy just because it is the off season... then maybe but you are right she still needs live innings.

During a three game Saturday she should have pitched at least twice through the line up of the hardest team you would face.

I would have a heart to heart with the coach. If the plan is to let others see what they can do during the slow season that's OK but let him know she still needs live innings, if his plan is to keep her as the #1 when the season picks up. Is the coach planning on playing A level? If he thinks with your DD he can play A level but needs the team to get better again I can understand his strategy but he needs to keep you in the loop...beside just saying she not pitching she is too good.

Another aside does she ever pitch during practice...can any of the girls hit off of her, your 1-5 should be making contact and putting the ball in play against her half the time. If she is on a team where none of her teammates can hit off her that is probably a red flag that she need to move up in competition too.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
I am with you, she needs to at least get an inning here or there.

You need to be all behind them developing more pitching or your DD's arm will fall of come spring but an inning here or there is a reasonable request IMO.

I would not express my opinion about how they are going about trying to get more pitching, just my DD needs an inning sometimes.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
If she truly is striking everyone out she is not developing as a pitcher. Move her to another team where she will be challenged. Hopefully where she will be the #2 or #3 on the team and work her way up.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
I have told this story 100 times, now 101. ��

We had 8U pitch that tried out for 10U nationals, she was good.

1 game she struck our best batters out in 9 pitches, they were all hoping to get another chance.

(DD might have been able to hit the ball if she could of saw it)
 
Last edited:
Dec 8, 2015
249
18
Philadelphia, PA
More background. DD played on this team the previous season as a 1st year 10u. She was the teams #2 pitcher last year. This year we got a new HC this year. He is very knowledgeable (over 25 years of softball coaching experience). His 18u team all aged out and he was supposed to have an 8u team in the organization, but for whatever reasons that didn't work out so he has rostered 3 or 4 players due to "relationships" he has with the kids parents (these are the developmental kids I was talking about).

My DD doesn't strike EVERYBODY out. But she doesn't get hit hard either. IMO, she is definitely A level worthy. The problem is at this age in our area it's almost impossible for me to determine which teams are A teams until we actually play them. Last year the teams that placed well at A States lost all their players due to age. We've played a few of them in Fall tournaments and beaten them. Then the teams I know are A level this year are too far away to make it practical to get to for practices. I think the best I can do is find a fairly comparable team that doesn't have 8 pitchers.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
Sounds like the best thing for everyone involved would be for your DD to join a TB team and stop playing REC ball...
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
<rolls eyes>

We play USSSA, ASA and PONY sanctioned tournaments.

What [MENTION=5663]JAD[/MENTION] is trying to say is if you are actually playing 8 pitchers and have a 1/3 of your team that is not good enough to play but are on the team because they "know" the coach then it's not really Travel Ball...it's something else.

If you have played all the other travel ball teams in the area during the fall and beat them all even with your #5 pitcher then there is not much you can do if you don't want to travel an hour to play on another team.

Maybe you just bide your time...but I would still let coach know about your concern about getting innings for your DD regardless about what he think about the competition. As long as you can get innings now and get half the innings come the real season I would probably just stay put and then see what opens up at 12U next year.
 

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