How do you tell a player/parent she can't play a certain position?

Due to several changes in our league our team is a new team this year. We have some very talented kids so it should be a fun and exciting year. The problem is that there are 6 girls that pitched for their teams last year. A couple of these girls should not be pitching...either they are not accurate, no speed, or not willing to but the time in. What is the easiest way to tell the player and the parent that their daughter should play another position?

How many pitchers should a U13 team keep in the rotation? We will only be playing 2-3 tourneys a month, some are 1 day tourneys. I feel too many pitchers means the girls that should really be getting game time in are not getting it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks!

First of all, I would be clear that all the pitchers need to be able to play other positions. 13 is way to young to have a pitcher-only on the team. Given that, I would say you should have 2 or 3 "primary" pitchers that you can rely on to start & pitch in the most competitive games (particularly in elimination games), and you should find innings for your other pitchers as you can (scrimmages, pool games, blowout games, ect). You should make that approach clear early on with the players & parents. Having said that, just about any kid who pitches will want to pitch and believe that they can. If you can use some objective criteria to identify your top 2-3, all the better...maybe gun them for their speed, and keep track of balls/strikes in practice & scrimmage games. For the other girls, try to find them innings to pitch in scrimmages, pool games or blowout games so that they have a chance to show what they can do in real game situation (some might surprise you). If they work hard at it and improve their skills, they can get more innings, and maybe a start. If one of them is not putting in the practice time and effort on her own, that is a pretty easy call....she is not really a pitcher.

After a couple tourneys, it will become clear which kids can pitch competitively and who can't. But be ready & willing to change your primary rotation, if one of them struggles, and one of the others rises to the challenge. Also be prepared for some of the kids to bolt after the season to find opportunities to get more pitching in.

Last thought, check yourself to be sure you are being fair in choosing your primary rotation, and not playing favorites......

Well, for starters you just be honest.

It doesnt matter whether they want to pitch, catch, play SS, or whatever. If you already have 2 or 3 that are more skilled at certain key positions, simply tell them that. Honesty is the best policy always, even if it will hurt feelings.

Dont hint, dont just say she probably wont see much playing time at X. Say you already have several very talented players competing at that position and she will most likely be relegated to other positions on this team.

Pitchers can continue pitching practice separately, your not telling them they cant pitch, or will never be any good, or cant continue working and improving, just that they most likely wont see any pitching time on this particular team, this year.

mudbug said:

Well, for starters you just be honest.

It doesnt matter whether they want to pitch, catch, play SS, or whatever. If you already have 2 or 3 that are more skilled at certain key positions, simply tell them that. Honesty is the best policy always, even if it will hurt feelings.

Dont hint, dont just say she probably wont see much playing time at X. Say you already have several very talented players competing at that position and she will most likely be relegated to other positions on this team.

Pitchers can continue pitching practice separately, your not telling them they cant pitch, or will never be any good, or cant continue working and improving, just that they most likely wont see any pitching time on this particular team, this year.

Click to expand...

I think this is very good advice. Honesty combined with compassion.

Over the years I've seen countless older kids be forced to play positions they had no previous experience playing. It is relatively common even in college. Maybe even more common in High School. My kid pitched some in rec ball but switched to the outfield when she started travel ball. I don't think she has any regrets about the switch.

John