I think 3 is the best answer for 14U. At 5 you are not really getting the development you need at 14U.I was reading this old post and was wondering how roster size corresponds to the number of pitchers a team should carry?
I think 3 is the best answer for 14U. At 5 you are not really getting the development you need at 14U.I was reading this old post and was wondering how roster size corresponds to the number of pitchers a team should carry?
I think 3 is the best answer for 14U. At 5 you are not really getting the development you need at 14U.
As a pitchers parent I've got to agree here. DD spent last year as the clear #1 for our team, lots of innings. #2 is decent but doesn't have a ton of stamina and #3 is a rather distant step down. It's not that often you'll hear a pitchers parent say they're getting too much time in the circle, but we were at that point this year. DD ran for about 58-60% of the innings, too much. Too much at least to be as sharp as she needed to be when we went deeper into the brackets.Agreed. 5 at 14u is unnecessary. 3 is the magic number for me. If you’re heading into a lengthier or hotter tournament then you could add one more for fill in as a safety net.
As we go through tryouts this year for DD one of my main questions will be how many pitchers they have or plan to have as an active rotation.
As a pitchers parent I've got to agree here. DD spent last year as the clear #1 for our team, lots of innings. #2 is decent but doesn't have a ton of stamina and #3 is a rather distant step down. It's not that often you'll hear a pitchers parent say they're getting too much time in the circle, but we were at that point this year. DD ran for about 58-60% of the innings, too much. Too much at least to be as sharp as she needed to be when we went deeper into the brackets.
In my ideal situation, we'd have a 1a & 1b, both almost the same level of pitching though each having their own qualities that they bring to the table. #3 pitcher would still be expected to be able to get the job done, but maybe still developing that highest level of skillset. I'd actually even prefer a #4 that is considered a development pitcher, someone who's working on it but isn't expected to carry the team thru the tough spots, most likely used when a comfortable lead is built or we just need to save innings on the primary 3. The #4 girl has to be made aware of her role in pitching for this team so that she understands and isn't expecting to get 30% of the innings to avoid her/parents frustration. To me, the top three are in regular rotation as starters but may be opponent specific when deciding when #3 gets the starts.
How do you tell parents of little Susie she isn't good enough and needs to embrace a pitching "only" role?