Pitcher shortage?

[Screwball]

Is the shortage of pitchers just a coach's wish (to have five), or is there really a shortage.

The local message boards are loaded with ads for pitchers, except 10u where everyone wants to be a pitcher.*

I can count three 16u teams who don't have a solid #1. Most 16u play up, so these may be considered the "B" or "C" level so the shortage trickles down. These kids deserve to have a solid season. too, without 10 walks a game.

How is it in your area and the age group you are familiar with?

*To help, I have reached out to rec and HS teams to support teaching new pitchers, even if the young ladies are 12-16. I had several responses for lessons; none are starting from scratch, but they have work to do. Sounds late, but the young ladies are willing.

What do you think?

 

[Steve Huff]

I think there are three factors. First there is a shortage of qualified teachers, just like in some school systems. so learning seems less rewarding. Some would prefer to skip class!

Other lesser problems might be; too many parents won't put the effort or money into training, and too many dads don't want to lose control. I only have experience doing clinics in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. Strangely Wyoming and Idaho are the better States for training enthusiastic pitching students with involved parents. I even had an 18U travel team and my two top pitchers were from Idaho Falls, Idaho and Rock Springs, Wyoming. And Idaho had just started HS softball. They were just hungrier, and both had very supportive parents. I had more control freak parents in Utah and Montana.

It seems to me that people are responding to you because they anticipate some results?

 

[halskinner]

Around 1999 there was a report put out by a softball organization. They found that, across the USA, 70% of all the girls involved in softball drop out of the sport at the 16u age level.

That report cited many reasons that were given including drivers licenses, cars, boyfriends, part time jobs and 'Other' interests.

From my experience working with pitchers of all ages, they are correct in their percentage. I believe, however, there is another factor they did not mention that might be a major cause also.

From my experience working with pitchers and what has happened with my own nieces and nephews involved with different sports, I have another opinion.

At 16 years old, if they have not reached the point they are a standout in their own area in that sport, they simply drop out. They just DO NOT want to be thought of as 'Just another pitcher'. I think it is a pride thing, an ego thing. If they don't think they are one of the best around, they have other things they would rather spend their time on.

That has happened in my family, one niece in softball then basketball, another niece in basketball and 2 nephews in baseball (although one nephew dropped out at 17 and he WAS a standout).

Anyway, just thought I would add that as you might be looking at an overall shortage of players and not just pitchers.

 

[PEPPERS]

At 16 kids get drivers license, priorities change, dates, movies and other school functions they don’t want to miss.

An article on a friend of my daughters who committed to a top D1 team this girl’s mother was quoted as saying the girl missed dates, school functions and movies to worked hard on her game. The mother gave the credit to her success to her putting practice and improving her pitching as the reason for her success.

Hitters get better, practice gets harder to make, and success is sometimes not as forthcoming as it once was.

 

[PEPPERS]

My dauthers pitching coach, who also gives baseball pitching lessons, advised that baseball pitchers are at a shortage in our area, baseball pitchers are having to pitch more games and innings that ever before.

 

[chinamigarden]

I think its a different issue. Too many kids at 12 and 14 who pitch are coddled and treated like they are special. Daddy or Mommy take them from one team to the next because of some imagined advantage or some percieved slight. Daddy forms his own team so his girl can be #1... Or coaches walk around on eggshells because they are afraid fo losing their pitchers mid season...

Around age 16 Daddy realises that this level of compitiion is way over his head so he sends off his little diamond diva to be coached by someone else. Who low and behold holds her to the same standard as everyone else. Why she gets treated the same. Doesn't anyone understand she is special... Or she hits the age where the coaches have years and years of experience and are not going to let a teenager run his team because of the position she plays.

So she quits the game because there are no decent coaches.

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

We are in Northern California. There is a shortage of OUTSTANDING pitchers playing at the 16U level but it is because if a 15YO is an OUTSTANDING pitcher she is playing on an 18 Gold team. There are a handful of good 18 Gold programs within a couple hours of us and all have at least 3 pitchers and as many as 6. Those same programs that have 16U teams have good pitching but rarely outstanding pitching.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I know of a team that split up (the coaches were brothers) because they couldn't agree to play 14U or 16U. Now, their top, young 14 yo pitcher has been offered a spot on an 18U team.

 

[stiksdad]

I think its a different issue. Too many kids at 12 and 14 who pitch are coddled and treated like they are special. Daddy or Mommy take them from one team to the next because of some imagined advantage or some percieved slight. Daddy forms his own team so his girl can be #1... Or coaches walk around on eggshells because they are afraid fo losing their pitchers mid season...

Around age 16 Daddy realises that this level of compitiion is way over his head so he sends off his little diamond diva to be coached by someone else. Who low and behold holds her to the same standard as everyone else. Why she gets treated the same. Doesn't anyone understand she is special... Or she hits the age where the coaches have years and years of experience and are not going to let a teenager run his team because of the position she plays.

So she quits the game because there are no decent coaches.

Bingo, this is a big part of it certainly not a 100%, but a large %, I see it every year.

 

[dbias]

We are in Northern California. There is a shortage of OUTSTANDING pitchers playing at the 16U level but it is because if a 15YO is an OUTSTANDING pitcher she is playing on an 18 Gold team. There are a handful of good 18 Gold programs within a couple hours of us and all have at least 3 pitchers and as many as 6. Those same programs that have 16U teams have good pitching but rarely outstanding pitching.

This is pretty much what has happened with my DD. She has worked hard on her pitching and hitting and after two great years in 14u, we were looking around at our options for 16u and low and behold an 18u coach came calling wanting to see her at an "evaluation" that he was holding in our area. He had gotten DD name from her pitching coach. The 18U team does exposure tournaments only and the girls on the team come from about a three and a half our radius from the coaches home base. That is serious travel just to make a practice. lol
DD has made it through the all of the evaluations and pitching coach said the 18u coach called him and said he really likes her pitching (says she throws very hard for a sophomore - team is mostly seniors) and loves her hitting.

Asked DD yesterday what she thought of being on a team with older girls and she said she liked the team because they seem to take things alot more seriously. with alot of the team driving up to three hours to practice I would say they probably do take things more seriously.

I have seen the serious drop off of numbers as players reach 16u as some simply take up other intrests.