Recognizing Formidable Players

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Mar 4, 2015
526
93
New England
How they carry themselves: No. Too many people have no self awareness of their own abilities.

Is it their size? No. A factor that can be considered but too many really good players are not physically imposing.

Do they just have a presence? Maybe. Pretty close to “how they carry themselves” above.

Are they more verbal? No. Coaches love this crap. Over communication is not good communication. “Saying stuff” is not leadership. It usually looks insecure as hell to me.

Do they just have a presence? Yeah, maybe.

RAD, you left out “does the player cheer loudly for her team mates?“ Honestly… who cares?

Evaluation of talent is THE thing that coaches at ALL levels are weak at. I’m my opinion it’s because they are still looking at *subjective* crap that does not matter in a game.

Can the player hit. Can the player hit GOOD PITCHING. Can the player run? Is there a defensive position that I need to fill that this player can fill? Does this player have a personality that I can stand to be around for the next x number of years?

RAD I’m not taking shots at you and I’m glad you posted this. I would like to think that the culture of softball would consider how they evaluate players. I think we are behind the times.

Agree w/ all.

Maybe some people can just tell, but I can't. Had a girl come to a tryout in 12U. She was a little chubby and kinda short. Wore glasses. Quiet, didn't look assertive. Didn't do anything bad in the tryout, but nothing particularly good either, really. Just average. Took her partly because her sister was on an older team in the program. Batted her 7th in the first tournament. She never batted below 3rd again in the 2 years I coached her and later played mid-major D-1. And we must've neglected to time their speed in the tryout because we later did one in a team practice and she out-ran everybody. Of course, once she had established that she was an elite hitter, then all of her mannerisms seemed like swagger. She had a quiet cockiness about her. But if she were hitting .180, we'd probably interpret that as something else.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
And we must've neglected to time their speed in the tryout because we later did one in a team practice and she out-ran everybody.
”Can she run” is one of the most neglected considerations of player evaluation. And eyes are no substitute for the stopwatch! Then you have the whole stopwatch vs. baserunning skill dealio going on.

I coached with a dude that I learned a lot from. Man, he would not take a player unless she could run unless there was something really special about her.

@pattar great minds think alike, right?

@RADcatcher i don’t think I have any great insight that I can wax poetic about. I’m just saying that I think coaches are bs’ing themselves when they think cheering loudly or barking the obvious on the field makes them any more valuable of a player. I prefer the ”quiet professionals” myself.
 
Jun 26, 2019
256
43
We played our 10u league year end tournament last weekend. At 10u silver it was easy to see that some players were well ahead of the rest. I complimented one coach on their catcher. Tiny little girl compared to other 10year olds, pitcher was struggling to throw stikes, lots of wild pitches every direction, she blocked jumped, dove and one way or another kept almost everything in front of her! I had to stop myself from cheering against my own team haha! She threw down between innings and could make good throws to second which we dont see often at that age, she always poped up ready to throw on balls itbthe dirt but never threw unless she had a chance. Threw behind our runner at third and would have had her if the 3b positioned her body better. She also gave me great throws when I went in to pitch. (We do coach pitch after 4 balls) which I appreciated!
 
Jul 29, 2013
6,782
113
North Carolina
Are they more verbal? No. Coaches love this crap. Over communication is not good communication. “Saying stuff” is not leadership. It usually looks insecure as hell to me.
This right here! All the elite and invite camps, this was always preached and I hated it! It definitely doesn’t make any girl a better player!

Ww, I’m glad you posted this!
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Are they more verbal? No. Coaches love this crap. Over communication is not good communication. “Saying stuff” is not leadership. It usually looks insecure as hell to me.

My DD is not one of those "loud" girls. She will chant along with whatever the rest of the team is doing in the dugout, but isn't the one who get those cheers started, or squawk incessantly on her own. Yet, nearly every coach she's played for has called her a "leader". She leads by example on the field - competence and confidence. She leads with discussion about the game in the dugout, offering information or advice to her teammates (especially with her HS team, which includes quite a few players with not very much experience). She celebrates her teammates' successes and doesn't criticize their mistakes.

IMO, having a couple of high-energy girls can be a good thing for the team vibe, but not every player needs to be that girl.
 
Nov 4, 2015
320
43
Often times, you can just tell a kid can play. The problem is that many people get enamored with the great plays. The outfielder or infielder that makes the occasional highlight reel play if fawned over by a lot of parents and coaches. But if you watch a while, you will notice they are the same ones that miss the routine play, throw to the wrong base, or get picked off bases. Having "it" is very different from being a great athlete. Sometimes it's the unathletic kid that simply does everything needed to be successful and win(high softball IQ). They are not often the vocal kid. But when they do say something, everyone listens.
 

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