Move up or not

Tango said:

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marriard said:

Ok now you have given some more details:

Great coaches, good friends, not over matched, team is winning too much for 12U and should already be playing 14U tournaments (sorry, but you are in the championship EVERY week you are playing below your level)

Move up with the team. The grass is very green where you are.

You can always guest play if there if more pitching time needed for game development.

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JAD said:

Playing up at 14U is fine, but the key word is PLAYING. Sitting on the bench at 14U is not better than playing at 12U. If your DD wants to pitch for her HS team or has the goal to pitch in college my suggestion would be to find a good 12U team where she could be the #1 or #2. While pitching one game a weekend as a #3 is fine, it rarely puts much pressure on your DD because my guess is the coaches are pitching her against the weaker competition. Being the #1 or #2 and pitching in the championship game on Sunday helps mold pitchers in HS and college prospects.

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Tango said:

TY. That's the question? LOL. She starts in the field when she doesn't pitch. She is getting the weaker teams this season. That's what makes it hard. She pitched against two good teams in the fall. Threw a no hitter against one and got beat 4-0 by the other one. One earned run but pitch bad.

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JAD said:

The question becomes does your DD want to be a position player or a pitcher? If she is happy playing a position and being the #3 pitcher then stick with her current team and move up to 14U. If she wants to be a pitcher, and especially if her HS team is going to count on her to be their #1 pitcher when she is an upper classmen then she needs to find a team that will maximize her opportunities as a pitcher and consider position play a bonus. If you and your DD are not both 100% dedicated to developing her as a pitcher stick with the position play and do not waste time and money on pitching - concentrate on hitting and fielding. Pitching is not something a player can excel in part time unless they are a PHENOMENAL athlete with tons of God given talent.

I would also like to point out that my DD played mid-B level TB at 12U and did not start facing many A-level teams until 14U. Your DD does not have to be on the best TB team around to become successful - measure success with improvements in her mechanics, pitch speed, mental toughness, not in wins/losses. Some of the best teaching moments in my DD's career came from losses...

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BobInMadison said:

What does your DD want to do?[/QUOTE

I really think she is OK with both. Spring will help us make a better decision.

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Tango said:

I agree. I played college ball and do not care if my DD does or not. She enjoys pitching more than hitting. She has more potential as a hitter IMO. That's what makes it a little harder decision, 14U for hitting and 12U for pitching. She works very hard at pitching and I love that it teaches her a work ethic that's awesome for an 11 year old. I would pay the money for lessons just for that.

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JAD said:

Have a good work ethic is great, and I would not trade my bucket time with my DD for anything, but if your DD has more potential as a hitter, I would concentrate on hitting lessons and throw in some fielding for good measure. It is hard to excel at both and our experience was that most high level TB coaches do not want to risk their pitchers getting hurt hitting or running the bases, so unless a pitchers was a GREAT hitter, she was going to be a pitch-n-sit.

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