That's generally the approach I take. A good cannon in RF will pick up the occasional 9-3 out, too.
DD wants to play IF
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That's generally the approach I take. A good cannon in RF will pick up the occasional 9-3 out, too.
I sympathize. DD's best game is usually in the IF. She's a bit better than the others who also play her IF position, but she's a LOT better than those others in the OF. I've worked with her on OF skills since she was little, but she rarely played there before 14U. At the older age groups, being able to play OF well is job security. Some of her most memorable plays have happened out there.
Agreed, hard hit line drive and a good arm in RF can make it close at 1st
RF is a bear in the older age groups, and will lose ball games if the wrong person is put there. More hits go there, especially against faster pitching, and the ball is often slicing towards the foul line. The throw to 3B from RF is far more common than the throw to 1B from any OF position, and it can be a long one.
- Jun 8, 2016
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Heck, my DD's 10U lost a game last weekend against one of the better 10U teams in the area because the RF couldn't catch a fly ball hit to her. I was sitting behind the RF fence when it was hit and instinctively closed my eyes as I knew what the outcome was going to be....it was either that or jump the fence and go catch it for her.
In 10U, fly balls to the OF are almost always hits. By 14U, most fly balls are caught.
Yeah...unless you're at the upper reaches of 10U competitive ball, any fly ball to the OF is an adventure. I do remember a near-miracle catch made by a 10U REC right-fielder against a tournament team that WON a game. Whenever I run into her, I mention it and get a huge grin. Heck, I know an older pitcher who can't seem to buy a break in RF. Every time I watch her pitch, a lazy fly ball to RF gets dropped, and runs score.
- Jun 8, 2016
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The A teams in the area catch fly balls consistently. My DD's team, which is a solid B team, is competitive against those teams for the most part but
ultimately the difference usually is a) the A teams have pitchers who throw a bit harder b) have OF who can catch consistently and c) don't have black holes in the 7-10 spots in the lineup..
From what I have seen IF play is pretty much the same and 1-6 in the lineup is pretty much the same (ok not 1 and 2 in my DD's lineup since they are the coach's kids and end up bunting
75% of the time against good pitching, or we are going to play "small ball" as the HC puts it..but I digress)
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Good OFs are always difference makers. At any level.
DD won the game MVP at the Canadian championships this year for a catch in CF. She was playing mid distance and a batter from BC1 hit a shot to the fence if not over. DD got an excellent read, made a nice pivot and caught over her shoulder at full speed. Don't know how she didn't go through the fence. She said it was going over, opposing coach thought so as well and awarded her player of the game, 
. It was a cool moment. Point is, she played 3B all of her life, transferred to RF in u14 because of her arm and ability to track fly balls. Coach moved her to center because of her ability to track and a lot of balls were being hit that way. Quincy, if your DD right now is good at this, she will be a valuable asset to any team for years to come
. It was a cool moment. Point is, she played 3B all of her life, transferred to RF in u14 because of her arm and ability to track fly balls. Coach moved her to center because of her ability to track and a lot of balls were being hit that way. Quincy, if your DD right now is good at this, she will be a valuable asset to any team for years to come
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