Hey guys,
So i changed teams and my DD is play in her second full year of 14U but on a 14B team, the team played up the previous year.
She is not the best pitcher on the team but she is working hard to be the best. I have called her pitches for the last few season, but this season her new coach is calling her pitches. I had a long discussion with him about my thoughts on pitch calling and he disagreed 100% on most of my items. So I want to put them out here and see if I am on a team where I could be hurting my dd.
1) I believe that the first time though the lineup, there is no need to use all 4-5 pitches a girl has for numerous reasons.... 1) No girl is as good with #4 as she is #1. 2) I feel it is hard for a young pitcher to get in the groove, if she cant through a single pitch consistently.
2) He complained that my DD couldn't hit a screwball to the 4 location. (my DD is right handed) and our 4 location is down and away to a righty). I told him that there is absolutely no reason for my DD to throw the screw to the 4. To start with my daughter likes to pitch from as far to the right side of the rubber as possible and for her to throw a good screw to the 4 the ball would have to be able to break so hard to fall in for a strike, its almost a joke. I believe in a backdoor curve, to jam a batter, but I do not think there is any logic to throw the screw to the 4 location. He also told me that is his favorite place to throw the screw?????
3) After observing numerous walks, I approached him and asked why he was throwing so many changeups, with 3 balls and 0 strikes (NOTE I AM ONLY TALKING ABOUT 3-0 counts).. I said this as so many pitches seemed to hit the dirt before the plate. He then told me that he likes to throw a curve or screw to the 5 position (dead middle) . I then asked why not just a fastball to get a strike?? He said that if the girls cant throw a curve or screw consistently to the 5 position than they do not deserve to pitch in 14U. When he said this I almost fell out of my chair.... Most likely the kids have 3 balls because one of their specialty pitches are not working to start?
Maybe I am thinking to elementary, but when I called pitches, not only did I study every pitcher and all of their pitches before the game to know what was working and what wasn't , but I also almost always started with just a fastball and location for the first batter or two if I could so my pitcher could get in a rhythm. Maybe I would go to a 2nd pitch screw or change, but wouldn't use more than 1 or 2 pitch's, until they could throw a consistant fastball.
Please everyone let me know if I am off base here or what your thoughts are?
Seth
So i changed teams and my DD is play in her second full year of 14U but on a 14B team, the team played up the previous year.
She is not the best pitcher on the team but she is working hard to be the best. I have called her pitches for the last few season, but this season her new coach is calling her pitches. I had a long discussion with him about my thoughts on pitch calling and he disagreed 100% on most of my items. So I want to put them out here and see if I am on a team where I could be hurting my dd.
1) I believe that the first time though the lineup, there is no need to use all 4-5 pitches a girl has for numerous reasons.... 1) No girl is as good with #4 as she is #1. 2) I feel it is hard for a young pitcher to get in the groove, if she cant through a single pitch consistently.
2) He complained that my DD couldn't hit a screwball to the 4 location. (my DD is right handed) and our 4 location is down and away to a righty). I told him that there is absolutely no reason for my DD to throw the screw to the 4. To start with my daughter likes to pitch from as far to the right side of the rubber as possible and for her to throw a good screw to the 4 the ball would have to be able to break so hard to fall in for a strike, its almost a joke. I believe in a backdoor curve, to jam a batter, but I do not think there is any logic to throw the screw to the 4 location. He also told me that is his favorite place to throw the screw?????
3) After observing numerous walks, I approached him and asked why he was throwing so many changeups, with 3 balls and 0 strikes (NOTE I AM ONLY TALKING ABOUT 3-0 counts).. I said this as so many pitches seemed to hit the dirt before the plate. He then told me that he likes to throw a curve or screw to the 5 position (dead middle) . I then asked why not just a fastball to get a strike?? He said that if the girls cant throw a curve or screw consistently to the 5 position than they do not deserve to pitch in 14U. When he said this I almost fell out of my chair.... Most likely the kids have 3 balls because one of their specialty pitches are not working to start?
Maybe I am thinking to elementary, but when I called pitches, not only did I study every pitcher and all of their pitches before the game to know what was working and what wasn't , but I also almost always started with just a fastball and location for the first batter or two if I could so my pitcher could get in a rhythm. Maybe I would go to a 2nd pitch screw or change, but wouldn't use more than 1 or 2 pitch's, until they could throw a consistant fastball.
Please everyone let me know if I am off base here or what your thoughts are?
Seth
