Best Athlete on the field playing other position

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Jun 7, 2016
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I am going to hijack, so my apologies. I was in a discussion with a HS asst coach on player/positioning choices. The team policy (as put forth by HC) is to only allow pitchers to pitch. "They're too valuable to risk getting hurt". My counter was if your P is the best athlete on the field, one of the best batters, a terrific fielder (any position), you are hurting the team when #2 is in circle. (this is not my DD, rather an upperclass teamate who is the #1 pitcher. Is she an Ocasio, no but relatively speaking on our team, she is.) My example to the coach was Ocasio, for which the retort was, yeah, we dont like messing up the chemistry between fielders. Which made me think she didnt know Ocasio...
Any thoughts?
 
Oct 1, 2014
2,219
113
USA
I am going to hijack, so my apologies. I was in a discussion with a HS asst coach on player/positioning choices. The team policy (as put forth by HC) is to only allow pitchers to pitch. "They're too valuable to risk getting hurt". My counter was if your P is the best athlete on the field, one of the best batters, a terrific fielder (any position), you are hurting the team when #2 is in circle. (this is not my DD, rather an upperclass teamate who is the #1 pitcher. Is she an Ocasio, no but relatively speaking on our team, she is.) My example to the coach was Ocasio, for which the retort was, yeah, we dont like messing up the chemistry between fielders. Which made me think she didnt know Ocasio...
Any thoughts?

Yeah, I think it's shortsighted to ignore an individual athletes unique abilities and limit them (and the team) due to strict adherence to this philosophy. Chalk up this experience and take note of those team/coach "rules" before committing...not everyone will be open to the idea (props to Walton here).
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
For most other positions you really need to have some athletic ability to excel. That is not the case with pitching. While it is great to have a pitcher that is also an athlete, all that is required are some specific skills. I have had some very good pitchers that I worried about getting injured tripping over the chalk line on the way into the circle.
 
Oct 7, 2015
72
8
For most other positions you really need to have some athletic ability to excel. That is not the case with pitching. While it is great to have a pitcher that is also an athlete, all that is required are some specific skills. I have had some very good pitchers that I worried about getting injured tripping over the chalk line on the way into the circle.

haha... my daughter!
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
113
DDs HS coach won't allow her to hit. She could easily be in the 5 hole or 6th batter. She's a good hitter who can hit with power (had 6 HR's in fall travel). He told me he knows she can hit and will be letting her hit soon. Soon may never come but what can you do?
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
I am going to hijack, so my apologies. I was in a discussion with a HS asst coach on player/positioning choices. The team policy (as put forth by HC) is to only allow pitchers to pitch. "They're too valuable to risk getting hurt". My counter was if your P is the best athlete on the field, one of the best batters, a terrific fielder (any position), you are hurting the team when #2 is in circle. (this is not my DD, rather an upperclass teamate who is the #1 pitcher. Is she an Ocasio, no but relatively speaking on our team, she is.) My example to the coach was Ocasio, for which the retort was, yeah, we dont like messing up the chemistry between fielders. Which made me think she didnt know Ocasio...
Any thoughts?

It depends. Normally, if you have a weapon it is no good if it is never deployed. If they can hit or field and are better options than other players, I am putting them out there.

All the college teams my DD is talking to WANT her to pitch, hit and probably field if she can. The only thing they don't want her doing is running the bases - that is where most of the bad injuries really seem to happen. For HS she pitched and played every other infield position except catcher at some point.

On the other hand, if you really only have one pitcher I can understand wrapping her in bubble wrap as much as possible.

And like [MENTION=10413]riseball[/MENTION] I have had some pitchers who could hurt themselves walking - for those ones, if they are hitting or fielding in a game something had gone terribly wrong.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
You want DD in lineup, if she is pitching absolutely minimum except for pitching.

It makes sense, she will trip over chalk. Other pitchers run over tank.

We have discussed it, play SS or pitch and sit. I want to pitch, so stop bothering me.
 
Nov 25, 2012
1,437
83
USA
I am going to hijack, so my apologies. I was in a discussion with a HS asst coach on player/positioning choices. The team policy (as put forth by HC) is to only allow pitchers to pitch. "They're too valuable to risk getting hurt". My counter was if your P is the best athlete on the field, one of the best batters, a terrific fielder (any position), you are hurting the team when #2 is in circle. (this is not my DD, rather an upperclass teamate who is the #1 pitcher. Is she an Ocasio, no but relatively speaking on our team, she is.) My example to the coach was Ocasio, for which the retort was, yeah, we dont like messing up the chemistry between fielders. Which made me think she didnt know Ocasio...
Any thoughts?

Look at it like the pitcher is highly thought of and the coach does not want to lose her to an injury. IMHO, it is actually more flattering than one might think. We have been in the same boat, same conversation, only to have the coach tell me he cannot risk losing my DD to an injury. DD is a really good hitter so I know it is not a reason not to bat her, therefore, we look at it as she is that well thought of in the circle not to risk it. I still work her butt off in the batting cages as future coaches may want her to hit but it doesn't bother me as much as her best strength and opportunity to help her team is in the circle.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
My pitcher is pretty athletic. She tends to play SS or 3B when not pitching, and hits somewhere in the 3-5 hole (though she's in a major slump right now, sigh). She loves fielding almost as much as she loves pitching. I'm almost 100% sure she would not agree to a team where she would only pitch. That might change as she gets older (she plays 12U). But I also get why they would do that especially in older age groups. Losing a pitcher to an injury really really sucks. We only have 2 this year so if one gets hurt we're stuck with pick up someone or don't play.
 

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