7 “Pitchers” on team

[bmakj]

I think you also need to point out if they are not throwing strikes, it is taking away from everyone else's development. No one is developing other than the pitcher during a walkfest. Need to make them understand that until they can consistenly throw strikes, they cannot see cirlce time in any game.

 

[djcarter1966]

Yeah this is also a parents expectation thing...any parent that comes to me and says "My Suzie isn't playing but Jane plays and Suzie is better than Jane here look at the GC numbers" will get a polite but quick..."we are not discussing playing time please refer to your parent handout you got at the start of the season." Now you come tome and say "at the beginning of the season we really hoped Suzie would be playing more, what areas do you think Suzie can improve on to earn more playing time", I will gladly talk your ear off and I'll also gladly work with Suzie and you make those needed improvements.

 

[uncdrew]

I think you also need to point out if they are not throwing strikes, it is taking away from everyone else's development. No one is developing other than the pitcher during a walkfest. Need to make them understand that until they can consistenly throw strikes, they cannot see cirlce time in any game.

The catcher sure gets a workout.

 

[Hube111]

So this is straight forward assuming your top 2 pitchers you like are putting the work in that the others are not and it is important to know that as head coach you are the person to tell them (and their parents) HOW they would need to work to get better :

"Parent, if your DD wants to pitch, I need to see her start weekly lessons with one of the following local pitching coaches once per week and at least 1 - preferably 2 nights - of practicing what that coach is teaching her outside of our practices. That is is what our current best pitchers are doing - and if your DD REALLY wants to pitch at this level and above, that is what she is going to need to do. Once they have 3-4 weeks with this routine and I can see they really are dedicated, then I can start see is she is improving at our scrimmages and practices and when they are ready I can work them into the rotation."

Adjust your message based on what your top 2 are doing (and frankly if they aren't doing something similar to this already, they are not going to last as pitchers either).

You are not promising them pitching in games, but you are setting out what they need to do to even be considered. If they don't do it and some parent brings up having their DD pitch, you can simply say "Until she is doing what I said she needed to do to become a pitcher, I can't consider her"

If one of the girls asks about pitching, you can somethign similar - to pitch you need to do the following "XXXXX. I have already told your parent this (or I can talk to your parent about this if you would like me to).

That should weed out the ones that want it versus the ones who don't. If there are ones that want it, great.

Totally agree with this. Give them a path to what they want, and when they don't follow that path it's on them and not you.

 

[BlaineAB]

Coaching a 12U travel fast pitch team. 2 solid starters with great fundamentals/mechanics and change ups and one is working on another pitch or two. Both got grit and have performed well. Easy and obvious 1 and 2.


Then I have a 3rd who needs a lot of work over the winter but I definitely see the potential and hope she’ll fix a couple of her mechanics over the winter and be solid in spring/summer.

Then I have FOUR other “pitchers”. These are girls that all pitched off and on at rec ball. They want to pitch, but all their mechanics are SO bad they need to start over from scratch. All four of them are really awesome kids and say they want to pitch. They are not throwing strikes, are wildly inconsistent, lobbing the ball barely over the plate, but their parents keep at it that they want them to pitch.

I don’t want to hurt these girls feelings or even discourage them because who am I to tell them they can’t work and get better. As a coach and life long softball player/fan, I know that most likely these four girls do not have what it takes to put the amount of work in that they need to fix what is wrong and then the drive to work to push harder and more. I’m not saying they can’t do it, just that it is very unlikely as anyone who knows fast pitch pitching knows how much dedication, drive and work it takes to be successful. I would never tell them this but I have talked about the work and dedication it truly takes to become a pitcher at travel level.

The parents of these four girls keep reminding me that their daughters are also pitchers. I don’t know what to tell them at this point because I know they just don’t see it. I’ve thrown 3 of them randomly at scrimmage games/round robins and they all bombed and walked girls and hit girls, it was a major detriment to the team and hurt our vibe and score but it was a scrimmage game so I wanted them to have the opportunity to step up and show what they got. Their parents still seem oblivious to it and are asking to warm their daughters up too.


It is not possible to warm up 7 pitchers before a game. The parents don’t have gloves or offer to help with that either. Do I tell them to get a real pitching coach and start from scratch and once they at least have correct mechanics they can try again? I just don’t think it’s fair to the team to let them go out there in an actual tournament and bomb and put the team into such tough game deficits and situations.

I know as a coach I should be able to easily verbalize this to them, but I do care about the girls and while I have tried to help them, it’s just not there. I just can’t have a 7 pitcher rotation but the parents are just not getting it. They know that this is travel team and the rules were very clear that playing time and positions are earned, yet here I am getting emails asking for their kids to pitch in games or at least have them warm up before the game.

After another email, I need to address this because it’s weighing on me and it just keeps coming. Then they see one of the other bottom pitchers pitch and they want their kid too.

FYI, I have given basic drills and helps to have them get their basic mechanics changed and fixed and not one girl seems to have changed, gotten better or worked them. Main problem with all four, they bend over, all weight forward, no push/drive and all arm. I’ve spent time with them all, showed the player and parents the drills, but I’d easily bet they are not doing them or working them.

I'd be frank with players (and their parents).
If you want to have a 3 or 4 pitcher staff,
those roles are earned. The "pitchers" that need a lot of work will either put the work in and compete for a spot in the rotation or decide that pitching isn't for them.

Their parents are another story!

Good luck!

 

[Elemone7]

I have this exact situation on my 12u team. Two clear front runners, a strong third option, and 4-5 others who want to pitch and pitch in rec league.

I told them at one of the first practices that we have the time and resources for3 pitchers to work on pitching in practice. Then all of the girls interested “tried out” for the pitching spots. The top 3 were obvious to my assistant coach (she has pitching experience and I let her make the final call).

I told the rest of the girls to keep at it, and that they were allowed to “try out” for one of the top 3 spots once a season (so they can try again in the winter and again in the spring). They seemed happy enough with that answer. It also ensures the top 3 will keep working over the winter... none of them want to lose their spot.

 

[acekun]

I had an issue like this one year. I solved it by requiring a certain proficiency in practice before they could pitch in a game. They had to consistently pitch at least 12 strikes out of 20 pitches in practice.

That way it wasn't subjective at all. It showed the player and parents how much work they needed to put in to get to an adequate level. They can't get upset with you because they know their daughter isn't proficient at pitching yet.

 

[Mjgreenley]

As a Coach and dad of a 14U B starting pitcher I feel your pain. At the rec level I’ve watched so many girls for so many years “want” to be pitchers, but either never got a pitching coach or didn’t put in the time at home. There has to be that inner driving force and incredible ambition to be successful as a pitcher. I don’t know that at the travel level any girl can expect to see mound time if they’ve never consistently worked with a pitching coach and definitely not if they aren’t putting in the work at home. What breaks my heart is when the girl has the drive and passion but don’t have the support or means from their parents (parents don’t work with them or can’t afford lessons). Doing a clinic here and there or simply taking a beginners lesson won’t cut it. It’s also not fair to the girls who do go out every single day at home and are able to see coaches every week.

My advice to them would be 1. Get a pitching coach and set small attainable goals, and 2. Go play rec alongside travel. Playing rec will give them tons of opportunity to pitch and get in-game experience. You play travel to play at a higher level of competition and it’s incredibly frustrating to other players and families to watch a walk-fest when they’re paying to NOT see rec level performances.

I remember at the 10u rec my daughter was pitching 1 inning every other game. She was determined to be a starter the next season and her inner beast-mode clicked on. In one off season her goal was to throw harder and reach +5 mph. She went from throwing low 30’s and wild to hitting 40mph at the end of her winter clinic speed test and won the accuracy competition. She moved up to 12U as a starter and was throwing 45mph by opening day. Her second year in 12’s she was throwing 52 and had 145 strikeouts in 10 games. That’s the determination your girls need if they want to see mound time. It absolutely can be done...if they want it!

 

[soxtroy@yahoo.com]

Oh my! The things I do not miss. This is one of them. I had a kid who didnt even start playing the game until 12. She ended up playing 4 years of NCAA softball but it took more work, time a sacrifices than most players or families would be willing to endure. Including 2-300 pitches EVERY day plus the same amount of swings with the bat EVERY day. Those who never knew her well rarely believe that she only took off on Christmas day. But it is true. I once read that it takes as many as 800,000 pitches just to find your release point through muscle memory. Parents are these younger ages have even more to learn than the player. At 12U the parents are definitely still learning and they can be very stubborn. Dreams are good until a certain age in softball. They need to get their heads out of the clouds in the next couple of years and get into reality. Most are only dreaming. Few have actual long term goals with a written plan on how they plan to reach those goals. As for you dealing with this as the coach I suggest you be very honest with everyone involved. Your team must have at least 2 good pitchers with one or two who like to pitch now and then as they continue to develop. The others need to get with reality, fit into your plans and goals and let their daughter develop into what she is going to become. If the player/pitcher is to develop into the very best she can be she will find a way to get the work in. Most are only pretenders hoping to pitch at their high school one day. That is an okay goal but still a little selfish as they prefer to bring your team down to their current level. Remember that pitchers of their ability are pretty easy to add to your team later if ever needed. Let them go if they don't want to work with you. Find a way to encourage them to go to a team where they can get lots of pitching time and try hard to make them feel you are encouraging this for the good of the player and her development. Be very supportive. Even suggest teams. Help them in any way you can as they search for a better fit. Keep them as friends if at all possible. If this can be done you will not burn that bridge if you are some day in a position where you need their support or recommendation. But if your goals are to field a competitive team you must clean this up asap. I wish you the best.

 

[HockeyRulesX4]

Maybe I missed it, but did the OP ever say what expectations were set for the bottom 4 when the team was formed? That is the critical time to inform the parents what they should expect, if anything, without putting in work to get better and earn pitching time in games. If that boat was missed, it's going to be even uglier I'm afraid.

As another poster asked, since these 4 aren't really pitchers, what did they do that made you pick them for your team? Clearly it was not for their pitching skill.