Coach chooses to bat 9

[fuzzy2651]

Our coach laid all that out in the beginning of the season. He told us right from the get go that everyone will bat/play in pool play and come bracket play, his best 9 will be on the field. Very first tournament in the fall, my DD has a few rough at bats, and sat the first bracket game. She did end up playing the second game, but wasn't happy about sitting. She said it wasn't happening again, and from then on hasn't sat a bracket game and is our #3 hitter. I wasn't mad she sat, I completely understood why, and she did too. I just told her to be better. This is a high level 13U team btw.

 

[Cornbread]

As a coach, I hate having to sit players during games. It’s not a good feeling. A lot goes into sitting a player. First bracket game is typically most important. Then you have to look at the teams you got coming up and do your research on them. I’ll never sit the same player every game. And on pool, everybody hits. If a weak hitter shows out in pool at the plate guess what, she hits in first bracket.

 

[BradyC87]

I think my point is being misconstrued. If the rules say bat 9, you bat your best nine or you bat your defense.. No problem with that. My problem comes when the coach has the choice to bat 10 (or 11) and instead chooses to bat 9. That's telling the other players on the team they simply aren't good enough to be even given the chance to try. it's telling them he EXPECTS them to make an out. It's telling them he lacks the confidence in them to be able to contribute. You want a rift on a. team? start making the choice to show the lesser players on the team how much lesser you think they are.

Again, it' not saying they should go in in place of starters. Just that when given the choice, they should't be bypassed.

While I think it's crappy (and mean) coaching, it's also stupid strategically because he's assuming that his best 9 defenders are also his best nibble hitters, and they are so far ahead of the rest of the team he's willing to give up a potential offensive slot. If that's the case -- that his top nine defensive players are also his top nine offensive player and the tenth offensive player isn't worth considering, then he's done a very bad job of constructing his team.

I'm not saying that everyone should start, and I'm not saying to sacrifice the team. But I am saying that if you have the chance to give a girl who is a part of your team a spot in the order, and instead you decide not too replace her with another player but just ignore the opportunity, that's crappy coaching and a crappy way to treat 12-year-old girls.

And for the record, I'm not butthurt about this. My DD is the #1 pitcher and #1 hitter on a mediocre 16B team. She's the coach's favorite and I'm one of the coach's best pals; my DD has lots of problems as a player, but playing time ain't one of them. But I've seen the faces of the girls on other teams -- with coaches who you can tell are defining themselves by these wins and losses -- when they just get ignored. Telling them to just get better doesn't solve that pain, and in this situation, I think it's a pain that a decent and caring coach ought to avoid inflicting. I've read a lot of people saying that they should learn that some people are just better than they are, but there's also something to be said about work during the week -- even if they never get to be one of the nine best players -- being rewarded and appreciated.

All that and I got "I'm not saying this, but then I am saying exactly this" over and over again.

 

[radness]

As a coach, I hate having to sit players during games. It’s not a good feeling. A lot goes into sitting a player. First bracket game is typically most important. Then you have to look at the teams you got coming up and do your research on them. I’ll never sit the same player every game. And on pool, everybody hits. If a weak hitter shows out in pool at the plate guess what, she hits in first bracket.

Can see the strategy to give playing time in pool to select who's hitting for tourny.

If i may ask....
In TCS they have pool games saturday to see outcome to place teams in tourny brackets sunday.
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Aluminum

If a team/coach wants to play in a upper bracket on sundays, getting there might mean playing top 9 in pool games.
( or atleast in pool games to when the score is comfortably ahead...to rotate players)

Question~ do you ever apply strategy to win pool games to make the more competitive bracket for the tourny?

 

[_MIA_]

Question do you ever apply strategy tonwin pool games to make the more competitive bracket?

This is why I hate "flighted" brackets, in particular at the younger ages...

 

[radness]

This is why I hate "flighted" brackets, in particular at the younger ages...

Why?

 

[_MIA_]

Why?

Because I am all for playing/batting everybody in pool but also want to have the opportunity play the best competition in bracket. For many teams those two things will work against each other..

 

[radness]

Because I am all for playing/batting everybody in pool but also want to have the opportunity play the best competition in bracket. For many teams those two things will work against each other..

Well theres the point ☝

 

[_MIA_]

Well theres the point ☝

Which one..the last sentence? Your finger point was not discriminatory enough

 

[Eric F]

I think my point is being misconstrued....

Nope. It's not being misconstrued at all. Your point was clear, and you confirmed it again.

In bracket play, playing more games (winning) gives more players an opportunity to get playing time. Just because you start 9 batters doesn't mean there aren't subs during the game, but a 9-hitter order means your best hitters will be coming to the plate more often than if that list is longer, which generally increases the chances of winning. Also, the starting lineup from one game might not be the same starting lineup the next game. As I outlined earlier, there are a lot more than 10 players involved in a DP/Flex scenario. At a minimum, I want 12 players available, and every one will play a role...but not every player will play the same role.