Coaches - Allow Players to pickup?

[FP26]

You have to wonder what the thought process is when an organization expressly prohibits their players from guesting for any other teams/orgs yet is constantly bringing in guest players and taking playing time away from those very same kids who pay the fees and go to every practice.

The process in our org was quite simple. If a team was in need of a pickup player, we looked internally first. My DD would often play up an age bracket as a pickup player, and we offered the same opportunity to other players in our org that we believed were ready. If that option wasn't available for a particular weekend, we would ask someone with history within our org or team. Perhaps someone that continues to play high school ball but didn't want to travel for tournaments during the summer. Only after those avenues were depleted would we ask someone from outside the organization. In most cases it was someone that approached us and expressed interest in our org.

I also don't understand teams/orgs that do not allow their players to pick up. Sure there needs to be some common sense applied, but it's harmless otherwise. If the fear is that another team is going to "steal" away the player, I doubt holding them hostage is going to prevent it in the long run.

 

[AnotherSoftballDad]

You have to wonder what the thought process is when an organization expressly prohibits their players from guesting for any other teams/orgs yet is constantly bringing in guest players and taking playing time away from those very same kids who pay the fees and go to every practice.

Since you never know what is going to happen in travel ball I have a running list of teams I would consider if we ever decided to make a switch.

I was chatting with the coach of one of those teams I admire. In the same conversation he mentioned that he might be looking for a pick-up player early in the season, and that he doesn't allow his players to pick-up.

I moved that team down to the bottom of the list.

I get it. Other coaches are recruiting your players when they guest play.

Just make sure your players like your team better.

 

[Indiana Gators South]

I am a assistant coach on my dd's 14u team and myself and the other coaches dont like our girls subbing for other teams. There are to many things that can go wrong. INJURY being the number 1 and most important thing. Anything can happen on any fri sat sun playing for our team let alone playing for other teams. Picking up a sub to play when you are missing a girl is a slippery slope. The sub we pick up will play every single inning of every game. Some parents dont understand why we have done that. We told them they are taking time out of their weekend to play with us they are going to play. We have done that once and wont do it again if all of our players cant make it we wont play.

 

[grmerrill]

I am a assistant coach on my dd's 14u team and myself and the other coaches dont like our girls subbing for other teams. There are to many things that can go wrong. INJURY being the number 1 and most important thing. Anything can happen on any fri sat sun playing for our team let alone playing for other teams. Picking up a sub to play when you are missing a girl is a slippery slope. The sub we pick up will play every single inning of every game. Some parents dont understand why we have done that. We told them they are taking time out of their weekend to play with us they are going to play. We have done that once and wont do it again if all of our players cant make it we wont play.

We've lost more girls to injury off the field than on the field, so yes injury in a risk, but how often do you actually lose a kid to one? Basketball injuries is what we've lost more girls to.

And the expectation should be to be treated like every other player that weekend, not to sit more or less than the rest. If it is to fill a hole that the existing members can't, maybe a pitcher or catcher then I can see the special treatment. But as much as they are doing you a favor, you are doing one to them in giving them a place to play, treat them like you would your other girls.

It does get awkward, DD was brought in to pitch at PGF nationals for their last tournament of the year and she pitched over one of their regular pitchers. But they had gone with the intention to make a serious effort to win and their player hadn't been very effective through the season. And when it came to bracket, they pitched their best, DD being #2 in that rotation.

 

[4dds]

Ok so I have a question for everyone that is for picking up. What do you consider to be a commitment to a team? I’ve never even thought about taking my dd’s to play with another team when their teams were off. I have however had a coach decide they wanted to pick up a player to take to worlds with us because we were short players (we were going with 10 the same number we had played with all summer). And call me insecure or whatever you want. I stand by my statement. I don’t want my players picking up and I’m not picking others up.


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[Comocoach]

Ok so I have a question for everyone that is for picking up. What do you consider to be a commitment to a team? I’ve never even thought about taking my dd’s to play with another team when their teams were off. I have however had a coach decide they wanted to pick up a player to take to worlds with us because we were short players (we were going with 10 the same number we had played with all summer). And call me insecure or whatever you want. I stand by my statement. I don’t want my players picking up and I’m not picking others up.


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You've got yourself a deal.

 

[AnotherSoftballDad]

Ok so I have a question for everyone that is for picking up. What do you consider to be a commitment to a team? I’ve never even thought about taking my dd’s to play with another team when their teams were off. I have however had a coach decide they wanted to pick up a player to take to worlds with us because we were short players (we were going with 10 the same number we had played with all summer). And call me insecure or whatever you want. I stand by my statement. I don’t want my players picking up and I’m not picking others up.


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We are as committed to the team as the coach is to my DD. Which is very committed on our current team.

When we sign up for the season we will finish it out unless my kid wasn't getting playing time, but I wouldn't put her on a team where she doesn't deserve playing time.

If she is going to miss a practice to go pitch 3 games in a tournament a couple times a season I think that is good for my DD and our team.

Our coach has found pick up opportunities for his players to play for other teams on off weekends.

He has also allowed players to pick up knowing they are going to get the hard sell to join the other team.

If a kid/parent isn't happy why would you want them to stay?

As for injuries. If my kid wasn't playing softball she would be on a trampoline/jumping a mountain bike/playing volleyball... She is an active kid. She is always running a chance of getting injured.

 

[bmakj]

Ok so I have a question for everyone that is for picking up. What do you consider to be a commitment to a team? I’ve never even thought about taking my dd’s to play with another team when their teams were off. I have however had a coach decide they wanted to pick up a player to take to worlds with us because we were short players (we were going with 10 the same number we had played with all summer). And call me insecure or whatever you want. I stand by my statement. I don’t want my players picking up and I’m not picking others up.


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i would not go to a big travel intensive tournament with only 10. all summer, all the families have a lot less invested in a single weekend tournament than they do in a national/world one (travel, vacation time, etc.). I would be highly pissed at a coach who only took 10, and then we had to forfeit games because Sally turned her ankle, Mary is vomiting from the bad food at the restaurant last night, etc.. Also, at bigger tournaments, more chances of playing a lot of games in single day, especially last day (DDs team last spring played 5 full games on last day in 95+ heat, HI over 105 all day).

and what grmerrill had it correct, play them no more or no less than a regular member of the team, unless there is an understanding otherwise. DD has been on teams where they pulled players from younger teams in org just for single day, with understanding they probably would not play much (they were 10th on the roster for the day). but generally, if you are having a guest player, you are not going to have a lot sitting the bench anyway

 

[Rick M]

I think it's important to differentiate between picking up for a showcase vs picking up for a tournament. In my earlier post, I mentioned that being a guest player in a showcase where you know that a college you're interested in will be in attendance is a good thing. In showcases, winning and losing isn't all that important, and where there is cost involved I would expect that many parents would not want to shell out hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to attend a showcase if none of the colleges that they're looking at will be there. So guest players are important.

At the competitive tournament level, however, I can see a lot of problems with bringing in guest players. If you're the coach of a team that doesn't have the horses to compete at PGF Nationals, then why go? It's an ego trip and an advertisement for the organization more than a service to the players. If you've played together as a team for a whole season, but then need to import three hired guns to win, are you really the best team? If you're the starting 3B but get replaced by a stud fill-in during Nationals bracket play, is that trophy going on your shelf or in your closet?

 

[coachje]

At the competitive tournament level, however, I can see a lot of problems with bringing in guest players. If you're the coach of a team that doesn't have the horses to compete at PGF Nationals, then why go? It's an ego trip and an advertisement for the organization more than a service to the players. If you've played together as a team for a whole season, but then need to import three hired guns to win, are you really the best team? If you're the starting 3B but get replaced by a stud fill-in during Nationals bracket play, is that trophy going on your shelf or in your closet?

This is exactly my issue with guest play in tournament situations. What team is really better? The one with 9 girls that played together all year and came in 2nd, or the team that imported even 1 Guest player that had an impact and came in 1st.

I'm not sure how/why softball went down the road of guest players for weekend tournaments. This never happened in any competitive sport I played growing up, nor does it happen in Select volleyball/basketball (that I am aware of). Why softball?