cut offs at home

[texas4life]

It all a personal preference depending on the trust and ability of your players. We use to use our 1st and 3rd base as cut offs, but recently our pitcher has stepped her game up and we trust in her to make these cut offs.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

Depending on the makeup of your team, your best option may be to use the P for cutoffs, but on most high-level teams the 1B becomes the cutoff and the pitcher backs up 3B or HP depending on where the throw is going.

I would agree with this statement.

 

[mann]

Using the pitcher started from inexperienced coaches doing it, and when kids who don't know better, started relying on where the athletes are at younger ages, which is at pitcher. The outfielders get in the habit of always throwing to the pitcher, and when defenses get better, it takes the ball out of the hands of the best fielders and puts in the hands of someone who should not be concentrating on that. Then you take the ball out of the hands of the infielders (Eg. SS) who should be learning to be field generals. We have to break this habit of not throwing to SS/2B all the time, and those are the ones that then throw to the pitcher for plays at home.

The simple rule for a pitcher is: If you give up a hit with runners on or an EBH, then get your behind over and backup third or home. If you don't want to do that, don't give up the hit. When we play a team in HS that uses the pitcher, we can be aggressive because it ends up with errors and overthrows. We also know the SS (etc.) is not a proper field general or that the coaching is not there. Some of the pitchers are often mesmerized by watching the hit, which is better for us also.

I saw team USA using the pitcher as a cutoff for the plays to home, during a coaching clinic at a university.

I have seen college coaches running drills using the pitcher as home cut off.

OILF, when you can answer this question correctly you will resume in becoming a better coach.

A chicken farmer has 3 hawks sitting on his coup. He shoots one, how many are left on his coup?

 

[dgfred]

Pitcher is ok... only problems is on overthrows and missed throws. No backup usually.

 

[canyonjoe]

We tried switching from P to 1B this year and just switched back (1st year 14U B team).

 

[JAD]

Pitcher is ok... only problems is on overthrows and missed throws. No backup usually.

I agree....if the pitcher is going to be the cutoff is 1B running behind HP or 3B to backup the throws? Would you rather have an everyday infielder or a "pitch and sit" taking the cutoff?

 

[mann]

I agree....if the pitcher is going to be the cutoff is 1B running behind HP or 3B to backup the throws? Would you rather have an everyday infielder or a "pitch and sit" taking the cutoff?

I could have my 6 foot gumby armed first baseman cut, and throw the cut into the third base stands, or my athletic star pitcher.

Or, have my stud first baseman, rather than my young pitcher.

The problem being, it is very dynamic.

Like my hawk riddle.