How Do You Determine Your Lineup!

[Jquick823]

I'm asking because i don't understand how the HC for my DD's team determines who's going to hit during a game and who isn't and was hoping for a little feedback. Scenario below.

My DD is 5ft tall and 90Lbs at 11 and at times shows flashes of hitting. Currently has a .273 average but an OBP of .385. She is the starting CF but was flexed twice in 4 games. I was told because she's not hitting that well. Being a good dad and AC i said ok and ensured all the girls knew the plan for the game.

Starting RF is 6ft tall and nearly 180lbs at 12 and has obvious power but sits dead fastball every pitch (she's sees a lot of changeups). Currently has a .111 average and OBP of .111 with 10Ks.

The player that hit for my DD is 5ft tall and 90lbs and has power at times. Currently hitting .364 with an OBP of .462 and is equal defensively with the RF except she's much faster. While the average between my DD and this player seems to be a large gap it's actually only 1 hit difference in the same amount of AB's.

I as a dad want my daughter in there, but in this case as a coach it's obvious to me who should be batting based on performance. The statement of she hasn't been hitting doesn't go anywhere with me considering our leadoff hitter is batting .050 but has an OBP of .367 yet is still getting AB's.

 

[chinamigarden]

This is why I never published statistics for my team.

 

[quincy]

Most games DD has played for a single Team in a year is 20 games, it is not a fair sample for any of the Players. Practice has more to do with batting lineup then game performance at the beginning of the year and adjusts very slowly as the season moves on.

I hate stats.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

I publish my stats , but I don't use them to set my lineup on a day to day basis. Sometimes I base it on what practice looks like and gut feelings.

 

[Jquick823]

This is why I never published statistics for my team.

Didn't publish stats for my team. I gave 3 examples for you to use if you were a coach. the question isn't whether or not you publish stats it's "how do you determine your lineup"? Comments like that are why i tend to stay away from forums because in general there isn't much value in most responses to include this one.

While the above stats aren't great, please consider the question. I'm sure where you are from every girl hits .800 during the year but in reality stats are stats. So do you use stats, size, girl who makes the most practices, best defender??? What do you use to make your lineup.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Since we are talking 12u, is this a very high-level team that consistently makes it to the championship games of all the best tournaments in your area? Regardless, players should be playing at least 2 full games each on Saturdays. In April.

In defense of your coach, a lot of teams will use the flex on Saturdays in order to get more players into those Saturday games in tournaments where they aren't batting the roster. I'm not sure if that's his intent, but it is a philosophy that a lot of coaches and parents find acceptable.

 

[MNFastpitchDad]

I love statistics but I certainly would not use them to manage a 12u game to this level, and I only share them with my AC. I do make it a point to sit or dp/flex my better players during league play so there is a balance when I do the same for more strategic reasons during tournament play.

 

[CoogansBluff]

My DD is 5ft tall and 90Lbs at 11 and at times shows flashes of hitting. Currently has a .273 average but an OBP of .385. She is the starting CF but was flexed twice in 4 games. I was told because she's not hitting that well.

Lineups are based on how the coaches expect players to hit. I assume that your daughter is 3-for-11 w/ 2 walks. That's just one or two tournaments, and those stats are just one small piece of what a coach might expect to happen. It might be that the .111 hitter was a .390 hitter w/ 10 HR last season and is crushing it in practice and the coach has good reason to believe she'll turn it around. And I don't know what to think of 3-for-11. If my daughter goes 3-for-11 in a tournament, I'm pretty pleased if she hit six line drives, but I'm much less impressed if only gets one ball out of the infield. Some outs are more impressive than hits.

But I must say that 10 strikeouts at this stage shouldn't be ignored if it continues. I would just give it more time. Stats are more truthful as they age.

 

[Jquick823]

I publish my stats , but I don't use them to set my lineup on a day to day basis. Sometimes I base it on what practice looks like and gut feelings.

I understand that. If a certain girl practices better she should be in the lineup.

I know part of my confusion on this topic is team dynamics (which i won't put here), but what i'm trying to understand is if there is a consensus that a girl that is 6ft 180 and can crush the ball would be in the lineup if she wasn't hitting.

 

[CoogansBluff]

And I should add that at 12U, I had 11 players one season and 11 the next. I batted them all every game. Not saying that everybody has to do it that way, but I have no regrets. I don't think I've ever heard of a 12U player complain that one of her teammates got to bat. If they don't care, why should I.