Many do we need?

[sbcowboy]

How many do we need?

We r on a TB team. What is a good number of pitchers to have on a team? We had four before and that was to many. We now have 2. Most of the pitcher that we have had were good. They could b starting pitchers on other teams.

Thanks!

I should have mention we will b 2nd yr 14 u.

 

[grcsftbll]

What age? Our 10U team has 3 solid pitchers and I think any more would not be good. But 2 might be dangerous too - if one is sick or hurt you're in trouble. We have one or two more in lessons, but who aren't good enough to pitch in games yet. In a pinch they could probably fill in in a pool game or something but they aren't in the regular pitching rotation; they are position players for now.

 

[knightsb]

My ideal mix is to have two Aces and one additional innings eater.... The two Aces share the heavy lifting and the third is usually a former pitcher turned position player who can help when short handed, or in relief.

 

[djcarter1966]

what age group are we talking about?

Once you get to 14U or better the ace probably expects at least half the time and since winning starts becoming a priority coach want their ace pitching over half the time too.

Having three is probably optimal with #2 getting 30% (spot start with the expectation she can go in if #1 is struggling) and #3 getting 15% (mop up and pool play)

 

[JAD]

2 is not enough, I would suggest having at least 3. A lot of teams will carry a 4th if one or two of them can play other positions and have good bats. It is hard to keep the parents of 4 "pitch and sit" players happy. They end up pitching @ 25% and sitting @ 75%. If you are a marquee team that offers recruiting value parents and players are a lot more tolerant of sitting.....

 

[grcsftbll]

2 is not enough, I would suggest having at least 3. A lot of teams will carry a 4th if one or two of them can play other positions and have good bats. It is hard to keep the parents of 4 "pitch and sit" players happy. They end up pitching @ 25% and sitting @ 75%. If you are a marquee team that offers recruiting value parents and players are a lot more tolerant of sitting.....

I'd definitely be way less happy about my #3 pitcher if she had to sit when not pitching. Seems like in my age group the pitchers are typically the ace athletes too. Definitely the case on our team; our 3 pitchers rotate at 1B, 3B, and SS. But as they get older that seems to change a good bit as the pitchers get more specialized and drop other positions. It's such an interesting journey.

 

[Coach JV]

At least 3, depends on your schedule and the types of event. To go deep into an ASA event
you need 3 solid arms and 1 inning eater. On the down side; all good pitchers want the ball
50%+ of innings. If you have 3 who want 50% 3 x 50% = 150 UH OH Now where to go?
If you only carry 2 and one goes down you can write the season off. Good Luck......