We have had some pitchers pick up with us that are subs only/ not on a team. It’s a small sample size but outside of their pitching they seemed behind other players of the same age both in terms of hitting and defensive play. My conclusion was that team practices do make a difference- that’s what the sub only player doesn’t get.
Of course there’s lots of other possibilities- observation bias, random variation, impact of lack of comfort with the environment (not knowing teammates and coaches) on performance, and even pitchers who haven’t developed as much as batters and fielders getting less overall playing time and so becoming frustrated and leaving teams to be subs only…
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That's a good point.
My DD has always had a team, but when we're asked to pick up I often request (and it's always approved) to join their weekday practice. Just to get more practice, meet the girls, etc. Any practice she can get where I get to sit in a chair is great.