Pitchers

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May 6, 2015
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She's a coach's kid and sees plenty of playing time, just not as a pitcher.
the coaching staff might have decided they will give her innings when possible, just to keep her pitching some, so they have for emergencies. not hindering her development as a position player, and she and her dad coach may have realized or decided on their own that pitching is not her path forward.
 
Oct 4, 2018
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I think it depends on the caliber of the pitchers and their endurance. The team my DD is on now is a pretty high level 18u team. I'd say they have 3, but in reality it's two. The third only sees pitching time when we're blowing out a team in bracket play. This past weekend, she pitched none and we rolled over every team in the tournament. The #2 has a ton of endurance. I swear she can pitch all day long. I don't know what the #3's goals are. She's a coach's kid and sees plenty of playing time, just not as a pitcher.

Fine point. My universe is 10U -- it's all I know (for now).

Having 3 good pitchers (and a 4th that is developing) is really helpful, as you never know when one of your best pitchers just can't find the zone. And it's crazy how you bench them for one inning and bring them back the next inning and they find it again.

I can most definitely see how at older ages you need fewer pitchers.
 
Oct 4, 2018
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This is so true!!

Year before last we only had two all year. Both were very strong pitchers, but you can't ever go deep in a tournament with 2 pitchers. This year we had three, two bracket-ready and one more developing. It seemed like a good number to me, for the most part. This was 12U (and some playing up in 14U), B level. I think when you go to the higher level teams, you probably have to assume they'll have more pitching.

Last year we would only go so far as our #1 pitcher lasted. It was sad to see her running out of gas and know there wasn't much anyone could do. You just can't win much without at least 2 solid pitchers.
 
Oct 4, 2018
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2 decent pitchers is ideal with a 3rd that can just throw strikes against inferior teams to save innings is perfect for me. I dont know why any serious pitcher would accept a role as a #3 pitcher on a team, you need live innings if you want to be a pitcher. Just taking lessons and warming up before games doesn’t make you a pitcher.

If you want to be a pitcher and are currently on a team with 2 good pitchers, I’d find another team. You will never get better unless you get your innings in.

With that being said, there is nothing wrong with being a #3 as a secondary position assuming you have no interest in ever being a serious pitcher. Those girls are valuable to have on a team.

I’ve seen many 10-12U girls that could of been decent pitchers leave to go to “better” teams only to ride the bench or be position players. The parents spend thousands on lessons and there are plenty of competitive teams where they could be a legit #1, but they go to one of the many for profit softball factories and they are never heard from again. I don’t know what some people are thinking.

Very good point.

My DD (and I, for what it's worth) wouldn't want to be on a team where we were the #3 or #4 pitcher. Yes, it might be the best team in the world. But she wants to pitch. Coaches we've tried out for told us which number DD would be on their staff, and assuming they're honest (*big assumption*) it helped us make our decisions. And if it quickly proved that they weren't honest, we'd have no problem leaving the team.
 
Jul 2, 2013
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There's absolutely nothing wrong with being the "#3" on a well managed team. There are enough innings for 3 pitchers and good coaches will find the time to distribute the innings and build all 3 pitchers. If your coach is so focused on winning that he is burning out 1 or 2 pitchers every weekend then he/she is short sited and doesn't have what's best for the players in mind.

DD was a #1 this summer but left that team to probably be number 2 or 3 on a more competitive team. It's on her to work hard and challenge for #1 innings.
 
May 27, 2013
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We are an 18U Gold team which only plays showcases. We typically carry 3 main pitchers with 1 or 2 who are being developed to play at the higher level (typically younger than the top 3). If a college coach requests to see a certain pitcher, that player will go in no matter the inning, score, opponent, etc.

That being said, most showcases we play in are minimally 5GG and we usually rotate our pitchers every 2 innings per each game so all 4-5 most likely will be getting innings over a weekend. Our pitchers also will play the field so if they are not pitching they will typically be in a secondary position.
 
May 24, 2013
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So Cal
As a dad of a pitcher, having a pitching staff of 3 to 4 is awesome - but having a quality catcher is worth their weight in gold!

2.5 catchers is the correct number. 2 quality catchers can handle a long tournament weekend, but you need backup in case of illness or injury. My preference is for a fielder who can also do a good job behind the plate, but doesn't want C to be her primary position.

I agree with 3.14 pitchers.
 
Jan 28, 2017
1,661
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DD played 12U Class A ball. They had 5 pitchers in the fall. IMO the girl that they used as the #5 pitcher was the number 2. She was also the best catcher and hitter on the team. She left and the #4 left at the break.

Left us with a big hole at catcher and hitting. Now we have 3 really good pitchers and it gets late in the year and two are hurt. Always a fine line. You need 2 solid catchers.

Parent and coaches expectation are not normally communicated very well in TB, IMO. Are you developing or trying to win. Hard again!
 
Apr 28, 2014
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We took the #3 spot on the best team we could find. The top 2 spots are filled with an SEC commited stud and future PAC 12 or SEC commit at #2. DD is a rising junior and can learn a lot from the #1 and #2. DD will get much less time than 1 and 2 but her goal it to learn from them and get chances to contribute. The schedule we will play will challenge DD and with her pitching most innings in HS I have no doubt that she will get her innings. May not get as many as this season (155 in HS and 90 in Travel). But enough to push her to get better. Gotta have a good plan for the pitcher. Part of that should include surrounding her with better pitchers to force her to push harder every day.
 
Aug 24, 2018
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I gave DD a choice when deciding on first year 14u teams this year. #3 on a B/A team in a big organization or #1 on a C/B team. She told me that she probably wasn't a legit #1 and wouldn't be pushed to improve in that situation. Insisted she wanted to be a #3 and "earn her innings". Since the decision she is even more driven to out work everyone. Team she chose has 4 pitchers and 4 catchers.
 

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