I agree with the usefulness of OPS. I use OPS as the sort column for the team batting stats.
Posting Team Stats
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I agree with the usefulness of OPS. I use OPS as the sort column for the team batting stats.
I've seen it go wrong in 2 ways, both of which really related more to the culture than the data.
Team 1 kept all stats secret, then coach would spew out some numbers to justify his playing time decisions. Pretty obvious he was making the stuff up, and certain players that never sat were not producing, so every parent ended up keeping stats for their own kid. Ugly.
Team 2 posted stats on the wall at the facility, and one girl was in a nasty slump, and hit below .100 for a long stretch of the season. Her dear teammates took to ridiculing her and commenting on the number every week when the sheets went up.
Ugly.
Team 1 kept all stats secret, then coach would spew out some numbers to justify his playing time decisions. Pretty obvious he was making the stuff up, and certain players that never sat were not producing, so every parent ended up keeping stats for their own kid. Ugly.
Team 2 posted stats on the wall at the facility, and one girl was in a nasty slump, and hit below .100 for a long stretch of the season. Her dear teammates took to ridiculing her and commenting on the number every week when the sheets went up.
Ugly.
Again I think that goes back to a coaching problem allowing teammates to do that. I have learned throughout the years that girls can be very nasty to each other, even on their own team. As a coach you have to watch very closely and try to stop it before it blows up.
As far as the OP, again I really don't have a problem posting stats in the older ages. If for some reason a College coach looks at the team website, they are not going to sign up for the site, then wait to be approved to view stats. And bottom line, college teams post their stats for all to see. So if the best teams in the country post their stats.... whats wrong with it then?
Over the course of a MLB season stats are a very good way to compare one player to another. The scorers in MLB are paid and are suppose to be "unbiased". Players in the same league (NL or AL) are facing the same competition. In softball you only play @ 50-60 games in a season, scoring is done by a parent or coach, and there are various levels of competition. A .600 hitter in rec league may only bat .100 playing ASA ball!!!
I think this is what I'm most afraid of. I don't want to burden a player with ridicule on top of pressure from parents and coaches to perform. However, I also can see how it can be used to motivate a player as well as quell some of the rabble-rousing from the parents. What does everyone think about this: List all of the players' stats on one sheet, sorted however you want, and replace the players' names with some unique number. You then tell each parent/player their number so they see how they stack up, but don't necessarily know how anyone else stacks up. Now, if they tell each other what their number is, that's on them.
It simply is an age, and maturity issue.
Stats at the high school level, 16U and 18U, are accepted, and the players are mature enough not to "ridicule" other players. And that may only true with TOP NOTCH teams.
Stats for younger players, posted publicly, and even older players on lower level teams, can and will divide a team. A virtual certainty.
The "motivation" angle is bogus. They are all motivated, and if they need to look at numbers to somehow prove their worth to teammates raises the same problematic issues with that individual player.
Remember always ... it is only about making the best TEAM, to win. Individual prowess, though to be recognized, should rarely. if ever, be the sole motivation. How the team plays should always be #1.
Talk to college players who know. #1 they want to win !!!!!
Stats at the high school level, 16U and 18U, are accepted, and the players are mature enough not to "ridicule" other players. And that may only true with TOP NOTCH teams.
Stats for younger players, posted publicly, and even older players on lower level teams, can and will divide a team. A virtual certainty.
The "motivation" angle is bogus. They are all motivated, and if they need to look at numbers to somehow prove their worth to teammates raises the same problematic issues with that individual player.
Remember always ... it is only about making the best TEAM, to win. Individual prowess, though to be recognized, should rarely. if ever, be the sole motivation. How the team plays should always be #1.
Talk to college players who know. #1 they want to win !!!!!
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Personally, I like to see my DGD's stats after each tournament. Her team uses gamechanger and I have a sign on and can see all the player stats, but I only look at her stats. I know the coaches look at all the stats and make certain decisions based on them. That is their job, so let them do it.
I know I find out interesting things about her that I cannot comprehend during a weekend tournament. DGD is usually a power hitter but one tournament she was off and really didn't hit but a couple of hard hits. After the tournament I checked gamechanger and she had batted .500 for the tournament with 12 rbi. Boy was I surprised.
Another thing I look at is quality at bats. She may not get a hit every time, but I want to know how she handled the at bats. I can remember one time where she fouled off 12 pitches before she eventually walked. That is important to me.
Also, we have a very good score keeper, but even I sometimes disagree with a ruling she makes. But then again, they are making quick decisions on a fast paced game.
Then again, stats don't always tell the story. As an example, runners on 2nd and 3rd, batter "sacrifice her at bat by hitting an inside pitch to 2nd baseman so runners can move up. Not scored as a sacrifice but it served the purpose.
Does DGD look at her stats. No, at 14u she is mature enough to know how she does and realizes what she needs to work on.
Should stats be published. Personally, I would say no because not everyone can analyze the totality of the stats and see the big picture, even coaches.
I know I find out interesting things about her that I cannot comprehend during a weekend tournament. DGD is usually a power hitter but one tournament she was off and really didn't hit but a couple of hard hits. After the tournament I checked gamechanger and she had batted .500 for the tournament with 12 rbi. Boy was I surprised.
Another thing I look at is quality at bats. She may not get a hit every time, but I want to know how she handled the at bats. I can remember one time where she fouled off 12 pitches before she eventually walked. That is important to me.
Also, we have a very good score keeper, but even I sometimes disagree with a ruling she makes. But then again, they are making quick decisions on a fast paced game.
Then again, stats don't always tell the story. As an example, runners on 2nd and 3rd, batter "sacrifice her at bat by hitting an inside pitch to 2nd baseman so runners can move up. Not scored as a sacrifice but it served the purpose.
Does DGD look at her stats. No, at 14u she is mature enough to know how she does and realizes what she needs to work on.
Should stats be published. Personally, I would say no because not everyone can analyze the totality of the stats and see the big picture, even coaches.
- Nov 3, 2012
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Our coach only reviews our batting average and strikeout percentage with the girls ( he's big on strikeouts) at the end of each tournament. We only distribute stats to the coaches as we do in a spread sheet. The coach is concerned about using game changer as he doesn't want other teams to gain an edge. I'm trying to convince him with the privacy settings that the other teams wont see them.
Game changer or even Iscore looks awsome and the type of stats and data you could get out it could be an advantage. For the teams that are using game changer, are you happy with the results? The time savings of not putting the data in a spreadsheet would be a huge advantage plus you can get real time results. Also concerned about the laptop or notebook running out of battery or not working. I guess you have to have a book for back up on hand.
At the travel ball level, I think stats should be available to the team and parents. This is travel ball and is a competitive environment, and the girls should have a thick skin if they're going to play at that level. Hopefully it is a motivator in most cases. Also I think if gives the parents a better gauge of where their daughter and should give them an understanding of the coaches decisions.
I do agree it can de-motivate a player or creates a situation where a girl is ridiculed. But I think with good coaching, these situations can be avoided.
Game changer or even Iscore looks awsome and the type of stats and data you could get out it could be an advantage. For the teams that are using game changer, are you happy with the results? The time savings of not putting the data in a spreadsheet would be a huge advantage plus you can get real time results. Also concerned about the laptop or notebook running out of battery or not working. I guess you have to have a book for back up on hand.
At the travel ball level, I think stats should be available to the team and parents. This is travel ball and is a competitive environment, and the girls should have a thick skin if they're going to play at that level. Hopefully it is a motivator in most cases. Also I think if gives the parents a better gauge of where their daughter and should give them an understanding of the coaches decisions.
I do agree it can de-motivate a player or creates a situation where a girl is ridiculed. But I think with good coaching, these situations can be avoided.
The pitcher's mom who used to keep book walked with her kid, curious to see how things change with the new scorekeeper.
Not sure about batting stats, but I'm pretty sure the ratio of earned runs to errors is going to shift drastically. ;-)
Not sure about batting stats, but I'm pretty sure the ratio of earned runs to errors is going to shift drastically. ;-)
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