Primarily by hitting the ball. If she is a good IF/OF/C with a great bat she will get looks. If she can't hit then it probably doesn't matter if she fields everything at 3B/RF or whatever. If her deficiencies are minor technical flaws that she can correct they will be overlooked. College coaches know what they can fix and what they can't.
Question for coaches
- Thread starter ncgolf
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Primarily by hitting the ball. If she is a good IF/OF/C with a great bat she will get looks. If she can't hit then it probably doesn't matter if she fields everything at 3B/RF or whatever. If her deficiencies are minor technical flaws that she can correct they will be overlooked. College coaches know what they can fix and what they can't.
Of course. If she is happy, that's great.
I "interpreted" the original question as whether it would be limiting to play utility for that team. If she hasn't come close to maxing out her skill level while holding her own with her teammates, then it would be limiting to stay on a team which does not provide the impetus to work your hardest regardless of how many different positions. If she is being shifted all the time, I think that speaks more to the teams talent level or possible coaching mentality. I get and agree with an IF, OF and specialty position. It sounds more like a case of using her to plug gaps in different alignments without forcing others to step up their game. Again, just my opinion.
This is exactly what I am seeing. This is an A level travel team and I see it as both a talent level and coaching issue. She is misused and is not rewarded for her play but we are told its for the better of the team. She is being used to help develop everybody else. I do believe she should have her position because she has earned it and if you want to play more at her position .. play better than her. It's BS. What I do see is the coaches daughter is the other SS and is not at the same talent level as my DD. This is not me being a bragger and is plain to see as other parents come by and wonder why my DD is not at the position. We are not staying with this team but it is something I have run into with my DD, she does not complain but plays hard at any position she is asked to play.
She wonders why this happens as she thinks she does everything asked of her.
It really stinks and don't know how it is going to change .. even by going to another team. It becomes evident quickly what she can do.
Can I ask why you do this .. no disrespect but I can tell you it bothers these girls. My daughter enjoys and can play SS at a high level but does not get the reps necessary for her to improve. She is supplanted by a less talented girl and plays where the void is hence she plays a lot less at her favorite position than skill should dictate.
Is this just the way its going to be?
The best player on our 10u team plays pitcher, ss, and cf. If its a pool game she might sit. The goal of a head coach is to improve all his players and try to keep the kids and parents happy while winning games. The more understanding the parents are the easier it is. We sit the better players in the pool games because we might have to sit the weaker ones a lot if we get deep into the brackets. Remember, any head coach at 14u is juggling to make most the parents happy. If he is playing blatant daddy ball, he will make everyone unhappy.
I agree with your handling of 10u players. My situation was a 14U travel team that always plays A bracket. Why the coach did not manage the team to the level the parents expected is what really set in motion a large number of departures .. including us. The top players all left after the last tournament. The parents and kids expected a merit based experience .. the coach promised it but it did not happen.
That said yes a coach needs to make sure an appropriate backup is always ready to replace so its not really full time but the best players at their position should play more at the position they earned than the backup.
I agree with your handling of 10u players. My situation was a 14U travel team that always plays A bracket. Why the coach did not manage the team to the level the parents expected is what really set in motion a large number of departures .. including us. The top players all left after the last tournament. The parents and kids expected a merit based experience .. the coach promised it but it did not happen.
That said yes a coach needs to make sure an appropriate backup is always ready to replace so its not really full time but the best players at their position should play more at the position they earned than the backup.
- Jun 24, 2013
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Ah yes, the dreaded "daddy-ball". I too have seen my DD's not placed in a position that plays to their strengths, while the HC and AC's DD's gets the reps at other positions. I also see this as a way coaches use to try to keep all of the parents happy. However it can backfire as some, more knowledgeable parents, start questioning the coaches ability, especially if they start losing. When my DD was in and shined, then the coach rotated to another player at that posiiton, who subsequently made errors, but was another coaches DD, the parents wondered why my DD was swapped out. They thought the coach should have stuck with the hot hand, especially in an elimination game, which we subsequently lost.
As a coach I would use a player like this depending on the other's girls strengths and the team we are playing. If the team we are playing is sending the balls out to the green, then I need her covering the green. If they are small balling us then maybe I need her in the IF more. In most of the A level teams I have seen, there is not a big drop off in talent level when a girl is rotated in.
Hah .. that happened almost to the letter to my DD this year.
We did do a regional travel team for a year and left as that level of travel was more than my daughter wanted .. she was 13 at the time. She is a step above her recent travel team teammates and I guess the best I can do is find a team with lots of good players. We do have another regional 16u showcase tryout later this month coached by a university coaching staff ... smaller DII school. She does fine when independent eyes evaluate her talent so if she can make this it may be the best. She was one of six that made a regional travel team out of 40 girls trying out so she does have tools coaches like. The other option my wife and I kicked around was her old rec coach coaches a lower level team and basically she would be the SS all the time. He would take her any time we asked .. however easy that sounds it probably isn't the best long term.
Someone else mentioned finding a higher level of talent to play with but that always entails more regional travel as I am finding out.
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