question for HC

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Dec 2, 2013
3,409
113
Texas
12 committed players is a good number. I know some will push for more, but experience says that 13 or more is very difficult to manage when they all show up. Unless you're a top team that everyone wants to be on and that plays all the best tournaments, you'll lose people because somebody won't be playing enough.

Here we go again! Bear with me on this and keep an open mind. This is real life experience. 10U/12U a roster of 12 is fine.

You can have 12 committed players, but they will still have issues with scheduling conflicts especially with players that play other HS sports in the fall and have other stuff they are also committed to. I don't understand why people say it's so difficult to manage a team of 16 during a weekend? Every decent TB team 14U and up around my area has at minimum 14 players on a roster. If you have difficulty figuring out how to get playing time for 16 players in a weekend, you are doing it wrong. I see college coaches getting 20 players in a single game in one way or another...3 games in a row.

We have parents coming on here all of the time complaining about playing time with a roster of 12. Going a whole weekend with 1 AB and 2 innings played. Those coaches are doing it wrong! That is a real problem.

I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who's DD is playing D3 college ball. She is a POWER Hitter. I will say, she is better suited as a DP because her defensive skills are lacking. Dad is complaining to me that DD is not playing enough...to their liking. He is also complaining that they are losing. The girl played on one of those teams that goes 45-4 in TB mowing down the Hittin' Kittens every weekend and had a HS school team that we pretty good going a few rounds in the playoffs every year. They are used to winning and she is used to playing a lot and never had to compete for her position or playing time. I felt as though he wanted to create a "safe" environment where she could thrive. She never had to venture out of her comfort zone and the team was a "safe bubble" playing weak teams and weak tournaments. They had one pitcher that dominated and when there was a conflict with her schedule, the team chose not to play those weekends.

Together we pulled up the team stats and I pointed out that it looks like she is getting plenty of AB's compared to the team. Every day players are getting 42 AB's or so. The next group down is getting 25-30 AB's. She is in this category. And then there is the next group down that are getting 10 AB's and then last group getting 0 AB's. I said it appears worse than it actually is. She is getting lots of AB's. So is she REALLY prepared to play in college? Did her TB experience get her ready mentally?

This issue is the same issue Heather Tarr brought up about having bigger rosters on TB team. Kids are not used to sharing innings and AB's because they never had to growing up on certain teams. DD's former TB coach wanted more players on the team so they can battle and compete. If you are the only player at your primary position, where is the incentive to get better? Your team will get better when you are forced to compete at practice. It's hard to bench your 3B for poor play when you don't have anyone to replace her. That will not happen with 12 players on a roster.
 
Jul 22, 2015
851
93
you have a very good 14u team (80% in the fall, playing against some of the better teams in our area), team added one P to the rotation at end of last fall, otherwise same exact team, 12 girls now. team is expected to move to 16u in fall (currently mix of 06 and 07 girls, fairly even), probably losing one of the 07 girls who will stay down (but in same org, dad is AC).

most of the girls have settled into a role, and most probably play 60% or more at their primary positions other than the Ps (4 girl rotation, all get used pretty regularly, mixed staff of flamethrower, movement pitcher, and a couple of location pitchers), most of whom play OF when not pitching. HC currently bats lineup when allowed, and most of the time all the girls deliver at the plate in some way.

do you try to add or upgrade this coming summer, at the possible cost of team chemistry? girls and parents for the most part get along, stuff crops up, but it is just normal teenage girl crap, and it shifts, there are no real cliques it seems (ie who is on the outs shifts every week or two).
You can easily add one or two players to this size roster and get everyone plenty of time, especially if you happen to have or add a P only. I feel like you have to either be playing just for fun or always trying to improve until you build a roster that you simply can't imagine changing. We've had a roster of 16 in the past at 18u and kept everyone pretty happy because we simply never had 16 girls there. They were all committed to the team, but between school events, college visits, testing, injuries, etc the older they get the more things that seem to come up.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
Here we go again! Bear with me on this and keep an open mind. This is real life experience. 10U/12U a roster of 12 is fine.

You can have 12 committed players, but they will still have issues with scheduling conflicts especially with players that play other HS sports in the fall and have other stuff they are also committed to. I don't understand why people say it's so difficult to manage a team of 16 during a weekend? Every decent TB team 14U and up around my area has at minimum 14 players on a roster. If you have difficulty figuring out how to get playing time for 16 players in a weekend, you are doing it wrong. I see college coaches getting 20 players in a single game in one way or another...3 games in a row.

We have parents coming on here all of the time complaining about playing time with a roster of 12. Going a whole weekend with 1 AB and 2 innings played. Those coaches are doing it wrong! That is a real problem.

I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who's DD is playing D3 college ball. She is a POWER Hitter. I will say, she is better suited as a DP because her defensive skills are lacking. Dad is complaining to me that DD is not playing enough...to their liking. He is also complaining that they are losing. The girl played on one of those teams that goes 45-4 in TB mowing down the Hittin' Kittens every weekend and had a HS school team that we pretty good going a few rounds in the playoffs every year. They are used to winning and she is used to playing a lot and never had to compete for her position or playing time. I felt as though he wanted to create a "safe" environment where she could thrive. She never had to venture out of her comfort zone and the team was a "safe bubble" playing weak teams and weak tournaments. They had one pitcher that dominated and when there was a conflict with her schedule, the team chose not to play those weekends.

Together we pulled up the team stats and I pointed out that it looks like she is getting plenty of AB's compared to the team. Every day players are getting 42 AB's or so. The next group down is getting 25-30 AB's. She is in this category. And then there is the next group down that are getting 10 AB's and then last group getting 0 AB's. I said it appears worse than it actually is. She is getting lots of AB's. So is she REALLY prepared to play in college? Did her TB experience get her ready mentally?

This issue is the same issue Heather Tarr brought up about having bigger rosters on TB team. Kids are not used to sharing innings and AB's because they never had to growing up on certain teams. DD's former TB coach wanted more players on the team so they can battle and compete. If you are the only player at your primary position, where is the incentive to get better? Your team will get better when you are forced to compete at practice. It's hard to bench your 3B for poor play when you don't have anyone to replace her. That will not happen with 12 players on a roster.

I'm pretty sure I have a similar amount of real-life experience. If there are all sorts of player conflicts, then I'd argue that you don't have "committed" players. Yes, in that situation, and the other exceptions that I outlined, then you probably need more than 12. However, the practical reality is that when you have more than 12 in the dugout, some fairly simple math says that you'd better have some players who don't expect to play much or you're going to have a problem.

I don't care what Heather Tarr says. She's a college coach and her self-interest drives her perspective. Likewise, every player at the TB level wants to be on the field. If they can't do that with the team they're on, the vast majority will look for one that needs them more. This is especially true for players who won't be playing for Coach Tarr. I disagree that it's impossible to have a strong competition for playing time with a smaller roster. DD's team emphasizes versatility, and if you can't play more than one position well, you may sit more than you want. I'm sure there are some teams that have people pounding down the door to ride the bench as the backup third-baseman, but they are more the exception than the rule.
 
Last edited:
Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
You don't have 9 starters and 5 scrubs. If a coach is taking on players just to ride the pine and pay dues that is shameful. You have 14 to 16 athletes competing for playing time. Also, being a successful 14/16u TB pitcher is a part time job. Many (not all) pitchers are not very good hitters and will be on the bench when not pitching. Throw in injuries and family activities obligations and you really NEED to have at least 14 players minimum.
 

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