Showcase - Playing Time Question

[chesapeakejet]

When my daughter played 16U a year ago, her team went to a few showcases and the coach played everyone. Not equal time mind you, but even the girl with the least amount of time had played at least 2 games. Now her 18U team with new coaching plays the showcase games like it's a regular tournament. After a weekend of 5 games, some girls have played a total of 5 innings while others never sat. This was puzzling to me as I thought the idea of a showcase was to show all your players, not 80% of them. I asked the coaches about this, citing that I'm no expert, and in a nutshell was told that's the way it was and we could go elsewhere if we didn't like it (yep, I was shocked). Needless to say, I haven't brought it up again and won't.

My question is, is it normal to play all the girls a decent amount of time in a showcase, or not?

 

[GOINGDEEP]

It's not such a cut and dry answer. The colleges can "ask" to see certain players play, and that very well might have been the situation. Maybe the girls who got the most time had contacted these college coaches and arranged they come see them. Some players may not have had CC's travel to see them. So in that case, yes we would play those girls who are being "watched" more.

Next would be how old is your DD and what grade? Some expo teams tend to play the older group ( girls entering senior year ) more often ( if they haven't committed somewhere ) because the window of time is closing. Younger girls play a tad less, unless your a very good player, but usually if that's the fact my first paragraph answers that option.

You might just be playing for an idiot. Never count that out in sports.

If you're new to the team, he might feel entitled to play his girls who have been around more.

Bottom line, if it keeps going like you're not getting a fair deal. Walk away and find another team.

 

[David Carter]

I would hope if a girl/parents have built a relationship with a prospective coach and that coach comes to the tournament that kid should play a lot. Other players might have a couple coaches coming to the next tournament and get more playing time then. Ironically on 18U teams the oldest girls might get less playing time if they have already committed in lieu of a girl trying to get a scholarship. If it is just an exposure tourney with no special coaches or players being showcased I would expect it to be played mostly straight up like a tournament again though girls "within their window" might get more time. I would be worried if there are 5 or 6 girls already committed that are getting all the playing time that would not bode well but 14 and 15 yr olds playing up that don't get time should be expected (which is why I'd recommend they stay down if they are not going to play anyway)

I guess need a few more specifics on who is playing and what their situations are before passing judgement.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

His reply to you was not very professional, at all.

 

[coach james]

IMO... when I think of a showcase tourney, its about getting the girls exposure.... all the girls …a standard tourney is about winning, so maybe a weaker player will sit more.

 

[Lenski]

Was it a TRUE exposure tournament or was it a tournament with national or regional bids that called themselves an exposure tournament?

 

[JAD]

We treat showcases like friendly tournaments. Every girl gets to play, not equally, but a lot of girls play more than they would in an ASA qualifier! We also bat everyone and usually switch up the batting order from game to game to try to give everyone equal opportunity to shine. Older players (in graduation year) are played in their primary positions more than the younger players.

We usually allow each pitcher to throw two innings per game and switch the starting/middle relief/and closer roles from game to game.

 

[Chewy_06]

Well.. at risk of sounding like a broken record... this is another one of those things that needs to be discussed at that very first meeting. Ask the coach if the opportunity for a showcase tournament exists & if so, what is their philosophy about play time. It's SO much easier when it's upfront and on the table from the get go. The only risk is where a coach doesnt walk their talk - but, reality is, as parents you can decide whether it's an important enough an issue to go to war over or not. I'd like to think that coaches that dont act consistently with what they tell their parents end up with a reputation and ultimately will have trouble recruiting/retaining kids.

My two cents worth at least.

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

chesapeakejet,

If you were on the West Coast I would swear that our DD's played for the same 18Gold Coach. There were showcases where DD played 2 innings on Saturday and not at all on Sunday. When she approached him about it he said she was doing fine and to quit attacking him about it, Really Coach?

Before accepting a spot on the roster we asked him about rotation during showcases and were told that there was a "true rotation" but no guarantees on innings; if you are put in and were sucking you could get pulled, "equal opportunity" and all that.

The moral of the story is NEVER TRUST THAT A COACH IS TELLING THE TRUTH. Many will say anything, promise anything to get a kid on the roster, once they have your money you are mostly stuck. The best bet is to ask other pitchers/parents how rotations actually work.

 

[joemcq51]

A couple things come into play with exposure type tournaments. Yes, most allow free substitution and you can bat everyone. This allows most teams to shuffle kids in and out easily. The team my DD plays for bats every girl and tries to get the girls in at least half the defensive outs a game. One of my observations of exposure tournaments is that the top teams get the better fields and schedule preferences. They also draw the college coaches to their games for obvious reasons. If you are considered a lesser team, they seem to play slightly different during their games. A lot of those teams are trying to make a name for themselves. They play their best players full games and play to win. Perhaps they feel like beating a traditionally good team in a showcase proves they belong. I am not sure what the right answer is. I always want my DD's team to play well, but don't really look at wins or losses. Other teams keep score and like to say they went 5-0 on the weekend. Reality is your DD needs to make the most of whatever playing time she gets. You never know when the ball is going to be hit to her and who will see it. Make the most of every situation.