Spreading out the uh...poor hitters

[CoachPete]

Any ideas on how to spread out the struggling hitters in 14U? Go for broke in the 1st inning then suffer a couple innings of Ks & easy outs or spread them out. I've got 3 amazing sluggers, 3 consistent singles hitters, a couple of weak hitters that can bunt and 3 girls that really struggle. Unfortunately its fall ball so I can't DP/Flex.

 

[redhotcoach]

Shock and awe from the start. Put the 3 strugglers together. Great hitters consistently getting LOB by the same girls really wears on a team.

 

[CoachKevin]

Work on hitting? LOL I'm kidding. Yup put runs on the board early... then pray

 

[ignition]

I've run like this with decent game results. Puts runs up with your first at bat.

1. Fastest non-hitter that can bunt.
2. Fastest Slugger
3. Fastest Consistent Single
4. Slowest Slugger
5. Consistent Single
6. Slugger

Everyone else.

 

[quincy]

If you know going into the game that runs are going to be at a premium you need to put all your best hitters together and just give up on innings when it hits your batting order wrong,

If you feel like you are going to score some runs I like spreading out the talent a little bit so the defense does not have any free innings. So many innings open up just getting that 1st runner on base that I would like to have a reasonable chance of placing some stress on the defense every inning.

 

[CoogansBluff]

I say put your best hitters up top and forget trying to space them out.

It's more important for your best hitters to bat as much as possible, imo. If you space them out, you're just testing a theory that it will produce more runs. If you put your best hitters at the top, you are guaranteed of one thing -- your best hitters will bat a lot more than your worst hitters. And that's got to be a good thing.

Take my team, per example.

Our top three hitters batted about .475 and had 403 plate appearances.
My bottom three hitters batted about .225 and had 304 plate appearances.

We batted all 10 every game.

It just made sense to me that our best chance was letting the .475 hitters bat as much as possible, and letting the .225 hitters bat as little as possible.

 

[quincy]

As long as DD is the leadoff hitter I do not care what you do with the rest of the lineup, umm not a helpful post is it.

I think it was Bill James that said batting order doesn’t matter, bat them any order you want and you will get the same results.

I hate innings where we are done from the start. No facts to back me up but putting DD between our 2 weakest hitters would make the lineup better.

 

[Phathead]

I am like most on here. I stack the fastest to slowest of best if runs are needed.

 

[marriard]

Travel - weak hitters at the end of the lineup and hope for the best. Put those who can make contact and bunt first (and in fact spend a lot of time teaching them to bunt)

Rec... well that is different. I don't agree with a lot of things on the following site, but his 8U/10U rec league strategies are pretty solid and the 12U strategy probably works for you in 14U competitive ball.

12U Batting Order
Winning 10U Batting Order Strategy - League Play
The Winning 8U Batting Order Strategy for Fastpitch Softball

 

[BrianMonk]

Any ideas on how to spread out the struggling hitters in 14U? Go for broke in the 1st inning then suffer a couple innings of Ks & easy outs or spread them out. I've got 3 amazing sluggers, 3 consistent singles hitters, a couple of weak hitters that can bunt and 3 girls that really struggle. Unfortunately its fall ball so I can't DP/Flex.

Are these 3 hitters going to be with you in the Spring/Summer?

If so, bat them 1,2,3 to get them more reps. Nothing would help the team more in summer than to improve your weakest links now.