Stats? How to address it when Coach makes a mistake.

[Sweet Pitch 96]

I'm a newbie, and normally try to stay off message boards, but I could really use some advice.

My daugther, after a shoulder injury in the fall, has struggled at the plate this spring. She used to hit in the 500 range and see tons of at-bats. Now...well let's say she's had less than half the at-bats that she used to and can't seem to get on base. She's putting the ball in play 3/4 of the time, but it's going where the players can make a play. Shes' been working really hard and has started to improve, but she has to dig her way out of a hole when it comes to her average.

Well, her coach is very very thorough and organized. He reports all the stats to the parents. This past tournament he didn't give her credit for a 2RBI triple. With as few at-bats as she's seeing and as low as her average is, it would make a big difference. I mentioned it to him, but I don't think he believes us. And yes, it was a valid triple stroked into the outfiled and not due to errors.

I don't want to be considered a difficult parent. As far as playing time and game strategy decisions, I keep my mouth shut. But this is a big deal to a kid who's trying to get it back together.

Any ideas on how to handle it gracefully?

 

[SoCalDad]

Does he keep his own stats while on the field or does he rely on the stats kept by your scorekeeper? If the latter check with the scorekeeper to figure out why she was not given credit for the RBI triple.

 

[Sweet Pitch 96]

Does he keep his own stats while on the field or does he rely on the stats kept by your scorekeeper? If the latter check with the scorekeeper to figure out why she was not given credit for the RBI triple.

I believe the assistant coaches rotate keeping score depending on who's on the field when we are batting. He said he would look into it and make corrections if they were needed. Any opinion on how long I should wait before addressing it if he doesn't fix the error?

 

[mudbug]

Hmmm. Id just give him a week, then ask him politely if he has had a chance to look into it yet.

Keeping track of all stats and publishing them to parents could be good, or bad. As Mark Twain said, "There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics".

DD once played for a team that had a parent who was a "team statistician". Most every stat possible was calculated on season and recent game basis. Played a lot of games, and it took someone a great deal of time to do that. Pretty much totally useless too.

Stats dont necessarily tell much, unless they are all on same basis for everyone. Unfortunately, some players play against good teams and pitchers, and others against weaker teams and pitchers when the game is already won. Some teams play weak competition, some play tough. Some players are always allowed to hit-away, others are told to bunt and sacrifice when they come to bat. Some are dependable in clutch situations and come thru with big hits, some choke.

In this case it sounds like the publicizing of stats has caused you and your daughter, probably others too, to be a bit self-conscious of them. Personally, I dont think thats a good thing.

 

[mad hornet]

I agree. I keep stats as a coach for tactical purposes but generally don't share them with parents or kids.

 

[sluggers]

With as few at-bats as she's seeing and as low as her average is, it would make a big difference.

In what? Does the coach base playing time on the statistical batting average?

Is this rec ball, HS softball, or travel ball?

 

[alexander58]

I would hope coaches would use their eyes instead of relying on statistics in regards to where kids bat.A girl could hit 3 screamers right at somebody and have nothing to show for it. Another girl could hit 3 infield dribblers for hits and bat a thousand. While things usually even out over time, I'd rather judge how batters are doing by what I see. The quickest way to start trouble, is by handing out stats to all the parents. If a parent keeps stats, I'd prefer they keep them to themselves.

 

[ang4yanks]

I have been reading material on youth sports/youth sports psychology for years. You didn't happen to mention the age of your daughter, but our rule of thumb, has always been to shy away from statistics at an early age and focus on development..."Do you feel you are playing better than you were at the beginning of the season?" They need to self-evaluate and rely on the education gained from good sources. Execute, apply. I have a daughter and son that both pitch...we don't own a radar gun. My husband emphasized location (with their best speed), but emphasis was never about speed. When my son played rec all-stars at 7 years old, I was told he finished third in batting average. I kept the information to myself. I learned how to keep a scorebook before I was ten years old (longgg time ago : ), and there is great value in it...especially for coaches. In crucial developmental years, children do not need statistics to motivate them. They need to learn intrinsic motivation through self-evaluating improvement. That's my take.

 

[mad hornet]

I would hope coaches would use their eyes instead of relying on statistics in regards to where kids bat.A girl could hit 3 screamers right at somebody and have nothing to show for it. Another girl could hit 3 infield dribblers for hits and bat a thousand. While things usually even out over time, I'd rather judge how batters are doing by what I see. The quickest way to start trouble, is by handing out stats to all the parents. If a parent keeps stats, I'd prefer they keep them to themselves.

That's why I don't share the stats. You could be giving a parent false justification for why thier dd should be batting up in the order etc. when as a coach you know better. One of my team rules is we don't even discuss other players with a parent other than their own.

On the flip side, I have found that by keeping stats sometimes I realize a player is doing better than I remembered. You see the hits in the book and the light flicks on "oh yea, she hit some nice ones". A lot happens in a weekend and it's easy to lose some of the highlights if you don't take the time to tally it up and reflect.

 

[Cannonball]

Stats are what you want to make of them. My dd had 8 walks counted as at bats last year. While this hurt her average, we (parents) didn't want to "sweat the small stuff" to us. Had we made a big deal about it, it might have gotten in to her head. I understand that some people want to make a big deal about stats. It is their child and they want to be sure all is fair. We have found that being "stats minded" can make you miserable and you don't have any control over it. I guess a parent's and players goals and their perception of stats in their child's goals is important but only to a limited point. If the level you seek is college, a college coach will know once they see your child swing a bat. JMHO!