Too Many Teams

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Jul 14, 2018
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Now that the silly season of tryouts is wrapping up, it's time for the local coaches out there to switch gears from posting their tryout info online to posting rants about how there are too many teams and that the talent pool is too diluted. There are raging discussions on three local TB message boards that I follow at the moment.

I'm struggling to understand the problem here. I think it's great that there are so many teams, and so many opportunities for girls to play softball at whatever level they are able to compete. The biggest gripe I hear from coaches is this 'dilution' of talent, but I can't get my head around why this is an issue.

I live in PA but DD plays for a team in NJ. Last season there were 10 A-level teams in NJ at the 12U level. In reality, the top four or five were way ahead of the rest. To me, that represents a problem of concentration, not dilution. If four teams have such a surplus of talent at 1-9, and four pitchers who dominate, what good does that do anyone? These are the coaches that are complaining that they have to travel out of state just to play a competitive game.

The funniest thing is the coaches that are starting new teams, and then complaining that there are too many teams out there and that they can't fill a roster. Well, boo-hoo :cry: Nobody is flocking to your Triple Diamond Elite Premiere Select Ladybugs even though you're a 12-time runner up for NFCA coach of the year. Oh, and your daughter is a pitcher.

Sorry, that's my rant for the day. If someone has a cogent argument for why there should be fewer softball teams in the world, I'm all ears.
 
Feb 26, 2018
328
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We had 11 A level teams at 12U here in Michigan last year, and it was the same with the top 4 or 5 were just that much further ahead than anyone else. It's going to be the same way at 13U, just with more teams in the middle or at the bottom. 2 of the top 5 teams from last year split up, and the top 3 teams got even stronger by adding their players. There's nothing that can be done about it and you just hope you can give them a tough game and learn something from it. I don't have any issues with the number of teams. Not every girl is an A level, B level, etc player, so it's good to have the right competition level for everyone. This is what's needed to grow the sport, be inclusive.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
I want more not less. The more girls playing the better. There isn't too many teams. We have basiclly demolished Rec softball and entry level softball and less experienced or even new players need a place to go. That has become lower-level travel which frankly is not ideal but there you go.

The one coach I can't stand whining about this is the coach or program who used to get all the best players because they were the only option. However people got sick of them taking all the talent, so now people have options. You will get the "It isn't how it used to be" whine or how their old team has 8 D1 players or pitching isn't what it used to be.

The other of course is the coach whose ego is too large to allow him to work with others and believes another similar coach should shut their team down so those players can join this team,. Lots of 'I have 6" teams out there - if they could just put aside their ego and join with another 'I have 6" team they woudl have 12 and be ready to go.
 
Aug 19, 2015
1,118
113
Atlanta, GA
Before posting this, I took a quick glance at the 16U portion of the local bulletin board. Since this past Sunday (8/11), no less than 8 teams have posted looking for an "A-level" or "Elite" pitcher or pitchers (plural). And only a couple of those are teams that I recognize and know to be legit A-level teams. I think the problem is that there just aren't enough A-level pitchers to go around. One excellent and two or three "meh" pitchers do not an elite A-level team make. It's like in Mean Girls: Coach, stop trying to make "A-level" happen!

 
Jul 14, 2018
982
93
You can only have as many teams as you have quality pitchers (and to some extent catchers).

There simply aren't enough quality pitchers for the amount of (position) players that want to play travel.

Okay, that's a legit concern. But again, isn't that a problem of concentration of talent? There was another thread on here recently where a pitcher who throws in the low 50's was considering giving up pitching because she's #4 on the depth chart for her A-level team. I understand that everyone wants to play on the best team possible, and everyone likes to win. But when quality pitchers never step in the circle because one team is stockpiling talent, everybody loses.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
You can only have as many teams as you have quality pitchers (and to some extent catchers).

There simply aren't enough quality pitchers for the amount of (position) players that want to play travel.

One big thing is that the loss of rec has removed a 'safe' place for pitchers to develop. Now anyone who can throw strikes are recruited into 10U travel where people are paying $$$$ and the pressure is on. That is rough and I am seeing pitchers dropping pitching because it is a lot of pressure on a kid who may have learned to pitch as little as 6 months ago.
 

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