When should a relief pitcher warm up

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Jan 31, 2011
453
43
I think its reasonable to have a kid get warm before the game, and then get loose the inning before she goes in as a relief. Not sure it makes sense for 4 pitchers to warm up before a game because that means 8 kids are dedicated to it about 20-30 minutes prior to a game.

1) I think having 2 pitchers warm up before every game makes sense and then let the non-starter know that "I plan to put you in at some point if needed, so make sure you're ready." A coach should have a plan in his/her head about "when" that relief will likely go in.
2) Say the starter falls apart in the first couple of innings, then the relief pitcher should be ready from the pre-game warm up.
3) Say the starter goes past those 3 innings, then I would look to the reliver and say I need you to throw a little to get loose. Many times, I am looking for the starter to get a couple times through the line-up and make the switch when you know the batters have made the adjustment. Communicate to the relief pitcher.
4) Communicate with the pitchers before the game and let them know your plan.
5) This is also a great area to delegate to the AC to make sure the relief pitcher is ready to go in both physically and mentally.

This whole thing should be a learning experience for the kids. There are many variations & I'm sure every coach has blown this at least once. But, singling out a kid after a game in front of the team is bad coaching, IMHO. If he told your DD to get warm during the game and she didn't, then that is on her. But hitting up a kid cold when a game is falling apart is not cool.
 
Jun 27, 2021
418
63
If she’s on the bench, between innings or if a pitcher starts struggling she needs to be able to take it upon herself to get on her bands, stretch anything to help speed up the process. Not saying throwing live pitchs but doing anything to help keep her loose. Coaches need to do a better job of setting expectations of games of starter, relief etc.
 
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
That coach is not the brightest. According to that policy, her pitchers will average throwing about 1,000 pitches a day by warming up and then staying warm during every game they play. Note to all coaches -- warm-up pitches count. Don't warm up every pitcher you have before every game. That's too many pitches during a day. Have a plan. Stick to it. Those are fake diamonds in the rings they give you for winning but real tendons in your pitcher's arms and legs. :)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS!!!!!! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What I do is warm up two pitchers before a game. I call them Primary and Secondary. The girl who pitched the last game is resting. I will tell the Secondary pitcher to go out and throw about 10 pitches at some point during a game depending on the situation. I tell them I just want them loose. Not a full warm up.
If the starter is cruising it will be later in the game. If she is struggling it will be sooner.

It is not the player's responsibility to decide when to warm up. Look at MLB. All the pitchers in the bullpen are sitting down until they get a call from the dugout. These are grown men, many with years in the league, and they don't warm up on their own.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS!!!!!! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What I do is warm up two pitchers before a game. I call them Primary and Secondary. The girl who pitched the last game is resting. I will tell the Secondary pitcher to go out and throw about 10 pitches at some point during a game depending on the situation. I tell them I just want them loose. Not a full warm up.
If the starter is cruising it will be later in the game. If she is struggling it will be sooner.

It is not the player's responsibility to decide when to warm up. Look at MLB. All the pitchers in the bullpen are sitting down until they get a call from the dugout. These are grown men, many with years in the league, and they don't warm up on their own.
👍

Have a plan and communicate it!
 
Jul 22, 2015
851
93
The coach asked the wrong question. He should have asked if she was ready to come in, not if she had warmed up. I think it's reasonable as they get a little older to expect a pitcher who is sitting the bench to be ready at any point, even if they haven't specifically been told to go get ready. In particular, if she sees a pitcher struggling some, I'd go toss a few into a net at a minimum. The coach needs to communicate the plan before the game though. The 2nd pitcher needs to know that they will be the 2nd pitcher.
 
May 8, 2021
6
3
Similar to what others have posted. Your DD's coach doesn't seem like they communicate very well. If four pitchers warmed up before the game, but none of them were told they would be the relief/secondary pitcher, how are the players to know who is coming in next. Sure your DD was on the bench, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she is up next to pitch. Hopefully your DD's coach just had a bad day and this isn't normal behavior.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
This is kind of stating the obvious~
in a simple way
What I have noticed about lousy communicators is~
They might have a grand plan in their brain,
Because they don't communicate, it doesn't get facilitated and the result is disorganized.
 

Jsw

Sep 29, 2021
1
1
Pretty straight forward, especially at this age, it’s the coaches responsibility to ensure they know what they’re going to do with the pitchers and for them to be ready. If I don’t have the pitcher I need ready to go, then I didn’t manage the game. It’s not the kids fault.
 
May 1, 2018
659
63
1. Coach sounds like a D Bag.
2. Was there a catcher or another coach on the bench? Who did he expect her to warm up with?
3. Major league pitchers don't randomly warm up during games just in case.... they are told. So we hold 14u players to higher standards than that?
 

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