Where to put the girl who is not quite ready?

[druer]

Why do some feel 2b over 1b?

I think primarily for the main reason Ken mentioned, even if she bobbles ground balls she probably has time to recover and still get the girl out.

Playing 1B gives her a million ways to cost the team the game, bobble throws, not charging bunts, turning and making bad throws if she does cover bunt, not covering first on sharply hit balls to right field that could result in girls thrown out at first, not fielding catchable foul balls, not covering home on plays where catcher moves up the 3B line at a runner and so on. Lots of nuances at 1B that inexperienced player will miss besides any athletic weaknesses.

 

[SnocatzDad]

If your pitching is solid (sounds like it is) you might find 75-80% of your plays on the right side of the field so I'd be real nervous about putting the weak kid at 2B or 1B because one or both will probably be involved in every put out.

If your not comfortable putting her at 1B you shouldn't be comfortable putting her at 2B because if an opposing coach regonizes that he'll bunt more often and test the 2B's ability to cover 1B.

LF is probably the standard answer, but in my mind an error in the infield usually costs a base and an error in the outfield usually costs two bases. IMO High School age girls can put plenty of balls in play to the outfield, but that might be an opponent by opponent decision.

Don't laugh, IMO unless you playing opponents that can direct slaps I'd hide her at short stop. Think about this. If your opponent is bunting that's (1B,2B,3B,P,C) that need to be solid. If your opponent is bombing (RF,CF,LF) need to be solid. If your opponent is hitting lots of grounders and your pitching is strong more than 75% will be on the right side of the field and 2B might be the busiest spot on the field.

The only thing you give up is coverage of the SS slot and throw downs on steals. Stealing 2B doesn't lose/win games relative to the mistakes that can be made at the other positions. Worst case you cheat the SS over so that they can do a decent job covering on a throw down.

I know your probably thinking I'm crazy and your current SS is the team leader and plays the position like a pro and is your best infielder. Just analyze your games and ask yourself if your putting your best infielder where the most balls go and if it's worth seeing her make one great play every 4 games at SS while you watch someone else struggle to make 4 plays per game at 2B.

 

[SBFAMILY]

Lot's of good points . We have a dominate pitcher and go thru this same thing. 1 run can beat you in high school. You cannot hide her in the infield. You hope LF, but that could back fire. Short stop will kill you. They will steal second. Then fake the bunt and steal third and if she makes a mistake now it costs you a run. SS in our area better be the fastest runner on your team. The short game and stealing is big. If a girl gets on third then you are going to see a bunt. Most of are games are decided by 1 run. With dominate pitching you have to control anyone from getting to third base. We steal third anytime we get equal to the short stop on the break. This is a green light to our kids. So short has to fast , and smart. Plus she must have a very strong arm with slap coverage. We tried the second base idea a few years back and it cost us the State final four game 3-2. Second , not covering first base on a play will kill you. The one thing in left field an error, still gives you a short throw. Right field an error, could be a long throw to third. We plot hits and right field get most of the activity with left field nothing, sometimes in an entire game .

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

Why do some feel 2b over 1b?

at 2b, if the ball at least gets knocked down by her there is a lot of time to make the play. at 1b the play has got to be made for the out, and most of the time it is happening fast and she needs to make the catch under duress.

Just make sure she can cover 1b on bunt defense.

 

[StacieM]

Like the others said, it definitely depends on what the players weaknesses and strengths are. It also depends on the rest of your team and the team you are going to face.

Will your team be late and hit to RF? You may be able to "hide" this player in FL. Like Amy said though, eventually (if not sooner) the ball WILL find this person. Equip her with the ability to at least make your basic plays. Hopefully, with practice she'll at least be able to hold her own most of the time. Make sure your CF if ready to run and cover.

2B is not a bad idea assuming that the other team is not one of those short game teams who'll put that bunt on down often. With good bunting teams, I definitely want a reliable 2B that can handle the pressure because you will need both corners crashing if you hope to get a good bunting team out.

RF can also be a good idea if you have the ability to "pitch away" from that side of the field. Definitely get her used to the idea of covering plays though, that's huge in that position. We often take it for granted, but if the RF isn't there to cover on a play that needs it, it can be a huge mistake.

So, back to what I first said....really depends. I know, lotta help that is. LOL