Would you take this girl?

[junkball]

Wouldn't take her in 12u because of the limitations you mentioned. Two things.

1. Maybe coach already had a girl or two on the team that were limited to only a position or two, it's fine having one girl that can only play first or only pitch, but having three...that's a problem
2. At 12u you want as much playing time as possible. Playing for a C team or rec will result in more playing time and more chances to improve.

If you/she wants improvement, address the weaknesses head on. Sounds like she's a decent pitcher. Cut down on pitching practice to work on other areas if practice time is limited.

Also, 30s seems real real real slow for 12u B. Around here that is closer to rec ball.

 

[canyonjoe]

Unless she can really hit I would have a hard time taking her just to pitch unless I had none. I hate players that can only play one position unless it
happens to be a great SS.

 

[Seattlecoach]

Unless she can really hit I would have a hard time taking her just to pitch unless I had none. I hate players that can only play one position unless it
happens to be a great SS.

I have yet to meet a great SS that can't hold her own in just about every other position, let alone one other.

I agree with your basic point, versatility over specialty. Though if there was one position I'd make an exception it would be P but the circumstance would have to be right.

 

[canyonjoe]

I have yet to meet a great SS that can't hold her own in just about every other position, let alone one other.

I agree with your basic point, versatility over specialty. Though if there was one position I'd make an exception it would be P but the circumstance would have to be right.

I was kind of kidding about the SS part.

 

[BobInMadison]

I need to re-iterate that the question was not whether the girl was good enough for a B team, but whether she was a good fit for what the coach for THAT B team was looking for.

An example of two B teams in the same organization:
DD 3 is in a B organization with a 13u team that is borderline A/B in level, a solid 14u team that plays B level, and another 14u team that plays C level. All are considered B teams.

DD 3 is on the 13u team. She is one of the two starting pitchers, one of the better hitters and sluggers, the best base stealer, a strong fielder who can play multiple positions (esp. SS and 3B), and is the emergency catcher (#3 catcher). She only made the team because a better pitcher joined an A team instead. Not their first choice, but she is on the team.

She knows several girls on the lesser 14u team who simply couldn't make any other team. Some are still 12u but not good enough for that organiztion's 12u team.

So the question of whether a particular girl could make a B team boils down to: what is the competition and what are the coaches looking for.

For the OP's DD, it is clear that she was not what one B coach was looking for, but was what one C coach was looking for.

Best of luck to her. May she pitch many scoreless innings.

 

[njsoftballdad]

As the ex-coach of a 12U B town team, I would take her every day and twice on Sunday...and if we were luck she would be pitching twice on Sunday.

 

[FrozenRope]

I'd take her if she added value to my pitching staff....if and only if I felt like she was willing to work at her deficiencies. She would need to impress me with her work ethic. The not able to slide thing....and you supporting it is a red flag for me.

 

[dgh31]

I'd take her if she added value to my pitching staff....if and only if I felt like she was willing to work at her deficiencies. She would need to impress me with her work ethic. The not able to slide thing....and you supporting it is a red flag for me.

I'm OK with her not being able to slide right now because I really fear she would get hurt. She runs so slow if she tried to slide it would be more like just sitting down. She's just a big uncoordinated kid. She got with a great pitching coach and for some reason she took to it and is really good at pitching. I'd say her work ethic is top notch. She pitches 4 nights a week every week for about 18 months. She rides one hour each way to go to pitching practice every week year round. I think that shows she is willing to work. We will continue to work on the rest of her game.

Again it was just a question of would you want the best pitcher on your team or would you prefer an all around athlete. I know if I was coaching the team I would want the best pitcher. Obviously the coach of the team felt differently.

 

[DNeeld]

I'm OK with her not being able to slide right now because I really fear she would get hurt. She runs so slow if she tried to slide it would be more like just sitting down. She's just a big uncoordinated kid.

Honestly, I would do everything possible to get her on another team under another coach regardless of classification. You being her coach and, quite frankly, making excuses for her limitations isn't going to allow her to develop.

Not to pile on, but not sliding at 12U is a HUGE red flag. And with a parent encouraging her not to slide, many coaches will pass on her simply based on the chance you are one of "those" parents. What's next? Encourage her not to bunt if called on? Encourage her to throw certain pitches regardless of what is called? Not saying you would, but I promise that is in the back of a coach's mind.

Put her somewhere that will force her to develop her base running (including sliding) and hitting. It will benefit her greatly for the future.

 

[Eric F]

I'm OK with her not being able to slide right now because I really fear she would get hurt. She runs so slow if she tried to slide it would be more like just sitting down. She's just a big uncoordinated kid. She got with a great pitching coach and for some reason she took to it and is really good at pitching. I'd say her work ethic is top notch. She pitches 4 nights a week every week for about 18 months. She rides one hour each way to go to pitching practice every week year round. I think that shows she is willing to work. We will continue to work on the rest of her game.

Again it was just a question of would you want the best pitcher on your team or would you prefer an all around athlete. I know if I was coaching the team I would want the best pitcher. Obviously the coach of the team felt differently.

Sticking to your question....It depends. For my decision, it would depend on the make-up of the rest of the team, and what my other pitching options are.


EDIT: I'm going to beat the horse again....

Not sliding is not safer. More than once (including in a game 2 weeks ago), my catcher-beast DD has had stand-up collisions with players who didn't slide. My DD is wearing a lot more protection than the runner. I'll give you one guess which player heads back to the dugout in pain more often after those incidents. Learning to properly execute a slide is a critical skill for playing the game.

From a coach's perspective, a player not being able/willing to slide is a player that will often be on the bench in place of a hitter who can/will.