The coaches daughter

[FastpitchFan84]

Funny you say this, first roster team practice today, I don’t know the girls well at all yet. My DD is a pitcher, Coach’s DD catcher, I know Coach can coach, we’ve lucked out and have multiple former collegiate athletes coaching these girls. Coach’s daughter I’ve only seen stats on, she’s very good, and is versatile and is amazing at bat too, but I was shocked today to hear my daughter say that her teammate (head coach’s daughter) didn’t want to catch her because she “throws too fast.” For reference, it’s an 11U team just moved up to 12inch balls, lots of changes for most of them and my DD is new to a relatively established group. I didn’t expect the coaches daughter to have any reservations catching anyone, after all her mom was a collegiate catcher, my expectation was she would be the most skilled and most confident to step in the catchers box with any girl her age. So yes, in your scenario, as a parent with a daughter trying out, I would have some serious reservations about quality coaching because I have those expectations of a coaches kid. They better deserve the position they play in.

 

[Lance Steckler]

we've all seen the coach's DD that is the model citizen and solid player. The problem comes from the coach's DD who is a problem on multiple levels. always bats 3rd, hitting .187, always plays SS arm like linguine with footspeed of a tree, dug out cancer yet can do no wrong in coach's eyes, coach issued team rules that apply to all....except the DD in question. Etc, etc., ad naseum.

as a parent or prospective parent on a team, all you can do is watch, listen, gather intel and make best informed choice you can.

 

[Nuwin]

A word of caution about evaluating the coach's daughter at catcher. At least around me, this isn't an uncommon occurrence out of necessity, not merit. Many of those catchers are good athletes and teammates but are still poor catchers. It is a lot easier for a coach to force their own kid to play that position than it is anyone else.

It may certainly signal a problem with that team depending on your level and competition desires. But the "problem" may not necessarily be the person doing the job in that moment. Maybe they don't have any good catchers. Maybe they're just depth. Because even the best catchers need rest as they can get worn out. If they have a good bat, the first indication of fatigue may come on offense if the pitching staff is good enough to not make them work terribly hard while tired.

The comment struck a nerve because that was our situation. Thankfully my DD fell in love with the position after being forced into it by coach dad. But that hasn't been every team's reality from my observation.

 

[FastpitchFan84]

A word of caution about evaluating the coach's daughter at catcher. At least around me, this isn't an uncommon occurrence out of necessity, not merit. Many of those catchers are good athletes and teammates but are still poor catchers. It is a lot easier for a coach to force their own kid to play that position than it is anyone else.

It may certainly signal a problem with that team depending on your level and competition desires. But the "problem" may not necessarily be the person doing the job in that moment. Maybe they don't have any good catchers. Maybe they're just depth. Because even the best catchers need rest as they can get worn out. If they have a good bat, the first indication of fatigue may come on offense if the pitching staff is good enough to not make them work terribly hard while tired.

The comment struck a nerve because that was our situation. Thankfully my DD fell in love with the position after being forced into it by coach dad. But that hasn't been every team's reality from my observation.

What you say makes sense. I don’t know if dd’s coach’s daughter always wanted to catch because at a younger age mom pushed her into it or if she picked it to be like mom was in college, but I know she’s not new or green to the position, she’s a talented catcher, I just expected her, as the coaches daughter to have the confidence to match her abilities.

 

[Nuwin]

The more circumstance that is explained, the more the evaluation process changes.

In the struggle between pitcher and catcher parents, I just want to make sure we're only arguing over the most important matters. Like this meme suggests. LOL

 

[warbird]

My #1 rule on joining a team:

1. Find out what position the coach's daughter plays. If that's your daughter's main position, find another team.

I would add that if the coach's daughter is not by far the best player on the team, 99 times out of 100, you should look for another team.

 

[Chilixa]

I would add that if the coach's daughter is not by far the best player on the team, 99 times out of 100, you should look for another team.

That is a curious statement to me. Would you mind expanding on that.

I coach and have kids that play. I don’t really want any kid to be far and away the best player on the team. You want the team to be filled with kids that are comparable in skill levels. If the coaches kid falls in the normal range of the team I am not sure why it would matter if they were the best player or not.


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[Rolling Hard]

That is a curious statement to me. Would you mind expanding on that.

I coach and have kids that play. I don’t really want any kid to be far and away the best player on the team. You want the team to be filled with kids that are comparable in skill levels. If the coaches kid falls in the normal range of the team I am not sure why it would matter if they were the best player or not.


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Coach's DD being undeniably of the best players on the team keeps the parent's favoritism mumblings out of play.

 

[uncdrew]

Coach's DD being undeniably of the best players on the team keeps the parent's favoritism mumblings out of play.

You'd be surprised by some parents.

It does, help, yes. But the bigger point is that Daddy Coach needs to play his daughter where it makes sense. If she's the best player, then yes, she plays short stop and bats 3rd (or whatever). But there's also room for a Daddy Coach who's daughter bats 10th and plays LF some, if that's what her talent and skill deserve for that particular team. Both those scenarios can result in less mumblings.

 

[tim_s]

interesting anecdote:

DD1 was not always the best player on our team through our 7 years......she was the most consistent, usually top 3-4 BA, that didn't change in big game or game against weak team.....just consistent......but other players at times were 'better'

she went to a different org......was on a very good team, not the best, but I wasn't coaching

of the girls on my last 16u roster, though, 5 went on to college......DD1 had the best first year, and was the best player on her summer team last year (a team of half commits/half girls that had finished freshman year)

her coach and i had a long talk during DD2's recruiting trip......on girls from the northeast vs girls from warm climates, on girls from good regional teams vs national level teams

her take: girls from national teams/warm weather climates are safer......you know what you're getting, they are fr closer to a 'finished product', they've been there/done that.....but their upside, on the average, is not as high

girls from good regional teams/cold weather climates (she used the northeast, because that's where we are)......IF they come into school and get to work, tend to have higher upsides/steeper learning curves, with their ability to balance college life and put the work in being a key factor.......because of that she often looks for coaches kids/team captains because she's found many of them exhibit those qualities that she's looking for to see that big jump when they get to her