I need a "bracket" pitcher? What exactly does that mean?

tomorrow said:

Yes, I think pitch calling is a skill.
Yes, I think knowing how to handle Pitchers and everyone on the field requires people skills that can be dependant on the personalitys of the players involved.
Coaches should know when to leave a pitcher on the field to work things out or when to pull them.
Some pitchers need pumping up and some need time alone. Good coaches get the best out of the talent they have.

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I think you overestimate the impact a baseball or softball coach has on the outcome of a game.

As if the coach was a conductor and if they called the right pitches, pulled the pitcher at the right time, and said the right words to the pitcher (to settle them down!) it has some meaningful impact on the outcome.

Players win or lose games. Baseball/softball coaching is in the margins.

This is why you still see terrible (game) coaches in Baseball and Softball, even at the highest levels.

I think coaches play a role in a team's winning and losing. I agree good coaches get the most out of their players. It's a skill. Pitch calling is also a skill. TBS, pure talent will always trump good coaching.

These are not only coaching skills but they are players skills that can be developed.
~Reading hitting mechanics
~Knowing the pitcher each day
~Understanding individual personalities

Would not underestimate the value of knowing how to evaluate hitting mechanics and call pitches.

Would not underestimate the value to read players and know their emotional triggers. And how to communicate keeping players on track.

However I can understand why some people are disconnected from that.
Because some never recognize how removed they are with interpersonal skills, so they never learned to work on it. While others seem to be more in tune with the social environment and dynamic.
Then of course there are those that explore how to facilitate groups and invest time in learning how to communicate to reach more people/players. Develop this skill.

GunnerShotgun said:

I think you overestimate the impact a baseball or softball coach has on the outcome of a game.

As if the coach was a conductor and if they called the right pitches, pulled the pitcher at the right time, and said the right words to the pitcher (to settle them down!) it has some meaningful impact on the outcome.

Players win or lose games. Baseball/softball coaching is in the margins.

This is why you still see terrible (game) coaches in Baseball and Softball, even at the highest levels.

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I tend to agree. A different sport but a good example, in the ncaa basketball tournament teams score less points on average after a timeout and a coach called play than just during normal play.
Pitch calling may be the one area that the coach has an impact. The quality of the pitcher matters more than who is calling the pitches.

Strike2 said:

The need is almost always "due to injury"...

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Because you pitched her too much . . .

JayW said:

or “unforeseen circumstances”

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. . . because you pitched her too much and she quit before you could injure her.

Northball said:

You don't need to waste your time at our practices, part of your weekends are free, just show up on Sunday, do your thing, and get a medal.
Ok, maybe a little cynical.

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You may be on to something . . .

Bracket pitcher /brakətˈpiCHər/ noun: (1) A pitcher whose parent is not a coach. (2) A pitcher who does not play shortstop.

GunnerShotgun said:

I think you overestimate the impact a baseball or softball coach has on the outcome of a game.

As if the coach was a conductor and if they called the right pitches, pulled the pitcher at the right time, and said the right words to the pitcher (to settle them down!) it has some meaningful impact on the outcome.

Players win or lose games. Baseball/softball coaching is in the margins.

This is why you still see terrible (game) coaches in Baseball and Softball, even at the highest levels.

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I agree with everything @tomorrow said, but I understand your point. I agree with you that too many coaches think their coaching is going to win the team games. I think @tomorrow 's point was not that coaches win games, but really good coaches enable their players to win games. They know when to step in and when to stay out of the way. Really bad to mediocre coaches lose games because they think they are important to the game.

Pitch calling isn't going to win a game, but it definitely will lose games. You have to know your pitcher and their capabilities, but then you have to match that up against knowledge of the hitter. This is the second reason coaches calling pitches in summer ball (and most school ball) is stupid. (The first is that they think their pitcher is a video game that throws exactly what they call.)

Maybe I am biased as a former catcher, but handling pitchers is absolutely an art and is absolutely necessary. Yes, every player needs pumped up or knocked down at times, but pitching is unlike the other positions.

uncdrew said:

Yup, who to pitch can drive one crazy. We purposefully went from a team where DD was P1 and getting lots of innings to a team where she came in P3 with a chance to move up. It was the right move. With 3 stud pitchers we win a lot, all girls get innings, all girls pitch in brackets. And we can swap out often as needed.

The move worked as designed, motivated her to work harder, and of course being on a better team has plenty of advantages. Her ERA and WHiP went down simply due to having a better defense behind her.

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From my experience parents/pitchers that are willing to do this are rare. I think in most cases it is probably the best move long term. Most parents/pitchers are not willing to move somewhere they are going to go from P#1 to P# 2-3. This is one reason it is very difficult for most teams especially at younger ages to have more than one really good pitcher on a team.

When I see someone post looking for a bracket pitcher, they are looking for someone that is in the top 25% or so for speed and accuracy in the applicable age group and class.

lostcreek1 said:

From my experience parents/pitchers that are willing to do this are rare. I think in most cases it is probably the best move long term. Most parents/pitchers are not willing to move somewhere they are going to go from P#1 to P# 2-3. This is one reason it is very difficult for most teams especially at younger ages to have more than one really good pitcher on a team.

When I see someone post looking for a bracket pitcher, they are looking for someone that is in the top 25% or so for speed and accuracy in the applicable age group and class.

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Unfortunately that is the mentality. If you are going to move teams you probably want to move up not latterly or down in competition.
To do this at least means the team has pitching equal to you, and more likely better.
DD moved teams last year meant the team would have 3 pitchers that were about equal. Competition made all 3 better.

GunnerShotgun said:

I think you overestimate the impact a baseball or softball coach has on the outcome of a game.

As if the coach was a conductor and if they called the right pitches, pulled the pitcher at the right time, and said the right words to the pitcher (to settle them down!) it has some meaningful impact on the outcome.

Players win or lose games. Baseball/softball coaching is in the margins.

This is why you still see terrible (game) coaches in Baseball and Softball, even at the highest levels.

Click to expand...

I have seen situations where in game coaching has won the game, and we have all seen too many situations where in game coaching has lost games. Pitch calling is no different. My daughter pitches, and two summers ago she spent the entire summer as a pick-up player/bracket pitcher (No team dues and tournament fees was great). I am going to step on the toes of a lot of coaches, but the majority of the time an experienced catcher is far better at calling pitches than a coach. Now, some teams have the entire team wear the armband, and call shifts that match the pitch.