3 PICKY PITCHERS...or do they have a legit...

[SoftballFun]

DD in college now but in 14u all 3 pitchers ended up refusing to pitch to one catcher. Very quickly that catcher didn’t catch anymore, not even warm ups. The girls were the ones to lead this and made it happen. That catcher does catch in college now too.

 

[uncdrew]

DD in college now but in 14u all 3 pitchers ended up refusing to pitch to one catcher. Very quickly that catcher didn’t catch anymore, not even warm ups. The girls were the ones to lead this and made it happen. That catcher does catch in college now too.

Wow, what's the story there?

1. That catcher worked really hard to become a ton better and go on to play in college?
2. The pitchers were being a bit petty in not pitching to that catcher?
3. None of the above

 

[GoRight]

Wow, what's the story there?

1. That catcher worked really hard to become a ton better and go on to play in college?
2. The pitchers were being a bit petty in not pitching to that catcher?
3. None of the above

I was wondering that too.


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[SoftballFun]

The catcher was very negative and would verbally berate the pitchers during warmups when they were trying to get their headspace ready to pitch in games. She Wasn’t the best catcher with framing, but final straw was in tournament play and during some plays didn’t even try to make the plays and would go out to the mound and yell at the pitchers during the games. Pitchers got tired of being treated poorly by a catcher who wasn’t that good.

 

[SoftballFun]

My point was: great attitude, pumps up pitchers and a willingness to get better will go a long way. As these pitchers get older they know exactly which catchers they want behind the plate with them. It is a Battery, it takes both of them to be successful.

 

[mmeece]

More wrinkles to this, which I experience as a pitcher's dad:

1. P1 pitches against the better teams, and then P2 has better stats. Can be frustrating if other parents are clueless.

2. Say P1 is an excellent 3B and plays there when she doesn't pitch. When P2 pitches, the team has their best possible defense in place. But since P2 doesn't play any other position, P1 is pitching with an inferior defense. Also frustrating.

So true. Joys of being a pitcher's dad. I've also coaches give the best P the #2 or 3 catcher because "they don't need as much help."

 

[cnardone]

Nobody likes to see a catcher running around the backstop after balls that aren’t near the zone.

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Well, at any given moment, 1/2 of us do

 

[uncdrew]

So true. Joys of being a pitcher's dad. I've also coaches give the best P the #2 or 3 catcher because "they don't need as much help."

So annoying. I'm proud of my DD for being P1, but watching her face the harder teams with the worse line-up behind her gets old.

 

[CoachJD]

More wrinkles to this, which I experience as a pitcher's dad:

1. P1 pitches against the better teams, and then P2 has better stats. Can be frustrating if other parents are clueless.

2. Say P1 is an excellent 3B and plays there when she doesn't pitch. When P2 pitches, the team has their best possible defense in place. But since P2 doesn't play any other position, P1 is pitching with an inferior defense. Also frustrating.

This will likely be my situation for the upcoming high school season. The girl who should be P1 might also be my best CF (Senior CF graduated, so the spot is open). She'd probably also be my best SS if I spent time really teaching her the position. And she can play first, though I don't see us needing her there. P2 (who was P1 previously) can play a little OF, but she's had very few game innings anywhere but in the circle.

P1 should face the better teams, but our best defensive lineup has P1 somewhere in the field.

Of course, this is for a high school team and a lot of our girls are playing on various fall ball teams. I could always get a few surprises come spring that change the defensive makeup of the team.

 

[BB875]

Boy, a lot of info here. Seems like folks forget this is a team sport and if winning is the goal, then individual stats are not important. Of course P#2 on a team will get more starts against weaker teams. Save P#1 for relief and starts against tough teams. Stats won't show it, but that's called coaching! Managing games throughout a tournament is coaching! As a parent do you really get a kick when DD mows down a weaker team? What is she learning?

Also, how a coach matches up a battery takes a lot of thought. Maybe the coach is trying to develop the other catchers? Its pretty easy to sit back and complain. Pitching lessons are a great time to build that relationship AND help develop catching skills. Its very common for a catcher to get a workout/instruction at pitching lessons too. What if your #1 catcher goes down with an injury? What if a better team cherry picks her? Then what? You better prepare for that. What lessons are you teaching DD when she decides her catcher? Like pitching, catching skills aren't something a kid is born with...

Also, if a young catcher blocks a changeup in the dirt, way to go! Great job! Your pitcher now knows if there is a runner on 3rd and a change up is called, she has confidence the catcher will keep the ball in front of her! That is trust. If that same catcher throws the drop 3rd strike to 1b without checking that runner on 3b first, maybe its a coaching moment! Don't discount that block of an off speed pitch in the dirt. That is a skill she learned. Teach her more game presence or game situations at practice.