Bottom of the roster

[CycloneSoftball22]

The fastest way to improve a team is to improve your weakest players. Most teams work towards peaking for one big or season-ending tournament - play the elimination games in that tournament to win using your 9 best. But the best preparation for those games is to use/develop all your players in all other games. At older ages and on better teams, the variance in skill level may not be so great and 1-12 (or whatever the roster size is) offensively is not the same as 1-12 defensively and both of those rankings will change over the course of the season if all the players are given ample opportunities.

I think the definition of "ample opportunity" has been the point of contention in this thread.

 

[Easton33]

Everyone agrees that you are only as strong as your weakest link. Do you think it is fair to the other players and the parents paying money to let them try to improve in bracket games while you are sitting a better player? Real improvements are made during practice and at home. Yes I do think "in game" situations are valuable to the learning process but I don't think they should be playing in bracket games to get that at the expense of the other players and the "team". Scrimmage games and pool play, sure. When the tournament starts, your best 9 should be on the field. I am currently in this situation. I have a very nice girl that is just sub par on the field and at the plate. I picked her up because I knew her years ago and she could play. First practice I had with her I was very disappointed, she had not played since she did for me and she was bad. Either way, I made the offer and was going to let her pickup for 1 tournament. Then, I find out she had been removed from her home. Well, I could not cut her and let her play another tournament with us. I gave her more playing time than I should. She hasn't been improving either. So we are playing a little state game and she can catch fly ball so I let her out there. First at bat down by 3, runners on second and third, she watched 5 pitches and K'd. Promptly pulled her out of the game and subbed with a pitcher I had on the bench. (She was the best bat of those on the pine) Next time up the pitcher knocked in two runs. Now if you go ask that little girl which she would prefer (the ring she got in that tournament or her at bats, I am pretty sure what she is gonna say. I am still going to work with her but I am letting her parents know not to spend money on hotels unless they just want to watch because she ain't playing. It is competitive ball and she is way behind. Decisive win or loss and she could possibly play but anything close and the girl will have blisters from sitting so long. It was my bad decision to keep her on so long (4 weeks now) and it isn't fair to the other girls or their parents. Seeing the faces of those little girls when they won told me just how wrong I was to put her out there. Those girls want to win and they trust me to make the best decision for the team to get them there. I almost let them down. Won't happen again.

 

[Rocketech1]

A couple of new topics have been raised.

One is that you are only as good as your weakest link. While that may be true if you are using a chain to tow a trailer, in softball a few links (players) such as a very good starting pitcher contribute more to the success of the team than most any other player. The reality is a few very good players can carry a team whether or not there are some weak links on the roster.

The other topic is that pool play is not that important but bracket play is. I also disagree with that statement. All games are important. Pool play determines your opponent in bracket play and if you are a low seed playing a high seed you may be one and done which doesn't help your team because you are not going deep into tournaments and getting the opportunity to play more games against better competition. Said another way, there are no throw away games unless it's friendlies or scrimmages when you can really experiment with the lineup and positions.

With that said, I feel every player should have at least two positions that they play and coaches need to find ways and situations to rotate players into both pool play and bracket play games so all players get at least some opportunities to play in the big games. It doesn't and shouldn't necessarily be equal time but some opportunities to prove that they can also contribute to the success of the team.

 

[Easton33]

Practice and games are two different things. You can't improve just at home or in practice. In fact, my nephew never practices at home, maybe once or twice a year, never takes lessons, and is the clean up hitter on his baseball team. He does work hard in practices, however.

I am wondering then why all the pool games and such if it is not to learn and develop players? We could just go back to doubleheaders on Sunday or straight double elimination if nothing is gained by all the games. After all, we just want a winner right?

Ask any player, winning on a team that you did not contribute to is hollow. And a ridiculous comment/choice for a kid involved in a kids' sport. Making a scapegoat out of a kid just leaves me speechless. A team wins and loses. I still go back to one slow-pitch team who won our league even though one of the players was partially disabled. They found a role for him and did not shut him out. What lessons are we teaching our kids here?

Not real sure what you are saying.... Making a scapegoat out of a kid??? Where did you read that? The coach has the responsibility and it falls on him to make the best decisions for the team. If you don't think the coach can make a mistake by putting the wrong girl in the wrong position or playing the wrong girls at the wrong time then go get your left fielder and put her on the rubber for your first bracket game. Is it the players fault? No, it is the coach's. We are discussing a coaching decision to play sub par players, how you get we are scapegoating kids is a bit of a stretch and definitely is coming from out in left field.

 

[Greenmonsters]

A couple of new topics have been raised.

One is that you are only as good as your weakest link. While that may be true if you are using a chain to tow a trailer, in softball a few links (players) such as a very good starting pitcher contribute more to the success of the team than most any other player. The reality is a few very good players can carry a team whether or not there are some weak links on the roster.

The other topic is that pool play is not that important but bracket play is. I also disagree with that statement. All games are important. Pool play determines your opponent in bracket play and if you are a low seed playing a high seed you may be one and done which doesn't help your team because you are not going deep into tournaments and getting the opportunity to play more games against better competition. Said another way, there are no throw away games unless it's friendlies or scrimmages when you can really experiment with the lineup and positions.

With that said, I feel every player should have at least two positions that they play and coaches need to find ways and situations to rotate players into both pool play and bracket play games so all players get at least some opportunities to play in the big games. It doesn't and shouldn't necessarily be equal time but some opportunities to prove that they can also contribute to the success of the team.

A lot of this depends on the age/level of play. IME, at 14U the talent gap between the best and worst players on a team is real, but begins decreasing significantly each year. Once you start playing seriously, i.e., playing or at least practicing/working out independently 6-9 plus months/year, and the size and speed of the players increases, chronic and acute injuries become much more common. At 16U and 18U, unless a coaching staff hasn't clearly identified their player development and competitive objectives when putting together a roster***, each and every player should be capable of contributing, something is seriously wrong IMO. Without even considering the social stresses/pressures common to older teenagers, consider the physical things that will affect individual and team play - players out due to injury, playing at less than 100% while returning from injury, 50+ game seasons, multiple games/day, heat, illnesses, players working to master secondary positions to be more marketable for college, slumps (e.g., a 400 hitter may go 10 for 50 following by 30 for 50), every player on the roster will have to play a critical role for a team to accomplish its goals. YMMV.

Personally, I believe that player development should be the primary focus through 18U and that after 14U the only difference is that a greater focus is put on winning and positions and playing time are determined by performance and team need.


*** this is the key and probably the hardest part!!! If everybody isn't on the same page, and stays there, it will hit the fan sooner or later.

FWIW - Looking back - Its nice to win tournaments and its really special to win that first tournament. But its not the same as winning a tournament without playing and beating the best team(s). If you get a crappy draw or poor seeding and lose to a top team what does it matter whether its the first or last game of knockout play - you simply didn't do what you needed to in order to earn that tournament win.

 

[NVfishing]

If you carry a large roster then kids sit. The easiest way is to carry 10 or 11. Due to our team rebuilding we carried more. Some so they get experience and practice so they will be better players next year. As some have stated the coaches have a responsibility to all of the players. That responsibility also includes winning. Not every game as we are slightly over 500. All players are improving. The only way, as I see it, for some of our players to improve to a starting quality would be to practice outside of our normal practice. I don't think some of our girls that should do this do. Some practice for the chance to pitch sparingly this year but they are expected to be larger contributors next year. I'm a parent of a DD on the team. Coaches spelled out for parents and DD's that some girls would see less playing time based on roster size and abilities. Completely fair and forewarned. There is always a parent or two that expects their DD to get more time. That's why I asked my original question.