Does Pool Play Matter?

[JAD]

It is not an either or question. Why are you at the there? If it is an ASA qualifier I am riding my best players. If it is a NSA tournament that we are doing as a tune-up, other than 8:00AM start on Sunday I do not care where we seat. We are there to work on some things and that is part of the game plan. We then play as competitive as possible given those constraints. Sometimes we will swing aluminum and work on ball placement.

In GA our ASA qualifiers are bracket play only, so going two-and-out can leave a lot of disappointed players and parents!!!

 

[MNDad]

At an ASA qualifier here a couple years ago they had rain Saturday and we're unable to start bracket play on Sunday morning. They awarded berths after the fact by pool record.

 

[Rocketech1]

In the later scenario the pool games essentially do not count, and teams are better off playing them to get better (and keep some parents happy with playing time for the DD) vs. playing to win.

What do you mean by "essentially"?

 

[riseball]

In GA our ASA qualifiers are bracket play only, so going two-and-out can leave a lot of disappointed players and parents!!!

We have seen that here also. Straight into double elim. Two and bar-b-que and you have some ticked off parents. Seriously looking at Panama City this year.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

In GA our ASA qualifiers are bracket play only, so going two-and-out can leave a lot of disappointed players and parents!!!

Ours were too because it took 2-1/2 days to play just the bracket. PGF has drawn so many teams that their qualifiers take 2-3 days to play just the bracket and ASA was able to add pool games to theirs.

 

[JAD]

What do you mean by "essentially"?

The games do not seed the tournament, but we still score them and they are a part of our W/L record and stats.

 

[Momo'sDad]

On another thread someone mentioned that pool play doesn't really matter and teams should pitch their #3 and #4 pitchers and save their #1 and #2 for bracket (elimination) play.

In my opinion, every game is important because where you are seeded can and will make a big difference in how far in the tournament you will go.

Do you think pool play matters?

Yes, pool play matters, but throughout a long season, that doesn't mean that only the best 9 players ever see the field. Speaking 10u and 12u, Saturdays are the time to make sure that everyone on the roster gets ample innings. If you've got a 12-13 player roster and 2-3 of those girls are only getting an average of 1 inning and less than 1 at-bat a game on Saturdays and then are also sitting on Sundays in March and April, then by mid-May, you could very well be down to 10 players. But on the other hand, if you've made sure that all your players have gotten ample opportunities throughout the early part of the season, then they're going to be more likely to stick with you as you advance into the summer season where competition for innings and at-bats justifiably gets tougher on the road to your season-ending tournament.

If I were coaching a team that had only 1 star pitcher and I knew she was going to give us 3 great games every weekend, then I'd save as many of those innings as possible for Sunday and have the other 2-3 pitchers handle the Saturday workload.

 

[coach james]

IMO... you should start your best position players on every game, the fact it's pool just means they'll get pulled by midpoint.
Getting beat in the pool, gives you a low seed, and low seeds get the crappy game times, and are forced to play three or four games back to back to dig out from the bottom.
So, Yes, play every game with intentions of winning. Your #1 or #2 pitchers and catchers should start, to get ahead, then let the reserves finish the game unless you start getting beat, in which case the starters will come back in.

 

[Jquick823]

Just to spur conversation I will take a different approach.

Do bracket games matter prior to showcase level? Well not really. Pool play you get 3 games automatically so during these 3 games is where you are guaranteed the most innings for your team and thus should be considered the most valuable. Yet these are often considered throw away games. So for me a parent of a Sunday starter I look at Saturday when my DD happens to sit as wasted time. Sunday is not promised as on any given day the #1 seed can be gone.

 

[cuzmail]

Do you think pool play matters?

Depends upon tournament format