Limit on HBPs

[JJsqueeze]

About 4 in a game or 3 in any inning. Something like that. For every HBP there are probably going to be 1 or 2 that should have hit the batter but they got out of the way so that is plenty of inside misses for a young pitcher learning to pitch. They don't need to know why they got pulled either. As for making them scared to hit batters, I think they already are, I haven't met a young rec pitcher yet that felt good about hitting a batter. Coming from a dad of a pitcher that hit a lot of batters while learning.

 

[JJsqueeze]

how much leaning in is going to happen when it can get a good pitcher out of the game.

the answer to this question is ZERO, exactly ZERO girls are leaning into pitches in rec ball against better pitchers trying to get them out of the game.

 

[ScottyDont]

We've had situations in the past where a handful of hard-throwing pitchers played rec and had control issues. I think it takes a lot of fun out of the rec game (note that I am not talking about competitive travel) if the pitchers are wild and batters are afraid to bat because they have seen 3-4 of their teammates get plunked.

To answer the OP, I think it depends on age level and talent level. For 10-12U rec, I think it's fair to ask a coach to pull a pitcher out after a set number of hit batters. You don't want to discourage kids from playing the game. As they get older, hopefully they understand that it's part of the game. One would think a coach would pull a pitcher that was that wild anyway.

 

[madkenna1469]

They are allowed to hit a lot of batters. DD pitches and it is the batter’s responsibility to get out of the way but when, if ever, is it enough.[/QUOTE

I can understand what you are saying and there is a difference of a pitcher trying to comand the inside part of the plate and a pitcher that has no control and hitting batters. I would hope a coach could and would make the call depending on what is going on.

 

[Fastpitch86]

Been out of red for a couple years now but for 10u and 12u it was 2 HBP per game. All the girls were learning how to pitch so I think it made them worry about not hitting batter than trying to throw strikes. Never seen any players lean into pitches.

 

[quincy]

2 per inning or game seems too restrictive to me. Once the P hits one they are going to get in their head that they cannot hit another.

 

[InsidePitch]

Most rec kids feel bad enough hitting a kid and even more so if they cry. Why does it need to be codified so some fool dad can jump out of the dugout and scream, "that's 3! She's gotta go!"

 

[Sweet Lou]

What age? I remember DD @ 8U there was a rule in some tournaments that if you hit 3 batters in an inning you were automatically pulled but that's the only time I've seen it.

I think past 10U rec it is a rule that really doesn't have any place.

 

[Rocketech1]

No rule. Leave it up to the coaches to decide if the pitcher is being effective or not. There is not a lot of pitching depth in rec leagues as it is so if you implemented this rule you might not have any pitchers left in the game to pitch after the first couple of innings. Can rec league pitching be painful, yes, but it is part of the learning how to pitch process. I do like run rules per inning so if it's a walkfest or there is a lot of HBP, the inning will eventually end.

The other issue is that IME, rec leagues don't do a good enough job developing pitchers (such as mandatory pitching clinics, etc) and the parents and players don't really understand the level of commitment it takes to be a consistent windmill pitcher. You can't practice for 20 minutes once a week and expect to be a consistent pitcher. Pitching is a very important aspect of the game for both the defense and batters to learn how to hit, and unfortunately it is greatly overlooked especially in rec leagues.

 

[Dabears17]

For 10u and 12u, our rec league HBP rule is:
1) After 3 HBP in an inning, the umpire removes the pitcher from pitching for the rest of the inning.
2) If the pitcher hits another batter in another inning, the umpire will remove her from pitching for the rest of the game.

If the pitcher is hitting batters because she can't find the strike zone, the offensive coach sometimes decides to not remind the umpire of the number of HBP's that inning.

Does your league restrict the number of innings a pitcher can pitch? Any run limit per inning? We restrict pitchers to 18 outs per week (2 games) and have a 3 run per inning limit the first three innings. So coaches typically pitch their P2 or P3 two of the first three innings and the P1 3 innings.