Open Letter to Pitchers' Parents

[softballcatcher101]

There has been much talk about the CTS 12u pitcher who pitches every inning of every game for her team. I heard this weekend that the parents would like to move her to a new team but won't consider a team that has other good pitchers on it so she can continue being the only pitcher! Insane parents and the coach of that team ought to be ashamed to allow it...

Okay this girl loved CTS. she worked hard and had fun. dont judge because you dont know! the parents and coach stan are both phenomenial and you need to stop you guys. people should stay out of think that they dont understand.

[wadeintothem]

The strong pitchers survive the abuse just fine. Survival of the fittest.

If it was easy, every team would have 8 pitchers and 1 daddy asst coach 2nd baseman. Who would play all the other spots?

Sam, stop being a snivel wah wah obama save my pitcher pitcher commie.

Just win baby.

[KekambuS]

Don't allow your DD to be overused. Limit her to one game per day. Don't make her throw 100 pitches per day practicing. Don't succomb to the manager's pleading for her to throw her 2nd game of the day....he's out of pitchers and he wants to win and she should do it for the team and he'll make this same argument every week....turn him down....forfeit....its a meaningless tournament....no big deal. Your daughter will thank you later in life...when she can actually use her pitching arm to wash her hair....when she doesn't have scars on her body from the surgeries required to repair the damage from overuse. Treat her like you love her....not like a show dog.

I think a kid could throw at least 2 games in a day. Don’t forget under arm is a lot easier on the arm then over hand. Don’t get me wrong I agree with you but 1 game a day. Trust me I have been that coach that wanted get to the championship game so I kept pitching my #1 and when I got there she was done. I learned my lesson and never again will I over use my pitcher. I am with you on over use of your pitcher but 1 game a day????????????

[SnocatzDad]

If ASA is going to allow local entities to overcharge for ASA tournament sanctioning. Maybe they could come up with some useful rules to protect the kids from harm.

There are no boys baseball tournaments that include the possibility of playing 5-7 games on a Sunday to fight back through the losers bracket.

IF a tournament is going to be ASA Sancitoned is it unreasonable for ASA to create a rule to require that the tournament be set up such that a team is never required to play more than 4 games in one day, Maybe even 3?

Personally I'd like to see some reasonable pitch count rules installed as well, but it goes hand and hand with how the tournaments are set up. You can't have pitch count rules and still expect to play 5-7 games in one day you'll run out of elligible players.

[wadeintothem]

In fairness, ASA's rules processes are very democratic and brought about through all types of committees formed of coaches, players reps, and umpires, etc...

Every year a book of proposed changes are pushed.

Its not like there is a "Mr. ASA" that waves a magic wand and a rule gets added - the ASA code must be followed. It needs you parents to put the pressure on your organizations.

Limiting the using of a #1 pitcher...

Ha, when hell freezes over.. but you cant blame "ASA" .. blame yourselves. Its your people and reps who wont pass it.

With an unwillingness to be a parent and limit your own kids on your own and an unwillingness to push this through in ASA at the annual meeting..

I will continue to see the same pitcher over and over from a team.

Dont blame ASA though - this is on you folks.

[Joe]

Wadeintothecrap

You're right on here. Ultimately, parents are the ones who have to take control. Too many are mislead by so-called experts that say the windmill won't do any damage....Bullsh%t!!!

Any motion (especially) by a teenager repeated in excess can cause injury!

...just ask the orthopedics why all the teenage boys have wrist and forearm injuries.

[jofus]

So, I'm coaching a newly formed travel team, 14U. We played our first tournament this weekend, and we need to work on our hitting, which I knew already, and get used to each other (a few of the girls have played all-stars together, a few others have played against each other, and a couple are complete strangers, and we've only had one practice due to high school mainly).

The thing is, we have 7 or 8 legitimate pitchers. I'm not naive enough to think we have 7 or 8 studs, we don't have any true "shut-down" pitchers that are gonna goose-egg a good hitting team, but at least 6 of them are pretty decent pitchers, and the other 2 have potential but haven't had as much instruction (one is a lefty and an exceptional athlete, she has some serious potential, I think...). Three of them have pitched a good bit of travel ball, so they're a little ahead in experience.

So, my question is.....would I be crazy to set up a rotation and pitch each pitcher 2 (or maybe 3, if she's on fire) innings and then move to the next on my list? Obviously we're not talking a national championship caliber team or anything, or maybe even a state championship team, but I think we have the athletes to be decent in the tournaments we are going to mainly play in.

I was thinking of mistakes I may have made this weekend (we went 2-4, but I wasn't upset, with only having one practice as a team before the tournament), and there were a couple pitchers that I had warmed up, but didn't get them in.

Plus, most teams my DD has been on has always seemed to hit a pitcher better the second time through the lineup, so I figure switching pitchers to give them a different look/speed/etc. may not be an entirely bad thing?

Am I crazy to even think about trying it? Not just to try to keep all of them happy, since they will probably only pitch 4-6 innings in a weekend, but maybe to keep the offenses off balance. It will definitely take overuse injuries out of the picture about as much as possible....

[MoeFoes]

WHAT ABOUT THE CATCHERS!!!! Pitchers get all the love. I have seen my DD catch 5 games in 1 day. Never played for that guy again. Screw the pitchers arm. What about the catchers knees, feet, ankles, & arm.
Hey Sam, When you hear about pitchers throwing 3 games in one day? What about the catchers!!! If the best pitcher is in I gaurantee the the best catcher is behind the plate. Screw winning save you kid!!!!

[WildRoseCoach]

Great topic. I'm running into this same thing this year. Last year I was head coach in another organization we had 3 pitchers. At the end of the Season all 3 of the pitchers were within 10 innings of each other. This year we moved to another organization and I'm assisting. So far after 3 Tournaments, #1 pitcher = 50 innings, #2 = 17 innings, #3 = 12 innings. I asked the Head Coach about this same topic and his response was, "I'm a firm believer in riding the horse until it gets too tired".

Either I'll take the head coach next year at 14U or we'll go somewhere else if this guy is going to be the head coach.

[Tucson]

I wonder about 3 trnys and 50 innings. If you played 5 games in a tournament, that is only 10 innings for the #1, for a weekend. I don't find that excessive. Do you know how many pitches she threw? Because that is important. Can she throw 8 pitches per inning or is she throwing 25 pitches per inning?

I chart my pitchers during games, so I know exactly where they are at, but the score book should also show you the number of pitches thrown. (If the score keeper is charting foul balls.)

Locally, here the leagues limit the pitchers to 2 innings. The girls never get strong enough or get enough experience to improve. I think that is also detrimental to the pitcher.

Overuse is a fine line and it varies from girl to girl.

I agree about catchers. My niece is a "gamer" and she is on the shelf with knee pain, right now. Ice, ice, and ice some more. And make the 2 games in a row, the exception instead of the rule.