Keeping Pitchers Happy

[Black&Red00]

How do you keep pitchers happy? Most teams want 3 pitchers. How do you balance 3 pitchers (14u and up)? DD is on a team with 3 pitchers. #1 pitches just about every game and the #2 or #3 come in for relief if the score is lopsided enough in our favor. #2 gets more innings than #3 but not by much. #3 is expected to continue pitching lessons and practice regularly so she is ready to go just in case. Coach was telling me that he does not understand why he can't keep a #3. He has a lot of pitching turnover including #1s and #2s. It is not just the #3.

I know everyone wants to play to win but I think having more than one pitcher is an important aspect of that. How do other teams balance their pitchers?

[Sam]

Carry 5 pitchers and rotate them. Don't do what "normal" travel teams do.....riding one kid's arm until it falls off.

Teams should carry 6-8 pitchers, treat them as they would a young male baseball player, and save these kids' arms. This would also reduce the number of teams which would, in turn, increase the level of play for the teams that would survive. This would weed out idiot coaches and improve the game at higher levels, while ensuring the continued success of rec ball.

Thats what should happen. But it won't because of psycho coaches and delusional partents, who are willing to injure these kids in order to put meaningless trophies on their walls.

[jonriv]

I always liked three pitchers that rotate starts evenly with maybe one or two emergency pitchers- mop-up etc.. I agree with Sam too many teams ride one arm in seeking meaningless pieces of tin. A pitching "staff" seems be becoming more of the norm at the college leve(at lease until tourney time)

The scenario in the post seems crazy to me- if I were a #3 pitcher I would run from that team ASAP

[Battle]

I always liked three pitchers that rotate starts evenly with maybe one or two emergency pitchers- mop-up etc.. I agree with Sam too many teams ride one arm in seeking meaningless pieces of tin. A pitching "staff" seems be becoming more of the norm at the college leve(at lease until tourney time)
The scenario in the post seems crazy to me- if I were a #3 pitcher I would run from that team ASAP

Huh? Who? What top college teams don't ride their #1 through out the season that leads to the conclusion it's the norm?

[ontheblack]

I always liked three pitchers that rotate starts evenly with maybe one or two emergency pitchers- mop-up etc.. I agree with Sam too many teams ride one arm in seeking meaningless pieces of tin. A pitching "staff" seems be becoming more of the norm at the college leve(at lease until tourney time)
The scenario in the post seems crazy to me- if I were a #3 pitcher I would run from that team ASAP

Huh? Who? What top college teams don't ride their #1 through out the season that leads to the conclusion it's the norm?

One could argue that Florida has a legit staff with Rodgers, Haeger and Gourley.


Rogers
era: 1.64
w-l: 27-8
app-gs: 39-33
ip: 200.1

Haeger
1.69
10-3
23-12
95.0

Gourley
2.72
14-1
26-18
105.2

[CheckWriter]

Educate the parents:

http://www.theandrewsinstitute.com/InjuryPrevention/Softball/InjuryPrevention.aspx

and hand out copies of this:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/any-given-monday-james-r-andrews/1112218201?ean=9781451667097

to the pitchers' parents - now in paperback - I have the hard cover.

http://www.thegoodphight.com/2014/5/29/5761656/the-american-sports-medicine-institute-position-paper-on-tommy-john

[DOG310]

Sam is right. However, in the world in which we actually live, I think you will be extremely fortunate (OK crazy lucky) if you have five good pitchers. Ace, secondary ace (almost, if not better than the ace, and wanting to be the ace), really good pitcher, apprentice (plays another posit well but willing to be the apprentice), and the girl that believes she is better than the others and wants to prove it.

Problem is all pitcher parents think their DD is the Ace.

[Battle]

I always liked three pitchers that rotate starts evenly with maybe one or two emergency pitchers- mop-up etc.. I agree with Sam too many teams ride one arm in seeking meaningless pieces of tin. A pitching "staff" seems be becoming more of the norm at the college leve(at lease until tourney time)
The scenario in the post seems crazy to me- if I were a #3 pitcher I would run from that team ASAP

Huh? Who? What top college teams don't ride their #1 through out the season that leads to the conclusion it's the norm?

One could argue that Florida has a legit staff with Rodgers, Haeger and Gourley.


Rogers
era: 1.64
w-l: 27-8
app-gs: 39-33
ip: 200.1

Haeger
1.69
10-3
23-12
95.0

Gourley
2.72
14-1
26-18
105.2

I suppose but out of 414 innings the #1 pitched 207 of them. To me that is still riding the #1. Maybe I'm wrong.

[jonriv]

Just a sampling

percetage represents the # of games for the #1 Pitcher(using win-loss). Numbers are probably skewed a little by the tendancy to use number 1's exclusively for tournament(s)

Florida 56%
Georgia 67%
UCLA 62%
Oregon 62%
UL Lafayette 57%

I suspect in the past these number would be more like 90%

What I have observed in my small universe of DIII games is that teams follow this pattern.
Number pitcher will pitch at least one game of a doubleheader(#2 & 3) alternate other games. 2 & 3 tend to pitch against weaker non-conference oppeonents. Coaches are trying to save their number one's so that they can ride through the conference and hopefully ncaa tournaments. Tufts coach did this brilliantly this year

[PDad]

I suppose but out of 414 innings the #1 pitched 207 of them. To me that is still riding the #1. Maybe I'm wrong.

You're wrong. Pitching the #1 less than half the innings for the regular season isn't riding her. The post season is a whole different animal. Better examples of teams that rode their #1 are FSU, OK, Stanford and TX.

I'd say the minimum requirements for a staff is to have at least 2 pitchers that can reliably start conference games (e.g. ASU, Mich, Minn, Neb, UCLA), Next year is going to be very interesting at Mich as they have a highly regarded incomer joining their 3 returning starters.