quote:
Originally posted by BaseballFreePress:
I feel Damian is being over utilized in to many roles. Starter, closer,everyday fielder and also by the way the every day life of a student athlete. The young man is a stud no doubt about that. But even studs wear down and need time to regenerate. Someone needs to draw a line in the sand and say that he needs to completely rest. Lets not sacrifice a top prospects future for the sake of a win or loss in high school baseball.
Hard to avoid in HS baseball. Most HS teams can't or don't carry 25-35 players on the roster. I believe the average is somewhere around 15 - at least in the Battlefield. I only recall seeing one team with 25+ players (Douglas Freeman) but that may have included all the JV players with the varsity.
As to Damian - as I recall, in 14 games, he's played in 13, started as pitcher in 6 (W&L, Spotsy, Courtland, Brooke Point and both EV games) and called on to relieve in 3 (Louisa, both Chancellor games). Keep in mind, Lex Estes was out with an injury for a stretch so coach only had Damian and Dustin Phillips to rely on as experienced pitchers.
My son has played under this coach for three years now and I think he does a decent job in balancing the pitchers. As long as Phillips and Estes step up and pitch well, the coach won't have to rely on Damian so much. He does let them try to work themselves out of any jams they get into. He's usually not too quick with the hook.
I've also had the opportunity to watch Damian since 2004 and see his progression. My son played on the same travel team as Damian. Damian is a pretty tough athlete and he thrives on competition. I agree Damian should get the proper "rest" between pitching outings, but I don't see him not being in the lineup when he's "resting". That's just reality. In a perfect world he'd be out of the lineup when resting, but unfortunately that's not going to happen.