Freshman Team......a question

In aspect are you asking?

Are you the head coach? If so then you need to talk to him since it is your team and it is your responsibility to make sure everything runs correctly.

Are you a parent of a kid on the bench? If so then you may not actually be seeing things as they are happening. You might be a little upset that Junior isn't playing as much as you want him to be.

Are you a fan? If so then it doesn't matter what you think as long as the coach is doing what he thinks is correct and the head coach is fine with it.

By the way how is the team doing? Are they winning or losing? Playing good or playing bad?

My sons HS team is carrying 20 Freshman. Many who do not belong there. Many who will not be back for their sophmore tryouts. Should a coach play his best players? I'm sorry but if my son is not good enough to play then he needs to work harder to prove that he is. For example, he's been working out since early October preparing for tryouts. Just a question, should a kid who puts a lot of effort into making himself into a player sit for someone who most likely doesn't put the same effort away from the field as others do? I'm not saying that's your son but I'll guarantee many of the kids that are sitting don't look at a glove, a gym or a track until tryouts start.

If a game is decided,then he should be playing the substitutes,especially if its a freshman team

With that being said,the best players should start.The best players,and the hardest workers should be in the game.What irritates me is when fellow teammates who slack off during the winter months are in the game over someone who I know deserves to be in there.

How do you determine "deserve"---in HS it is the best players and talent that play not necessarily those that work the hardest---and unless YOU are with all the players all the time how do you know who works the hardest---my own guy had a discount deal at the local fitness center so he could work out on his own---no other team member was him ever


I do not know that the word deserve has value when evaluating team talent

I agree that if the game is won than subsitutes should play at all levels not just freshman. The other team will most likely see it as a show of class that you are not trying to continue to run up the score. A coach may also be saving his pitchers or someone who has a nagging injury or getting a look at someone. However, this is not little league or travel ball or whatever. It is no longer where anybody is guaranteed to play a minimum number of innings or outs. Some kids have found ways to get better and it shows. Some have gotten bigger, stronger, faster. Some have worked on core training, taken pitching and batting lessons because they want to play. They have the desire to play. If they are not already in the starting line-up they will get their shot. Believe me a coach knows who has been working out and who hasn't, it shows. This is where playing time needs to be earned.

Nobody deserves anything in Baseball or Life, You Earn everything you get.. Young Joey has worked so hard in the off season, but the stud Basketball player who has done nothing.. will come in and start over Joe because he is better player... The kid coming in has EARNED it because he is a more talented player...

Not trying to sound cold but thats just the way it is...

bb1,
Hate to tell you this but it is a fact of life that the best players don't always play. Coaches aren't perfect and they don't always have the same objectives as the parents. Some coaches want the best players on the field, some coaches want the kids they project will help the varsity in the future on the field. Some coaches like the loud aggressive player, some coaches like the quiet hardworking player. Some coaches like the big strong .220 home run hitter and some like the .300 hitter who can't reach the outfielders. Some coaches like the hard throwing pitchers with potential and some like the one that can throw strikes today. Sometimes a kid is a friend of the family and especially with a young coach that can lead to preferential treatment. Not pretty, but it happens. We all hope the coaches will make the right decisions and more often than not they do but there's no guarantee. In any case, all a player can do is work hard and try to be so good they can't be kept off the field. Doesn't always work, but that's the only approach the player has open to them.

Let's look at the example from the previous post. One coach might play Joey and another might play the basketball player. The reality is that some of those 2 sport players quit to focus on their other sport and some coaches don't want to chance that. I've seen it happen both ways. Which one earned it?

Coachdubya,
That's pretty common for young coaches. They want to win. They think they are being graded on that. It takes time for them to learn that their job is to develop players and unfortunately that can mean wasted seasons for some of their players.

CADad,

Great post.


baseball 21: I used to think that you earn everything you get. In my experience, that is not the case. And it is frustrating. And maddening. And depressing.

Ditto CADad.

I'm completely on board that coaches generally will start the best players. That's the way it should be. If a coach has a preference for a certain style of player over another that's just part of it. I have a problem with them choosing one player over another for anything other than baseball related reasons(aka politics, parental influence etc) but realize that's just part of it too.

As a coach I've always been about player development and feel strongly that a coach should get some of the bench players in the game when the opportunity presents itself. In this case when the team is consistently down by 8-12 runs in the last inning or two.

if you leave your best players in when down by 8 or more runs and the opposition is going to his bench you may still come back and win the game

you are saying 'give up'---not a good thing


think about it a minute or two

My son is a sophomore and he plays three sports. Doing that makes a GREAT impact with his baseball coach. Son lays Varsity football, JV basketball and both Varsity & JV baseball. He is on JV to get his reps in for pitching (plays first), however, the coach that agreed he could play all three sports told him this year that he is only starting one Sophomore on Varsity (pitcher & Third base)because he has committed to baseball only. So it makes a difference. Our saving blessing is he plays for one of the top select teams in the country during the summer. IS it fair, I don't really know. The coach well it's his team and my son realizes the delima he is in

coachW, the answer to your question can vary by program ... soo, you should study your program in depth a bit

in many programs the freshman coach is charged with teaching & developing players & their w/l record is insignificant. the HC will designate to the fresh coach which players are to get the "game development innings/pt" ... ie: it's not his decision

unfortunatly some freshman bench guys are there only for the starters to practice with/against & it may have already been determined that freshman non-starters will not be with the program as sophmores

hope that helps

Bee,
I could see that happening more at a single campus 4 yr high school. But in this case the FR & SO are on a completely separate campus, so the HC doesn't see much of the players. Of course it's possible that he knows some of them either through camp, if they had an older brother come through the program.

quote:

by C-W: I could see that happening more at a single campus 4 yr high school

all the HC needs to say is "play your starters", sub only for injury & if it's not a compound fracture with the bone poking thru try moving him to 1B before you take him out of the game

assuming your fresh team is 8 position players & a few pitchers - check JV & varsity rosters numbers of previous classes as they move thru the system .. it may surprise you

The best players may not always play but they do get playing time! Of course there is always the kid who's parents are involved or have donated money. Their kid gets all the benefits of that but it is usually only one or two positions. There are 7 others. Then there is a coach who might want more speed than power. What if you have both plus defense? I think you will play. A complete player will get his time. The biggest problem I see so far for freshman is size. A coach doesn't know much else right now but looks. There are quite a few more talented kids not being looked at because they aren't 6'2 180. Size helps but when a freshman can throw 80-81, runs well above average, can throw 300ft, hit for average and power. Where does size come into it? Time will tell.

If he can throw 300 ft. he should be throwing mid to upper 80s. If a freshman can throw 80-81, is fast and can hit for average and power he's going to play varsity at many schools and JV at the rest.

TR,
You are really clueless. Who cares if a freshman team wins? If the other team comes back and beats the subs then the coach has proved that he has the right starters and life will be easier for all.

Now in one way you do need to play the subs to win. If somebody goes down with an injury during a close game you want his sub to have at least some playing experience and it is certainly worth the risk of losing a blowout to get your subs the playing time, and given the fact that starters can re-enter in HS ball at least in our area there really isn't a lot of risk as long as you are throwing a decent pitcher.

The other thing that happens when you leave in the starters during a blowout is that they tend to get sloppy and develop bad habits.

The one area I don't believe you should go overboard in trying to develop players is with pitchers. There are only so many innings available and you shouldn't be throwing weak pitchers in there just to be nice. You've also got to focus on the pitchers who have potential to help the varsity. Sometimes you'll have to do this instead of winning. That 15yo, 67 mph, fully grown kid who knows how to pitch can be very effective in freshman ball and as a 16yo low 70s guy on JV but he's not likely to help you much as a 17yo or 18yo at the varsity level as a mid 70s type except to eat innings when you are getting blown out.

Throwing 300ft means the arm strength is there and the potential is there for 90. They will all get their shot somewhere along the way. However, because we are in a cold weather state none of these kids has been outside with a coach yet and are being passed over (probably temporarily) because they are not 6'2.

Coachdubya: You are venting, and it is a human emotion - especially among us Dads. We are here for you. But here is the bottom line. Stay out of it. Negativity and second-guessing will ruin your son's relationship with the school and the coaching staff and undercut his recognition of what he has to do to get better. If you want real development, get him on the best summer team you can where he will start and/or get significant playing time, start him on an aggressive off-season conditioning program, and get ready for next year. Do not sit in the stands and complain. It achieves nothing positive. As a previous poster pointed out - young coaches want to win, and do not care about development.

quote:

by bb1: They will all get their shot somewhere along the way .. because we are in a cold weather state none of these kids has been outside with a coach yet and are being passed over (probably temporarily)

we only hope you are right .. the pyramid gets pointy really fast in hs.

a typical coldweather varsity starting lineup at a school w/fresh/jv/varsity could be 4 srs, 4 jrs, 2 soph ... those 4 srs were once part of the 17 man freshman team - their former freshman team-mates are all gone

Good discussion.

TR, I have thought about it and even lived it as a coach and player in several sports. I don't agree that it's a give-up mentality.