We all have expectations that at a HS level, errors should be at a minimum. Answer the question based on the High School ball in your area.
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Depends on which dad is scorekeeping...Home or Away....
True a lot of subjectivity when it come to errors. But using reported box scores as your guide to answer the question.
The best answer I can give is the scorebook is a reflection of benefitting the home team since that's the official book. When I kept score in away games last year my book never matched the box score in the paper. I also believe teams that play in cold, windy, wet weather are likely to make more errors.
quote:The best answer I can give is the scorebook is a reflection of benefitting the home team since that's the official book.
Saturday hawk19jr made an error on a sharp grounder to his right. With the ump and the runner on second all moving on contact it was a dificult play. The game was videotaped and posted on the internet so I watched the play again with the 'color' guy's comments. It was fun to listen to him argue with himself over whether it was a hit or error. He finally concluded that it should be an error but that the home team would probably score it a hit in their book....
You also have to consider the level of play. Yesterday we played a very weak team (even at the 1A level they are a very weak team). There was a ground ball that went past the statue at 3B and I could hear the dugout chatter with the SK 'hit or error?'...I don't know what they concluded, could have been scored either way....
My husband was the official score keeper for my son's hs team for 4 years. Now that I look back, we were way too accurate with hits vs errors. Everyone else inflated their stats so bad that it became a joke. But that was just in our league and maybe other leagues are more accurate overall. Seems like hs stats are just for bragging rights and not always right. Players know if it was an error or not.
FWIW, Coach May gave me pretty good advice on the subject that I always remember. "If we are playing a double header and we make 3 errors or less in two games we are playing pretty good baseball"
Like others have posted it is variable. I called in our game last week and the paper already had some numbers. I had two less hits for the opposition and three more errors on us than what they had called in.
Like others have posted it is variable. I called in our game last week and the paper already had some numbers. I had two less hits for the opposition and three more errors on us than what they had called in.
What initiated this poll was a discussion I was listening to at a HS game. I was a couple of rows down from the discussion. Clearly pitchers dad's were debating with infielders dad's, expectations at "this level." 
Two errors on each team during the 7 innings of play and discussion was what a sloppy game it was. quote: "There is no excuse for errors at this level of play."
Two errors on each team during the 7 innings of play and discussion was what a sloppy game it was. quote: "There is no excuse for errors at this level of play."
quote:Originally posted by Hawk19:quote:The best answer I can give is the scorebook is a reflection of benefitting the home team since that's the official book.
Saturday hawk19jr made an error on a sharp grounder to his right. With the ump and the runner on second all moving on contact...
Not a good umpire mechanic....what level of play was this?
Two errors on each team during the 7 innings of play and discussion was what a sloppy game it was. quote: "There is no excuse for errors at this level of play
I put 4 errors in the poll. If two varsity teams each made two errors in a typical game. that's not excessive at that level. Also, they don't posess the skills of a pro and more often, play on some fields that are more like landmines.
My son would've played his last two years of HS ball error-free but got charged with an error charging a base hit in the OF to try and make an aggressive play at the plate. The ball skipped over his shoulder as he went to glove the ball and cleared the bases. He said it was a play the outfielders worked on in practice but said he was too aggressive for the conditions of the OF, but he had to be aggressive to make the play. Had the OF not been a landmine, he makes that play. The fields have since been replaced and the varsity field gone turf.
I put 4 errors in the poll. If two varsity teams each made two errors in a typical game. that's not excessive at that level. Also, they don't posess the skills of a pro and more often, play on some fields that are more like landmines.
My son would've played his last two years of HS ball error-free but got charged with an error charging a base hit in the OF to try and make an aggressive play at the plate. The ball skipped over his shoulder as he went to glove the ball and cleared the bases. He said it was a play the outfielders worked on in practice but said he was too aggressive for the conditions of the OF, but he had to be aggressive to make the play. Had the OF not been a landmine, he makes that play. The fields have since been replaced and the varsity field gone turf.
quote:I put 4 errors in the poll. If two varsity teams each made two errors in a typical game. that's not excessive at that level. Also, they don't posess the skills of a pro and more often, play on some fields that are more like landmines.
Me, too - agreed.
How come infielder's dads don't discuss control expectations of pitchers "at this level?" I love the dads whose kids walk the bases full then blame the loss on the infielder who makes an error allowing the walks to score.quote:What initiated this poll was a discussion I was listening to at a HS game. I was a couple of rows down from the discussion. Clearly pitchers dad's were debating with infielders dad's, expectations at "this level."
quote:Not a good umpire mechanic....what level of play was this?
This was a tournament for small (1A-3A) high schools.
You're right of course so I went back and looked at the video again. The ump wasn't as close to the ball as a thought and wasn't a factor. The ball did nearly hit the runner...Shows that the old memory can't always be relied on...
Trivia note: The ballpark where the game was played is supposedly the oldest field in the US (1909). It used to be a minor league park but is now used as the HS home field. The place smells like baseball....
quote:Originally posted by RJM:
How come infielder's dads don't discuss control expectations of pitchers "at this level?" I love the dads whose kids walk the bases full then blame the loss on the infielder who makes an error allowing the walks to score.
Oh boy...I can't count how many times I've heard that one.
What's just as bad is when a pitcher comes off and loses or gets knocked out on fielding errors, then the dad goes to him and says "it's not your fault" loud enough that everybody can hear.
What about a pitcher digging in and going for that strikeout instead of blaming his defense. What these dads conveniently are the plays where the players lay it all out there to make a great play and preserve a well pitched game. If I'm pitching, I want my defense to lay it out there for me. Blaming the defense behind them not helping their cause.
It works both ways. This is something many moms and dads haven't figured out.
Last year an excellent infielder on our high school team made an incredible backhand play on what would have been a bases (loaded) clearing double down the line. Because the runners were off on a 3-2, two out count the only play was to first. From foul territory down the line deep at third, from his knees the infielder bounced a hard throw past the first baseman. The father of the pitcher yelled out, "He has to know to get to his feet to make that throw." loud enough for everyone to hear. He looked foolish.
You could have a panel of 6 scorers watching the same HS game and the line score for hits and errors would be different in each scorers book
It's not the errors that kill a team. It is all of the misplays that are scored as hits that go with a poor fielding team that will do you in. It shows up in the box score as a hit. BUt everyone knows it should have been an out. I think a good ratio is around 4 misplays per error on a poor fielding team. I voted for 3 errors. That is what I am seeing this year in the box scores.
quote:It's not the errors that kill a team. It is all of the misplays that are scored as hits that go with a poor fielding team that will do you in.
I would guess between 1-2 for each team so average 3 per game.