High School Question regarding coach's response to question

Well that's a pretty terrible response to you by him but it is what it is. You will just have to be patient and keep working hard in practice with a good attitude. It's only been two games so there is still a lot of season left to go.

During OF drills make sure you are doing things correctly and listening to what the coach is saying. During BP when you're out in the field shagging make sure you're in LF taking balls off the bat. Work your angles to cut balls in the gaps / corners. During cuts / relays make sure your throws are always through the cut man so there is a chance if need be. Make sure you're backing up the right places if you're doing situations.

Worst thing you can do is sulk and pout. If you feel like you're not getting a chance now then having a poor attitude won't help at all. It's frustrating to sit on the bench when you feel you can do a better job but I have no idea what's going through your coach's head. There are no quick answers to this situation. It will take time, patience and hard work to fix. If at the end of the season you still haven't gotten a chance then play this summer and keep at it.

Fight through adversity. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Oh by the way - welcome to the site. Hope you stick around and keep posting. It's always good to have perspective from the people who truly matter in baseball - the players. This place is full of parents and coaches but that's not what the game is about. It's about the players and it would be nice if we could have more on here asking questions and telling us what's going on.

Talk to the coach but follow these tips:
- speak to him one on one
- tell your parents to back off and that you'll handle it (that's if your parents are upset as well)
- ask the coach what your role on the team is
- ask him what his expectations for you in that role are
- DO NOT bring up other players in your conversation
- DO NOT ask "why am I not playing?" or say "I should be playing."
- Ask him what your strengths and weaknesses are
- Ask him if he can stay longer after practices to work on some drills to help with the weaker areas

These conversations can be tough to do for young players but it's good experience. Accept whatever role he has for you and work to fulfill and exceed his expectations for that role. Fighting it will end up hurting you more.
Good luck!

BaseballByTheYard

Thank you for both responses so far.

meachrm: The thing is, through that conversation I had with him, I know what his answers are to all these questions.

He thinks my role on the team is as a Pitcher only (which i hate)
His expectations for me are as a relief pitcher
My strength is pitching and my weakness is hitting (I honestly cannot believe he thinks that for various reasons)
He won't stay 1 min past for any reason. He's one of those HS coaches that have been outlined in other threads on here (underqualified, extremely egotistic, really does not know what he's doing).

And I'm sorry but I'm not just going to accept the role of relief pitcher and be happy with that when it's painfully obvious that I should be out there. The situation we have now is we can't get back to the top of the order b/c it's an automatic out when LF comes up.

quote:

Originally posted by hs playa:
Thank you for both responses so far.

meachrm: The thing is, through that conversation I had with him, I know what his answers are to all these questions.

He thinks my role on the team is as a Pitcher only (which i hate)
His expectations for me are as a relief pitcher
My strength is pitching and my weakness is hitting (I honestly cannot believe he thinks that for various reasons)
He won't stay 1 min past for any reason. He's one of those HS coaches that have been outlined in other threads on here (underqualified, extremely egotistic, really does not know what he's doing).

And I'm sorry but I'm not just going to accept the role of relief pitcher and be happy with that when it's painfully obvious that I should be out there. The situation we have now is we can't get back to the top of the order b/c it's an automatic out when LF comes up.

Welcome.
Obviously, the coach sees you in one role and you see yourself in another, that is not uncommon. Are you a varsity player you didn't mention that.
Happened to my own player in HS, so I understand.
HS baseball is just a short few months, get yourself on a team for the summer where you can play where you want, but remember that coach is also going to place you where he feels you best fit in. Players and their parents often see themselves as better than others, it's normal.
I don't think it's fair to knock anyone down, we don't really know your coach, it's only your perception. That goes for the other players as well.
You hate pitching because it doesn't allow you to be in the game everyday, I understand, but my suggestion would be to find out what you need to do to improve as a pitcher and position player. Also keep in mind that what a player does in practice is completely different than in games. I am not quite sure that 0 for 0, two walks and a stolen base satisfies what the coach may be expecting (hitting and good fielding).

JMO.

hs playa,

quote:

Please help, what should my next step be???

No one here knows how well you hit or play. We only know, based on your description, that you don't respect your coach. We also could assume you don't think much of two of your teammates, after two games. You hate your role on the team. Even your listed location (Not where i wanna be) is confusing.

I see this was your first post here and I don't want to be harsh. I understand your desire to play, but I'm going to be blunt here because it might just help you at some point. IMO, your next step should be an adjustment in your attitude. Sorry and best of luck. I hope you figure it out.

I admire your passion for playing. I also admire your willingness to seek help. That will serve you well in the future but only if you channel that energy correctly. "Liking" your role and "accepting" your role are not the same thing. It is perfectly acceptable to hate your role as just a relief pitcher but only up to a certain point. If you let your hatred or contempt for your role and/or your coach effect your performance in whatever role you are given, you now have created a bigger problem. You may be correct in your assessment of your coach. We obviously can't tell online. However, as a player who needs to perform, it makes no difference what your coach does or says. Your coach doesn't pitch for you when you take the mound. He doesn't have to make a good pitch with runners on base. He doesn't have to cover first. If a coach or scout is watching you, they will not care one bit who your coach is. They are looking at YOU. As much as you hate your role, if you walk out to the mound thinking you'd be better in another role, chances are good your performance will suffer and you will find yourself with neither role.
I'm glad you had the conversation with your coach. You obviously don't like his answers but he gave you an answer. Now the ball is in your court. Any lack of performance on your part will not be his fault regardless of how good or bad he may be.
I'm sorry if this sounds like a lecture but it's what I would tell my son if he asked for my advice.

Hang in there. The season is still early. Stay positive and keep working hard. Anything less and you're justing hurting yourself.

BaseballByTheYard

I should have cleared up a couple things:

Yes, this is varsity

I don't hate pitching,I love pitching. I hate that pitching is all I do.

It's common knowledge to the rest of the team that the other 2 should not be out there. This just isn't me ranting. These are guys that weren't on anyone's radar to even make the team.

I know you guys don't know me, who I am, my abilities, or their abilities, and I don't hate my coach, he just doesn't know what he's doing at all (many different things, not just involving me).

and im not saying that 2 walks should be enough to earn the job but thats all Ive been given, so Im saying Its not like I failed on the opportunity given.

Keep killing it in practice and stay as sharp as you can during your pitching practice... That way when you get your chance you'll have a better chance of coming thru.

son----prhaps part of the problem is your attitude---it seems that it is all on coach, not you--think about it a bit

quote:

Please help, what should my next step be???

Coaches must have a much larger perspective concerning what best serves the needs of the team than do players. They are human though and rarely do players see their abilities the same way as the coaching staff. You must remember that they are experienced at matching skills to the needs of the team.

Part of your growth, should you continue to play, is to learn to be a team player and then be supportive of everyone in their role.

What must you do now? How about adopting a positive attitude first of all. Next learn some patience as you are only a few games into the season. A properly motivated and focused player would use this experience to strengthen his resolve to work even harder to better their skills and EARN a spot. You do that by performing better than he expected. You can only get to that point through hard work.

I remember my son not being called up to Varsity ball his Sophomore year when he felt he should have been. Others, promoted ahead of him didn't perform as expected and are out of baseball. Even when he did get there his Junior year it took six long games before he got his opportunity (after he spoke to the Coach). I believe he was given the opportunity by the Coach thinking he would fail. But he had a big day, got into the line-up and became a leader and then their single season home run record holder. He is playing college baseball where all the others are not. Changing attitudes about your play requires patience, hard work and desire.

Get to work!

"Get to work." Thats all that needs to be said. Great post prime.

hs playa, you've been given some great advice here already. I'm sure some of it you don't like, but realize that it's solid advice nonetheless.


I'm going to pull a piece of a post I wrote not quite 3 years ago on here for a player in a similar situation. Little bit different, but it fits..

quote:

Rage, this is likely your last season of organized baseball. It’s your last semester of high school. Go with the flow. Things might not seem like they are going your way, but find a way to enjoy yourself these last few weeks. Do everything you can to help the TEAM win. I know; not what you wanted to hear. The TEAM has to come before ME and it’s hard. Help the younger players, encourage your teammates, and come to the game everyday with energy and excitement. I know you’re going to feel down about not getting to play, but baseball is supposed to be fun and it can be fun even if you’re not getting to play as much as you’d like.

You can read the rest of that post here:
http://hsbaseballweb.com/eve/f...451068972#6451068972

Get in extra work in the cages on your own time. If possible, time it so the coach sees you taking the initiative to work more on your own. He'll come around if you produce and the other don't. But you have to put the work in and make him change his mind based on what YOU do.