Skip to main content

17 replies

Quality At Bats

M montanadad100+ posts
We have a delimma. I have started this thread a half a dozen times and have always stopped because it feels like I am being a "whining" parent. I have moved beyond that to now being a very concerned parent. I am hoping that there may be some collective wisdom from this group that will help us appropriately move forward.

My 07 son is a LHP/1b with a very strong bat. He has always been the strongest hitter in his age group with a very good average and consistent power. The DI coach at the school he is interested in told him last year that if he were a Senior (sophmore-Jr. at the time) they would be interested in him because of his bat moreso than his pitching, but that they really liked the fact that he still had a couple of years to develop.

Fast forward to this season with a new coach in our Legion program (no HS baseball in Montana). From Day 1, the coach has seemed antagonistic toward my son because my son told him that he has was accepted to the Stanford Camp. The coach immediately questioned his loyalty, was it to the Stanford camp or the Legion program.

Consequently, the season has been a terrible dissappointment to this point. My son has seen fewer than 50% of at bats than almost every other player on the team. His batting average is .294 and his OB% is .625 (on average he walks once in every three plate appearances because he is very disciplined at the plate and will not swing at bad pitches.) At a game a couple of weeks ago, he was 2-3 (including a home run) with 2 walks. The coach took him out and said "I think 5 at bats is enough for you". Then the coach went for 8 consecutive games without allowing him to swing the bat. (DH for him when he pitches, sac bunts him if there are runners on base.)

My son finally reached the point of asking the coach why he wasn't allowing him to hit. My son told him that he felt his greatest strength and contribution to the team was with his hitting rather than his pitching. (The other players on the team have between 50 and 80 AB compared to 17 for my son.) The coaches response was very lame. He said my son struck out 4 times early in the season, and that he "pops up a lot". The reality is that the only "pop up" my son has had in a game went over the right/center fence.

The coach told him that he would get him some at bats in a tournament this past weekend. We played 4 games, and he got 6 ABs. (1-3, 3 walks). This is the same ratio it has been all year 6 vs. 18 - 20.

Son is feeling very frustrated that the coach is intentionally limiting his hitting so that he will not be able to do as well later in the summer at Stanford. I realize that doesn't make any sense, but then again none of this is making any sense.

I have told my son to continue to work hard and prepare himself as best he can for the Stanford camp. (By the way, the above referenced DI coach told us last year to do everything possible to get to the Stanford camp so that he would be able to evaluate my son against good competition.) I have told him that the Legion program has no real bearing on what will happen with him (other than his confidence). I have told him that at some point, he'll be at the plate with no one on or with two outs and the coach will have to let him hit and that he needs to be mentally ready for those opportunities when they come. (BTW the only other home run on the team was from a returning college player who hit a HR at his first game, and has subsequently batted .200 with more Ks than hits, even though he bats in the 4 hole and DHs when not playing a position.)

I have determined to stay completely out of it until the season is over. (Then I will definitely have my say!) But in the meantime I feel any involvement on my part would simply make it harder on my son.

I know that no one can change this situation. Perhaps some of you might have a suggestion as to how my son can get quality at bats over the next month if the coach continues to refuse to let him hit?

Thanks in advance.
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

L lafmom5,000+ posts
Montana Dad - Is it possible that he really believes in your son as a pitcher? I can tell you from my own experience with a lefty son, many people just WILL NOT give up a lefty pither to a position even if they can hit the heck out of the ball.

Even if that is the case though, it's understandable your disappointment that he's not supporting your son for his appearance in the camp. Do you have access to hitting facilities there where he can go hit a couple times a week?
M montanadad100+ posts
Thanks for the replies.

Local options are very limited. No hitting facilities other than a batting cage at the field. No alternatives in terms of other playing opportunities. My older son just got home from college (just finished his freshman year at a Juco) and is working with him on his mechanics. My older son learned an amazing amount about hitting that no one here has a clue about, so I'm sure that will be helpful. But the bottom line is that he will be limited if he is not given the chance to see live pitching and allowed to hit when at the plate.

Defensively, I acknowledge that the coach has created an albatros. There are 3 P/1b, 2 lefties and one righty. The RHP/1B is 6'6", a great athlete, and the coaches choice for the position. (The problem is that these three kids are the strongest hitters on the team. The other lefty hits pretty good for average, the Righty hits for average with occasional power, my son hits with both average and power.)

In my opinion, the solution is easy. Move the righty to third base where we have a huge hole and where he requested to play, alternate the lefties between 1B, DH, and pitching. But as logical as that seems, I don't think it is going to happen. My son would be quite satisfied with DH, but when I look at the numbers for the season it is obvious that the coach does not want my son to have ABs.

I started to give an example or two of what is happening, but then decided "What's the point!" Recounting of absurd coaching decisions is not going to change anything.

My focus right now is to help my son stay focused and positive, to encourage him to keep his confidence high and do everything we can to have him performing at peak at the end of June and early July.

I don't understand it, but quite frankly I feel it is personal between the coach and my son. My son is the only person on the team who is proactively working to get to the next level. The program has never had anyone go DI without going through a JUCO. (My son has a 4.0 gpa so JUCO is definitely not an option for him). I think the coach believes that my son does not have the talent to play at that level and is not going to give him the opportunity to develop as a hitter. I fully realize this sounds crazy and paranoid, but look at these numbers.

LHP 41 AB .317
RHP 41 AB .317
DH/position 47 AB .255
DH/position 37 AB .243 (missed first 3 weeks)
RHP 53 AB .264
relief/position 52 AB .269
Son 17 AB .294 1 HR OB%.625

Maybe I'm not paranoid after all. I appreciate the suggestions. Maybe we can get a couple of the guys to throw live to him once or twice a week.
rz1rz15,000+ posts
You're in Montana and the options are not very plentiful. It sounds like you either have to suck it up and play by the coaches rules or send your son elsewhere for the summer to play ball. Through the Stanford camp or other contacts you may be able set your son up with a select team in Montana or another State for the summer and have him live at a teammates house. Who knows, unless you dig into it your options are limited.

This is not a "get even" with the coach scenario. Either you want your son to get the best possible experience or you want him to stagnate where he is. The down side is that he ends up not playing where he goes because he overmatched there. Tough situation, but in my mind if your son is a competitor he would love that challenge and at 17 yrs old what an experience.
Last edited by rz1
M montanadad100+ posts
Actually, I don't think I'm paranoid about this although I'm definitely approaching crossing the line on obsessing.

What angers me in this situation is that the coach read the personal letter from the DI coach telling my son that they had identified him as top priority prospect and that they were looking forward to seeing him this summer. The coach is also aware of the DI's position that they are most interested in his Left handed bat as opposed to his pitching. This school is very difficult to get into, but the baseball staff's desire to have him as part of their program will make it much, much easier to gain entrance.

I guess I have vented enough. I appreciate the opportunity to express my frustration in this venue because I really don't feel that I can say anything here without harming my son. Maybe now I can step back from that "obsessing line" a little bit and go back to trying to encourage my son in his quest.
M montanadad100+ posts
RZ,

I think we are going to have to go the "suck it up" route. He doesn't get out of school for two more weeks, and then we only have a couple of weeks until we leave for Stanford.

We have already made plans for Fall travel team that will be going to AZ fall classic and to Jupiter. Although we won't know until later in the summer whether or not he will be invited to participate on those teams. That is the best we can do under the circumstances.
A AParent1,000+ posts
montanadad

A couple of things:

1- I know this is off the subject, but you mentioned something that I would like to just say one thing about.

quote:
my son has a 4.0 gpa so JUCO is definitely not an option for him.


My son graduated with a 3.976 and I can tell you one thing - he chose to go JUCO for a variety of reasons, and never had any regrets. There are many reasons to choose JUCO, they are certainly not just for those with low gpa's and can be the perfect fit.

2-Now back to the issue at hand.

One thing I am confused about. You mention the coach
quote:
immediately questioned his loyalty, was it the Stanford camp or the Legion program
. Is there some conflict with the dates of the camp and something the Legion team will be doing at that time?

3-Has the D-1 coach you refer to has seen your son play? I hate to assume anything.

4-You say your son is the
quote:
strongest hitter in his age group with a very good average and consistent power
and that your
quote:
Son is feeling very frustrated that the coach is intentionally limiting his hitting so that he will not be able to do as well later in the summer at Sanford
.

If you truly believe this coach is willing to put his best hitter on the bench to vendictively try to keep the player from doing well at a camp then it is time you find a new team to play for. Even if you have to drive 50 miles to the next nearest town.
CM Coach May1,000+ posts
I can feel the frustration in your words. Look the main thing here is do not let this situation hurt your sons confidence. Keep telling him that it doesnt matter what the coach thinks about his abilities the only thing that matters is he believes in himself. Sometimes a coach just doesnt like a kid or just doesnt see the ability of a kid. If your son is a player and he does not let this situation hurt his confidence he will survive this unfortunate situation and will be stronger for it. I would suggest that you get with TR and see if playing for him is an option. You just might have to make some changes that you might not want to make for his benefit. Good Luck and remember HIS CONFIDENCE must be what you are concerned with and not your pride. Good Luck to you and your son , there are people that want to help and there are people here that can.
M montanadad100+ posts
AParent,

I posted a reply but it didn't take for some reason, so I'll quickly recap.

1. No problem with JUCO. My older son just finished first year. Good fit for him.

2. Conflict in schedule? Non-conference, meaningless tournament over the 4th of July weekend.

3.DI seen son play? Yes, son spent a week at DI camp last summer. That is when the coaches talked to him and told him to do everything possible to get to Stanford so that they could evaluate him against good competition.

4. Other team possibilities: nearest non-Legion program is 250 miles away.


Coach May, you are correct. His confidence is my number one concern. I will keep encouraging him that the Legion program is meaningless as far as his future possibilites are concerned. We'll just deal with things as best we can, keep a positive attitude, and I am going to try VERY hard to not let my son see or hear my frustration.
dad10dad10100+ posts
Good advice from RZ and Coach May.

In addition you and your older son have to go out and pitch BP to him every chance you get. It may not be game AB experience, but what is the alternative? You can sit at home and dwell on the missed ABs, or you can go out and give him a fewe hundred ABs every week. It's better than nothing and will give you all the sense of working hard to overcome obstacles thrown in your path.

Good Luck and keep us up to date on how it's going.
infielddadinfielddad10,000+ posts
MontanaDad,
At the Stanford Camp your son is going to likely be seen by upwards of 50 college coaches. Many are really good at watching and projecting. Some of those coaches may look at him and find the reasons they don't think he can play but most will find the reasons he can succeed. How they view, grade and project likely won't depend too much on his batting average/results. Remember, it only takes one of those 50 or so to like your son.
Last edited by infielddad
kevin11kevin11100+ posts
I agree totally with everyone here, but one thing that I haven't seen here and maybe it is totally incorrect or off the wall, but has your son went to the coach and offered to play outfield? Playing is playing and learning another position might bring alot to the table, including at bats. My son this year was a LHP/1B and they moved him to the outfield in certain games because they wanted his bat and another young man's in the game, my son playing the outfield was the lesser of the 2 evils, he was upset at first, but quickly realized it might pay dividends in the long run. Just a thought.....Might be worth a try......
M montanadad100+ posts
Thank you all for the replies. It helped me just to vent a little bit.

I need to change the focus here if you will indulge me.

I am confident in my son's abilities. He is confident in his abilities. Where is not confident at the moment is how best to describe his situation.

He asked me, "Dad, what am I supposed to say to the DI coach when he asks me how my season is going? Do I tell him the coach doesn't think I'm good enough to play and has me sitting on the bench?" I think that is also the main reason that he is hesitant about calling any other programs that he might be interested in. He doesn't know quite what to say without sounding like he is complaining about his coach.

I don't have a clear answer for him. I know that his performance will speak for him, one way or the other, but that doesn't address the issue prior to being in a position to perform. Any suggestions on the best way to verbally handle the circumstances?
A AParent1,000+ posts
It seems the D1 coach your son is interested in playing for has already seen him over the week long camp and liked what he saw.

That is a huge benefit to you. Plus, he will be looking for your son specifically, not just another face in the crowd.

Distance in the Big Sky Country can be a huge obstacle. Don't know what kind of facilities they have where you could hire someone who normally gives lessons simply to pitch to him a few days a week until the camp comes around.

Perhaps if they keep the number of pitches down (considering it is mid season) his fellow teammates can pitch too him also.

Perhaps not the best scenario, but if he keeps his swing feeling comfortable that will surely help his confidence.

Add Reply

Post
.

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Link copied to your clipboard.
×