Throwing Bullpens question....

Couple of questions first - how much did he throw over the winter because that may factor into it.  Since it's early in the season and he didn't throw much over the winter he may just not be in shape yet. 

 

I would never tell a kid to not throw bullpens and if I was going to restrict throwing it would be in the field.  They would do everything 100% until the throw then let another player toss it in.  The reason is pitching relies so heavily on mechanics and everything being in sync that you need to work on that more than a throw to third base from RF.  The pitching will keep the arm in shape and the mechanics of catching / setting up will be sufficient for the OF - not perfect by any means but a better alternative than stop bullpens.

 

In the bullpen if he's not feeling it then have him use less effort while focusing on mechanics and hitting spots.  I never tell my guys they have to throw X number of pitches in a bullpen.  I give them a vague range and tell them to work towards being in that range.  If they aren't feeling it they won't push past a limit that may cause problems - if they are feeling good then they can push themselves farther than what they would normally.

 

But never take away bullpens unless there is an actual injury or rest is needed.

Arm is definitely in shape, it's not a lack of not having thrown.  I do agree with the outfield assessment and that may be a viable option to consider.   He is very mechanically sound in both areas.  I don't think skipping a mid-week bullpen will be a factor in his late week pitching performance.  I think, maybe, I will discuss with his coach about cutting down the bullpen session instead of eliminating it.  I think they have them throw 40-50 pitches as it stands now.  I definitely don't want to knee-jerk react but rather address it in baby steps I guess.,  Thanks for the imput coach

It's the beginning of the season, why not just let him get his mojo going.

 

Depending upon his role, how many times he takes or doesn't take the mound, he MAY not need a mid week pen because of his other role.

 

He can throw on flat ground to practice his pitches.

It's definitely not his mojo, he always comes in to the season ready to go.  It may be just a mental thing for him, but I have the luxury of watching and analyzing, which is always easy to do.....lol.  I would prefer the minimal bullpen or flat groundwork and am leaning toward that as a first step try to see if his game performance on the mound changes.

 

Personally I think the bullpens concept is way more geared for the Pitcher Only players.

But, thats why i don't pretend to know it all and like to ask for opinions and why I love this site

Not that much difference between having a tired arm and having a sore arm when it comes to results. You state your sons arm is healthy- isnt sore, etc. You then state his performance is down. Are we speaking about velocity? Or are we speaking about command and control? Or a mixture of all three? Putting all the things together it appears that your sons arm is just coming out of the non season and isnt up to full strength yet. I know from watching my own son and his teammates that it takes a good 6-8 weeks of throwing at least 1-2 times a week in bullpens and other throwing practices before their new muscles get trained to fire with the rest of them. Velocity during that time climbs anywhere from 2-7 mph. It also takes that long to retrain the feel of pitches and get the whole body on board. My own son doesnt reach last years peak results, including getting velocity back to those peaks until  lmost the time hs ball is over with and summer ball begins.

Sky I see your point but I think there is a huge difference between a tired arm and a sore arm.  I think that throwing the bullpens on top of all the other throwing has decreased his performance overall, compared to his late summer performace when he was in the role of PO.

 

Proud, while I do have a very good relationship with his coach, and having talked to my son extensively over the weekend about the issue, I presented several options to my son.  I was very happy with his decision that he wanted to be the one to handle the situation.  he has chosen to cut back on the amount of pitches and intensity of said pitches in the bullpen and focus on mechanics and location.  Also that he will make some adjustments to his OF throwing during in/outs.   Very happy to see him take control.  Also happy with all the imput from the board.

It might be a simple matter of he is a better starter than a reliever. Some guys need the slower warm-up pace a starter uses. Relieveing causes you to get ready in a hurry and some just don't adapt to that. 

UPDATE:

 

As of 10 games since I brought this subject up, son has only seen 4 innings on the bump, looks like my performance concerns are moot at this point....LOL...at least he'll be fresh for summer ball....

Nope, arm is fine.  Just that the HC has chosen not to use him.  AC lobbies for him to be the 3rd starter but so far, only the 4 inning outing, which was solid.  I don't really have a problem with the decision, keep reminding him he will be doing pitcher only during the summer so he will be a little fresher.  Just one of those funny things that happen in HS ball.  He knows that should he play college ball the chances are he will be PO...so he can sit back and enjoy his time in the OF for now and make the most of it

We are a 6A school, I think 1750 + kids.   I do have good relationship with the coach, I have never put any stipulations on my sons play one way or the other, that is his battle to fight.  I try to mind my own business.  It is getting harder watching him pee away the season for lack of strategy in his game approach.  He will probably step down as HC next season to an assistant position, and maybe the new AC will take over.  It's wait and see at this point.

lefthookdad,

 

No one other than the coach knows for sure why he makes the decisions he does, including why he doesn’t let your boy pitch more. But just so I can have a more clear picture of what’s going on, I hope you’ll answer a few questions.

 

Is this his 1^st season of HSB?

 

What grade is he in?

 

Not all, but some V coaches around here really take control seriously. Throwing a low percentage of 1^st pitch strikes or strikes in general, walking or hitting batters, and chunkin’ balls in the dirt will definitely keep a pitcher from getting much time on the mound. How do your son’s numbers compare to the pitchers who are getting the mound time?

 

How many players have thrown innings in games?

 

In the OP you said he had “pretty good success”. That can be taken a lot of ways, depending on the level of ball and the competition. Even in Fl 1,750 kids is not a small school, so I’m guessing the competition isn’t bad, and may be better than what he saw the past summer.

 

I’m not trying to knock the boy, but I am trying to point out that there are a lot more reasons for a player not getting mound time than people sometimes realize.

Stats, all fair questions and I will do my best to address them all. 

 

He is a JR, LHP

3rd year Varsity player, starter all 3 yrs

6 other pitchers have thrown innings this year

 

Not sure why the coach is making this decision and like I said, it really doesn't bother me as my original concern was a difference in performance based what I saw for summer results.

 

And as far as summer, he was 16 playing in 17U, had 1one rough outing in Jupiter early in the week then came back in the elimination round and shut down the #1 seed for 3 innings

5 scoreless innings in East Cobb and threw very well for a couple of different teams after that down in Ft Myers, got invite calls to play from those teams for this summer.

 

The coach is far from a "control" guy and more of a coach that has realized that he is not quite as passionate about the job as he use to be, that is why he has mentioned stepping down, but he is a nice guy.

 

I am really okay with the outcome so far, for what ever the reason is, just makes it harder for me to evaluate his performance when he is throwing.  I have found two local coaches at one of the local private high schools who were both MLB LHP's , turns out I am coaching one of their kids in little league JR's

 

As far as numbers go, his numbers are good compared to the other pitchers, but all of our pitchers would have good numbers if our team didnt make so many errors...lol