I coach a legion team in upstate NY. Roster is composed of 1-3 of the best players from 7+ towns, basically an all-star team for the area. How do I keep all players driven to keep playing when playing time will likely be less than what they have been? Our new pitching restrictions will help but I'm talking enough kids for two very good teams.?
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First have a plan and communicate that plan to the players. Then stick with it. If for some reason you change your plan, communicate that to your players. With proper communication, most players will buy in. And make sure they know which games they will play in case Grandma wants to come.
I have seen a few things work. Splitting time 50/50 can work. Would even allow the non-playing player to skip a game if needed. If a kid is going to pitch, treat him like a pitcher only for that day. Also, depending on your rule set, use of the pinch runner, pinch hitter, etc. can be effective. We played a HS team this year who had a big roster. The guy managed to get 15 players into the game at some point (not including pitchers). Everyone of his players was ready to go because they knew at any minute they could be called on.
When I played Legion years ago the coach scheduled non conference games to keep the bench and pitchers playing, happy and ready for more critical situations. We traveled as far as two hours away to play teams in other zones.
