| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Hiredgun |
Posted - 03/17/2011 : 22:35:41
I coach a 14U travel team in south Georgia. We have 11 players on our team at the current time. 10 of the players are starters and the 11th player is a sub. That is his role and he is good with it.
We are loosing a player at the end of May as he is moving. Here is our dilema........we have an opportunity to pick up 2 brothers now that are very good and would be a welcomed addition to any team but that would put us with 12 solid starters and 1 sub. Even when the player moves in May we will still have 11 solid starters and 1 sub. I hate to say it but, I know that some parents will not be happy if we pick up the 2 players now or later as that would cut into their son's playing time. The chances of us finding one quality player at the end of May will be very slim.
I see several teams in the Atlanta area (14U major) that carry in excess of 15 players. What is the secret to keeping everybody happy? Those teams are very succesful....EC Astros, Roadrunners Gray and Blue, JCS Jackhammers, etc.
Please offer some comments that might help us in making the right decision. We feel that right now we are danged if we do and danged if we don't.
Thanks for your time. |
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Hiredgun |
Posted - 04/01/2011 : 11:21:05
I just wanted to close the loop on this topic and let everybody know that their comments and suggestions were appreciated very much. At the end of the day, my assistant and I decided to pick up the brothers.
We did not speak with any parent about this but spoke directly with the players as it was their team and their input would be the deciding factor. We had 100% agreement from our players to pick up the brothers and our players agreed to equal "pine time" due to the fact that we would have 13 players on the team.
As coaches, we now have options that we really didn't have before now.......pinch runners, pinch hitters, subs in case an injury or sickness prevents a player from being there, etc.
However; we did have one parent call us about the addition of the 2 new players. He was concerned that issues about playing time would raise its ugly little head and that "pine time" would not be shared equally. We explained to the parent that was not the case as all of the players agreed to this prior to us picking up the brothers. I really wonder where that parent's concern was?
Once again, thanks for all the comments. They were really what we needed in helping us make the right decision for our team.
Hiredgun |
| gabandit |
Posted - 03/20/2011 : 22:06:39
Lots of good answers, to me however, every team is constructed differently depending upon your players.
Things to keep in mind are rotations, i.e. who plays center when you're center fielder pitches?
As kids get older they play faster and harder, i.e. they will get hurt. Plan for it.
At 14U and above, you really want to avoid bringing in a fielder to pitch in the middle of the inning. The kids deserve more than 8 pitches to warm up, both mentally and physically. So when you're thinking about who the next pitcher coming in will be, can you move him from the field to the EH position so he can start warming up? On a Saturday tournament in 95 degree weather, you will play three games. Can your starter in game two EH in game one and maybe sit out game three if he throws more than 60 pitches? If your catcher pitches plan on using him early in the weekend... all stuff like that goes into how you construct your roster.
So some guidelines: three middle infielders, two catchers, three corner fielders and four outfielders. Six to seven pitchers. Make sure you have an emergency catcher.
Having said that now start doubling up, can your catchers play first and/or third? Can your pitchers play other positions? If so, start subtracting from that number. PO's are just additions.
You also need a roster that allows for competition and discipline. i.e. the bench speaks louder than anything in the game. If your SS continues to miss signs or make mental errors letting him sit a game or two will get his attention more than yelling. You have to have a roster that lets you do that.
This is only scratching the surface but hopefully given you some food for thought...
Good Luck! |
| jongamefan |
Posted - 03/19/2011 : 23:15:27
quote:
Originally posted by bballman
If you are running a team with the goal of not getting anyone ticked off about play time, then it is the parents in charge of the team, not you.
Yeah that's so true my friends kids are out in east cobb county in the midteens ages theirs a team or two there have a few dads running he show who on the team how many on the team who plays ,ya know.
Rather our kids play on a team where the coach runs the show than dads living the a dream at everyone elses expense including the coach
They call it playtime i guess but its really my son wont sit time lol |
| RACGOFAR |
Posted - 03/18/2011 : 12:53:47
Hiredgun:
Your parents are going to be in for a rude shock when their kids start playing high school ball. Some of the bigger division schools carry 18-25+ players on their rosters. The nine best hitters and the top three pitchers usually get most of the playing time. My last 14u team was always a player or two short due to injury or conflicts. We carried 12.
As the boys get older parents should start to realize that players have roles base don teh team makeup and not all will play the same amount of time. If you have a stud pitcher but he is only an average or below average hitter, then there is no reason for him to hit. If he is that weak at hiting and wants to play high school ball, he should probably concentrate on his pitching and not his hitting to increase his chances of making the HS team.
If you've been fair and honest with your players and the playing time and your paretns understand that and that you focus on winning, then it should not be a problem to add players that increase the team's chances of winning at the expense of a few innings per player. If it is a problem with a parent then they aren't buying what you are selling to begin with. |
| AllStar |
Posted - 03/18/2011 : 09:51:00
quote:
Originally posted by Hiredgun
Spartan4, thanks for the reply.
Our team has always played to win. We could get more players as our team has been very successful but, experience shows that having one or two extra players always creates drama. That is something that we can't tolerate. I just don't think that some of our players and their parents are ready to see their role go from a full time player to a pitcher only status.
Thanks again for the input. It is appreciated.
Unless at least 7 of your 11 players pitch, I'm not sure how you would make it through a Triple Crown tournament or a USSSA tournament with their pitching rules. Like I said if you have any injuries or any scheduling conflicts of any kind you're going to have a numbers problem.
If you get through a 14YO season injury-free and with 100% attendance, you should be fine. You should also patent, bottle and sell whatever you are doing.
Or buy a lottery ticket.  |
| dmb350 |
Posted - 03/18/2011 : 09:44:40
Good question. My son is on the JCS Jackhammers and we only carry 13. Everyone pitches and has a primary and secondary position but in the games where it really counts, the best 9 are on the field and the best pitchers get the nod. This was agreed too from the beginning by players and parents.
The key is that everyone agrees that playing time is important but winning is important too. It really just comes down to some players will get most of their time in during pool play or when the games score is heavy in our favor and the rest play their primary spots in brackets and beyond. Every player JCS has is solid though and we really don't have anyone who sits too much. I would say you're actually a little thin for a 14U team. My son played up in 14U last season at ECB and we never played a team that had less than 13 players. I'd say pick them up and really do a good job of rotating positions. Good luck. |
| bballman |
Posted - 03/18/2011 : 09:11:54
You need more players. I would definetely take the brothers. Especially at the age you are talking about, as pitchers start to throw harder, they need their rest. It is about getting past the time where you have a kid pitch a whole game, then send him right back out into the field. I think you are asking for injury trouble. Also, playing tournaments, you need a back up catcher. You need to look at it this way. Next year, these kids will be playing HS ball with 15-18 kids on the roster. Chances are pretty good that some of these kids will be getting significant bench time. A little bench time never hurt anyone. Maybe I should say, a little time for some of these kids to rest during a tournament would be a good thing. If you are running a team with the goal of not getting anyone ticked off about play time, then it is the parents in charge of the team, not you.
11 kids at 14u is just not enough. I would definetely take the brothers. |
| Goin Deep |
Posted - 03/18/2011 : 08:53:23
I have always gone by the "age" rule of thumb, and it actually makes sense.
11 players minimum at any age, then:
12 players at 12
13 players at 13, and so on. Seems to make sense to me. |
| Hiredgun |
Posted - 03/18/2011 : 06:32:09
Spartan4, thanks for the reply.
Our team has always played to win. We could get more players as our team has been very successful but, experience shows that having one or two extra players always creates drama. That is something that we can't tolerate. I just don't think that some of our players and their parents are ready to see their role go from a full time player to a pitcher only status.
Thanks again for the input. It is appreciated. |
| AllStar |
Posted - 03/17/2011 : 23:53:59
You don't have enough players.
Do all your kids pitch? What happens if two people get hurt? What happens if someone has a conflict and can't play on a Sat or Sun or even a whole weekend? Say a death in the family or something.
Just off the top of my head I can think of 5 injuries to players on my son's 14YO team, 1 was season ending and another cost the player 1/2 the season. They had 13 players and had to scrounge a couple of times to have 10 at a game.
Pick up the brothers. And maybe a Pitcher Only or two.
Best of luck! |
| Spartan4 |
Posted - 03/17/2011 : 23:20:13
Teams that offer a winning atmosphere and quality instruction can usually get as many players as they want. Also, but this age many kids have become or they are starting to become pitcher only. Having a couple PO kids will raise the roster numbers but not significantly hurt other kids playing time. Adding more kids will probably cause some drama in the short term, but long term it is the nature of travel baseball....Especially if you are trying to win!! |
