Death of a High School Baseball Player Yesterday

[omg]

Maybe this will get more people's attention. IMHO not a "freak accident" as stated in the article. Should have been wearing a batting helmet. Indefensible I believe.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/b...hschool-wp6978

[jbolt_2000]

I'm getting a 404 error. Did they pull the article?

[omg]

I'm getting a 404 error. Did they pull the article?

Try it now.

[jbolt_2000]

Works now!

When I have my kids hit in the batting cages I insist they all wear helmets as long as they are near or around anyone swinging a bat. While they say this is a freak accident, I see this sort of thing come close to happening all the time. I've seen balls ricochet off poles, go under nets, go through the one and only whole on the entire cage, and so on. I've even been on the receiving end once - I was pitching behind an L screen, the ball is hit, ricochets off the pole behind me (there was just enough slack in the net to allow it to hit the pole), then pop me in the elbow.

It's a freak accident, but not as uncommon as situation as some may believe.

[cps]

Works now!

When I have my kids hit in the batting cages I insist they all wear helmets as long as they are near or around anyone swinging a bat. While they say this is a freak accident, I see this sort of thing come close to happening all the time. I've seen balls ricochet off poles, go under nets, go through the one and only whole on the entire cage, and so on. I've even been on the receiving end once - I was pitching behind an L screen, the ball is hit, ricochets off the pole behind me (there was just enough slack in the net to allow it to hit the pole), then pop me in the elbow.

It's a freak accident, but not as uncommon as situation as some may believe.

I have had this happen, but it was off of a pole on the side and in front of me. I was behind the L-screen, but the ball ricocheted and still got me. All I had time to do was turn my head. The ball struck me where the neck joins the skull. I was sore for a month. This was with a 12U team, but it was by a player who could really hit well for his age. Unfortunately a lot of the fields in our area have side poles that are practically right next to the cage net.

[Jake Patterson]

Very unfortunate...

[Coach C]

I have had this happen, but it was off of a pole on the side and in front of me. I was behind the L-screen, but the ball ricocheted and still got me. All I had time to do was turn my head. The ball struck me where the neck joins the skull. I was sore for a month. This was with a 12U team, but it was by a player who could really hit well for his age. Unfortunately a lot of the fields in our area have side poles that are practically right next to the cage net.

Same same last spring, knocked me off my bucket thought I was safe but got nailed by a ricochet. Past weekend got nailed in the elbow peaking out from behind the L screen, thought I would get threw a season without an x-ray, no chance.

[HYP]

Very sad but as stated by OP, not as uncommon as you would think. I see kids all the time throwing BP with no protection other than the L screen. Kids pick up bats and start swinging without first looking around. Players walk behind kids who are hitting off of tees without first making eye contact with the player hitting.

Almost could have happened to one of my players. I have since changed the rule for throwing BP. We were playing a base hit game and the players threw to their own team. It was timed, so in order to save time, the players didn't take off thier batting helmets. Player threw a pitch to my son and he hit a line drive up the middle. Pitchers head didn't get all the way behind the L screen and was struck in the side of the helmet breaking the helmet into 2 pieces. Luckily he was OK because of the helmet.

We have now posted rules for BP and make them adhere to these rules. You can't prevent the freak accident but hopefully can prevent the preventable.

[dominik]

that's really terrible. RIP

how common is it for the bp guy to wear helmets? we do it all the time. IMO it's more important for the pitcher than for the batter wearing a helmet during BP (of course the batter should also use one).

[omg]

imo it's more important for the pitcher than for the batter wearing a helmet during bp

absolutely.

[MSandman]

After having one shoot through a hole in the L-screen last year and shattering my nose, two surgeries later, I now wear a full-faced catcher's mask whenever I pitch to my son in our home cage.