Help balancing playing time, competitiveness, development, and fun!

[oobnuker]

First, some background on me: I have none! For this post, we will be talking about two of my sons - 12YO and 10YO. I was given the opportunity to coach an "Expansion" team in our town this year. I have no baseball experience other than what I have learned at the field for the last 7 years, "growing up baseball" with my kids. I was given a pre-draft pick at a handful of the boys who were already on Majors teams last year. I naturally got my 12YO, and 4 other boys who were offered up. I went to the try-outs and scored the kids myself, and then was given last pick in the draft. At the end of the day, I ended up with 5 12YO's, 4 10YO's, and 3 11YO's. One of those 10YO's is another one of my sons - so I have two boys on the team.

In my opinion, here is how the boys break down as far as ability goes:
3 - Plays to or exceeds their ability constantly
2 - Puts in age appropriate effort, surprises every now and then
1 - Puts in minimal effort, misses practices/games, or plays below "age appropriate" ability

12YO's
A - 3
B - 3
C - 3
D - 1
E - 1
11YO's
A - 3
B - 3
C - 2
10YO's
A - 3
B - 2
C - 2
D - 2

Our team is now at 2W, 4L, 1T. I've been generally playing all the 3's and rotating everyone else... Mostly in the outfield, but have had some of the 10's play just about every position in the infield at some point or another. To date, I have had one complaint from a mother who's son is 12. This kid showed up to our first batting cages in sneakers and jeans, no helmet and no bat, skipped our first practice, has missed 2 games, etc. He is one of the "1's" - This is his first year in Majors - he HAS to play Majors because he is 12... She emailed me to tell me that he wanted more playing time after 2 games - preceded by the missed practice and botched cages.

My only other complaint on playing time came from one of my coaches the other day. His son is 10. He happens to be an amazing coach and has played baseball from T-Ball all the way up to MLB. He currently plays in an adult league. His son, while having great mechanics and showing decent potential in practice, has not produced anything in any of the games. Granted, he has not played as much as some of the other kids. Here is the sticky part - MY 10YO, in my opinion, is a "3", and has been one of the 6 who basically plays most of every game. The stickier part - he called me out on it - basically saying that he'd like to see his son play more than his "2 and 1" while mine plays every game.

Now - I know it's impossible for me to sound impartial, but... my 10YO pitched a 14 pitch - no hitter inning against 10,11, and 12's a couple of weeks ago. He has successfully caught for me, and played every other position on the field. Sure he has had some errors, but he has solidly performed. His son, has struck out every at bat, has not caught routine fly balls, and had routine ground balls go through his legs - consistently. In my defense, my 10YO has NOT played every game. He has sat for a few innings at the beginning of the season, but as of right now, he has been playing them all.

What prompted his comment was us basically losing a winnable game - on coaching/managing errors. I batted a kid out of order, pitched a kid he told me not to, and we had a kid mistake a sign to bunt - on 2 outs - and he's not the fastest kid on the team - rather the opposite. Beautiful SAC bunt... Anyway, I think my coach was frustrated at my errors, and then coupled with the fact that his kid gets 1 or 2 at bats during the game, basically made the comment and took off as soon as we had lined them up and shook hands...

I want to let you all know that I am open to suggestions. I am in no way experienced as a coach, and even less as a "manager". I took his kid in the draft (probably #5 or #6 pick), with the hopes that his dad would coach, knowing his background, and he has been an amazing asset to the team from a coaching standpoint. His 10YO honestly looked good mechanically during tryouts, but was underwhelming in his performance, and was a real ??? as to whether or not he would make it - needless to say he did, and here we are. Our league rules state that every kid who plays baseball gets 2 and 1 - 2 innings in the field and 1 at bat. That's it. Our first few games got called for darkness. We've mercied a team, and been mercied. So we have at least 4 games that were short. So that makes the playing time for the lower 6 kids even less.

I have talked to some other coaches in the league and they preach the 2 and 1, 2 and 1, 2 and 1 philosophy all day long. 10YO's are lucky to be in the Majors, they get 2 and 1, unless they do something extra-ordinary... Again, my team is a mixed bag, with some 12's who can hardly play themselves out of a paper bag. If I played my kids based on age, I'd have 2 12's playing all the time who would consistently drop balls and blow plays, and have 10YO's on the bench withering...

Do I want the kids to develop? Yes!
Do I want to win a few games? Yes!
Do I have a clue on how to make it fair? Not at all!

One of the coaches I asked about my dilemma asked me, "If your 10YO was MY son would he play the whole game?" - and I truly believe I honestly answered him by saying "Yes". If nothing else because he is on the top of the curve, and managing 6 kids who rotate in and out is easier than managing any other number. 6 kids consistently play the infield for me, and 6 kids consistently rotate out. Now I changed it up a little last game and had a senior player in CF, and that helped us tremendously. So now I have an infield spot that I need to fill because I feel like having a senior kid out there at all times will probably help us.

But the question remains - how to make it "fair" and stay competitive? As a side note, the "3's" in my example above are the kids who go on to play All-Stars and Fall Ball. They are the kids who go to every clinic. Who live and breath baseball. For the 12's who are "3", this is their last year in the town rec league. They paid their dues, and played there 2 and 1 as 10YO majors - know what I mean?

So - this long winded post is half rant I guess, half asking for advice... I feel like having my 10 and 12 sons split the next game so that his kid could play the entire game just to see how it played out.

[jbolt_2000]

I think you can still be competitive and fair at the same time, but I don't think you can win the majority of games and still be fair, given the value you placed on each of your players. So I guess you have to ask yourself - do you want to win or be competitive (i.e. have close games but not win all the time)?

To date, I have had one complaint from a mother who's son is 12.

I suggest explaining to the mother that he is at the age where he needs to begin earning playing time. Show her the amount of time he has missed and the lack of effort he has given (no equipment to BP). I have no problem telling a parent that their child, while might want more playing time, does not show much effort in trying to earn it.

My only other complaint on playing time came from one of my coaches the other day. His son is 10.

I'd say, if he shows up every day, tries his best, and has some ability - go ahead and play him more. If you don't think he will help you win and this is your goal, then maybe not give him full games every game, but every other or every two games. At this level (sounds like Little League - Majors) I wouldn't worry about winning every game - just try to keep them close.

What prompted his comment was us basically losing a winnable game - on coaching/managing errors. I batted a kid out of order, pitched a kid he told me not to, and we had a kid mistake a sign to bunt - on 2 outs - and he's not the fastest kid on the team - rather the opposite. Beautiful SAC bunt... Anyway, I think my coach was frustrated at my errors, and then coupled with the fact that his kid gets 1 or 2 at bats during the game, basically made the comment and took off as soon as we had lined them up and shook hands...

This happens all the time - I made mistakes like this all the time when I first started out, as I'm sure many others here did as well. You learn and get better.

I have talked to some other coaches in the league and they preach the 2 and 1, 2 and 1, 2 and 1 philosophy all day long.

These are the win at all costs coaches and do not develop their players. They get the most complaints in the league but have winning teams because they draft the best players they can and these same players play every game, all game. They have the career bench warmers.

Again, my team is a mixed bag, with some 12's who can hardly play themselves out of a paper bag.

Just try to stay competitive, meaning keep the games close. You'll win some and lose some. The kids/parents won't remember or care who wins the season after some time, but the kids will remember what they've learned for a lifetime.

One of the coaches I asked about my dilemma asked me, "If your 10YO was MY son would he play the whole game?" - and I truly believe I honestly answered him by saying "Yes".

Two thoughts here:
1) Usually when a someone asks this question it is because they do not think you are seeing your own son in an objective manner. It usually means, "If your son was not your son, then he would not be getting the same PT."
2) Sometimes you have to take one for the team - My son was not one of the best and he did not play whole games every game. So i did not have this problem directly. He would sit at least every other game (depending on opponent, # of players who showed up, etc...). But I did have really good players whose parents were friends, and they did not sit very often, but I would make it a point to sit them every chance I could (e.g. when playing weaker teams, during win or loss blowouts, if they had bad attitudes, etc...).

But the question remains - how to make it "fair" and stay competitive? As a side note, the "3's" in my example above are the kids who go on to play All-Stars and Fall Ball. They are the kids who go to every clinic. Who live and breath baseball. For the 12's who are "3", this is their last year in the town rec league. They paid their dues, and played there 2 and 1 as 10YO majors - know what I mean?

IMO - you are not just teaching them how to play baseball but how do deal with adversity. In other words, life lessons. I have all-star caliber players and will sit them and explain, this is part of being on a team. You need to sit just like others at times. You don't sit as much because of your work ethic and ability, but still are part of a team and must allow others to try and shine. I've never had an all-star caliber player complain after I explained to them the reason they were sitting. Its not a punishment (sometimes maybe), it is teaching the game and being part of a team.

[Jake Patterson]

Couple thoughts...
1. I coached my kids for 15 years.... While in Rec ball, especially when they were young, I always made certain others on the team played as much as my son, regardless of talent. My youngest was a "3." This worked out well for me. Now when we did travel and HS that was a different thing....

2. If you have the limited experience you note then seeing talent will be difficult... this is not a bad thing, but it is what it is. Maybe the MLB'er sees something you don't.

3. Be carefull punishing a player for not showing up.... This is not in their control at this age. Play time or lack of play time should be determined by their effort on the field.

[jbolt_2000]

Couple thoughts...
3. Be carefull punishing a player for not showing up.... This is not in their control at this age. Play time or lack of play time should be determined by their effort on the field.

Good point, I hadn't thought about that when making my post - however, I would say that not bringing their bat/helmet to a BP session or forgetting their gloves or cleats to practice would fall under the "effort on the field" category.

Many times you will have parents who want to get their kids more playing time, while the kid would rather sit the bench counting the minutes/innings until the game is over so he/she can go swimming or play on the XBox.

[tg643]

Your 2&1 sounds like LL. I've been there, done that. I played the top six players full time. The other six played three innings each. If I had a discipline issue the kid got two innings. The bottom six had the ability to earn more innings and at bats. There were times to take the top six out of the game.

Players had to earn positions. However there were times I placed the less talented players at key positions. Since we had playoffs, twice a season I chose throw away games where the less talented players pitched and played the key positions. I never referred to these two games as throw aways. It ticked off the parents excessively wired on winning. We usually won one of these games. One dad was ticked "I blew" an undefeated season after we won the championship finishing 23-1.

When a kid is missing or late to practices and games find out why. It may not be the kid's fault.

[bballdad175]

What you would know if you had already been through this level, is that 9-12 year old baseball seems so important when you are in the middle of it. and there is pressure "to win" from parents and the players. But once you have "graduated" from that level, you would know that the absolute MOST important thing is to make it fun. And last I checked, playing 2 innings and 1 plate appearance is not that much fun.

Also, what you might not realize is that getting only 1 plate appearance is actually quite difficult for the player, more so than playing the whole game and getting 3 or 4 plate appearances (and a second chance if they dont have a quality at-bat in the first one).

I would suggest the following: play your kid less and play the 1's and 2's at least 3 innings a game. And pick a 1 or 2 and have them play the whole game and rotate the remaining 1's and 2's so they all have a chance to play the whole game a few times during the season.

The kids will let you think it much more important to win if you let them (they are very emotional and competitive at this age). But if you focus on making it fun and drilling in the basic mechanics and fundamentals, the kids will ALWAYS get better. By them ice cream bars after practice once in a while. Make a silly routine that you do after every game win or lose. Let the kid who has never pitched, pitch to a batter (or tell them they will get 3 batters no matter how good or how bad they do - then if they do good they are out of the inning, and if not, they are out of the inning before it makes them feel bad).

And lets face it, it's not the top 4 or 5 players in the rec team that win the game for you. They will always get their hits and make their plays. It is the bottom of the order that will make the difference.

So there is good advice here. Mostly try not to take it so seriously.

[pthawaii]

Boy oh boy, good thoughts and ideas here that I really agree with. The only thought (potentially controversial) I had to add to those above is that given how you have been coaching the team, I think your assistant coach has a valid point (not that it supports any off behavior). You drafted his kid, thinking he'd help you coach. He's done that, and done it well. I actually think that should count for something (as politically incorrect as that sounds). It's a major commitment of time and energy and so if there are 2 kids that are remotely close in ability, I'd lean towards your helps kid, given he's there every practice and game trying to help all the other kids (vs other parents that aren't helping the team/other kids, or worse yet, just complaining). Additionally, if the kid looks good with fundamentals etc. but hasn't produced in games, well, 7 games is hard to judge that sort of thing, esp if it's only 7 at bats, or a handful of balls hit your way.

Just my 2 cents.

[d-mac]

3. Be carefull punishing a player for not showing up.... This is not in their control at this age. Play time or lack of play time should be determined by their effort on the field.

I understand that it may not be the kid's fault, but how do you take away playing time from the kids who are at every practice?

[Jake Patterson]

I understand that it may not be the kid's fault, but how do you take away playing time from the kids who are at every practice?

You don't - you balance it as best you can with all the players. At this level I have always felt the the time should be a 60/40 thing... The better players play 60% of the time (and by better I mean the players working hard, trying to get it done) and those who do not - play 40%. it should never be 80/20.

[azmatsfan]

Managing a Little League team can be a headache. You can't make everyone happy. If you play your weakest players the minimum, then you'll get complaints from those parents that their player isn't playing enough or in the right position. If you rotate the kids and give them all a chance, you'll get complaints that you're not being competitive enough. The key is to find that balance that you're comfortable with. Then you need to explain your philosophy to the parents and let them know that it's your team. I'm coaching Little League Minors right now. Before the season started I let the parents know that I'd love to win every game, but I wasn't going to try to win at the expense of player development and having fun. I even told them we might lose a game or two because I typically don't pitch anyone more than two innings in a game, and there will be teams that throw their ace pitchers every game to the maximum allowed pitch count. Just last night we played a team with the fastest pitcher in the league, and he was throwing strikes. We used six different pitchers in a six-inning game. The other team threw their starter 89 pitches even though they were up 11-0 at the time. (I let the manager know I wasn't happy. I always tell myself I'm going to keep my mouth shut, but I don't)

Anyway, my point is there will always be parents that don't agree with however you try to coach, but at least they'll know where you're coming from. I'm sure there are parents who complain to each other in the stands about my coaching, but I rarely have parents complain to me because they understand why I coach the way I do.

[tg643]

Managing a Little League team can be a headache. You can't make everyone happy. If you play your weakest players the minimum, then you'll get complaints from those parents that their player isn't playing enough or in the right position. If you rotate the kids and give them all a chance, you'll get complaints that you're not being competitive enough. The key is to find that balance that you're comfortable with. Then you need to explain your philosophy to the parents and let them know that it's your team. I'm coaching Little League Minors right now. Before the season started I let the parents know that I'd love to win every game, but I wasn't going to try to win at the expense of player development and having fun. I even told them we might lose a game or two because I typically don't pitch anyone more than two innings in a game, and there will be teams that throw their ace pitchers every game to the maximum allowed pitch count. Just last night we played a team with the fastest pitcher in the league, and he was throwing strikes. We used six different pitchers in a six-inning game. The other team threw their starter 89 pitches even though they were up 11-0 at the time. (I let the manager know I wasn't happy. I always tell myself I'm going to keep my mouth shut, but I don't)

Anyway, my point is there will always be parents that don't agree with however you try to coach, but at least they'll know where you're coming from. I'm sure there are parents who complain to each other in the stands about my coaching, but I rarely have parents complain to me because they understand why I coach the way I do.

You did something very smart many youth coaches fail to do. You had a parents meeting and set expectations. Just like young kids are learning to be baseball players, young parents are learning to be sports parents.

[oobnuker]

Thanks, everyone, for the insights and advice! After a couple of jam sessions with my MLB coach we came up with a slightly different plan tonight - that actually mirrors a lot of the advice in this thread. We played one of the younger players the entire game and rotated some players into the infield who had typically been subbing into the outfield. We changed the batting lineup around a little as well. Because we have 3 games in 3 days, I had originally planned on pitching 2-2-2 so that I could pitch the kids in later games, but ended up keeping our starting pitcher in 4, deciding to take one game at a time...

And it was a win! Granted, a couple of errors on the other team didn't hurt, but overall it was a great game. It was a 6-3 win that might have been a 4-3 had the other guys not botched a few too many plays. Great game, the kids felt better about everything I think - except my youngest... Ha! He ended up sitting and giving me grief about it, but after explaining that his ground-out at first pushed the runner to 3rd so he could eventually score a tying run for us - he felt better about it too.

So thanks again - keep the advice coming. I basically went completely on the advice of my MLB coach, and have a lot more season left to figure out...

[skipper5]

What you would know if you had already been through this level, is that 9-12 year old baseball seems so important when you are in the middle of it. and there is pressure "to win" from parents and the players. But once you have "graduated" from that level, you would know that the absolute MOST important thing is to make it fun. And last I checked, playing 2 innings and 1 plate appearance is not that much fun.
)

When I coached rec on the small field (many seasons with four sons), with 12 players and 6 defensive innings, I coached within the following constraints:
--6 players sat out one inning, 6 players sat out two innings.
--relentlessly positive coaching
--utmost sportsmanship
--we didn't overpitch our pitchers.

Then, within those constraints, I did everything possible to win every inning we could.
We won more than our share of championships, primarily because of relentlessly positive coaching combined with dedication to optimizing the ability of the bottom 6 in the order to put the ball in play.

I should mention that our league had continuous batting order and free substitution.

[tg643]

In 7/8's and 9/10's we played CBO with players not allowed to sit out of the field back to back innings or more than two innings total in a game. In 7/8's I rotated players through positions. At 9/10 the better positions had to be earned. But everyone played at least a little of each position.

[jbolt_2000]

I should mention that our league had continuous batting order and free substitution.

This makes a world of difference. Just having continuous batting order makes it so much easier to sub kids in defensively. It hurts you offensively with the weaker hitters, but both team have to do it so it evens out. My league doesn't have free subbing, but I imagine it would make it even easier!