Player rotation - ages 7/8

Question
I am aware there are no definitive rules for player rotation in ages 7/8. I have observed 2 of our 9 teams for 7/8 boys baseball continuously keep their best players only on the infield. They do move them to different positions within the infield and 1-2 of those best players may play 1 inning in the outfield. The not-so-good players are obviously left to catch and be in the outfield. I have witnessed 2 grandmothers crying over the fact that their grandsons are continuously only permitted to play in the outfield. I have tried encouraging them and saying outfield is very important, but I believe these two coaches and sponsoring teams are being very unethical in these decisions. They also happen to the the teams with te best records in our league - no surprise, I guess. Luckily, I have been blessed with coaches who are completely ethical and who believe every kid needs a chance to play every position several times throughout the year. How can I approach this with a very stubborn and politically driven baseball league board of directors?  I believe this baseball club needs to demand ethical and moral decision making from all coaches across the board without exception. Thanks for your thoughts.

Answer
Tracy:  Thank you for your question.

It certainly is a tough situation, one that is played out in youth baseball all over the country, season to season.

There is a reluctance of national offices to create definitive guidelines, generally they recommend a policy, with the stipulation that the actual decision on a policy, is up to the local board.

You truly have been blessed with coaches who appear to be secure in what, and why, they are coaching.  At the level you are asking about winning should be the last thought on anyone's mind.  As you look around, I am sure you do not see anyone in the stands with clipboards, stop watches or radar guns.

The LL rule book defines the goal of the Minor League is to prepare children for eventual selection to a major division team.  As a high school coach of 35 years, I can't think of a better way to prepare them for that next level than the opportunity to experience playing all positions on the diamond.

The more a player knows about the overall responsibilities of all positions, the greater asset they become for all teams in their future.

At the 7/8 level, I am sure the majority of all balls hit are ground balls, or pop flies, both of which remain in the infield.  Leaving your best players in those infield spots correlates into wins; but a very limited learning experience for those others, who at this point in time are not as advanced.

In a perfect world the local boards would have a player rotation, defined for all teams in the league, thus providing all the area kids an opportunity to expand their defensive experience.  Everyone, players and future coaches of those players, would benefit.

The concept is to learn to play baseball, not just shortstop.

Those players currently exiled to the outfield quite often develop a dislike for baseball, viewing it as boring.  From those early experiences, it has been.

At the high school level we work hard on changing that image of being an "outfielder".  Incoming players often think they play the outfield because they are not skilled enough to play the infield.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  On my website, www.theoleballgame.com, under Baseball Instruction - Outfield there is some additional information on the importance of outfielders.

The good thing for yourself and your son is that his coaches are all about creating a good experience for every player on the team.  That is worth it's weight in gold.

Under the current system, it will certainly cost them some wins.  Down the road, their players will be better equipped as they advance, they will remember having fun on that team, their team mates, coaches, and the truth is no one will remember how many games they won, or didn't win, in the 7/8 league.

When I was 12, our all star team won the city tournament, state tournament, district tournament and were 2 games from the world series.  My fondest memory is our trips to the A&W Rootbeer Stand after our games, win or lose.  I have no idea how many games we won or lost, what my batting average was, etc.  That story is written up on the website, the page on Site Dedications.

Good luck as you go forward with your son's, and your baseball experience.  Enjoy the journey.

Yours in baseball,

Rick