jv baseball

Question
Hi, I have twin boys in 10th grade. Played for this high school and did a good job. They are good guys and have never been in trouble at all. This year a group of 9th graders that our coach knows most of their parents are playing over our kids. It makes me sick. They are benched or just threw in here and there. It is embarrassing to them and hurtful to us.
They asked the coach today if they could go out for another spot and he acted like he could care less. One is the best hitter on this team and the other is best outfielder that they have. He holds his glove kinda sideways but catches great but they sit him out because of that. He has always held his glove that way and never seemed to make a difference. The team has lost all their games so far but still will not give my kids a chance.  What should they do and we as parent do. This is their best sport and favortisum  has messed this up for them.  We need advise.

Answer
Tammy:  Thank you for your question.  

While I can't credibly speak to the situation itself, some thoughts on options your boys have and that you have, which might help.

For your boys:

1.  Make sure you are at practice every day, on time and ready to go.

2.  Be coachable; for example, your situation with your glove position.  Not being able to see it, I don't know if it is an issue or not; but if your coaches believe it is an issue, it is one, right or wrong.  Work hard at making the change to what they want to see.  That change will eliminate that reason for sitting you out.

3.  Be in school all day, every day.  Do your work so that you remain eligible.

4.  It sounds like you must have played for these coaches last year as freshmen.  That should provide you enough credibility to ask them what they need to see from each of you, to get more playing time.  It is an honest request, and one any coach should be willing to fill.

5.  Armed with the information provided by your coaches, set out on a mission to do whatever it takes to make those adjustments.  Practice time, outside of practice, off season.  Being a set of twins, who both play baseball, you have an inherent advantage in that you have each other to work out with.  You can accomplish a lot outside of practice time.

6.  Constantly be working at something related to your game at practice.  Coaches see everything you do, even if they don't comment on it.  Opinions are formed based on their observations, for everything that is done on that field.  Something as simple as shagging balls in the outfield during BP.  It is the perfect time for an outfielder to work on fly ball reads off the bat, get behind the ball and set up for the catch.  There isn't a coach out there that doesn't love to see that from a player.

Quite often what is done is the ball is left to drop, and a player walks over and picks it up, lobbing it back to the player in charge of the bucket.  Nothing gained by anyone.

If nothing seems to work, or help your situation, think of it in these terms.  It is only one season, keep working to improve your game, as next year you will be attempting to earn a spot on the varsity, with a whole different set of coaches.  I am sure that process will start with the upcoming summer and fall seasons.

I won't say that it will be easy to do; but if your true love is baseball, you shouldn't let one individual or situation stop you.  Do the work you need to do to make it happen.  I do know that you will never regret the effort you put into the journey.

A short history on myself and why I believe what I do:

Our Little League All Star team was 2 games away from the World Series when I was 12, I was a starter on that team.

I tried out for my Jr. High team - was cut.  Never got to hit; the coach hit me 3 ground balls, that was the tryout.  Cut the next day.

My freshman coach in high school explained to me he really didn't like me; but he was keeping me because it looked like I could hit.
That turned out to be 7 at bats for the season, never stepped on the field defensively.

JV baseball, on the bench for 1/2 the season.  They called 6 players up to the varsity, I got an opportunity.  Hit over 300.  I was ready for the chance, when it came available.

Junior year, my freshman coach is now the varsity coach.  80 kids tryout for the team, I make it, relegated to the bench.  One of our infielders makes 6 errors in 3 games, and my coach tells me I am going to play; but that I had better not make an error, or I won't ever play again.  We won the city, were state runner up, and I never saw the bench again in HS.

I had the opportunity to play 4 years of college baseball, about 3/4 of it as a starter, the rest a utility player. My senior year we were in the NAIA world series.

I mention my experiences so that you can see it may not always be the way that you imagined it would be, and that you can work through the problems and jump over the logs that get put in front of you.  Along the way, it is tremendous training for life.  As I said earlier, it is worth all the effort required to make it happen.

Abraham Lincoln said,"I may walk slow; but I never walk backwards."

Tammy:  If the boys aren't successful at getting a genuine response from their coach, you might want to talk with the Varsity head coach, and explain how you feel and what has occurred.  It is his program, and he should have the opportunity to know of your concerns.

In my 35 years of coaching, it has been my rule and belief that playing time is not negotiable, and I believe most coaches believe the same way.  That doesn't mean that you don't explain each players role on the team to them, and what they might do to enhance that role, and as a coach, look for ways to make each individual productive in the team setting.

I suggest, if you decide to speak with him, that it be because your boys were unable to get some concrete things to work on from their coaches.

On my website, www.theoleballgame.com, I have quite a bit of information that your boys, and yourself, might find useful as you go forward.  

Good luck to each of you.

Yours in baseball,

Rick