Kids Wanting to Play Positions

[Solo]

I have kids in my team, 10 to 12 yo, that want to play the infield positions even though they have no skills to play it. In fact, they don't know how to play the outfield positions either, but we have to put them somewhere.

Sometimes, a couple of kids get irate when they see they are not playing their desired positions in the infield.

The problem is that if I put them in the infield, the pitchers get irate when they see an infielder has no clue how to play their position.

Ultimately, the rest of the kids get mad when if they see we lose because of bad infielders.

I feel or know this is a two edged sword. But, for the time being, I am opting for playing most of the good players in the infield. This scheme seems to get everybody happy, except the few kids who want to play the infield.

Any thoughts or ideas on how to best handle any irate kids who want to play these infield positions?

[Noodles]

Maybe let the kids that aren't as good at infield as the others, just get like 1 or 2 innings at the position they want.

[Jake Patterson]

At this age train them how to play every positon and give them an opportunity to play them.

[Williamsburg2599]

I have kids in my team, 10 to 12 yo, that want to play the infield positions even though they have no skills to play it. In fact, they don't know how to play the outfield positions either, but we have to put them somewhere.

Sometimes, a couple of kids get irate when they see they are not playing their desired positions in the infield.

The problem is that if I put them in the infield, the pitchers get irate when they see an infielder has no clue how to play their position.

Ultimately, the rest of the kids get mad when if they see we lose because of bad infielders.

I feel or know this is a two edged sword. But, for the time being, I am opting for playing most of the good players in the infield. This scheme seems to get everybody happy, except the few kids who want to play the infield.

Any thoughts or ideas on how to best handle any irate kids who want to play these infield positions?

I'm assuming this is non-competive fall ball, so just let them play where they want to for the most part.

[TG Coach]

First, train your players on self control. They shouldn't be getting mad at each other. Teach your players all the positions in practice. Give them the opportunity to earn the right to play them in a game. This doesn't mean they have to star to earn it. Don't just hand it to them because they want it.

[Matt1901]

I am going to agree with the posters who said to give them a shot, even for an inning or two at some point during the season. They are 10 to 12, not 18 to 20. You could give them an incentive like they must hustle at all times.

That's a highly developmental stage in a ball player’s life. I doubt that you are going to make or break a professional career because someone boots the ball at second base. You are not trying to win the American League East. You are trying to teach the kids the game of baseball as well as other valuable life lessons.

[JJA]

I'm with Jake on this one. The responsibility of the coach is to teach the kids the different positions and allow them to learn the positions in a game. Sure the pitchers will get mad at the infielder if they make repeated errors, but that will motivate the infielder to get better and teach the pitcher how to deal with adverse situations.

The worst thing you can do is to put in a kid in right field every inning, or worse on the bench. That's a sure way for the kid to quit next year. Remember, at this age it's all about development and keeping the kids in the game. This is a critical age where kids quit, and lots of the kids you don't think are any good at 10 may be the stars at 15 and 16 because they have a late growth spurt, get their coordination later, etc.

Yes, you will lose more games doing it this way, but wins and losses at this age are meaningless. What coaches should be judged on is how many players come back the next year, not how many games they win.

The only difficult part in little league is the low number of games, usually a maximum of 20 for the season. With this it's impossible for kids to play all the positions and learn them to any degree. That's why I typically have the kids have one infield position and one outfield position, and let them play those. That has worked out extremely well over the years.

Good luck, and keep making it fun for the kids - JJA

[scorekeeper]

The problem is that if I put them in the infield, the pitchers get irate when they see an infielder has no clue how to play their position.

Ultimately, the rest of the kids get mad when if they see we lose because of bad infielders.

ROTFLMAO!

10-12YO P’s getting mad at 10-12YO position players for poor play and mistakes? At that age, I’d say it was just as likely the fielders were PO’d at the P’s for walking batters, throwing WP’s, and giving up hits!


Any thoughts or ideas on how to best handle any irate kids who want to play these infield positions?

Do your best to give them all the skills that allow them to at least play all the positions adequately. Along with that, it sure sounds like you need to sit everyone down, including parents, and explain to them that no player is never the reason the team wins or loses all by him/herself.

[TG Coach]

You are trying to teach the kids the game of baseball as well as other valuable life lessons.

A valuable lesson is to earn it. A lot of kids are going to be lost when they hit the real world. They've been handed so much in feel good environments and their parents handle all their problems.

[Jake Patterson]

A valuable lesson is to earn it. How to "earn it" in itself is a lesson worth teaching. Most 10 year olds don't know how to "earn it."

[TG Coach]

Sure the pitchers will get mad at the infielder if they make repeated errors, but that will motivate the infielder to get better and teach the pitcher how to deal with adverse situations.


Pitchers shouldn't get mad at fielders to motivate them. Pitchers need to learn the only thing they can control is the quality of the pitch that comes out of their hand. It's out of their control how the hitter hits the ball. It's out of their control how their fielders play defense. An upset pitcher is a pitching lacking focus.

If a pitcher gets upset at higher levels he could have more issues with a fielder kicking a ball. A fielder might miss one on purpose in the future if he thinks it will get the pitcher removed from the game. The fielder might put the pitcher up against the wall in the locker room.

[JJA]

TGCoach,

Sure, you're right. The pitchers need to learn how to deal with adverse situations. At first, they will get mad at the fielder. However, they need to learn that it is out of their control, that all they can do is to focus on what they can do, which is to make good pitches. My point was that having inexperienced fielders can, strangely enough, help develop the pitchers in that regard. My son has pitched in games where he has had 7 errors behind him in a single inning, but he doesn't get flustered and keeps throwing strikes. He didn't get this through genes, or great coaching, simply he has experienced it before and now it doesn't bother him anymore. What a great thing to learn at 12, when you see guys in the bigs get flustered when there are a couple of errors behind them.

This is why I say there is very little downside to playing kids at different positions, except wins and losses, and at 10-12 I argue that winning isn't nearly as important as player development.

-JJA

[Chris O'Leary]

First, the P's need help/a talking to if they are letting infield play bother them. They need to learn to just focus on what they are doing and what they can control.

Second, there's nothing wrong with telling kids "If you want to play ____, you have to be able to ____. Once you learn to ____ then I'll give you a shot." I think this is a nice, balanced approach that I have used that lets people know they have to earn the right to play somewhere but not go off the deep end. I like to keep the list of key requirements for each position to just 2 or 3 things.

[Baseball gLove]

I guess some of you missed the Little League World Series. Don't underestimate 11 & 12 year olds. There are a lot of 11's & 12's that throw over 60 mph, some 70 and a couple that throw 80 mph. If the ball is getting thrown around to make plays and the kid can't catch it, it's a problem. I remember a kid who didn't know how to play infield get hit on the eye playing third base.

Infielders need to be able to protect themselves. Kids need to learn the position in practice and practice it at home. I hit ground balls to my 8 year old and 15 year old all the time, not just when it's practice day.

I want a skilled infield so that my pitchers don't have to throw 20 -30 pitches in an inning because players can't field their position. Last weekend we were watching a Frosh-Soph game; during 3 innings of play we saw no less than 5 infield errors and 6 dropped fly balls from two Frosh-Soph teams. Wow. We expect routine plays to be executed in 12U and virtually no dropped fly balls. I not talking about Sports Center plays and catches, just regular grounders with a nice step and throw and fly balls that one can circle and glove with 2 hands. They couldn't do that.

I remember one kid in 12U that wanted to play 2nd for me. I said sure go get your dad. I then explained to them both what I required of my 2nd baseman. First on my list was No straight legs, I want mobile ranging fast 2nd baseman; I forgot to mention that there is no crying in baseball. I showed them what I expected and how to practice it. He played the position for 1 inning with peg legs and fear and started crying after getting hit by a chopper. He couldn't play 2nd base.

[TG Coach]

He played the position for 1 inning with peg legs and fear and started crying after getting hit by a chopper. He couldn't play 2nd base.

Come on! He had fun didn't he? :blush:

[Ursa Major]

Baseball Love said: I remember one kid in 12U that wanted to play 2nd for me. I said sure go get your dad. I then explained to them both what I required of my 2nd baseman. First on my list was No straight legs, I want mobile ranging fast 2nd baseman; I forgot to mention that there is no crying in baseball. I showed them what I expected and how to practice it. He played the position for 1 inning with peg legs and fear and started crying after getting hit by a chopper. He couldn't play 2nd base.BBL, this is cr**. You set the kid up for failure, and ended up proving yourself "right" because the kid didn't perform in the one small opportunity you gave him. Congratulations -- you're the genius and you ruined a kid's future in baseball. Pat yourself on the back. :rant:

You can challenge a kid in practice to show you that he or she can play the infield position. Tell them if they take so many grounders in practice and with their dad/mom, you'll give them a shot in the infield. And give them a chance to get comfortable. I like putting a kid at third base with the bottom of the order coming up against a good pitcher. Chances are the ball won't be pulled to them, but they'll have an inning to at least get comfortable being in the infield. But pulling them after not doing well in their first time in the position is not coaching, that's bullying.

Jake wrote a wonderful article about "token playing time" that is so wonderful that I got his permission to distribute it throughout our league. There are valuable lessons in it.

[Drill]

First, the P's need help/a talking to if they are letting infield play bother them. They need to learn to just focus on what they are doing and what they can control.

Second, there's nothing wrong with telling kids "If you want to play ____, you have to be able to ____. Once you learn to ____ then I'll give you a shot." I think this is a nice, balanced approach that I have used that lets people know they have to earn the right to play somewhere but not go off the deep end. I like to keep the list of key requirements for each position to just 2 or 3 things.


yea i agree

just don t lay back in a comas position and not teach

[Jake Patterson]

I said sure go get your dad. I then explained to them both what I required of my 2nd baseman. First on my list was No straight legs, I want mobile ranging fast 2nd baseman...

While I understand what you are trying to accomplish here with the dad and player I believe your approach has flaws in that there are few youth coaches who truly understand what it takes to play any position.... They know what they know and it usually pales when compared against knowledegable coaches. At 10-12 teach them and give them an opportunity. Good coaches can motivate their players to learn and if you feel you know where players are going to end up as they grow... Well, I always tell the story about the best shortstop I ever coached ... he plays golf for UCONN.

Ursa, thanks for your kind words...
Here's the article:

[TonyK]

Many coaches promise young players they will put them in at SS/2B/3B/1B/P/C in the next game. The game rolls around, the coach becomes focused on the scoreboard, and when it's over the player never got to play the infield. Some players spend entire LL seasons playing the OF because of coaches who do not know how to teach defense.

Our LL Board grew tired of parent complaints about IF vs OF and made it MANDATORY in every LL Minors game that EVERYBODY play at least 2 innings in the infield. I liked the rule because it took me as the coach out of the picture. I could teach kids in practices how to play 2B or 1B and they knew they were going to play there in games. I also liked having my best SS playing CF when a really good hitter came up to bat. Some coaches tried to ignore the rule because their players just weren't good enough to play the infield according to them.

[Jake Patterson]

Our LL Board grew tired of parent complaints about IF vs OF and made it MANDATORY in every LL Minors game that EVERYBODY play at least 2 innings in the infield.
I feel this is a good rule at that level.

[TonyK]

I feel this is a good rule at that level.

For our league it was one of several changes made to reduce the win at all costs approaches that managers had been using. Redrafting every season, all teams making the playoffs, and firm rules limiting pitcher's innings pitched per week helped reduce the conflicts.

Our worst teams used to go 0-12 and several kids would quit playing ball. Now the worst teams win 3 or 4 times a year including victories over the 1st place teams.

[Baseball gLove]

BBL, this is cr**. You set the kid up for failure, and ended up proving yourself "right" because the kid didn't perform in the one small opportunity you gave him. Congratulations -- you're the genius and you ruined a kid's future in baseball. Pat yourself on the back. :rant:

You can challenge a kid in practice to show you that he or she can play the infield position. Tell them if they take so many grounders in practice and with their dad/mom, you'll give them a shot in the infield. And give them a chance to get comfortable. I like putting a kid at third base with the bottom of the order coming up against a good pitcher. Chances are the ball won't be pulled to them, but they'll have an inning to at least get comfortable being in the infield. But pulling them after not doing well in their first time in the position is not coaching, that's bullying.

Jake wrote a wonderful article about "token playing time" that is so wonderful that I got his permission to distribute it throughout our league. There are valuable lessons in it.


I did not set the kid up for failure. I hit ground balls to EVERY KID on my teams starting at 6U. I don't just start whacking away either. I build it up so kids can develop confidence. First I have the kids take ground balls bare-hand so they develop a proper 2 handed technique and then slowly build up to where I then ask them to get their gloves and continue to build on the difficulty and intensity of the hits. I teach them to back hand and how to circle the ball, to let hard hit balls come to them and attack the easier hit balls. When the kid specifically asked to play 2nd base, I showed him that not only did he have to cover his position, but that he also had to back up the SS up the middle and the 1st baseman when balls were hit there. That he had to dink base runners and then get back to his position to field. His father is not a stupid man. I was specific in what I required. It was no different of another kid who had far less experience, but was able to learn quickly. The 2nd kid was short and heavy, but he hustled and never complained and earned his position. I thought I was suckered with the short heavy kid, but found that he was a hidden treasure with a great attitude. I gave him time at 3rd base.


When I field a team in a competitive league, I have to consider the arms of my pitchers when setting up a defense especially 12U and 14U. There are two kinds of errors (actually three). Physical errors that occur from effort and physical errors that occur from lack of effort. I can live with the 1st kind. If you are not willing to work with your kid to help my team, don't expect to get important positions on my team.

[UGDodgersSS#13]

When I coached 9u-12u, i had two basic guidelines:

1. Safety. If a boy can't catch reasonably well, I don't play them at 1st, 3rd, pitcher or catcher.

2. It is not fair to the other players if a boy wants to play a position but clearly cannot. For example, if a boy wants to pitch, but can't get the ball near the strike zone at least 50% of the time.

I would NEVER say no to a request.
But, each player would be "tested" (I never called it a test) first.
For example, I would tell a boy who wanted to pitch that I WANTED him to pitch BUT only if he could throw 5 strikes with 10 pitches. I had him throw to me.
If he passed , he would be permitted to pitch in a game.
I had a good idea about a boy's ability already so this was really a way of letting them see their own skills.
It would be very difficult for the boy who couldn't throw 5 of 10 pitches over the plate to complain.

I would still encourage them to continue practicing and told them that they could take the test again at any time.

[Baseball gLove]

When I coached 9u-12u, i had two basic guidelines:

1. Safety. If a boy can't catch reasonably well, I don't play them at 1st, 3rd, pitcher or catcher.

2. It is not fair to the other players if a boy wants to play a position but clearly cannot. For example, if a boy wants to pitch, but can't get the ball near the strike zone at least 50% of the time.

I would NEVER say no to a request.
But, each player would be "tested" (I never called it a test) first.
For example, I would tell a boy who wanted to pitch that I WANTED him to pitch BUT only if he could throw 5 strikes with 10 pitches. I had him throw to me.
If he passed , he would be permitted to pitch in a game.
I had a good idea about a boy's ability already so this was really a way of letting them see their own skills.
It would be very difficult for the boy who couldn't throw 5 of 10 pitches over the plate to complain.

I would still encourage them to continue practicing and told them that they could take the test again at any time.


I agree with this. If players want to put in the time and effort to make themselves better, they should be given a number of chances.

[BallCoach06]

At this age train them how to play every positon and give them an opportunity to play them.


I agree. Coach them up!

[Go Cardinals]

First, the P's need help/a talking to if they are letting infield play bother them. They need to learn to just focus on what they are doing and what they can control.

Second, there's nothing wrong with telling kids "If you want to play ____, you have to be able to ____. Once you learn to ____ then I'll give you a shot." I think this is a nice, balanced approach that I have used that lets people know they have to earn the right to play somewhere but not go off the deep end. I like to keep the list of key requirements for each position to just 2 or 3 things.

I agree too on this one.

[Three A's baseball]

Safety
Fun
Winning

Usually my order of importance before they hit the big field.

If they can't play the infield it they will be in danger.

[jamesh23]

I wanted to pitch so bad when I was 9-12 and I kept bugging my coach lol and he kept telling me he'd give me a shot and he never did till my 11 yr old year and I became the ace the next year, But I pitch a little now for highschool but I cant throw junk as they woudl call it and my coach requires sophomores at least have a curve, change, and fastball, I only have change and fast. but it helped me develop my arm for the outfield.

[Go Cardinals]

I wanted to pitch so bad when I was 9-12 and I kept bugging my coach lol and he kept telling me he'd give me a shot and he never did till my 11 yr old year and I became the ace the next year, But I pitch a little now for highschool but I cant throw junk as they woudl call it and my coach requires sophomores at least have a curve, change, and fastball, I only have change and fast. but it helped me develop my arm for the outfield.

Lol, I bugged my coach, but when I finally got my chance, I technically got a blown save, because of 3 errors..... I should of been out of the inning... =-(

Retarded coach never pitched me untill the end of the year. I thought he was stuoid, because the average speed of the pitchers were around 65 mph, and I can get it in the 80's (actually throwing strikes for the most part).

[TL_Dad]

I agree with the coaches on this one.
Number one is the player must be able to protect themselves, because I can't.

I had the pleasure (not sure that is the word for it) of coaching 8 & 9 year olds this past season. This was the first year of (modified) kids pitch for most of the players. When I divided them up into different stations at practice the only station that was optional was pitching. Everyone of the players on the team wanted to pitch I had to have extra practices just to get anything done. Of the 12 players on the team 7 got to pitch in a game. During my pitching practices 4 of the players decided pitching wasn't for them, but all were taught and encouraged.

Most kids will know if given a chance if they are good enough. I also made it manditory for parents to be at pitching practice to see what I was teaching and have them practice at home. Parents know if their kid is good enough to play certain positions.