my previous legion season i was really upset about playing time, and i couldnt figure out why i got benched. i was only playing 2 or 3 innings and gettin 1 or 2 at-bats per game. its not like i sucked i was hitting .340 something in 60+ at-bats (off the bench). i was one of the only players that showed up to every game on time. i did drop one fly ball and go 0-9 in my first nine at-bats, but is that really enough to bench someone? or did the fact that i was a freshman have an effect on their decision? i actually asked my coach one time why cant i start a few more games. he said "its just a gut feeling..." any suggestions?

You said this is a legion team right?? Not a school team?? I assume your parents pay for you play on this team. You say you weren't happy with PT but you said you got 2-3 innings every game and 1 to 2 ABs. How many players were on the team??

Piece of advice don't ask the coach why you cant start more games. Ask him what you need to do to get more playing time. And make sure you ask him after practice, never ask this kind of stuff during a game.
Coach W

i say i wasnt happy with pt because there was only 14 or 15 kids on the team, none of which were reliable enough to show up to every game. i only started when we had exactly nine players on a gameday. if someone like me has one of the top five averages on the team, coming off the bench no less, dont you think he should get a few starts?

also i did ask the coach what i could do to get some starts. he sort of shrugged it off and said, "dont worry we'll get you in there." but still never gave me a start. thats when i asked why.

I guess now the question is are you playing with this same time this year?? Are you going to be dealing with this coach again? If so I would suggest you and your parents sit down and talk to him about your concerns.

Coach W

It sounds like coach may be the problem here. If you have other options I'd recommend you start looking in to them. I'd sit down with the coach and your parents and explain your situation and concerns. Even if the coach completely disagrees with your assessment, there's no reason why he can't elaborate or share with you his concerns and what he feels you must do to improve your game, that's if this is even the real issue. I hope this works out for you !

Make the Coach find a reason NOT to have you in the starting line-up!

Instead of dwelling on why this or that, now is the absolute time to rev up the engines and show the Coach the player you want to be. Continue being the one who shows up for all the games. Out hustle everyone every day. Get dirty. Run every where on the field. Stay late to hit BP or take fielding. I think by now you are getting my drift on this.

You will appreciate that starting spot a whole lot more if you earn it rather than get it due to a pity party on behalf of a coach.

In my experiences, I have to say you probably not good enough to be a starter. The coach doesn't see the potential from you. Maybe it's your swing or throw, he doesn't like at all. It doesn't matter if you got a perfect attendance record.

Coaches especially don't like the kid who ask them why they don't let him start. I know a kid who is a average player asked the coach why he should bat ninth, Would he be moved up after a good game.
The coach let him bat ninth for the whole year, and benched him now and then. Cut him in the season after. There's no bargaining right for a average player, even you are not the worst player in the team.

To deal with this situation, you either have to prove the coaches are wrong in the field or to find another team which will start you.

Not every player is a starter talentwise

quote:

Originally posted by PatrickW:
I guess now the question is are you playing with this same time this year?? Are you going to be dealing with this coach again? If so I would suggest you and your parents sit down and talk to him about your concerns.

Coach W

If you're old enough to play Legion ball, I suggest you leave your parents out of it, act like a mature young man and approach the coach yourself.

Nothing makes a coach take notice of a good player like having that player playing against his team and beating him.

Just a thought.

I have to go with RJM on this one. You should discuss your concerns with the coach directly. At 17 or 18 years old, you should start to handle these issues for yourself.

But beware...you may hear something you might not like.

I have to say, it sounds like the operation is a bit of a loose ship. If you were one of the only players who showed up on time regularly, then promptness must not be a mitigating factor in determining who starts to the coach.

Good luck...sounds like the coach is running...well, I don't know what it sounds like he is running.

hornetz,
Like others have said, talk to the coach yourself but not in terms of starting as much as what he feels you need to improve on. Then be quiet and listen and don't argue. He doesn't have to make you happy, you have to make him happy. Doesn't sound fair? Doesn't have to be, he is the coach.

You are getting into the games so you don't have that much to complain about. You weren't benched; benching uusually means you don't get in the game; you just didn't start. Why are the innings you played less important than the innings earlier in the game? They're not but your complaint infers that.

And whatever you do in your talk with the coach, do not bad-mouth other players at all. Do so, and you'll probably be picking splinters out of your butt all season because you won't be on the field anytime soon.

I remember back on my Legion an HS days and wonder why some of the other players didn't play as much as I did. I think it was mostly because of attitude not so much my playing ability. There are many ways to help a team and attitude is at the top of the list as far as I'm concerned.

The question should be phrased; "Coach what do I need to work on to get more playing time?"

quote:

Originally posted by Homerun04:
The question should be phrased; "Coach what do I need to work on to get more playing time?"

this is exactly what my son said to his freshman basketball coach halfway through the season. This was enough for the coach to take notice. Two games later he was starting, and finished the season with the "most improved player" award. Personally, I don't think his play changed at all. It was all perception.

Attitude and effort go a long way..

A freshman playing Legion. Well, don't know what your situation was, but here the coaches are dads and they tend to favor the HS their kid goes to. I've seen this both ways. Also they tend to be parents who kids are varsity players on their HS team so they might not know the JV players.
We were at a game last summer and most of our pitchers were unavailable. One of the dads went and asked the coach why didn't they put my son in; the answer was they didn't see or hear of him pitching during the HS season. That dad argued some more and because of the situation we had, they put him in. I think they may have scored a run on him but he did good for 2-3 innings and not having pitched in a while. Personally I would have pitched him all season here and there as long as he was doing well - it would have given us another pitcher for some innings come playoff time, but I know that every coach has opinions and you just have to work your tail off and let the chips fall sometimes.
Hope you have a good team this coming year and enjoy every bit of playing time you get.

Tim Robertson