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Cdub100

Coaching little league

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On 6/9/2019 at 1:20 PM, Hardcore troubadour said:

I played in organized leagues and pick up games. I think you're off on this one. I think it's all these travel teams that are the problem. When I was growing up the rec league was dominant and there was only one travel team in town, for the best players. It seems now that rec leagues are ignored and there are numerous travel teams now. 

I think you're way off.

Baseball was loved in this nation until little league took hold.  Its not a coincidence.  As I said, little league turned a fun pastime that kids loved into a chore.

You should appreciate freedom more.  It is essential for a kids development to organize and create their own activities without parental guidance.  If they can learn that, then it goes a long way to understanding the value of freedom.  If you take that opportunity for development away and replace it with an organized league run by adults, you teach them a very different lesson which is that the state or government should run everything.

You're basically teaching them to be communists here. 

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7 minutes ago, riversco said:

I think you're way off.

Baseball was loved in this nation until little league took hold.  Its not a coincidence.  As I said, little league turned a fun pastime that kids loved into a chore.

You should appreciate freedom more.  It is essential for a kids development to organize and create their own activities without parental guidance.  If they can learn that, then it goes a long way to understanding the value of freedom.  If you take that opportunity for development away and replace it with an organized league run by adults, you teach them a very different lesson which is that the state or government should run everything.

You're basically teaching them to be communists here. 

Now you're off the deep end.  Little League isn't communist.  Kids like to play baseball on the sandlot, but they also like playing an a real team, with umpires, coaches, scoreboards, uniforms and concession stands.  

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44 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

I was listening to a podcast awhile back about a study of MLB players and pitch recognition.  Their conclusion was that pitch recognition was mostly bullsh!t. Many good hitters hit well because they sit on certain pitches, guess correctly, make the pitcher work, learn his pre-delivery tendencies and win the chess game at the plate.  They also understand that a 95 mph fastball behaves like 98 or 99 depending on location.  Some players claim they can see spin , or read seams, while others admit they can't.  

I'll look for the podcast, but here are some articles with a similar slant.  

https://projects.seattletimes.com/2017/mariners-preview/science/

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/what-can-hitters-actually-see-out-of-a-pitchers-hand/

 

That’s important for spotting a fastball, which might be the most important thing a batter can do. For Machado, it’s the only thing he can do. “I don’t pick any of that stuff up,” he laughed. “I see fastball, I swing. You know how fast the pitcher can throw, so you can see it coming out of his hand. If it’s coming in hot, I’ll swing at it. I can’t tell out of the hand if it’s going to be a slider or a changeup.”

He’s not alone. Oakland’s Khris Davis could see some spin, but focused more on targeting fastballs and spotting location. “You can see some location early, too,” he said, pointing out that the angle of the hand and the ball coming out could tell him if the ball would be up or down. “I like to look for release location,” he added. “Lots of guys have different release points. Some hide it better than others.”

MVP candidate Mookie Betts:

“I don’t really know what I see. I see this white thing coming, and I somehow try to read it. I try to look at a window where his slot is and try to pick it up as fast as possible. You try to read spin, but the way I do it, I have no idea.”

Edwin Encarnacion:

“I just see the ball, it’s white or red, but I try not to think, and I don’t want to start thinking.”

Panik:

“It’s hard to talk about.”

Astros hitting coach Dave Hudgens:

“I know when a hitter is locked in, or in the zone, nothing is in their mind and everything slows down.”

Coach Ochart:

“Some of the best hitters I’ve ever coached will “black out” when they hit. Very interesting. I’ll ask them what pitch they hit, or what location the pitch was, and they won’t remember. ‘Idk coach, I just see ball, hit ball.'”

That pretty much boils down to: "you either have it or you don't".  Hand-eye coordination is where it's at.  You need to develop that, and early... or just be talented.  Guys like Encarnacion and Davis are the example of guys who "have it", but never really developed it - they're naturally talented.  Why do I say that?  They're not good "hitters".  They can drive the ball, and that's about it.  All power.  Guys who are able to harness and develop that talent are the gifted ones.

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23 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

Now you're off the deep end.  Little League isn't communist.  Kids like to play baseball on the sandlot, but they also like playing an a real team, with umpires, coaches, scoreboards, uniforms and concession stands.  

Exactly this.

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2 hours ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

That can change.  Both of my kids had challenges with their skills in youth sports, but turned out ok.  My oldest played baseball in HS.  My youngest was a bench warmer when he first played football and eventually became a started.  Kids mature at different rates.  Just be supportive and keep teaching.

Oh I totally agree but he has to want to get better. He hates to practice but loves playing the game. He's going to learn pretty quick here in order to play he has to get better,

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4 hours ago, Cdub100 said:

Oh I totally agree but he has to want to get better. He hates to practice but loves playing the game. He's going to learn pretty quick here in order to play he has to get better,

Just play catch with him.  If you guys can have fun doing that, you can eventually work some footwork and fielding drills in.  

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1 minute ago, vuduchile said:

Just play catch with him.  If you guys can have fun doing that, you can eventually work some footwork and fielding drills in.  

Exactly. When I was coaching the younger kids I could tell immediately which kids had been playing catch.

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30 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

Just play catch with him.  If you guys can have fun doing that, you can eventually work some footwork and fielding drills in.  

Trust me I've tried to get him to do that more but he'd rather play on the swings or do other stuff. I'll only push so hard otherwise he'll start to hate the game.

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6 minutes ago, Cdub100 said:

Trust me I've tried to get him to do that more but he'd rather play on the swings or do other stuff. I'll only push so hard otherwise he'll start to hate the game.

Nothing wrong with that. Keep loving him like you do. That’s all that matters.

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I nominated two of my players for the Little League Tourney Team. I printed all the information from our league website and included the head coaches information. I instructed the parents to email the coach.

One of the parents did and his kid is playing. The other parent didn't and doesn't understand why her kid isn't on the team. :rolleyes:

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34 minutes ago, Cdub100 said:

I nominated two of my players for the Little League Tourney Team. I printed all the information from our league website and included the head coaches information. I instructed the parents to email the coach.

One of the parents did and his kid is playing. The other parent didn't and doesn't understand why her kid isn't on the team. :rolleyes:

Idiot   

I can’t even begin to describe the drama surrounding all stars here.  

I think this might actually be my last year coaching and being commissioner.  

These parents and kids have really sucked the fun right outta the whole experience. 

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Coached a travel/summer team since my son was 11/12 ( now 18) and it was the moms that made every single season an absolute nightmare. If the dads had an issue they would come talk to you and you could have a normal conversation. If the moms had an issue it started with emails/letters and phone calls to the club owner about how I was holding her child back.

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1 hour ago, JohnD. said:

Coached a travel/summer team since my son was 11/12 ( now 18) and it was the moms that made every single season an absolute nightmare. If the dads had an issue they would come talk to you and you could have a normal conversation. If the moms had an issue it started with emails/letters and phone calls to the club owner about how I was holding her child back.

With one exception this year, it been the moms stirring up sh!t around here.  I used to look forward to the games and watching the kids do what they do.  Now, I don't even wanna look at some of them.  

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We made the playoffs again during second season. We lost a game we should have dominated. None of the kids came ready to play. fooling around in the dugout. swinging at garbage. My kid still sucks and despite forcing him to practice he really didn't make any improvements.

Glad the season is over because I need a break. 

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5 minutes ago, Cdub100 said:

We made the playoffs again during second season. We lost a game we should have dominated. None of the kids came ready to play. fooling around in the dugout. swinging at garbage. My kid still sucks and despite forcing him to practice he really didn't make any improvements.

Glad the season is over because I need a break. 

So, your kid not get any better and he still sucks. Is that a problem for you?

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6 minutes ago, Cdub100 said:

We made the playoffs again during second season. We lost a game we should have dominated. None of the kids came ready to play. fooling around in the dugout. swinging at garbage. My kid still sucks and despite forcing him to practice he really didn't make any improvements.

Glad the season is over because I need a break. 

Good job man. I appreciate you guys that do this stuff. I'll always keep it in mind in the future when my kids play that if it weren't for the guys that step up there would be no sports programs for people to bich and whine about. 

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4 minutes ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

So, your kid not get any better and he still sucks. Is that a problem for you?

It's a not a problem. I don't like it, but it's not a problem. 

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Just now, Cdub100 said:

It's a not a problem. I don't like it, but it's not a problem. 

Don’t sweat it. So your kid won’t be the next Mike Trout. No big deal. Help him find his passion and support that. Encourage him to want to be the best at something. It is not about your passion, though.

Signed,

A Dad whose kid thinks mediocre is okay, so take it with a grain of salt and realize no parent is perfect.

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2 minutes ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

Don’t sweat it. So your kid won’t be the next Mike Trout. No big deal. Help him find his passion and support that. Encourage him to want to be the best at something. It is not about your passion, though.

Signed,

A Dad whose kid thinks mediocre is okay, so take it with a grain of salt and realize no parent is perfect.

I bust your balls but you're a good guy. Now GFY. 

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1 minute ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

I bust your balls but you're a good guy. Now GFY. 

I channel my inner doosh periodically, but most guys are just guys trying to figure it out and there is no playbook. 

Going to f-myself now. :lol:

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1 hour ago, Cdub100 said:

We made the playoffs again during second season. We lost a game we should have dominated. None of the kids came ready to play. fooling around in the dugout. swinging at garbage. My kid still sucks and despite forcing him to practice he really didn't make any improvements.

Glad the season is over because I need a break. 

It’s easy to get burned out, but I’m sticking with it for awhile longer  

My oldest hit 6th grade this year so this is my last year coaching him in football and basketball.  

We’ll still have a couple more years of baseball together but it has all gone by way too fast. 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

It’s easy to get burned out, but I’m sticking with it for awhile longer  

My oldest hit 6th grade this year so this is my last year coaching him in football and basketball.  

We’ll still have a couple more years of baseball together but it has all gone by way too fast. 

 

 

I said that several years ago. I ended continuing to coach other kids after my kids got to HS. I still bring back the older kids that I coached to help with the little ones. It is part of their connection and give back to the community. Teach them to be good people and not just good players. 

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9 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

It’s easy to get burned out, but I’m sticking with it for awhile longer  

My oldest hit 6th grade this year so this is my last year coaching him in football and basketball.  

We’ll still have a couple more years of baseball together but it has all gone by way too fast. 

 

 

I'd like to keep coaching, but I don't think my boy is into it. Maybe one of my girls will play.

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2 minutes ago, Cdub100 said:

I'd like to keep coaching, but I don't think my boy is into it. Maybe one of my girls will play.

Baseball is probably the hardest.  It can be boring as hell for a kid who’s picking his nose in right field all the time  

But sometimes it just takes awhile for things to click. 

I sucked as a hitter all the way up until HS and then it all started making sense.  All those years of people saying keep your eye on the ball really hit home when I finally saw my bat hit the ball.   

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9 hours ago, vuduchile said:

Baseball is probably the hardest.  It can be boring as hell for a kid who’s picking his nose in right field all the time  

But sometimes it just takes awhile for things to click. 

I sucked as a hitter all the way up until HS and then it all started making sense.  All those years of people saying keep your eye on the ball really hit home when I finally saw my bat hit the ball.   

He likes playing in the games, but you are right about playing in the outfield. He likes playing second base, but he doesn't in the work. So he only gets to play second when the game is all but over.

I HATE when coaches and parents yell "keep your eye on the ball" HATE IT!!! I talk to every one of my players and ask them if they know what it means. Most don't and the rest say watch the ball. I tell them it's more then that. I then take a ball and tell them to get in their batting stance and I walk the ball all the way to the catcher. I stop when the ball is over home plate and they slowly swing stopping at contact. They have to be looking at the ball. I say this is where you need to be. This is what people mean when they say keep your eye on the ball.

I never say keep your eye on the ball to my players. I say watch your bat hit the ball.  Same for catching watch your glove eat the ball.

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2 hours ago, Cdub100 said:

He likes playing in the games, but you are right about playing in the outfield. He likes playing second base, but he doesn't in the work. So he only gets to play second when the game is all but over.

I HATE when coaches and parents yell "keep your eye on the ball" HATE IT!!! I talk to every one of my players and ask them if they know what it means. Most don't and the rest say watch the ball. I tell them it's more then that. I then take a ball and tell them to get in their batting stance and I walk the ball all the way to the catcher. I stop when the ball is over home plate and they slowly swing stopping at contact. They have to be looking at the ball. I say this is where you need to be. This is what people mean when they say keep your eye on the ball.

I never say keep your eye on the ball to my players. I say watch your bat hit the ball.  Same for catching watch your glove eat the ball.

I don't really think you're right on this. Not totally wrong, but you're not right.

To develop as a hitter, you MUST develop hand-eye coordination.  Sure, you can say watch the bat his the ball... but they need to be watching the ball in the first place to know where it's at in order to hit it.  If you tell them to watch the bat hit the ball, they're much more likely to wait and try and pick the ball up when it gets close to them... requiring them to be off balance when trying to hit it.  They're timing will be off.  It's much harder to learn that way.

The best way to teach kids to hit is tell them to focus on the pitchers shoulder, then transfer the focus to the hand.  Watch his arm motion as the ball goes back.  Watch the shoulder as the pitcher turns towards you and then shift attention to the ball as the pitcher falls forward and the shoulder and ball fall on the same plane.  It's so much easier to track the ball to then, "... watch your bat hit the ball", because you know where it is.

Following that technique also gives you the ability to teach the kids where, when, and how to start their swing.  It's a symbiotic relationship.  As the pitcher moves his body, you need to move yours.  If the kids are late in moving, it's because they're waiting to "watch your bat hit the ball", and they're behind. They can't catch up.  You're forcing kids to focus solely on athleticism.  Honestly, it's a really bad way to coach.

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2 hours ago, Cdub100 said:

He likes playing in the games, but you are right about playing in the outfield. He likes playing second base, but he doesn't in the work. So he only gets to play second when the game is all but over.

I HATE when coaches and parents yell "keep your eye on the ball" HATE IT!!! I talk to every one of my players and ask them if they know what it means. Most don't and the rest say watch the ball. I tell them it's more then that. I then take a ball and tell them to get in their batting stance and I walk the ball all the way to the catcher. I stop when the ball is over home plate and they slowly swing stopping at contact. They have to be looking at the ball. I say this is where you need to be. This is what people mean when they say keep your eye on the ball.

I never say keep your eye on the ball to my players. I say watch your bat hit the ball.  Same for catching watch your glove eat the ball.

Yep. Every kid thinks he's keeping his eye on the ball, but many just aren't.  

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4 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

I don't really think you're right on this. Not totally wrong, but you're not right.

To develop as a hitter, you MUST develop hand-eye coordination.  Sure, you can say watch the bat his the ball... but they need to be watching the ball in the first place to know where it's at in order to hit it.  If you tell them to watch the bat hit the ball, they're much more likely to wait and try and pick the ball up when it gets close to them... requiring them to be off balance when trying to hit it.  They're timing will be off.  It's much harder to learn that way.

The best way to teach kids to hit is tell them to focus on the pitchers shoulder, then transfer the focus to the hand.  Watch his arm motion as the ball goes back.  Watch the shoulder as the pitcher turns towards you and then shift attention to the ball as the pitcher falls forward and the shoulder and ball fall on the same plane.  It's so much easier to track the ball to then, "... watch your bat hit the ball", because you know where it is.

Following that technique also gives you the ability to teach the kids where, when, and how to start their swing.  It's a symbiotic relationship.  As the pitcher moves his body, you need to move yours.  If the kids are late in moving, it's because they're waiting to "watch your bat hit the ball", and they're behind. They can't catch up.  You're forcing kids to focus solely on athleticism.  Honestly, it's a really bad way to coach.

I gave you a 30 second example from a 90 minute practice. Do you think that's all I teach? I don't have to be wrong for you to be right, jesus...

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6 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

I don't really think you're right on this. Not totally wrong, but you're not right.

To develop as a hitter, you MUST develop hand-eye coordination.  Sure, you can say watch the bat his the ball... but they need to be watching the ball in the first place to know where it's at in order to hit it.  If you tell them to watch the bat hit the ball, they're much more likely to wait and try and pick the ball up when it gets close to them... requiring them to be off balance when trying to hit it.  They're timing will be off.  It's much harder to learn that way.

The best way to teach kids to hit is tell them to focus on the pitchers shoulder, then transfer the focus to the hand.  Watch his arm motion as the ball goes back.  Watch the shoulder as the pitcher turns towards you and then shift attention to the ball as the pitcher falls forward and the shoulder and ball fall on the same plane.  It's so much easier to track the ball to then, "... watch your bat hit the ball", because you know where it is.

Following that technique also gives you the ability to teach the kids where, when, and how to start their swing.  It's a symbiotic relationship.  As the pitcher moves his body, you need to move yours.  If the kids are late in moving, it's because they're waiting to "watch your bat hit the ball", and they're behind. They can't catch up.  You're forcing kids to focus solely on athleticism.  Honestly, it's a really bad way to coach.

From personal experience, lots of kids (myself included) watch the ball leave the pitcher's hand but fail to stay on it as they start swinging.  Especially young kids.  Their heads are all over the place.  

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58 minutes ago, Cdub100 said:

I gave you a 30 second example from a 90 minute practice. Do you think that's all I teach? I don't have to be wrong for you to be right, jesus...

You said that you hate when people say, "watch the ball".  That's the only part I was talking about.  Not the rest of the practice.  It's why the ONLY focus of my response was about "watching the ball" and not anything else.

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56 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

From personal experience, lots of kids (myself included) watch the ball leave the pitcher's hand but fail to stay on it as they start swinging.  Especially young kids.  Their heads are all over the place.  

What people do and what the proper way to teach, is two entirely different things.  All math teachers teach that 2+2 = 4, whether the student is drawing in the margin of his notebook, picking his nose, watching the clock, or flat out sleeping.  You teach the way things are to be taught... you hope they learn.

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10 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

You said that you hate when people say, "watch the ball".  That's the only part I was talking about.  Not the rest of the practice.  It's why the ONLY focus of my response was about "watching the ball" and not anything else.

I said I hate when people say keep your eye on the ball...

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1 minute ago, TBayXXXVII said:

What people do and what the proper way to teach, is two entirely different things.  All math teachers teach that 2+2 = 4, whether the student is drawing in the margin of his notebook, picking his nose, watching the clock, or flat out sleeping.  You teach the way things are to be taught... you hope they learn.

Kids can lose sight of the ball at any point in the process.  They need to watch it all the way.  But one of the most common mistakes youth players make is NOT watching the ball make contact with the bat.  

There are drills to help correct that.

Here's one that I use.

 

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3 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

Kids can lose sight of the ball at any point in the process.  They need to watch it all the way.  But one of the most common mistakes youth players make is NOT watching the ball make contact with the bat.  

99% of not seeing the ball hit the bat is swinging too hard.  Start with slow swings off the tee until the mechanics are there, then increase swing velocity.  When a player's head flies out during a game, remind them to slow their swing.

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Just now, TimmySmith said:

99% of not seeing the ball hit the bat is swinging too hard.  Start with slow swings off the tee until the mechanics are there, then increase swing velocity.  When a player's head flies out during a game, remind them to slow their swing.

Had two players who consistently did this. Their swing looked good but they swung super hard and couldn't get a hit. 

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1 minute ago, Cdub100 said:

Had two players who consistently did this. Their swing looked good but they swung super hard and couldn't get a hit. 

Generally anyone who swings too hard is late.  They might feast on a slow pitcher but have no chance with good one. 

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1 hour ago, vuduchile said:

Kids can lose sight of the ball at any point in the process.  They need to watch it all the way.  But one of the most common mistakes youth players make is NOT watching the ball make contact with the bat.  

There are drills to help correct that.

Here's one that I use.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to NOT teach kids to "watch the bat hit the ball".  If you actually watch the ball, you will see the bat hit the ball.  If you see the ball and don't see the bat hit it, then you have to work on either timing, bat placement through the zone, or general body coordination.  In the clip you posted... in his first sentence he said, you need to teach your kids to track the ball and watch it for "as long as they possibly can...".  That's, watching the ball from the release point.

But what I am saying, is don't ONLY teach your kids to "watch the bat hit the ball".  That was what I got from Cdub's post, as to what he was doing.

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Take it all in for as long as you can. It seems a pain now but you will miss it when it's gone. I coached my sons travel team from his 10U season through his 18U season. He's now graduated and moved on to college ball. While I look forward to being a spectator, I already know I will miss the coaching aspect. Not just with him but all of the young men that I've been coaching for years. 

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We didn't plan on playing this year. We've been flag football which my boy has been enjoying. The league president called me and said they really needed another head coach. After talking with my kid and promising to get him more infield time (daddy ball) IF he promises me to work with me at home he agreed.

I just finished day 2 of player evaluations this morning. Basically, if you are not kept by your old team (the coach can keep 9) or new to the league you are put in a pool of players. Where we evaluate your talent and hold a draft. Of the 80 kids in this position, only 2/3 showed up.  So that sucks but not unexpected.

The draft is this Wednesday, I'm probably the only coach with only 1 player (my son) so I'm starting brand new. The good news for every keeper, you lose a draft pick so I should be able to nab the 6 really good players I saw.

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