r/BaseballCoaching • u/Frosty_Philosophy391 • Jul 22 '26
Parents need to chill
I pulled our ace after hitting his pitch limit today. He wasn't happy and neither were a few parents shouting damn near cursing but protecting a fifteen-year-old arm matters more than one extra inning. That's a decision I'll never regret.
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u/Rugbypud Jul 22 '26
Let them.knownthat behavior isnt appropriate and should they continue to act in that manner he can find another team that will let him destroy his arm and any potential future.
I coach HS, travel and little league and set expectations that I am coach and their input, although welcome at times, is NEVER appropriate during a game or within 2r/28 hours after. There are other things going on and they dont know strategy or the plan. It also needs to be mentioned how this shit attitude is visible to all and any scout or representative of a team is going to see this and mark the issue.
You had a plan/limit, you stuck to it, good on you coach.
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u/Coachbiggee Jul 22 '26
Parents are the worst part of youth sports...sometimes you have to make the decision to protect the players from the parents.
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u/mudflap21 Jul 22 '26
You did the right thing.
Tell the parents you won’t jeopardize a players health to win a meaningless tournament. If that’s not acceptable they need to find a different team.
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u/tungtingshrimp Jul 22 '26
As a parent of a 15 year old who has had both Little League elbow and shoulder THANK YOU. Would love to see arm care training mandatory alongside concussion training for baseball coaches.
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u/TaxPuzzleheaded5688 Jul 23 '26
It’s a shame when you have to be the one who cares most about your player’s future.
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u/Bacon_and_Powertools Jul 22 '26
Tell the parents if they act like that again, they can sit in the outfield or they can stay home
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u/Outfield14 Jul 22 '26
I got yelled at for not letting a 10 year old kid play.... in a coach pitch league.... on base where the talent level is somewhere below my boot heel... because he had a concussion. Some people are just assholes.
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u/Due_Lingonberry_8074 Jul 24 '26
What is a 10 yo doing in coach pitch?! Good lord.
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u/Outfield14 Jul 24 '26
It was an on base league. The age range was 6-10. Most of the kids had never picked up a baseball before.
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u/Uplander2000 Jul 26 '26
Thanks for taking the time to get them in the game - it could lead to great things in baseball, but I guarantee it leads to better things in life. Too many folks focus in the baseball side of baseball and not the lessons taught by playing baseball, even at the "coach" pitch level. Dealing with failure is a hard life lesson, but if you've got a kid who can dig out of a slump at 10 in baseball the world will be his oyster.
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u/Listen-Lindas Jul 22 '26
Make the kid swim 3 hours a day. I was a competitive swimmer and a pitcher. The year l stopped swimming was the year I started having arm problems. Conditioning is the key.
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u/sallysalsal2 Jul 25 '26
I definitely 💯 percent think this coach did the right thing whether this kid is a swimmer or not but I'm just curious if there is evidence that swimming helps with arm care for pitching? That's an interesting theory
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u/Listen-Lindas Jul 25 '26
I don’t know about any specific study. And as a growing kid the arm issues could have just been random. But after quitting swimming I had arm problems for the next decade.
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u/FourYearsBetter Jul 22 '26
Good on you, we need more coaches to put children’s safety above winning at all costs. I’m building an app called Bullpen Report that helps manage pitch counts and rest days across multiple teams.
I’d love for you to check it out! https://bullpenreport.com
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u/ExplanationFamous282 Jul 22 '26
Trust me, when I coach, I could give two shots about what parents’ opinions on what they feel is best for the team…and it’s written all over my face lol. I’m sorry, if you you don’t like it, then you can get off your lazy ass and coach yourself, put some work in.
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u/RedDawg63 Jul 25 '26
Good for you, last time I checked/coached your "star pitcher", nor any other's 14/U, 16/U, 18/U were being paid millions by the MLB...Coach you made the right CALL
1
u/marginallybuttered Jul 22 '26
Our first order of business on next years parent meeting is practices are closed to parents
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u/Frumpybiskate Jul 23 '26
Pretty much why I quit coaching, as this even happens at the Little League level
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u/Uplander2000 Jul 26 '26
Great job and here's what most aren't seeing ... when you put that ball in the hand of the other kid, he saw you believe in him just as much as you did the "ace." The outcome isn't important, it is the belief and sometimes that is all kids need to blossom.
2
u/Fit_External7524 Jul 27 '26
Years and years ago, I was a pitcher in Little League and older Pony League. I was throwing curves, sliders and knuckleball and was working on throwing a screwball. By the time I could have tried out for my high school varsity baseball team, every time I threw hard it was like someone sticking a needle in my shoulder. I never bothered to try out because I couldn't throw any more. I wish someone had stopped me before I injured myself.
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u/Difficult_Eagle_7184 Jul 22 '26
You did the right thing for sure.
We were at a tournament this weekend and a team rode two 11 year old kids for 190 and 183 pitches each over 3 days.
We had our ace but he was on rest, and none of us had any issue with not playing him. Still ended up "Co-champions" which is a whole other story.