Statistics Teach You Things You Would Never Guess About Your Team
Statistics are what you make of them. They are easy to debunk, but they can teach you a ton about your team. Every year, on every team, I have a “huh?” moment in regards to one or two players. “She can’t have that many hits”, “she walks that many batters a game?”. How often I have thought that.
Using statistics you can learn a lot about your team. I don’t mean every pitch dissected in great detail as they do in the majors, but basic, simple, easy to understand statistics. I have a few that I focus on. My favorites are:
1. Slugging %
2. Walks/Inning (or batters faced)
These are the most telling to me. I don’t know how many times someone will ask me “why is he batting 3rd? His swing is horrible and he never hits”. I pull out my stats and say, “he has the 2nd highest slugging % on the team, can you believe that?” This usually quiets the criticism, but so often I discover neat things about my teams this way.
Just when we think a player strikes out all the time, we can run an average of strikeouts/at bat and find out that, in fact, while they may not have a ton of hits, they rarely strike out. A player we think is a dominant pitcher may have a wild streak and walk a bunch of batters, stats will expose this.
More often than not though, the opposite holds true. It just “feels like she walks a bunch of batters” at times, but the stats will show that, in fact, she walks much less than the hard thrower who everyone is in love with. While the pitcher may often go deep in the count, that doesn’t mean she actually walks a lot of batters. That is told with the stats.
I recommend you set up an easy excel spreadsheet to track basic stats. If you need one, email me, I am happy to customize one for you. Stats are very telling, use them, but don’t fall in love with them. Just when you start believing all your stats, they will lie to you. This is the baseball Gods at work.
How do you use stats when preparing your lineup?
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Making a Line-Up
Making a line-up for a Little League game can be a nightmare on many levels. First of all, you probably have a kid on the team that you are either too hard on or playing where they don’t belong. Likewise, you are likely to have parents who think little Jimmy or Jenny are better than they really are and will accuse you of “daddy ball”. Therefore, utilizing a system of basic baseball/softball philosophy 101 I devised this generic line-up. Using this, I can simply plug in the proper player in their position in the line-up and nobody can argue with me.
1st – Batter with the best on-base %. This position needs to get on base EVERY time possible and create havoc. I heard a coach in the Little League World Series say that he put his best hitters top to bottom because over the course of the entire tournament they got more at-bats that way. I understand that philosophy, but I have to disagree with it. What good is having your best hitter #1 if nobody is on base? Hit the buy with the best OBP first, they will likely score every inning.
2nd – Batter with the least number of strike outs. In a close game you need to “get ‘em on, get ‘em over, and get ‘em in”. The #2 batter’s responsibility is to “get ‘em over” in a tight game, but regardless, with a good likelyhood the #1 batter is on base, you need the #2 to be able to put the ball in play. This batter should be able to bunt, hit-n-run, and hit behind the runner. They should be able to handle the bat in any situation but need not have a ton of power.
3rd – Your speed power guy. This is the first of the power hitters, but not the best power hitter. The best power hitter goes in the #4 spot, this batter is the 2nd best power hitter or the guy with the #2 slugging %. He should also be fairly fast and able to bunt, hit and run, or hit behind the batter if necessary.
4th – Top Slugging % guy. This is the most important spot in the line-up. It is likely there are two or more runners on base when this batter is up. They must be clutch, have power, and be able to routinely shoot the gaps.
5th – 3rd in slugging % on the team. This batter needs to be able to protect the #4 hitter if they think they can pitch around or walk him. He needs to make them pay for that. He should have a fair amount of power but need not be the most powerful hitter. Likewise, he doesn’t need as much speed as the #3 hitter.
From this point forward I digress from conventional baseball wisdom. My thinking here is to bunch the hitters from this point forward. I don’t really care about the power guy that strikes out a lot or the the 2nd leadoff hitter hitting #9. If my 7/8/9 batters go in order, that is only one inning and I am right back at the top where I will pick up a few more runs.
6th – Highest Average left on the bench
7th – Next highest average on the bench
8th – Next highest average on the bench
9th – Next highest average on the bench
(continue for continuous batting order)
Notice I have not even mentioned defense at this point. I like to use my best hitters to start with and adjust as the game goes on. The exception to this rule would be a starting pitcher that doesn’t hit well, but in Little League, you aren’t often faced with that situation. I always want to get a jump on the score and then try and protect the lead rather than have to play come back or catch up.
With the generous Little League substitution rules I can manipulate my defense or offense according to the game situation. Adding defense when ahead and stacking hitters when we need a few runs.
Using this system a player that gets better moves up in the line-up and players that are struggling begin to move down. This challenges the players struggling and rewards those working the hardest. Additionally, I know some coaches like to spread their hitters out over the line-up. This is dead wrong in my mind.
You want to stack your hits together and then hope that the weaker hitters can get on base one way or another. Even if the weaker ones don’t get on, they only cost you an inning. If you spread your talent out that only leads to runners left on base, stringing the hits together brings the runners home.
What system do you use to create a line-up? Do stats play into it?
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Red, Yellow, Green
OK, what do you mean you say? What is this red, yellow green thing? This is one of the great benefits of going to the batting cages. The machine turns red before it throws the ball, yellow as the ball is about to be delivered, and green when it throws it.
Applying this to the batter is very valuable. If you have your batters stand in the box with the bat on their shoulder in the red position until the pitcher starts their motion, it eliminates any potential for white knuckles. White knuckles occur when the batter squeezes the bat so hard their knuckles turn white. Nobody can hit tense like that.
Once you get the parents over yelling at their kid to get ready, and they will, you move to yellow. Yellow is “ready” position. The batter should go to yellow when the pitcher makes his/her first movement. This means that the batter will only be in the ready position a few seconds. Again, this reduces the potential for tension and keeps the batter relaxed the way you want them.
Finally, the green. In green the batter swings. This is extremely effective because a kid can understand very easily that green means go. In ball though, green means attack. Next pitch, repeat.
Do you have a good trick you use to make batters relax and then attack?
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Safety First
Image by Getty Images via Daylife The Set Up
How often do you watch a game and see a coach down by three or four runs late in the game trying to impose their will on the game by being way too agressive on the base paths? What happens? They often run into an out of course. What ever happened to safety first on the base paths?
The Huddle
Let’s assume you are down by 3 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. The first thing I tell my team at the huddle before we go into the dugout (you do a huddle between every inning don’t you?) is SAFETY FIRST on the base paths. I immediately follow this up with "you can’t hit a three run home run with nobody on base".
First Runner
Once a baserunner gets on base I remind them very clearly that it is much more important for them not to make an out than to score. The tying run is still in the on deck circle. Outs are precious at this point and you have to bring the tying run to the plate.
Tying Run at the Plate
Once the second runner gets on, now it is time to sit back and enjoy. Hopefully this is your slugger, but if the baseball/softball Gods have their way, and they always do, it is your number eight hitter. Bunt if you have to, but probably better to sit back and let them come through. Encourage them. Something I have heard coaches say lately is "nobody better in this situation", beautiful. At this time the only important thing is to instill confidence in the batter, let them know you believe in them, and reinforce the fact that even if they fail you will still love them.
They have, after all, been on your team for years, have received all your fantastic training, and have been being prepared for exactly this situation. You will be amazed how often they come through in the clutch.
Back to Normal
Once your tying run puts the ball in play you can go back to standard/agressive ball. That is up to you how you coach it, but you cannot under any circumstances run into an out. If you are agressive, you must be successful.
Why do so many teams ignore this simple fundamental? What other fundamentals do you see violated regularly?
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On Deck Batter Responsibilities
Stupid Little League Rule
One of the stupidest Little League rules is the one that does not allow an on deck batter. Batters on deck gain so much insight into the pitcher and the come to the plate much more prepared to hit. That is the obvious downside of this rule, a more subtle one is the on deck batter’s responsibilities to the runners.
On Deck Batter’s Responsibilities
What you ask? The on deck batter is supposed to help the runners? Yes, this subtle and often overlooked skill can save you a few runs over the length of a season. The on deck batter must help the runner coming home and alert them to:
1. Slide
2. Stand Up
3. Which side of the plate to slide on
This is done very simply. Let’s assume there is a runner on second base, the batter hits a single and there is an inevitable play coming on the the runner at home. The on deck batter should line up beyond home plate, but out of the path of play. Basically, continue the third base line through the batter’s box, over the plate, and into the space where a runner would run if he overran home plate. That is where the on deck batter should position himself.
How to Communicate
This position gives the runner the best opportunity to see him without and additional effort. We do, after all, want the runner going full speed, there is a play being made on him. The runner approaches third, picks up the third base coach and gets the go signal. At this point he rounds third base and heads for home. About halfway home he should pick up the on deck batter. The on deck batter should signal to the runner what to do in the following manner:
Stand Up-The on deck batter should stand tall and hold their arms up in the air while yelling "your up, up, up, up, up"
Slide Left (inside the plate)-The on deck batter should bend down and swipe his hands in the direction right of the line or inside the plate shouting "get down, get down, get down"
Slide Right (outside the plate)-The on deck batter should bend down and swipe his hands in the direction left of the line or inside the plate shouting "get down, get down, get down"
The swipe should be a big two handed wave similar to a "swoosh" or big loco wave motion. How does the on deck batter decide which way to tell the runner to slide? He has to watch the play develop and watch where the throw is going to end up.
How to Decide
If the catcher is moving towards the pitchers mound or "leaning in" to the field of play, he tells the runner to slide outside. If the catcher has to go up the line a bit or has to go into foul territory to make the play the runner should slide inside. If the throw is on the money and the catcher is in perfect blocking position, then the runner is probably going to be out, but since the catcher usually reaches towards the inside of the diamond to catch the ball then reaches back to make the tag, the default location to slide is outside.
So how do we accomplish this in Little League? Well, the first runner is on their own, but if they score standing up, they should turn around and assist any trailing runners.
This often overlooked fundamental of the game will help you pick up a few runs during the season. Don’t neglect it in the older divisions, and make sure to use it for trailing runners in the younger divisions.
Do you have another overlooked fundamental you like to focus on?
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What Ever Happened to Taking a Strike?
Image by williamhartz via Flickr Last night in the Little League Softball Championship game, down by 4 runs, w/ the 7,8,9 batters up New Jersey went out there hacking??? This is not to single them out, I have seen this in just about every game that is close in the late innings. Baseball/Softball 101 says "Take a strike". For some reason, this isn’t the case any more. I have had coaches tell me "I don’t like to do that because it doesn’t teach anything". Huh?
Of course it does. It teaches kids THE RIGHT THING!
Why do we take a strike?
1. You only have about a 30% chance of getting on base swinging the bat . That means that if I swing and make contact, 2 out of 3 times I am going to make an out. Doesn’t sound like good odds to me. Do you think a professional gambler would play w/ these odds?
2. The last 3 outs are always the most difficult to get. How many times have you seen a team blow a 2,3,4 or more run lead in the last inning? I am beginning to think it happens more often than not.
3. Taking a strike eliminates any chance of your player swinging at a ball. Remove the pressure from your player, they already have enough stress on them. Let them take a strike and settle in. You might get a walk out of it.
4. You need baserunners! You can’t win if you don’t get players on base. Remember the objective is to get the tying run to the plate. You can’t do that if you ground out, fly out, or strike out.
Not only should you take a strike. If you get to 3-1 you should consider taking that pitch as well. If you have a great hitter up let them rip, but any player that is even slightly shaky should be taking 3-1 as well. Once you get up your power hitter as the tying run. Let ‘em rip! But until then. TAKE A STRIKE!
Can you think of another time you should take a strike?
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Taking Soft Toss to Another Level
Image by Apollo13Ma via Flickr
No Excuses
All coaches should be using soft toss during batting practice and pregame warm ups. There is no excuse not to. It is one of the most valuable drills to teach hitting and if you are not using it, start now!
Basics
That said, it can be so much more than it is. For those that don’t know, the soft toss drill involves positioning the player in front of a net, standing directly in front of him about 6′ away, and softly tossing balls for him to hit . This should be from the side, not the front, if you do it from the front, it isn’t soft toss, its batting practice! Two completely different skills.
Initially, you want to simply use the basic soft toss drill. The object of the coach or "tosser" is to "float" the ball on a tee right in front of the hitter . It should be a toss that seems to stop right where you want the batters bat to come through the zone. I call this "putting it on a tee".
This is great for little ones and for early season work outs. With practice, this drill becomes second nature. If your players are hitting every toss hard they are ready to move to the next level! Congratulations!
Next Level
The next level of soft toss focuses on hitting the ball in locations. Saturday before our softball game I was doing this with the girls and they were very successful! Our girls can knock the snot out of the ball, so while the repetition of the soft toss drill is good, they needed more.
I instructed each of them I was going to throw "out", "middle", "in". What I meant by this was I was going to toss the ball "on the tee" on the outside of the plate, middle of the plate, and inner half of the plate.
What I wanted to accomplish was:
Out – Get them diving into the pitch, hitting it in the back part of their swing and driving the ball to the opposite field
Middle – Getting them to hit the ball right in front of the plate and drive it right up the middle
In – Get them to hit it in the front of their swing and pull it down the line
I was pleasantly surprised how well this worked. Most of them needed a little extra work with "out", but this is typical for all ages, especially younger ones. Using this technique demonstrated what we have been telling them all year. When they succeed with it during a drill, they take this skill to the field with them. Then we can drive the ball all over the field and we are much harder to defend.
Do you have anything you do during soft toss to make it more effective, entertaining, or to keep the kids interest? Please share it with us.
Calm, Comfortable, Confident, Hitting
Tonight we had a small spring break hitting practice. It went fairly well at first, everyone was hitting well and the seven girls that were there were very comfortable. I had to ask a few of them why they didn’t hit like that in the game?
Magic Moment
Then the magic happened! One of our best hitter hit the ball so hard she broke her bat! This turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to the team!
The fact is, I wanted her to switch bats anyway but was reluctant to ask her because she was using her own bat. The bat she was using was OK, but it wasn’t a catalyst! We happen to be fortunate enough to have a player on our team who is the lucky recipient of demo catalysts every year because of his job. She has four in her bag! Yes, over $1,200 worth of bats in her bag! Her cousin, also on our team, has one too and my daughter has another that was given to us by them.
Once she broke her bat, I suggested she used this other girls catalyst. She immediately ripped the ball down the line harder than she had ever hit the ball. Her next hit landed 5′ short of clearing a 225′ fence! At most of the parks we visit, it would have been gone. The boys do this all the time, the girls not so much.
Infectious Hitting
Her hitting was infectious as hitting often is. Suddenly everyone was using that bat and everyone was swinging hard. Everyone was ripping balls over the outfielder’s head, who happened to be one of our girl’s dads. He was exhausted by the end of the night. I have to ask myself, why did they hit so well tonight? and How do I get them to do it in the games?
Confidence
First and foremost, I think it was confidence. Once this girl broke her bat, she was confident she could hit hard. The fact that her first hit was a shot down the line only fed that confidence. She swung hard and confidently from that point forward. This confidence was infectious and that is all it took to ignite the other girls. I have to remind them how hard they hit the ball so they can continue to do so in the games.
Calm
Second, they were calm. There was no stress of a game situation and they were having fun. They calmly stepped into the box and hit the ball. There was no fear because I was pitching and they knew what to expect. This calmness has to be transferred from me to them in game situations. I am not sure how I will do this, but I will attempt to remind them and maybe have them do some visioning drills before the game putting themselves back into that place that they were tonight and trying to bring that place with them to the game.
Comfortable
Third, they were comfortable. It was a beautiful night with a slight breeze blowing and they are very comfortable with one another. They way they get along is what chemistry is all about. This is something I didn’t coach, they just love each other and that is fine by me! They are comfortable around each other and they feed off that comfort. Hopefully, when we travel, we can take some of the comfort with us.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that hitting is all about cool, calm, comfort in the batters box. Rather than thinking “oh no, I have to hit now”, you have to step into the box and say “Yeah baby, bring it, cause I am going to turn it around!”. That makes all the difference in the world. It is the difference between a shot in the gap and a meager dribbler or strike out.
What techniques do you use to instill confidence in your batters?
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