Coaching And Managing A Baseball Game
How should I manage my batting substitutions during game play?
As a manger, the way you want to handle your substitution is you have to really wait for the scenario to present itself. Usually you'll save a fast runner for the end of the game in case you really are desperate for a stolen base. A lot of time you'll keep a power hitter on the bench who for whatever reason wasn't good enough to be in the starting lineup or maybe he's resting that day. But usually you want to strategically wait until the end of the game when maybe you're 2 or 3 runs down and you can get him to the plate as a tying run. So a lot of it is just simply based on being aware of the situation.
How should I manage my pitching substitutions?
How should I use signals to communicate with my players during a game?
What is a 'conference' on the mound during a baseball game?
A conference on the mound during a baseball game usually happens because the coach is deciding whether or not to take the pitcher out or has decided to take the pitcher out. A second reason is for strategy. More often than not, its for a bunt play. Its the coach that is going out there and wanting to make sure that everybody knows their job detail. Thirdly, is if a new player comes into the game and has a scouting report to communicate with the players. For instance, maybe they know that this kid has a tendency to bunt or has a tendency to swing and miss at curve balls, so what the coach will do is he will go to the mound, especially if its a very critical part of the game, and its very important to have a special meeting just about that hitter.
How many times during the course of a baseball game can I call a conference on the mound?
As the manager you're only allowed a certain limited amount of conferences on the mound. It varies from league to league, but the general rule of thumb is that you are allowed to go out once an inning. If you go out more than once an inning, you have to take the pitcher out. If you go out a fourth time within the same game then you have to take that pitcher out.
What triggers a conference on the mound during a baseball game?
There are many kinds of things that will trigger a conference on the mound during a game. Number one, is that the pitcher is going through a difficult phase, for example he is struggling. The pitcher is at the point where he might get taken out of the game, so the manager will go to the mound and get a pulse of the player, and to find out, "Are you going to be able to rebound?" or "It looks like that we're going to have to make a pitching change", so that's really the primary reason. Other times, the coaching staff notices that maybe the pitcher's hurt and he's hiding it, so they'll go to the mound and question that as well. Thirdly, strategy. He'll go to the mound and need to talk to the pitcher. Maybe he'll need to talk to the catcher, and maybe he'll even need to talk to some of the infielders about a bunt play or maybe a pickoff play at one of the bases. So it could be mostly for strategy, too.
What is the best way to talk to a pitcher during a conference on the mound?
The best way to talk to a pitcher during a conference on the mound really depends on the pitcher. Sometimes a pitcher will need a good, stern shaking, and sometimes a pitcher will just need a pat on the back. So you have to read the pitcher, and you have to read the game situation, so it really will vary from pitcher to pitcher.
What should I say to a pitcher when I call a conference on the mound during a baseball game?
When you call a conference during the mound during a game, some of the things you want to tell a pitcher are more mental than anything. You want to remind him about getting back to the basics. You want to give him maybe a focal point to pick and focus on. You want to remind him to take a couple deep breaths. Sometimes, humor goes a long way to get his mind off what's happening and why maybe he's going through a difficult period. Again, you're like a psychologist out there and you have to read the situation, but usually diversion is a good tactic and obviously you need to ultimately bring that pitcher back to committing to the next act.
When is it advisable to tell my pitcher to intentionally walk a hitter?
During the course of the game, it's advisable to tell your pitcher to intentionally walk a hitter in one of a few scenarios. The first one is if there's a very, very good hitter at the plate. He's very threatening. He represents a tying run, or maybe the tying run's on base and you don't want to give him a chance to be the guy that costs you the game, and so you'd rather walk him intentionally and just take your chances on the next guy. Other situations that are very common is if the pitcher is on deck who's considered to be at the higher levels, not as good of a hitter. And it's probably not because he's not as good of a hitter, he just doesn't get to practice as much. So they'll often walk a hitter in front of the pitcher and force the pitcher to hit. Other times is when you have what's call an open bag, or an open base, and what that means is you have a runner on second with maybe one out. And you purposely want to put a runner on first to create a double play, to create a force play at all three of the bases.
How much responsibility should I give my catcher as the on-the-field coach of my baseball team?
As the on-the-field coach of your team you want to give your catcher a lot of responsibility if you feel like he's mature. Depending upon the level your playing at, probably up until maybe high school, the coaches need to take charge with the direction of the game and they need to work through the catcher as a conduit. As the catchers do get older, you want to give them a lot more responsibility because they are calling the game. They're calling the pitches. It comes back to the age and the maturity level.
What is an appropriate response by a manager to an umpire's missed call in a baseball game?
The appropriate response for a manager regarding a missed call may vary. Sometimes if he really believes that it's an unusually bad call, then he has to fight for it and show his team, especially if one of his players was called out who has begun to argue, he's got to deflect that, get his player off the field so that he doesn't get thrown out, and he's got to argue the point to keep the respect of his team or the excitement of his team. There's even times when you have to argue a call to the point where you might get thrown out. It seems like not great sportsmanship, but sometimes it's part of the game to get thrown out to wake your team up if they're going through a difficult time. For the most part, as a manager you want to display good characteristics. You don't want to look bad in front of kids who you're a role model for, so for the most part you try to treat the umpire with a great deal of respect because they're doing the best they can. Go out there and argue in a way that has a little bit of class to it, in that you're not trying to show the umpire up. Hopefully you will then gain the umpire's trust and respect that way by not purposely showing him up in case you did miss the call. You tend to get repaid really well down the line by holding that kind of mentality. That's the safest way to go, is to give the umpire the respect.
