he doesn’t take many walks but you hardly see him flail at pitches.

I’ll be glad to have a new set of problems—-although hopefully that plural is still less than those with Barnett. – TL

On the other hand, if…hitting coaches were worthless, there’d be none.

I didn’t say they are entirely worthless. I just think their value is minimal.

Yet managers amazingly continue to hire hitting coaches. Hmm… What could this mean?

That they think they are of some value. How much value? I’m sure different managers have different opinions on this. Of course some managers think it is a good idea to sac bunt in the third inning. Does that make it a wise strategy?

I’m going to guess that, while a team’s approach at the plate is not "determined or dictated by the hitting coach," the hitting coach nevertheless plays a part in the outcomes of a team’s offense.

“Plays a part.” Does the hitting coach affect the team’s hitting at all? Probably. But I think the affect is very small. Unless we’re talking about true hitting gurus like Charlie Lau, hitting coaches don’t build or re-build hitters. They don’t make patient guys into free swingers, and they don’t make hackmasters into paragons of plate discipline.

But I do agree that one season’s worth of stats is worthless in this regard. A hitting coach’s value is likely able to be determined after 2 or 3 full seasons with a team.

I don’t think so. I don’t think much of any effect is there at all. And I think looking at any team’s stats over one, two or ten seasons doesn’t tell you anything about the hitting coach. There’s no way to isolate the nebulous, questionable effect a hitting coach has on the team’s hitting.

Stats have ruined the game. Stats tell how you’ve played and they are fine for what they do. When you base your game on stats instead of playing hard and to win it becomes a problem.

I have played baseball my entire life. I’ve coached at the collegiate level and currently at the HS level. From having worked with these athletes, self-gratification and glorification have ruined the game. It’s not about beating your rival anymore. It’s not about playing your best together to beat other teams and win districts. It’s about how you played regardless of the outcome. For example. We played a game against our biggest rival. This school is only a few miles away and we’ve had a rivalry for years. I throw out my starting lineup. One small change. Player A is not in the lineup because of recent struggles. Player B has been playing out of his mind and therefor gets a rare start. We end up beating our rival 7-3 on a heck of an effort. Player B doesn’t do a whole lot. I think he was 1-4 with a K and single. Player B is estatic we won. Player A is a late inning substitution. Meanwhile, we are getting to the bus and Player A is pouting and Player A’s dad is mad. He approaches me in a fit of anger and says, “Coach, why didn’t you put my son in the game earlier? Why didn’t he start?” My first response was are you kidding? We just beat our biggest rival and you are upset because your son didn’t start? Give me a break. Let’s enjoy our win. He was just part of the team that beat ____. (this is the kind of win that’ll keep my job for three more years even if we lose all our other games.)

Last year, we were a decent team. We didn’t have the studs and we didn’t have the work ethic. I had a team of lazy kids that relied on talent to get through younger levels. Now at the HS level they were struggling. Instead of working harder, they just complained about how bad their stats were. My average is .250. I should be hitting .300. Stats drive motivation. It’s insane what kids will do to make sure they get a hit. At the college level and the HS level guys would question whether or not their hits were errors or singles. Or if the runs they gave up were earned. And if you wouldn’t change it for them, it was the end of the world.

The age we live in has completely changed. I’m only 25 and I’ve been fortanute enough to be a lot of places in the game. I’ve played overseas and all over the US. I know a lot of guys that made it and a lot of guys that didn’t. The guys that were marginal and worked their butts off made it. The guys that were studs and didn’t work hard usually quit college ball within a year. It was to difficult. You had an exception here or there.

I get so frustrated with all the stats becuase our 6th and 7th graders see all that and realize that stats will determine how far they make it in the game. This shouldn’t be the case.

When I recruited collegiately, I got all kinds of recommondations about kid C and kid D. They had amazing stats. Then I went and watched them play and saw no heart or hustle. I saw talent. I watched for intangibles and broke down swings, mechanics, and interaction with a team. If we are investing a scholarship, I’m not going to pull a kid in that pouts when he is given an error and reaches on an error. It’s getting more and more difficult to find coaches who instill these beliefs into their kids. Much less the star kids.

That kind of rambled, but that’s my basis for how stats have ruined the game. Kids are no longer playing to win. If we lose and I go 2-4, it’s ok. In fact, my girlfriend and I are going for icecream because I got two hits. If we win and I go 0-4, I’m going to pout and you better not stop me. Rejoice in the wins. Regroup with the loses. Most of all, learn to play the game and work together. Realize that you are part of something that is bigger than you.

Instead of rejoicing in a victory with 23 other guys, one guy ruins it for the team and pouts. That makes everyone mad because one person has to be bigger than the team.

Yes stats are good for what we use them for. But to many stats and basing everything off of stats instead of other things is a trap many people fall in to.

My argument isn’t going to change your mind NY, but I hope it enlightens you into the way the game is changing and being played in the youth levels. These kids are glorified because they hit .589 when their dad keeps book. No one else on the team has an average of .400. Wonder what’s going on there…. It all starts in T ball.