re: Youth Coaches - Cutting a Player

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Youth Coaches - Cutting a Player Here's how I handled it. I coached youth baseball for 16 seasons. The first thing you do is you send an e-mail to the parents and you let them know that you're wiping the roster clean and you're holding tryouts for the next season. I did this going from 11-12 level to 13-14 level, because the field size changes and not everyone is cut out for the bigger field. Most of the parents of the kids who are not up to snuff see the handwriting on the wall and cut themselves. Some don't. In the e-mail make it clear that just because you have SPACE on the roster doesn't mean you are going to fill that space. You are looking for minimum qualifications to fit the roster slot. Then you get on the phone and start talking to players you are interested in bringing on to your team, and encourage them to try out. Also check with your league for any players looking for new homes, and start circulating the word that you're holding a tryout. Now, this is how you make a proper cut of a player: The first thing you do in a tryout is time them at 60 yards. Record the data. Have them do fielding drills. Record data on arm strength and accuracy, fielding ability, position knowledge. Give them all 10 pitches to hit. Record data on contact and power. Let any and all pitchers pitch. Record data on throwing power and accuracy. Ask all players if there is any drill they wish to repeat. Let them hit again if they think they screwed up the first time around. Let them run again if they think they were off their game. Record data. You see the pattern, right? Record numbers on everyone. And when you make your cuts, you have data backing up why you are cutting someone. You are being fair this way. Have every coach on the team keep data and together you make the call on who makes the team and who doesn't. Something else you can do is invite a veteran coach to the tryout who has no relation to your team whatsoever. Have him evaluate your players using the same system you use, as an audit. That way you can ensure your own fairness and demonstrate to any challenger that you are attempting to be as unbiased as possible. He doesn't have to have a say on who makes the team, but that's up to you. When you cut a player, send him an e-mail within one day that looks like this: Dear xxxxxx, Thank you for trying out today with the (team name). We appreciate your interest and your hard work today. We had a good tryout and it was difficult to make a decision on the final roster. At this time, we do not have a roster spot available for you. In evaluating your performance at the tryout today, our coaching staff had the following observations: Strengths: You showed good speed and good knowledge of your position. Areas to work on: Our coaching staff suggests you continue to work on your hitting for contact, throwing power and throwing accuracy. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at xxx-xxxx. I would be happy to discuss your tryout further with you. Our staff wishes you the best of luck as your further your baseball career and we look forward to seeing you on the diamond again soon. That's how you do it. But will you be able to keep those friendships intact? Highly unlikely. They will know that you ran a fair tryout, though. And you will have the numbers to prove it. Data, data, data. It is your friend in building a roster. Good luck!

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Here's how I handled it. I coached youth baseball for 16 seasons.

The first thing you do is you send an e-mail to the parents and you let them know that you're wiping the roster clean and you're holding tryouts for the next season. I did this going from 11-12 level to 13-14 level, because the field size changes and not everyone is cut out for the bigger field. Most of the parents of the kids who are not up to snuff see the handwriting on the wall and cut themselves. Some don't. In the e-mail make it clear that just because you have SPACE on the roster doesn't mean you are going to fill that space. You are looking for minimum qualifications to fit the roster slot.

Then you get on the phone and start talking to players you are interested in bringing on to your team, and encourage them to try out. Also check with your league for any players looking for new homes, and start circulating the word that you're holding a tryout.

Now, this is how you make a proper cut of a player:

The first thing you do in a tryout is time them at 60 yards. Record the data.

Have them do fielding drills. Record data on arm strength and accuracy, fielding ability, position knowledge.

Give them all 10 pitches to hit. Record data on contact and power.

Let any and all pitchers pitch. Record data on throwing power and accuracy.

Ask all players if there is any drill they wish to repeat. Let them hit again if they think they screwed up the first time around. Let them run again if they think they were off their game. Record data.

You see the pattern, right? Record numbers on everyone. And when you make your cuts, you have data backing up why you are cutting someone. You are being fair this way.

Have every coach on the team keep data and together you make the call on who makes the team and who doesn't.

Something else you can do is invite a veteran coach to the tryout who has no relation to your team whatsoever. Have him evaluate your players using the same system you use, as an audit. That way you can ensure your own fairness and demonstrate to any challenger that you are attempting to be as unbiased as possible. He doesn't have to have a say on who makes the team, but that's up to you.

When you cut a player, send him an e-mail within one day that looks like this:

Dear xxxxxx,

Thank you for trying out today with the (team name). We appreciate your interest and your hard work today. We had a good tryout and it was difficult to make a decision on the final roster. At this time, we do not have a roster spot available for you. In evaluating your performance at the tryout today, our coaching staff had the following observations:

Strengths: You showed good speed and good knowledge of your position.

Areas to work on: Our coaching staff suggests you continue to work on your hitting for contact, throwing power and throwing accuracy.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at xxx-xxxx. I would be happy to discuss your tryout further with you.

Our staff wishes you the best of luck as your further your baseball career and we look forward to seeing you on the diamond again soon.

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