Is JT Done

[00Dawg]

My first opening day in a kid pitch league is 9 days away.

I have three kids playing travel/select ball in addition to our rec team. Two of them are my best pitchers.
I'm just waiting for the news that one or both of them already used up part of their weekly pitch count going into a busy week.

In the meantime, I'm trying to find arms 3 through 6 and get them ready. Number 3 is looking good. 4 and 5 need work. Getting to 6 may be a stretch, and he's the other guy on the select team.

We have several stretches with 4 games in 8 or 9 days. It is possible this could get ugly in a couple of games this year.

 

[MSUDC11]

Facts are JT was never going to be moved from Friday nights. And it likely was going to be an issue all season. MacLeod looks more like your typical Friday guy than Ginn ever has.

Gunn threw more than 90 pitches 2 times last season. Went 4-4 with a 4.30 era in sec starts, and averaged less than 5 innings a start.

He was given his Friday night gig based on where he was drafted, not where he pitched. I feel confident the team can fill his shoes.

I think we have other good pitchers but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water here. Ginn was a freshman All-American last year and had the best start of any of our pitchers in Omaha. He would be a big loss.

Our other two weekend starters are a freshman and a guy whose command is incredibly inconsistent, not exactly a proven staff there. I realize they looked good against Wright State but we’ve yet to see them against an SEC team.

 

[o_HuntDawg]

I think we have other good pitchers but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water here. Ginn was a freshman All-American last year and had the best start of any of our pitchers in Omaha. He would be a big loss.

Our other two weekend starters are a freshman and a guy whose command is incredibly inconsistent, not exactly a proven staff there. I realize they looked good against Wright State but we’ve yet to see them against an SEC team.

I concur totally. Ginn is a good arm. Good enough to be a weekend starter, but its not like we lost a guy who is irreplaceable. I wouldn't even call it losing the staff ace. He was one of many quality arms we have. Now another quality arm will have an opportunity to go out and prove they can do it.

Lemo already said that MacLeod was farther along pitch count wise and spring practice wise coming into the season. He was being nursed along. I could see that being a hinderance as the year progresses. Now we have a chance to start clean, in the pre-sec scheduled to work out staff and find the right mix before SEC play begins.

 

[hogfan14]

Watching him (and the rest of Arkansas) lose that championship series was one of the greatest non-MSU college baseball memories I have.

I'm sure he has a hard time sleeping at night over it too while collecting his MLB checks lol

 

[AlSwearengen]

I concur totally. Ginn is a good arm. Good enough to be a weekend starter, but its not like we lost a guy who is irreplaceable. I wouldn't even call it losing the staff ace. He was one of many quality arms we have. Now another quality arm will have an opportunity to go out and prove they can do it.

Lemo already said that MacLeod was farther along pitch count wise and spring practice wise coming into the season. He was being nursed along. I could see that being a hinderance as the year progresses. Now we have a chance to start clean, in the pre-sec scheduled to work out staff and find the right mix before SEC play begins.

Sorry to call you out, but Ginn isn’t just a “quality arm”. Does this mean we shut the season down and give up? No, but we just lost our ace.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Has this been confirmed?

 

[o_HuntDawg]

Sorry to call you out, but Ginn isn’t just a “quality arm”. Does this mean we shut the season down and give up? No, but we just lost our ace.

guess we have different ideas of what an ACE is. Small was an ace, ginn was just a quality arm.

again in SEC starts last season.. his average line was:
5 innings, 5 hits, 2.5 runs, 2 walks, 6K

he went 4-4 in SEC starts with a 4.30 era

he may have been our Friday night guy, but was an sec Friday night type ace. Or hadn't shown to be. Again most Friday night guys throw more than 80-85 pitches a start and are expected to go deeper than 5 innings into a game

 

[o_HuntDawg]

Sorry to call you out, but Ginn isn’t just a “quality arm”. Does this mean we shut the season down and give up? No, but we just lost our ace.

to compare even more: what I call an ACE

Small last season in sec games: 7-2, 1.50 era, average line was 6+ innings, 3 hits, 1 ER, 11K

He was always above 90 pitches and threw over 100 on 6 occasions. Ginn never threw 100 and only threw more than 90 2 times.


Again not arguing Ginn isn't a good arm, he is a quality arm, but not an ACE. And contrary to the last few seasons, Ginn vs most Friday SEC arms would be the underdog, not the favorite.

 

[seshomoru]

When exactly did this crap start?

I played my first organized ball at the age of 7 in a coach pitch league. We played one night a week in the summer. Kids started pitching in 9-10 year old ball and we played one, maybe two games a week in the summer. They picked an All-Star team and they played some big round robin tournament for fun, then state tournament. If you won that there was only one more tournament after that. We did this until 13-14 when basically if you made your high school team (or JV or whatever) then when that season was over you played in the summer. Some guys didn't even do that. There were maybe 4 or 5 tournaments over the summer. We maybe traveled once to Florida or something and made a beach trip out of it. I remember like 3 or 4 guys that played "Fall Ball".

I graduated high school in '99. What the hell happened the last 20 years that parents thought spending a **** to of money burning there kids out on baseball was the best way to pay for college instead of making them study and get good grades?

I coached an Upward Basketball team this year and had two 7 year olds miss the last game last weekend because their first travel ball tournament was going on. What the hell?

 

[horshack.sixpack]

I played my first organized ball at the age of 7 in a coach pitch league. We played one night a week in the summer. Kids started pitching in 9-10 year old ball and we played one, maybe two games a week in the summer. They picked an All-Star team and they played some big round robin tournament for fun, then state tournament. If you won that there was only one more tournament after that. We did this until 13-14 when basically if you made your high school team (or JV or whatever) then when that season was over you played in the summer. Maybe 4 or 5 tournaments on some weekends. I remember like 3 or 4 guys that played "Fall Ball".

I graduated high school in '99. What the hell happened the last 20 years that parents thought spending a **** to of money burning there kids out on baseball was the best way to pay for college instead of making them study and get good grades?

I coached an Upward Basketball team this year and had two 7 year olds miss the last game last weekend because their first travel ball tournament was going on. What the hell?

Don't even try to understand. You can't count the number of baseball "select" teams nowadays. It has basically replaced the recreational leagues starting around 10 - 12 because there are few/no rules on who can form a team and parents these days suck at being honest with their kids, and themselves, about what the kid is good at. They'll fork out big $$$ so little Timmy won't be left out of travel ball. Doesn't really matter if he's any good or not, he can find a team that will take him, and his parent's money...

 

[Sam Adams Dog]

whatever- wasnt given friday on draft status- geez- Facts? clueless

last year wasn't near 100%

Facts are JT was never going to be moved from Friday nights. And it likely was going to be an issue all season. MacLeod looks more like your typical Friday guy than Ginn ever has.

Gunn threw more than 90 pitches 2 times last season. Went 4-4 with a 4.30 era in sec starts, and averaged less than 5 innings a start.

He was given his Friday night gig based on where he was drafted, not where he pitched. I feel confident the team can fill his shoes.

 

[My Bru]

I played my first organized ball at the age of 7 in a coach pitch league. We played one night a week in the summer. Kids started pitching in 9-10 year old ball and we played one, maybe two games a week in the summer. They picked an All-Star team and they played some big round robin tournament for fun, then state tournament. If you won that there was only one more tournament after that. We did this until 13-14 when basically if you made your high school team (or JV or whatever) then when that season was over you played in the summer. Some guys didn't even do that. There were maybe 4 or 5 tournaments over the summer. We maybe traveled once to Florida or something and made a beach trip out of it. I remember like 3 or 4 guys that played "Fall Ball".

I graduated high school in '99. What the hell happened the last 20 years that parents thought spending a **** to of money burning there kids out on baseball was the best way to pay for college instead of making them study and get good grades?

I coached an Upward Basketball team this year and had two 7 year olds miss the last game last weekend because their first travel ball tournament was going on. What the hell?

So you are my age. Back then, the only team in MS that regularly played fall ball was New Hope. Guess who the coach was, and guess how that relates to the Ginns?

But to answer your question, back then, American Legion was the only real travel group around, and I know the Jackson 96ers were at it. That was the late 90s. Serious travel ball started not long after that, because guys 5-10 years younger than me all played it regularly.

Why is it happening? Well I guess there is a demand for it. I also think a lot of parents probably got tired of Johnny not making All-Stars, so they created their own teams. But ultimately I think it was created for kids to get noticed and play against better competition. It's now just gotten out of control. I don't really care what type of the baseball is being played, I'm in no position to tell a parent how to spend money. I just do not like the fall part of it. Baseball should be January/February through the summer, until you get to college.

 

[My Bru]

Don't even try to understand. You can't count the number of baseball "select" teams nowadays. It has basically replaced the recreational leagues starting around 10 - 12 because there are few/no rules on who can form a team and parents these days suck at being honest with their kids, and themselves, about what the kid is good at. They'll fork out big $$$ so little Timmy won't be left out of travel ball. Doesn't really matter if he's any good or not, he can find a team that will take him, and his parent's money...

10-12? Try 7-8.

And while I agree with your sentiment, and it's easy to say "just keep your kid in rec ball", it's not that easy when you're going through it and trying to choose what you want your kid to do. I'd prefer the rec league, but literally the decent players save a select few are on a select team, so it's a catch-22. There's a certain reality to the situation now, especially in MS. In some cities around the southeast they still have a number of municipalities that keep their kids in rec, but those are rare, like the GBBA in the Birmingham area, who all get together and have some All-Star tournaments at the end of the rec season. I wish Jackson would do that.

 

[My Bru]

I'm sure he has a hard time sleeping at night over it too while collecting his MLB checks lol

Make no mistake I was laughing at your fans too, call those hogs mfer

As far as mini me goes, some things are not about money

 

[horshack.sixpack]

I agree. It is hard on a parent living in an area that just works that way. I'm old. In hindsight, I would have prioritized more nights at home around the dinner table and I ABSOLUTELY would NOT be signing my kids up for anything extracurricular until they showed an interest (NOTE: this is not what I did, it is what I would do if I started over with actual wisdom in place). I see 3yo heavily scheduled in activities now and it is unbelievable to me. Has to be parental FOMO.

 

[My Bru]

I agree. It is hard on a parent living in an area that just works that way. I'm old. In hindsight, I would have prioritized more nights at home around the dinner table and I ABSOLUTELY would NOT be signing my kids up for anything extracurricular until they showed an interest (NOTE: this is not what I did, it is what I would do if I started over with actual wisdom in place). I see 3yo heavily scheduled in activities now and it is unbelievable to me. Has to be parental FOMO.

It's crazy because now it's more about holding kids out of sports, than putting them in it. They play soccer year round here too, it's as big of an offender as baseball if not more. Baseball starts at 3/4 and all they do is line them up in a line and hit a ball towards them. It's nuts.

I am the oddball here as I didn't let my kids play anything until 4 year old soccer, and then it was just that until 6U baseball, then Upward basketball at 7U. Even with me holding out, I'm still a few years earlier than it was when I was growing up, nothing started until 1st grade (7U essentially).

I try to, at minimum, at least stick with the sport that is in season. Of course, when you have 1,000 parents yapping at you that your kid will get left behind, even though you know better, it does make you question your judgement at times. I just tell myself to keep an eye on the long game, as most of these kids are going to burn out and/or have overuse injuries (yes, their knees wear down in soccer too) by the time they are 13.

 

[dog12]

guess we have different ideas of what an ACE is. Small was an ace, ginn was just a quality arm.

again in SEC starts last season.. his average line was:
5 innings, 5 hits, 2.5 runs, 2 walks, 6K

he went 4-4 in SEC starts with a 4.30 era

he may have been our Friday night guy, but was an sec Friday night type ace. Or hadn't shown to be. Again most Friday night guys throw more than 80-85 pitches a start and are expected to go deeper than 5 innings into a game

Agree.

Small was like money in the bank. Guaranteed quality start every time he pitched. A 17'n stud.

And . . . Small was ready to pitch when it's his turn.

A pitcher can't be an "Ace" if he's injured and unable to pitch.

 

[Shamoan]

thats another thing....here is a newsflash....i hate to break it to you parents that are up to your eyeballs in travel ball (i have a son that is here as well), but the sad reality is that 99.5% (might be generous) of your children will never play professional baseball. i feel like some parents are just going crazy trying to get that extra edge with hitting coaches, pitching coaches, etc and making life miserable for the kid. odds are, if you are reading this with a child playing baseball, they will not even be remotely good enough to play professionally even at the minor league level. your $ 400 bats every 6 months, endless practices, and specialized coaching wont be enough for poor timmy.

maybe timmy is a great student and you are spending all his time pushing him to baseball and you push so hard, you push timmy to go play juco ball (nothing wrong with juco) somewhere instead of letting him pursue a career in law, or medicine, or whatever, all because you want to live vicariously through him. maybe you make him good enough to force him from a promising career. i have a friend that is a former minor league players and he laughs all the time at the parents that think their kid is going to be the next big thing.

 

[beachbumdawg]

I have three kids playing travel/select ball in addition to our rec team. Two of them are my best pitchers.
I'm just waiting for the news that one or both of them already used up part of their weekly pitch count going into a busy week.

In the meantime, I'm trying to find arms 3 through 6 and get them ready. Number 3 is looking good. 4 and 5 need work. Getting to 6 may be a stretch, and he's the other guy on the select team.

We have several stretches with 4 games in 8 or 9 days. It is possible this could get ugly in a couple of games this year.

When my son (9 at the time) played up in 11-13 rec, if he pitched on Sunday with his Travel team (depending on pitch count - weekend max being 75 and no one day over 30-35) he wasn’t allowed to pitch or catch on M/T but could catch and pitch up to 30 on W/Th. The coach had no issue with it even though he was the number 2 guy

After, reflecting on it, we decided to just do travel because it wasn’t fair to the rec team and it gave us more days to do non baseball stuff

I empathize with your plight

 

[paindonthurt_]

Parenting parenting parenting. Problem across many aspects in this country.

 

[patdog]

There are smart gambles & not so smart ones. I am thankful he came to MSU. But I wouldn’t have.

 

[kired]

thats another thing....here is a newsflash....i hate to break it to you parents that are up to your eyeballs in travel ball (i have a son that is here as well), but the sad reality is that 99.5% (might be generous) of your children will never play professional baseball. i feel like some parents are just going crazy trying to get that extra edge with hitting coaches, pitching coaches, etc and making life miserable for the kid. odds are, if you are reading this with a child playing baseball, they will not even be remotely good enough to play professionally even at the minor league level. your $ 400 bats every 6 months, endless practices, and specialized coaching wont be enough for poor timmy.

lol, my kids are not very good at baseball - one doesn't like it and the other is simply just an average (at best) athlete. But they have plenty of friends as you described --- parents paying for private coaching sessions, practice at least twice a week for 9-10 months of the year, playing more games each year than I did through 4 years in highschool.

I'm talking kids under 10 years old. They're putting in that hard work today so they can get that college scholarship one day. And then when they play with my kids in the 8 week city rec league --- there's absolutely no difference.

I do understand every kid is different. I enjoyed baseball, but would have been miserable playing as much as they do these days. The 20-30 games a year I played was plenty for me. But I had a brother that couldn't get enough of it. He could have played 100 games a year and never complained.

 

[Lawdawg.sixpack]

I watched a kid throw 96 pitches in a 9U game last year.

If it was my son's team, I would've yanked him off the field, even if he wasn't pitching.

 

[Go Budaw]

But that's what doesn't make sense. If he's been closely managed for years, why in the world do you let him go to college?

I mean, you've invested all this time into taking care of his golden arm, then you get right at payday and say - no thanks, we'll take a chance throwing in college for a few more years.

You may be forgetting some details of his draft situation.

His rumored price to go MLB was $3 million. At slot, that would have been equivalent to pick #21 or #22 in the first round. He was actually picked 30th, at a slot value of $2,275,000 by the Dodgers, who in that particular draft had the lowest amount of over-slot cash of any MLB team. They compounded this problem by signing a lot of guys drafted after Ginn in the first 10 rounds at over-slot values. So not only did Ginn not get his $3 million offer, he got offered significantly less money than the slot where he did get picked. My memory is fuzzy, but I want to say his final offer from the Dodgers might have hovered around $1 million, which is late 2nd round money. Don’t get me wrong, that’s still a lot of money, but after Uncle Sam gets their $350,000 or $400,000 it is hardly life changing. Especially when you’re gonna be only making $25-$30k and riding a bus for 6 months of the year until you make it.

So, even though he was a first round pick, he didn’t get first round money. And if he pitched at MSU for a couple of years and was simply able to move up from #30 to #15, he would have likely quadrupled his signing bonus. Even now, in a worst case scenario, some team will still take a chance on him in the 3rd or 4th round. He made a good choice and took a well calculated risk, it just didn’t work out perfectly.

 

[seshomoru]

The 96ers were a lot of the Madison guys. The Bombers were mostly Prep and JA. I think JSU sponsored a team made up of JPS guys and Northwest pretty much just played with their own team. I think they all had two teams each, split by grade or age. I want to say there may have been a south Jackson group of Leavell Woods and Hillcrest. We'd play each other a lot. Made a trip to the Delta and Tupelo. Played one huge round robin tourney down in Pensacola I think. Season was over before school started.

 

[My Bru]

I'm talking kids under 10 years old. They're putting in that hard work today so they can get that college scholarship one day. And then when they play with my kids in the 8 week city rec league --- there's absolutely no difference.

I agree with this. Until 13-14, simply playing more games does not help. Better to be at home playing catch or hitting fundamentals with dad in the carport. A regular season will do just fine. Same with other sports. The only thing you lose is the 'insider knowledge' or the chance to hob nob with the other parents, which is why most of them do it, honestly.

I wonder why baseball and soccer are so bad about it? You don't see this in football and basketball.

 

[seshomoru]

I wonder why baseball and soccer are so bad about it? You don't see this in football and basketball.

It's pretty obvious why.

 

[beachbumdawg]

I had words with a coach last spring in 10u because he pitched a kid against us - threw 65 or so pitches - turned around and put on the mound again in bracket play on the same day - kid started complaining about arm hurting after about 40 more pitches - coach told him he needed to battle and grind for his team

 

[PubDawg]

thats another thing....here is a newsflash....i hate to break it to you parents that are up to your eyeballs in travel ball (i have a son that is here as well), but the sad reality is that 99.5% (might be generous) of your children will never play professional baseball. i feel like some parents are just going crazy trying to get that extra edge with hitting coaches, pitching coaches, etc and making life miserable for the kid. odds are, if you are reading this with a child playing baseball, they will not even be remotely good enough to play professionally even at the minor league level. your $ 400 bats every 6 months, endless practices, and specialized coaching wont be enough for poor timmy.

maybe timmy is a great student and you are spending all his time pushing him to baseball and you push so hard, you push timmy to go play juco ball (nothing wrong with juco) somewhere instead of letting him pursue a career in law, or medicine, or whatever, all because you want to live vicariously through him. maybe you make him good enough to force him from a promising career. i have a friend that is a former minor league players and he laughs all the time at the parents that think their kid is going to be the next big thing.

Maybe take little tummy out for Golf or Ultimate frisbee. Better odds

 

[My Bru]

I had words with a coach last spring in 10u because he pitched a kid against us - threw 65 or so pitches - turned around and put on the mound again in bracket play on the same day - kid started complaining about arm hurting after about 40 more pitches - coach told him he needed to battle and grind for his team

So this still really happens? I figured with all the information we have nowadays that the daddyball Stacy Hester wannabe types had been phased out.

 

[Funk6652]

Bingo. Daddy too. (So proud of those "rings" and participation trophies. I've seen too much bad come from travel ball. Parents think their kids are the next A-Rod and prob wont even get a shot at JuCo ball.
JMHO

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

When it comes to a single individual, **** happens. I have no personal knowledge on this kid, but he definitely seemed to careful about his usage. So all the theories y'all are throwing out just don't mean anything. Everyone's path is different.

I did not start any organized ball until I was 8. I did not play any tournaments until I was 10 and that was an end of summer single national type tournament but never got to Williamsport. My Little League days you could only pitch six innings a week. I pitched until I was a high school freshman. I never threw a real curveball until I was 14. At 13 I started what was Travel Ball on Long Island. That was a schedule of double headers on Saturday's or Sunday's and once in awhile both days where you played one other team at your field or their field. So never more that 4 games in a weekend. Again there was the one national tournament at the end of the summer. My Senior year of High School I agreed to pitch again because we were short of arms and was mostly a closer type situations.

Now through all those early years I played a **** ton of sandlot ball, stick ball, wiffle ball, my brother and I played a ping pong ball/plunger handle game in the basement, Tennis, Golf, Bowling. Our crew played football and basketball when it was not baseball season. After 12 my father, brother and I started practicing quite often when there was not a game. My dad did get a pitching machine for us because he needed some break from pitching to us.

I never paid anything other than a league entry fee type thing, like $20 or $25. We obviously did have to pay for some of the trips we took like Chicago, Maryland, Fort Lauderdale, Williamsport, Allentown which was the national type tournament for whatever affiliation we were part of. I was part of the Big Little League World Championship team in 1979 (Actually after my freshman year at State). We did not play 12 games in 3 or 4 days type of thing that seems to happen now. Equipment wise I was right in the transition from wood to aluminum. Dad would buy me a dozen bats each summer (Adirondack or Louisville slugger) which was $55. At 16 I used a Wilson Indestructo Aluminum bat. The other ones at that time did not last very long until Easton came along a few years later.

I did not play High School football even though the coaches begged me every year, because I did not want to get injured. I did play basketball quite a bit during the cold months and was pretty good.

So with all that said I never really had an injury situation. I had a pretty good run in Baseball and it took me to quite a few places and accolades. I used my arm all the time in one sport or another. I had plenty of friends and teammates over the years that were injury prone and plenty that were virtually indestructible. One guy that was on that World Championship team broke his arm throwing in the Gym. So you might end up understanding what caused one person's breakdown but a bunch of others are fine doing the same exact things.

So you can never really tell what will happen. It is always up to the person to do what they think is best but what is good for one person is too much for another. I do believe that the modern approach of one sport concentration starting at 12 or younger is a recipe for mental burnout. Your body is constantly changing through those years so it is impossible to build muscle memory and lock into a certain approach through those years. My stance and approach changed yearly until I got to State where we worked out the best approach for me at that time. I went from 5' 6"/125 lbs to 6' 1"/215 through those years.

So if this report is accurate, I hope he recovers and can be "as good as new" like is much more common today.

 

[oxfordrebel22]

You may be forgetting some details of his draft situation.

His rumored price to go MLB was $3 million. At slot, that would have been equivalent to pick #21 or #22 in the first round. He was actually picked 30th, at a slot value of $2,275,000 by the Dodgers, who in that particular draft had the lowest amount of over-slot cash of any MLB team. They compounded this problem by signing a lot of guys drafted after Ginn in the first 10 rounds at over-slot values. So not only did Ginn not get his $3 million offer, he got offered significantly less money than the slot where he did get picked. My memory is fuzzy, but I want to say his final offer from the Dodgers might have hovered around $1 million, which is late 2nd round money. Don’t get me wrong, that’s still a lot of money, but after Uncle Sam gets their $350,000 or $400,000 it is hardly life changing. Especially when you’re gonna be only making $25-$30k and riding a bus for 6 months of the year until you make it.

So, even though he was a first round pick, he didn’t get first round money. And if he pitched at MSU for a couple of years and was simply able to move up from #30 to #15, he would have likely quadrupled his signing bonus. Even now, in a worst case scenario, some team will still take a chance on him in the 3rd or 4th round. He made a good choice and took a well calculated risk, it just didn’t work out perfectly.

This is a really intelligent post. Not that y’all care about my opinion, but what JT Ginn did was smart. It just may have not worked out perfectly. But, he will still be, at minimum, a 3rd round pick, and with him having 2 years of eligibility left he will have a ton of leverage. So, I would say odds are that he winds up getting at least the same amount he would’ve gotten two years ago. And he will enter the minors two years more physically and mentally mature and prepared, and will also be able to carry the memories of pitching in front of some insane crowds in meaningful games at Dudy Noble. And that’s all assuming he doesn’t pitch any more this year, which is a huge assumption.

 

[Barkman Turner Overdrive]

Watching him (and the rest of Arkansas) lose that championship series was one of the greatest non-MSU college baseball memories I have.

Me too. I celebrated Wes Johnson coming up short!

 

[00Dawg]

We're in the GBBA.

I had the pleasure of coaching a single A all-star team last spring, and had a blast. The tournament was fairly well run. The team that beat us for the title probably should've been up a class, but they were from a Hoover park that produces a ton of teams, and moving them would've resulted in a grouping that had half their teams from that one park.

This spring is the first year our park has had our own "select" teams, in an effort to keep kids playing at our park (and hopefully rec).
We'll see how it goes.

 

[00Dawg]

Can't do it in our league.

There's pitch counts and mandatory rest periods based on that. All has to be tracked, and there are penalties laid out for violations.
We even have a rule if a kid throws more than 25 pitches in a game, he can't shift to catcher.

 

[My Bru]

I had the pleasure of coaching a single A all-star team last spring, and had a blast. The tournament was fairly well run. The team that beat us for the title probably should've been up a class, but they were from a Hoover park that produces a ton of teams, and moving them would've resulted in a grouping that had half their teams from that one park.

This spring is the first year our park has had our own "select" teams, in an effort to keep kids playing at our park (and hopefully rec).
We'll see how it goes.

What age are the select teams? Over at Oak Mountain they generally kept them until 9Ukid pitch, it got dicey after that, but still a decent league there for 9U-10U. But here in Jackson there are 7U select teams now.

 

[thekimmer]

I hate to be pessimistic but regardless of the status of his injury, expectations for him this season are greatly reduced. Even if his injury is not season ending, having a recurrent arm issue after one 3 inning start does not bode well for a productive season. I personally think the chances of him pitching again this season are pretty slim. This is strictly speculation but the overly cautious treatment his folks insisted on ever since he signed makes me think that he has had arm concerns for a good while. In a way, for his sake, it might be better if his problem is something that can surgically fixed instead of just vague chronic soreness that comes and goes. I really hate it for the guy because this has to be a serious blow to his draft status and, while the jury is still out, I hope we don't look back and think it might have been better for him and State if he had went pro out of HS. We would have gone after another arm and he would have at least got an signing bonus that would have set him up even if his arm issues drove him out of baseball in a year or two. I really feel for the guy and hope it all works out for him.

 

[Lawdawg.sixpack]

That’s how the rules should be. But some of these weekend tournaments only track innings pitched.

 

[maroonmania]

Agreed, its becoming pretty obvious that whatever issue he has is not going to get better with rest. He didn't pitch last Summer, pitched very little in the Fall and now to have this reoccur after a 3 inning start shows that even if it gets better by missing a couple of starts it will pop right back up again if he starts pitching again. If they don't figure out the root cause of the problem his entire future in pitching becomes very dim.