The main objective in Little League baseball is for all players to get a chance to play and develop their talents. If you are coaching a Little League team, you want to put your players in a position to succeed when they are on the field. While winning is not necessarily the ultimate goal, you want your players to learn how to compete and give their best effort
Player Use
Make sure all players get to play in the field for at least two innings and get to bat at least once. It's not about playing your best players and winning games. Give all players a chance to develop. If you keep a player on the bench and allow a better player to play an extra inning in the field and get an at bat at the other player's expense, you may well win the game. But you will leave a young player with hurt feelings and he may end up feeling left out, resenting you and not liking baseball. Hall of Fame player Cal Ripken says that coaches who don't give young players an opportunity to develop are hurting the game and need to get new priorities.
Player Protection
While it's important to give everyone a chance to play, you don't want to put players in a position to fail. For example, a player who struggles to catch the ball should not play first base or catcher. He would be in harm's way and might not be able to protect himself. That player may be able to play at the tougher positions later on in the season, but he must show he can protect himself.
Player Positioning
Put your best fielders at shortstop, first base and second base. One of the keys to competing well is not giving your opponent extra outs. Put good fielders at the positions that are going to see the most action. It's very difficult for a Little Leaguer to make a play and throw out a runner from third base. It's too long a throw for most youngsters. Even good fielders would struggle to make that throw, so make sure your best fielders are at positions where they are going to succeed.
Lineup
Alternate good hitters and struggling hitters in the lineup. Don't stack your lineup by putting all the good hitters together and the poor hitters at the bottom of the lineup. That will stop rallies nearly every inning. When you alternate the hitters, it only takes one hit or one walk by a struggling hitter to keep the rally going. Also, you will protect your players and not get them labeled by others as a "poor" hitter. Alternating hitters will keep players from becoming self-conscious.
Posted in: Baseball