If you’ve watched youth baseball games at the 7-12 level, you’ve probably witnessed the act of “throwing the pitcher” in the middle of the inning. In some cases, the result is that the thrown pitcher breaks down in tears! Yes, these kids can be pretty hard on themselves. It can be argued that such events are only part of growing up and that the youngster who was withdrawn must learn to deal with it and move on. Still, there are steps that can be taken to minimize trauma to the retired youth pitcher.
Protect your pitchers well
Make sure your pitchers can throw at least 3 out of 5 balls in the strike zone and preferably 3 out of 4 in the strike zone. If the pitcher is throwing hittable balls, one of two things will happen: the batter will strike out, or the batter will hit and put the score in the hands of the fielder (and provide the fielders with some valuable practice). If the pitcher is only throwing 1 or 2 balls into the strike zone out of 5 pitches, the result will be a high turnover of players for balls and runs scored on stolen bases; that’s really not how the game should be played and it’s very frustrating for the pitching team.
Also make sure your pitcher can throw fast enough to avoid repeated heavy hits for home runs. They don’t have to pitch lightning fast. However, if they’re throwing the ball at “pitch velocity,” hitter after hitter will hit home run balls and you may have no choice but to replace the pitcher.
Communicate with your pitchers
From the beginning, let your prospective pitchers know what is expected. Let them know that if they throw out of the strike zone repeatedly resulting in an extended inning, they can be pulled. Be patient though – I think a pitcher can learn a lot by “solving” his temporary difficulties. If you guard your launchers well, you won’t have to pull much of the launchers, if at all.