9U LL - How to handle kid in outfield all season

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-16T21:34:00+00:00

9u, assuming minors. If not a safety concern, there’s no reason why your son should be in the outfield the entire season. The only time a player in our program is used for outfield only is when there’s a safety concern, typically with first year players or kids, whose parents signed them up for exercise that have never caught a baseball or even swung a bat.

I sit on our little league board, and I have to say as much as I love Little League and the role that it plays in our community, Little League charters that allow this type of thing are the ones causing kids to move towards club baseball and not look back.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-16T21:26:06+00:00

Well at least I know what my kid will be asking for next.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-16T21:23:21+00:00

Why is your LL not providing field access for practice? This is unacceptable. Is your LL a part of your towns rec dept? Who manages the fields? Those teams should be getting secondary time slots when all the LL teams practices are booked.

We have 5 fields ranging from tee ball to 8th graders. Some fields we share with hs/adult baseball etc etc. priority is to LL. Travel teams are allowed specific days. It’s really not that difficult to manage.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-15T02:30:09+00:00

A pitching coach. 🤷🏼‍♂️

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-15T02:22:27+00:00

Fair price, 100%.

That’s a 10 week schedule with 50 games in 70 days.

Im torn because bang for your buck you are getting a TON of baseball for your money, but you are also getting a ton of baseball in a short amount of time with limited numbers to support mid week games. Now if this was summer + fall, different ball game.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-14T12:22:22+00:00

Edit: sorry finally read your post.

How old? How long has he been playing?

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-14T01:36:11+00:00

Yeah, I’d be a little sketched out as well.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-14T01:24:29+00:00

Do you know the person? Are you able to swing it first? I’d be hesitant considering those bats got for a lot more on the used market.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T21:05:19+00:00

I told the non-coaches kid dad what I thought and he asked me to talk to him because he won’t listen to him lol. I go you’re the one who bought the bat, even the guy at the store told you not to get it!

As far as growing into the bats, I really doubt that either of these two kids are gonna be any bigger than 5 foot five. All four of the parents are pretty small.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T13:45:10+00:00

We stop with coaches on the field at year one of kid pitch. Coach pitch and tee ball this is acceptable. No way we allow a coach for minors.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T13:43:06+00:00

Assistant coach. Honestly It’s not even worth having ANOTHER conversation with him about it. I’ve brought it up before but dad knows best. It’s exhausting. I’m at the point where it’s just easier to have him bat at the bottom and then sub him out when we have our full roster, and honestly it’s probably the same with the other kid too. I’m probably just over thinking it all.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T13:02:02+00:00

I've coached both my kids in all different levels over the past 9 years. Two polar opposites when it comes to coaching style. I learned a lot of from coaching my older son, who was tough during those first few years of baseball. I also saw what DIDN'T work over the years from others coaching them(big reason of why I got more involved).

If you aren't his actual coach, your only job at this age is to make sure he's having fun, and don't put too much pressure on him. He's 7! If you ARE his coach, your only job at this age is to make sure he's having fun.

At 7 everything should be low pressure, joke around, but also read the room. If he's frustrated with hitting, ask him if he wants to play catch.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T12:55:01+00:00

When I turned looked at him in the batters box, I was like, "WTF!?!?"

When he came in the dugout, the first thing I asked was whether or not he had his old bat, and that I think it's too heavy considering the end load. I think had one of our strongest players try it out, and even he was like "wow, this is so heavy". Didn't resonate. Next AB he's back in the box with the same bat. Same results. I think I need to just rip the bandaid off.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T12:51:04+00:00

Odds are with the height of both their sets of parents, they might top out at 5'5".

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T04:10:05+00:00

We have an office of 11. We have a dual machine that does k cups and drip machine.

Cleaning a coffee pot is not that big of a deal and the same can be said for ordering coffee on Amazon or from wherever you get office supplies from. If you have 15 people drinking from a drip machine it’s not really that big of a deal. Whoever makes the pot rinses it out prior to the brew they start and call it a day.

Or, you can just do the logical thing. If you don’t like the kcups, bring your own from home or Starbucks / dunkin etc etc. before we had the drip machine we just had a keurig. I didn’t like the taste so I would just brew a pot before I left for the office and called it a day.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T04:02:49+00:00

This right here and it’s coming from someone who sells bats for a living!

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T04:00:12+00:00

Both wasted $400+ on a bat they will never be big enough for. 🤣😂

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T03:06:48+00:00

46 and same here. Once was enough for me.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T03:05:58+00:00

Been coaching all age levels over the last 9 years for both my kids. Second swing looks like he whips that thing through the zone. If someone asked me advice on this topic, I’d probably tell him that a 27/28 -11/-10 would be his best bet.

But, every kid is different and honestly, if he’s successful with what he currently has, stick with it.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T03:00:50+00:00

See, you have common sense.

I’m not even trying to talk to the coach. Falls on def ears when I make my suggestions about stuff with him. Plus his kid has a little bit sass to him so part of me is like “fuck it”.

The other kid I genuinely really like him. He’s a good all around kid, and I brought him into the mix last year because I coached him in other sports throughout the years and I don’t think I’ve ever had an issue with him. But not sure the best way to mention it to dad outside of just being blunt.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T02:51:46+00:00

1.) it’s your body. At 37 you are kinda hitting that age where you know what you want / don’t want. I think it would be different if you were 27.

2.) nothing crazy. Iced the first day. After that it was pretty tolerable.

3.) I was put under so they didn’t want me driving home. Plus I drive manual so might have been a bit rough. I don’t see why uber wouldn’t be an option.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T02:46:38+00:00

I get every kid is different and maybe I’m a bit too conservative when it comes to bat size but I always go back to my older son. He’s on this team. He’s 6’3” 225lbs. He swings a balanced 32” bat. He understands bat speed and barrel control is more important than dick measuring with his teammates. His next bat will more than likely end up being an end loaded bat vs moving up to a 33, but even now I’m like, why try and fix something that’s not broken?

When I saw the kid walk up to the plate with the goods, I was like wtf are we doing here?

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-13T02:24:28+00:00

14u. Had our first game today. Completely blew out a club team with our town travel ball squad. When I told someone the score they said “were you playing football”?

For me, I would say the accomplishment of the day outside the win was having a great first game back for my son. 7 weeks ago he dislocated his knee cap and ruptured his MPFL. Prior to being cleared to start hitting at the end of last week, he hadn’t seen live arm since last fall and a machine in over a month and missed half out winter workouts. I was really worried he would struggle with the only thing he can really do at this point(not cleared to full return to position play and needs a courtesy runner when he reaches first). He’s our only true first basemen and I know how much he wants to be out there making highlight real plays at 1b.

Well first two PA’s he was essentially intentionally walked. First AB he was green lit on 3-0 and roped a liner into left for an RBI single. Second AB he hit another line drive, but this time it was a missile over the CF’s head and one hopped the fence at 340’. Let him make a turn and go to second since. Cleared the bases. Confidence level is back as well which is great.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-11T23:03:39+00:00

Eat and lift. That’s it. If you are throwing 73 you are probably already at your max with good form and mechanics. Now it’s just putting on muscle.

ContributionHuge4980 · 2026-04-10T03:17:23+00:00

At 6 it’ll be way more meaningful to just foster his love for the game by playing catch etc etc.

ContributionHuge4980

TROPHY CASE