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| Cubs Team Roster2008 Cubs RosterCurrently there are 15 boys signed up for 11 year old ball at Westside. In order to field 2 teams, we needed 20-21 boys. In 2007, there were 22 boys in 10 year old baseball on the 2 teams. All county communities are down in registration this year. The new Ninetendo Wii games really gave us all a good bashing (apparently). WSYAA registration was down from about 320 kids in 2007 to about 290 this year. A number of our other programs (age groups) will be combining with Tunnel Hill in order to field teams. However, these teams may have few teams to play, since other communities were also contacting Tunnel Hill parents/coaches to combine players to field teams. The Cubs lost two players to travel ball, gained one player from Tunnel Hill, picked up one player who has not played in three years, and one player who has never played baseball. We will pick-up two players from the Westside Indians team. One of the 15 players will move up to the 12 year old team to get more playing time. We will start the year with 14 players on the roster. 12-13 of these players could be star performers on most County teams, so we're in great shape. Each player has their own web page (left), so you can learn what we now know about each of these boys. Remember to take plenty of photos this year to place on each players page. Since the 12 year old team has only 10 players, we have asked all players who are 11 on May 1 if they would like to move up to 12 year old ball. (One player has already moved up.) This will increase playing time for all players. This is not a requirement. Many of the new boys have asked specifically to play for the Cubs. However, all parents should understand that with so many players, playing time will be more limited on the Cubs (with 14 players) versus the 12 year old team, which has only 10 players. There is not an appreciable difference in skill level between our Cubs and the 12 year old team. Having 14 players on the roster will be an advantage, as well. In 2007 with only 10 players we had to put alot of "old" fathers out on the field in practice to run situational base running drills. Some of our fathers ended up on injured reserve and we almost had to call in minor league prospects. This year we will have plenty of boys to run the bases while we work on fielding drills, so our boys will understand game-type situations. These drills help the boys understand where the ball should be thrown depending on where the base runners are on the bases. Every Cub will play in every inning of every game (batting lineup), but time in the outfield will be more limited due to only 9 positions. Parents must understand that it is our intent to keep all boys interested in Baseball. Those with a higher skill level tend to get bored more easily and will get more playing time. We will try to find a careful balance between playing time and bench time, but it will not be easy with 14 players on the roster. WCRD Rules require only that a player get three outs in the field for a six-inning game. We have never come close to this rule, since we try to shuffle them in and shuffle them out freely. However, skill level of incoming players will determine how freely we can substitute a player in multiple positions. If two or three players have skills that will only allow them to play one position or if they cannot learn the responsibilities of other positions, these three boys may spend time alternating between this one position. In fairness, a boy who works hard in practice, pays attention, and learns the duties of a number of positions should not sit on the bench to satisfy the participation rule for a boy who is less interested in learning baseball. This has less to do with skill level than being in the proper position for a play or understanding where a play should be made. At the start of the season, we will evaluate which players area capable of playing which positions (based on existing skills) and then work with them throughout the year to ensure they know the responsibilities of playing these positions. Each practice, we will try to develop a new skill. If a player misses this practice, it will set him back in learning that position and possibly moving on to learn another position. It is important that a player learn not only the duties of his position, but also the duties of other positions, so he will understand where other players should be on any given play. It also may be necessary for him to play these other positions. Many parents may want their child to play a particular position, possibly the position they played when they were younger. I played shortstop and I would love for Logan to play this position, however, the team's need was always at first base, so that's where he got stuck for 5 years. We will try to position players where we feel their skills best fit with team needs. We reevaluate skill level and progress continuously throughout the year and make adjustments to our line-up. In 2007, Jackson started the year at third base, but we soon found, since Logan threw so hard, all ground balls were being hit to second base. Jackson was moved to second base because that's where the team's need was and Jackson's skill level had improved to handle the position.
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Send mail to youthsports@wsyaa.com with questions or comments about this web site.Last modified: 11/21/06 |
