Statistical Errors

[bearcatbabe24]

My son is a sophomore, getting his first chance to pitch at the varsity level. So far, he's had some early success - 3 appearances, 2 wins, 1 no decision, 12 K, 4 BB, ERA 0.80.

Here's my problem: The pitching statistics passed out to the team are wrong, and not just my son's. Wins were credited to the wrong pitcher; hits, walks, and runs were scored incorrectly, etc. My husband or I have been to every varsity game this year, and have kept score, so we are pretty sure we know what the correct statistics should be.

I know there are a lot of knowledgeable Yappi members out there: should we say something (casually) to the coach or not? I know that some coaches are statistic animals and base most of their decisions on the numbers. I would hate to see my son penalized because of an error in scorekeeping.

[WoodyHayes]

If your son is a soph and throwing varsity ball, those are pretty darned good numbers. The coach already knows so I am not so sure if I would say anything. But thats your choice. I think if you do, the way you present it, will dictate how the coach reacts.

[EHSGCL]

If your son is a soph and throwing varsity ball, those are pretty darned good numbers. The coach already knows so I am not so sure if I would say anything.

I agree, I wouldn't say anything. I believe most coaches go mostly with what their eyes show them on the field and how the kid reacts to situations, not what the statistics say.

[itsgone]

Read some of the other threads, maybe one of the fairfield threads, and you'll understand the good advice of not saying anything. Don't get labeled as a 'baseball parent', just be a good parent.

[playboi12]

honey you know what they say. theres lies, dang lies and then there is statistics

[itsa3]

honey you know what they say. theres lies, dang lies and then there is statistics

In my opinion HS baseball is just spring trainig for great quality travel BB. I know many of the coaches in HS baseball. I can only name a handful of good ones. Most colleges know that HS stats are usually fabricated either by coaches because one of his favorite " boys" is involved or by by parents. Another flip side is if the coache doesn't like a player he will try and bring his stats down. To be honest with you talking to HS coaches is in my opinion a waste of time. Try and enjoy "Spring Training" and get ready for summer BB because there are so many poor quality teams in HS baseball that colleges just don';t get too excited about HS bb.

[GCPRO]

itsa3-I am gonna have to disagree. In southwest Ohio there is far better coaching at the HS level than in summer ball. Not sure what area you are from but in this area the HS coaching is clearly better. Summer teams rarely have the "time" to work with kids like the HS programs do. JMO! There are some good summer teams and coaches but not the overall strength like in HS.

[bpdawg32]

My son is a sophomore, getting his first chance to pitch at the varsity level. So far, he's had some early success - 3 appearances, 2 wins, 1 no decision, 12 K, 4 BB, ERA 0.80.

Here's my problem: The pitching statistics passed out to the team are wrong, and not just my son's. Wins were credited to the wrong pitcher; hits, walks, and runs were scored incorrectly, etc. My husband or I have been to every varsity game this year, and have kept score, so we are pretty sure we know what the correct statistics should be.

I know there are a lot of knowledgeable Yappi members out there: should we say something (casually) to the coach or not? I know that some coaches are statistic animals and base most of their decisions on the numbers. I would hate to see my son penalized because of an error in scorekeeping.

first off don't worry about statistics thats not what scouts or colleges are looking for!!!!! just be glad your son is seeing varsity time, my son did the same as a freshman and sophomore you cant worry about the stats because they can be inflated as well as deflated... if your worried about stats all you want is people to say wow!!! I see your son is doing great.... if a coach is basing his decision on stats and not what he sees everyday from the player then maybe he shouldn't be coaching...JMO!!!

[bpdawg32]

itsa3-I am gonna have to disagree. In southwest Ohio there is far better coaching at the HS level than in summer ball. Not sure what area you are from but in this area the HS coaching is clearly better. Summer teams rarely have the "time" to work with kids like the HS programs do. JMO! There are some good summer teams and coaches but not the overall strength like in HS.

when you can show me a a summer coach better than Dan Bowling, Ray Hamilton, Rick Kunkle, Brian Caudil, Pete Maus..then Maybe Ill believe that statement...

[IMHO]

first off don't worry about statistics thats not what scouts or colleges are looking for!!!!! just be glad your son is seeing varsity time, my son did the same as a freshman and sophomore you cant worry about the stats because they can be inflated as well as deflated... if your worried about stats all you want is people to say wow!!! I see your son is doing great.... if a coach is basing his decision on stats and not what he sees everyday from the player then maybe he shouldn't be coaching...JMO!!!

I am going to have to agree with you dawg. HS stats are very misleading to begin with. Don't pay attention to them. So many kids "pad" their stats against teams and pitchers that are not that good that HS stats taken at face value will mislead you to thinking players are better than what they are. Some games are just big strong kids pounding away like softball players against pitchers that can't "break a pane of glass" and have no off-speed pitch either. How a kid does against the high quality pitchers and teams is way more important than the total statistics that a player accumulated against all teams and pitchers.

[GCPRO]

Dawg-how about Bill Driesbach, Mark Thompson, Mike Cameron(retired), Tom Kilgore, Dave Bader, Willie Corbett, Matt Middleton, Ken Reed, Jack Kuznicsi, Larry Redwine, Tim Dunn, etc. Plenty of outstanding coaches that have the background to teach the game.

[bpdawg32]

Dawg-how about Bill Driesbach, Mark Thompson, Mike Cameron(retired), Tom Kilgore, Dave Bader, Willie Corbett, Matt Middleton, Ken Reed, Jack Kuznicsi, Larry Redwine, Tim Dunn, etc. Plenty of outstanding coaches that have the background to teach the game.

I can type well enough put all those up there!! LMAO!!

[AmericaOne]

I am going to have to agree with you dawg. HS stats are very misleading to begin with. Don't pay attention to them. So many kids "pad" their stats against teams and pitchers that are not that good that HS stats taken at face value will mislead you to thinking players are better than what they are. Some games are just big strong kids pounding away like softball players against pitchers that can't "break a pane of glass" and have no off-speed pitch either. How a kid does against the high quality pitchers and teams is way more important than the total statistics that a player accumulated against all teams and pitchers.

IMHO: I agree with you on this. How a kid does against a quality team is more important than beating less than impressive competition. Our High School stats are waaaaay off and do not show the real truth. I guess 4-13 does though.

[tribefan721]

Statistics aren't the bottom line, but anyone who says they have no relevance probably has a kid with a nice fat ERA, is batting a buck and a quarter or has enough errors to earn several steel glove awards. It's all about perspective. College recruiting forms ask for HS and summer stats, so to say colleges don't care about them isn't true. Stats just provide part of the picture. Colleges want to know how you've done, what kind of competition you're playing against and then want to see you in person to make a personal evaluation. High school coaches do and should care about stats because a couple-week slump by a couple players can kill your short season. Are impressive stats more important at a high-level league than a poor league? Of course they are. Stats are to individuals what game results are to teams. They mean something, they just don't always give you the complete picture.

[bpdawg32]

Statistics aren't the bottom line, but anyone who says they have no relevance probably has a kid with a nice fat ERA, is batting a buck and a quarter or has enough errors to earn several steel glove awards. It's all about perspective. College recruiting forms ask for HS and summer stats, so to say colleges don't care about them isn't true. Stats just provide part of the picture. Colleges want to know how you've done, what kind of competition you're playing against and then want to see you in person to make a personal evaluation. High school coaches do and should care about stats because a couple-week slump by a couple players can kill your short season. Are impressive stats more important at a high-level league than a poor league? Of course they are. Stats are to individuals what game results are to teams. They mean something, they just don't always give you the complete picture.
they may ask the coach for their stats but they get them from the coach not the Paper!!!!!!

[tribefan721]

they may ask the coach for their stats but they get them from the coach not the Paper!!!!!!

I would think in most cases, the coach gets his stats from his scorekeeper, then reports them to his league and the local papers. So why, again in most cases, would the coaches' stats that he'd give out to a recruiter be any different than what he reports to the papers?

[Hometeam]

I definitely think that while statistics are important, they certainly don't tell the whole story. Hopefully college recruiters realize this.

For instance, what if a certain player is told to bunt a lot, do hit-and-runs or maybe isn't allowed to swing away on a 3-0 count? His stats will be a lot different from the "golden boy" who is given more freedom at the plate. Sometimes a coach will take the bat out of a boy's hand - maybe intentionally, maybe not. Some coaches may have more confidence in certain players than others, rightly or wrongly. The 3rd base coach has a lot of input into a player's stats.

At any rate, I've always thought the most important stat is OBP.

[tribefan721]

I definitely think that while statistics are important, they certainly don't tell the whole story. Hopefully college recruiters realize this.

For instance, what if a certain player is told to bunt a lot, do hit-and-runs or maybe isn't allowed to swing away on a 3-0 count? His stats will be a lot different from the "golden boy" who is given more freedom at the plate. Sometimes a coach will take the bat out of a boy's hand - maybe intentionally, maybe not. Some coaches may have more confidence in certain players than others, rightly or wrongly. The 3rd base coach has a lot of input into a player's stats.

At any rate, I've always thought the most important stat is OBP.

Can't argue with any of that. Excellent point about on-base percentage.

[bearcatbabe24]

Everyone, thanks for all of the great advice. One problem is our scorekeeper is the girlfriend of one of the players. I'm not sure if she knows what she is doing or not! After discussing it with my son and the rest of the family, we decided to let the stats slide and just concentrate on each game and appearance. BTW, my son is now pitching mostly in relief, 15-2/3 innings, 2-0, 1 save ERA 1.4. He has gotten to pitch relief in some league games, and has given up 1 earned run in those appearances. (Yes, I know I'm bragging, sorry!)