Bogus player statistics.

I kept the score book for a SW4A game this past Friday night. It was a terrific game where both teams played well and the stars of both teams had outstanding games.

The problem I have is the fact that one teams coach has reported a completely fictitious set of player statistics in order to make a particular player look better.

The "real" story is this. Batter walks, takes second on a passed ball, scores on double off the wall by the next batter. That is one earned run.
Two innings later, clean single up the middle, walked next batter. Runners double steal. Runners at 2nd and 3rd and batter grounds into 4-3 out but runner on 3rd scores. Runner on second advanced to 3rd. Pitcher balks and allows the runner on 3rd to score. That is 2 earned runs.
That is a total of 3 earned runs scored on the pitcher but his coach thinks it is only one. Help me understand where the "UN"earned part is.
The same player also went 1-4 at the plate and mysteriously is credited with an additional hit in his coaches
Each players stats are what they are.
I understand that there are H/E disputes all the time and coaches should take the time to make sure any player is given the benefit of the doubt but the coaches should not create an entirely fictitious score sheet.

This type of activity will only hurt other players in the long run.

 

Eagle Dad - Wish I could tell you this was rare....but I can't. As a HS head coach for 13 years, I can tell you that at every league and county meeting, stats were inflated...and in every "stat leaders" list posted in the newspaper, the same thing happens.
You are correct that in the long run, coaches (especially at the next level) will watch a player and see that they are not remotely the player the stats would indicate, which will hurt the player due to the coach's credibility being in question....but this type of stat inflation is an epidemic that is happening in every county in every state in the country.

 

There is no doubt HS coaches inflate stats, but two things to consider.... 1) a balk is considered a walk and would be charged to the pitcher assuming he advanced in an earned manner. Additionally, a passed ball is an error on the catcher and wild pitch is an error on the pitcher. Think of earned runs as being forced around the bases, i.e., pushed hit, walk, hit, walk, double. Anything else would be unearned. But this view is coming from an x pitcher

This will blow your mind..... A pop up to the outfielder. He doesn't touch it - the ball drops
and two runs score. At the MLB level this will be considered a hit and earned runs. According to the official scorebook, if a player should have made the catch, then its an error....

 

I have never understood creating a fictitious picture of a player whether it's done by coaches or even parents. At some point the player will be expected to deliver their fictitious credentials and I've seen it blow up in people's faces time and time again. People think they can cheat the system, and it never works out for them. It's very sad.

 

Stats do lie sometimes

2 people score the same game but rarely are the stats comparable. I have seen the "official" book being kept by one parent but another parent keeps thier own book and the batting averages are 60-70 points off in each book. I have also seen it vary form team to team, player A is in the paper for not allowing an earned run over a season but when he plays team B he gave up 4 runs in 2 innings. I saw the game, player A gave up a least 2 earned runs if not more. I had a college recruiter tell me one time, " we don't pay that much attention to the stats because we know that parents are keeping them". The eye test work best if you ask me!!

 

I will give you "a" reason why coaches inflate stats. College and Pro colleges are always reaching out to HS coaches asking for the next "prospect." The coach makes a prediction that freshman A will be the next Superstar. His credibility is on the line. He will do everything he can to keep the needle moving forward. Add hits here and there; adjust end of the year stats, call coaches heading up showcase events, state games, etc... to position his player in a positive light. But what is true is, that these same college and pro scouts know the game. And when they come watch the player over several games and don't see the "WOW" then the player suffers and the coach's creditability is questioned. But the coach always has an out, i.e., the kid got hurt, didn't take instruction well, bad weather when you came, girl friend, etc. etc.....

 

Their are absolutely teams whose coaches over inflate their players stats, I know of a particular school who will have 2-3 kids hitting over .500 every season, when you play that team and the next day you see that a kid was 3-3 and you know its bogus. Keeping little league stats were a player reaches base, regardless of errors or force plays are not hits. In the long run it catches up with players, stats are not important to college coaches, scholarships are not awarded based on HS stats.

 

It ALWAYS does. I have seen it so many times. The only thing it may do is get a player on to the next level in which they are not prepared for, and it never ever ends well. Don't ever present false credentials. It's not reality.

 

Here are some plays I have seen fairly often.

Shallow fly ball surrounded by two infielders and one outfielder. Ball drops and is scored a hit since it hit no one's glove. Pop-up in the infield is surrounded by three infielders and drops in without hitting anyone's glove - scored as an error. Double standard between infield pop up and shallow fly.

Ball is smoked at an infielder who gets a glove on it but can't field it. Some say hit as it was hit really hard. Others say it's an error.

Base hit to the outfield with runner on second. Throw comes to the plate allowing hitter to reach second. Scored as an RBI double when it should have been a single.

And recently.... runners on 1st and 2nd - one out. Batter hits to the second baseman. On the turn at second, runner on 1st slides to break up the double play. Errant throw to first and the batter is safe. Runner from second advances to third on the play and scores on the errant throw. The team's scorer in the dugout scored it as a fielder's choice (correctly), and an RBI for the batter (incorrectly).

 

In the immortal words of Si Robertson "Hey, Mincmi can't be at every game. You're gonna have to do some of this on your own - Jack!"