What would you rather have?

It is always fun when pre-season polls are released because it provides an opportunity to discuss if this or that team is worthy of their ranking - or how about the team(s) that were overlooked.

With that discussion set aside until the season actually begins, I have a question for you? What would you rather have: 1-2 dominate pitchers that can shut down anybody state, but only average talent everywhere else or 3-4 outstanding position players who can carry a team on their shoulders but only average pitching? Most agree that good pitching beats good hitting, but is one - two studs on the mound with little support around them enough to carry a team to the Promised Land? What do you think?

 

All have..........

to come together at pivotal times during the course of the season! Last pitching staff I had finished up with a minus 1.50 ERA on the season! Yet we finished up at 15-8 becuse we didn t hit it WHEN we needed to!!! More "quality" arms/pitchers the better never know who will "step it up" when called upon to be No 1 or 2 and the injury bug can always come up and bite you! JMHO
Example: One game I had two pitchers strike out 23 hitters in a seven inning game BUT 2 third strike pass balls and two errors out in the OF, bottom line we lose 3-1 Yuk I am gonnna be sick every time i think about it BUT it was a great game. BOTH teams gave a 100% effort. Both wanted to win badly the conf champiionship was on the line YET team who executed and was clutch prevailed that night... THIS IS BASEBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :huh: :scared2: :huh: :scared2:

 

I rather have the 3-4 players (preferrably Senior's) who can carry the team and be consistent at the plate. Tough decision though because with dominant pitching, people tend to think higher of you and therefore you play better.

I just rather have the senior leaders who can play some ball night-in, night-out.

 

i gotta go with this one

 

Defense and Speed and 2 Pitchers indeed

A team with a solid defense, good speed and adequate pitching will usually succeed. Defense wins ballgames and offense determines by how much. Leadership is important on any team, but does not necessarily have to come from Senior Players, it comes from a leader.

 

In HS with the short season 2 dominate pitchers with average talent around them can carry you a long way. All you have to do is look at the playoffs every year and see where a #2 or #3 seed beats a #1 seed in the first round because someones stud shuts them down in a one game series. If you can run a #2 Stud out there in round two against a very good team with an average #2 pitcher you have a great chance to advance again and then guess what your #1 is up again in round three. Three or four very good posistion players with average pitching vs an average team with 2 dominate pitchers. I take the dominate pitching all day long. Now we all want the dominate pitching and the great posistion players as well. Just my opinion.

 

I have seen many so called 'dominate pitchers' beaten with passed balls, willd pitches, hit batters, flares that hit the chalk, umpires that tighten the zone.After a couple of these things happen some kid gets a real hit and its 3-0. Usually these pitchers have high pitch counts, without run support, game over 5th. inning. For my money I will take a line up of good hitters any day, especially at the high school level. With good hitters in the 6.7. 8. holes, you are never out of a ball game even in the late innings. Even in games where your studs are struggling, a team still puts 6 or 7 runs on the board. With wood bats, completely different story. The phrase 'pitching and defense wins championships' was coined for the majors where the pitching is great, the ball parks are huge and the hitters are using wood. Nothing is absolute, my son has played on teams that had both, and still get beat by a 65 mph lefty!

 

I don't think either will take you deep into the playoffs. But if just getting to the playoffs is your bag, then I'll go with the pitching.

 

Break it out into 3 elements....

Pitching
Hitting
Defense

One Great, One Good, One Average.....

If one of the 3 is poor, you aren't going anywhere. I believe that the consensus for going the furthest would be:

1) Great pitching, 2) Good Hitting, 3) Average Defense.

Defense wins ballgames, yes, but your primary defensive player is your pitcher. Doesn't matter how good he is if you never score yourself. You need some balance between the two.

 

Oh if we could only get what we want! What wins is scoring more runs than your opponent, doesn't matter if it was good pitching or errors by the opposing teams. In the end it is always the runs that matter. Bad calls /good calls, great catches /hard hits, speed /walks, small ball /long ball, errors(are balls errors or swings that don't connect errors, always hard to score), what matters it is the game of our national past time and where we all want to be on a spring afternoon like today. But don't forget to look at the scoreboard when you leave, it is RUNS that are most important. Where dreams come true or where they don't. But we always come back for next game to watch that box where the runs are tallied. RUNS RUNS RUNS :xyzthumbs :xyzthumbs :xyzthumbs :xyzthumbs