Chapter 3 - Spring Tryouts

Several important contributions can be made to your league through a good tryout program in the spring. In the first place, there is little doubt that even the most talented and experienced baseball scout can be mistaken about the ability of a player when he fails to use a stop watch to check running speed or a tape measure to check the distance of a hit. Judgment remains an important factor, but the less guessing you have to do, the more likely you are to be correct in your evaluation of playing skills.

In the second place, it is of prime importance to convince the boys that they are being judged on their ability to run, throw, bat, and field and that there is equality of opportunity for every boy who becomes a candidate for a team. To parents who are likely to feel that their boy has more ability than another youngster—particularly if their boy isn't picked for a regular team and the other youngster is selected—you need an answer which must make sense to any fair-minded adult.

If one boy runs faster than another and you have a record of the running speeds, if he throws the ball farther and more accurately and these items have been recorded, if he can hit the ball farther off a batting tee and you measure the distance, you have something more than opinion as a basis for your selection. This can do much to convince the community that the players are picked because of their ability and for no other reason!

The suggestions that follow on testing youngsters at spring tryout sessions come from the vast experience of physical education leaders and of leagues throughout the world. Divide squads by ages with no more than 30 boys to a group. Bring out one group for a two-hour tryout, and then the remaining players in 30-boy groups until all have been tested. Have them warm up properly by throwing and running before beginning the workout.

Running

Since it is a part of both offense and defense, running is the most important factor in baseball. Everything else being equal, take the boy who runs the fastest. Have three boys run together while using three stop watches in recording their speed. If they are Little Leaguers, the distance of the race should be 120 feet, and they should run 180 feet if they play on adult-sized diamonds.

If the choice of a candidate comes down to running speed and two boys have the same speed recorded on the watches, check the boys for running form. If one boy has good running form and the other bad form, select the boy who doesn't know how to run because coaching should improve his speed. Of course, there could be a rare exception to this rule if a boy is so awkward that it seems obvious that he would have great difficulty in learning how to run properly.

Throwing

In testing the throwing arm of an outfielder, have the boy throw from home plate toward center field. Outfielders should learn to throw "line drives" and should throw the ball with an overhand motion. (If possible, teach the players to throw the ball so that it will have a backward rotation such as an overhand pitcher uses in throwing a fast ball and a catcher should use in throwing to bases. This rotation will make the ball carry farther in the air and will make it bounce straight.)

It is important to start the boys out in this pattern since it is the proper one and will help to improve their throwing. Have them throw three times and measure the throws. You can stretch strings parallel to home plate or make chalk lines (in advance) 20 feet apart, starting 100 feet from home plate in Little League, to simplify the measuring process. Older players should throw from a distance of at least 150 feet. Throwing for accuracy is also very important, so have each player throw five times from the pitching distance at a strike zone target.

Once the players have been tested in throwing for distance and accuracy, have the infielders go through a fielding drill, throwing from the positions they want to play. After they have thrown from their chosen positions, have all of them throw from "the hole" at shortstop to determine the strength of their arms. Everything else being equal, the boy with the strongest arm should be the shortstop. (Of course, a left-handed boy would be an exception to this rule since first base is the only infield position he can play without handicapping himself.)

THROWING FROM THE HOLE. "The hole" at shortstop is a spot approximately halfway between shortstop and third base and approximately 10 feet the base line, where the top-notch shortstop will come up with the ball and occasionally make the long throw to first base. All long throws from shortstop and third base should be made with the overhand motion and rotation described for the outfield throw.

When testing the throwing arms of the infielders, attention should also be given to the agility and coordination of the boys. Good hands are important to infielders. They should have that quality which might be described as "glue in their gloves," since a fumbled ball can be disastrous. This attribute of good hands is particularly important to the shortstop and to the first baseman.

In checking the throwing arm of the catcher, have him make the throw to second base from behind home plate. Youngsters have a tendency to "crow hop" before they throw, and the boy who makes the longest hop before throwing the ball might display the strongest arm unless all the boys throw from the same spot. Do not eliminate left-handed candidates for the catching position or boys who wear glasses! However, the boy who wears glasses should be given extra protection through the use of glasses recommended by a doctor and the use of a rugged and roomy mask.

When the boys have been tested at the positions they prefer, they can be switched to other positions where they might be more successful. Try moving a left-handed shortstop to first base or the outfield, or switching a short boy with small hands from first base to the outfield and a tall boy with large hands from the outfield to first base.

Choosing Pitchers

These throwing tests for distance and accuracy can be very important in evaluating pitching prospects. If you find a boy who has a strong and accurate arm, it is logical to assume that he is a pitching prospect.

Perhaps the most difficult assignment is that of cutting down the squad of pitchers. At the adult age level this is not such a problem since the pitchers can be checked on their ability to throw or to learn to throw breaking and change-of-speed pitches. However, a youngster starting to pitch at Little League age should concentrate on the fast ball and how to control it before working on other pitches. Thus, we come down to checking the speed of the ball and control. If a boy has poor control, he should be checked to see whether he grips and releases every pitch the same way. Only by getting a consistency of motion, a consistency of gripping and releasing the ball, and a consistency of rotation on the ball will a player develop control.

If a pitching candidate has hands so small that he has difficulty in gripping the ball, it is probable that he will have trouble with control. For this reason the candidate with large hands is to be preferred, everything else being equal. Again, everything else being equal, the pitching candidate who has good agility and running speed is to be favored. The ability of a pitcher to field his position is a valuable asset, and many games are won by the "fifth infielder."

In summary, when choosing a pitcher, first look for the fast ball, then for control, and third for ability to field the position.

Fielding

In testing the outfielders, toss the ball from second base to the fielders about 60 feet away to screen out the inexperienced and uncoordinated, thus avoiding the possibility of injuring boys who haven't acquired distance perception. Toss one ball directly to the fielder, one to the left, and one to the right. Later you can give the better boys a stiffer fielding workout.

If you have enough infield candidates, have one infield back up another to save time in retrieving balls which the boys fail to field. Don't hit the ball too hard. The object is to give the boys confidence while checking their agility, mobility, and fielding form—not to show how hard the fungo hitter can bat the ball. Hit two balls directly at the fielder playing at normal depth, one to his left, one to his right, and one dribbler for him to charge.

Batting

The problem of testing hitters has been left for last since hitters won't be of much value to a team if they can't run and throw. However, once the managers and coaches have determined the running and throwing skills of the candidates, it is important to find out whether they can hit or whether they can learn to hit.

If a boy is afraid of a pitched ball, the odds are against his becoming a good hitter. The batter must keep his arms away from his body, his shoulders and hips level, and his eyes on the ball from the time the pitcher releases it. Also check to see that the boy has good wrist action. If the boy is a "sweep hitter" he will have trouble hitting with power. To be a power hitter, it is probable that he will combine all the desirable batting habits, but particularly those which involve the short stride which permits the quick and full hip pivot, the breaking of the wrists, and the follow-through with the bat. It is the proper utilizing of the body and mind which makes it possible for a Charley Neal, who weighs 155 pounds, to hit a 430-foot home run in a World Series.

Perhaps the best way to insure a fair test for batters in Little League is to secure the services of three or four 13- or 14-year-old pitchers who have pitched enough in Little League or similar programs in recent years to demonstrate that they have control. Have these boys alternate in pitching to the hitters, throwing at a little better than half-speed.

Let each batter take three swings and bunt twice. Bunting can be an important factor at all levels of baseball, but remember that most boys can be taught to bunt even though they may have trouble doing so in the tryouts.

Once you have learned something about the boy's ability to hit live pitching, the best way to measure his power is to have him hit for distance off a batting tee. You must furnish your own power off a tee, and tests with major league players show that the power hitters always hit the longest balls off the tee. Let each boy hit three balls off the tee. (This test will be valid only if players have had some experience in batting off a tee. Otherwise they may miss the ball completely.) Of the boys who look like the best hitters, those with the most power will have the most value to you.

Evaluation

The Little League player agent should secure volunteers to help him conduct the drills so that the managers can spend their time judging the players and recording their performances on a chart to be used in bidding for the services of the boys. Managers should be sure to note the mental attitude of the boys. Everything else being equal, you want the boys with the most hustle and desire. Sometimes these attributes may even count more than measurable physical skills, and they can't be disregarded despite the importance of the physical attributes.

A rough outline to use in evaluating the players might be based on the following scale of maximum points:

                                                                                                            Points
Best runner                                                                                                  8
Best throw for distance                                                                                5
Best throwing accuracy                                                                                3
Batting skill and power                                                                                 5
Bunting skill                                                                                                 2
Fielding skill                                                                                                 4
Hustle, learning ability, and general attitude                                                   3
Maximum point score if player excelled in all departments                           30

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