Expert: John McInnis - 5/1/2011

Question
for the last 6 games my son has played in the outfield for 2 innings and then taking out right before him turn to hit,asked the coach why and he states that he is batting poorly.my son has hit a total of 4 times in 7 at bats in 3 games that he has stayed in.is there any rule about batting before you are removed from a game.

Answer
Hi Lee,

sorry to hear about this.  Coaches should give children the chance to bat whenever possible.  Seems like this coach is more focused on winning than coaching - for children, that should not be allowed.

As for batting, some leagues have a rule that all 'dressed' players must bat. Other leagues have the rule that all 'fielded' players are only allowed to bat. My guess is that your league is the latter.  

Batting practice is important and, if you can, take your son to a batting cage to help build his confidence (depending on how hold he is).  Younger batters need more coaching and opportunity to bat in order to improve.

I hope this helps,
JohnMc