Youth Baseball

by Guy Wilmore
(Centennial, Colorado USA)

Guy asked: My 13 year old is really struggling with his bat this year. He's now batting in the bottom of the line up. The interesting thing is he tied 2nd in rbi's.

His defense percentage is the highest on the team.

So my question, is his defense more important than his offense?

I've heard that defense in baseball is 80% of the game.

Thank you


Rick answered: Guy, thank you for your question.

In Youth Baseball there is only one position in the order that doesn't require defensive skills, that is the DH.

Sounds like your son is in a good place, playing solid defense and hitting in the bottom of the order, where he has the opportunity to drive in runs, which is showing up in his RBI's.

He must be getting the bat on the ball and putting it in play, to be second on the team in RBI's.

Hitting has a way of coming and going. If he has moved up from LL into the 13 age bracket, it may take some time to adjust to the pitching, generally bigger, stronger and faster.

Defense is usually consistent, even as they move up. As I mentioned above, he must be doing something right offensively if he is driving in runs.

Keep playing the "D" and work to improve the hitting. I don't believe I would put one ahead of the other, just feel good about the defensive success, keep working on getting the hitting back on track.

Good luck to you as you both go forward. Making those special memories that last a lifetime.


Yours in baseball,

Rick