High School Stats--Does Your Score Keeper Know What He Or She Is Doing ???

Yes, there has already been a similar thread on this subject,but lets expand the scenario a little bit.... my question or maybe I should say my thought....When is a hit a hit or error and error ??? Can you trust the person who is keeping the books to score your kids stats correctly, and that he or she knows the difference between a hit or FC and to do it correctly, because this could effect little Susie's batting average??? Lets say the shortstop should have got to the ball in time based on what you thought she could do,but lost her footing,and slipped down never coming close to the ball,and it goes into Centerfield...Hit or Error ??? Lets say the ball was a screamer above the shortstops head, and the ball tips her glove,and falls behind her into the outfield....Hit or Error ??? I've got my thoughts ,but would like to here yours....

 

2 hits

in both cases as you described them, I would score both as a hit.

 

If she slips and nobody touches it, it is a hit.....

Screamer, It depends. Is the screamer where she reaches up and is able to grab flat footed but misses it as it tips her glove? or does she jump as high as she can and just tips it.

First is an error, second is a hit.

 

The two keys to proper scorekeeping is knowing the game and its rules, and #2 is that only one person acts as scorekeeper for a team in a season. If a kid rips one to leftfield and the LF makes a great play its an out and an AB. Next time around the same batter spanks one in the SS 3B hole only to have the SS make a great play by throwing to third for a force out. Scoreing..FC. Now the next time that same batter hits a ball that might be a scorekeeping decision, hit or error, what would you give the batter? As long as there is consistency in the scoring mech. Things should even out.

 

HERE'S THE REAL PICTURE !!!

I was watching the Braves and Mets play over the weekend..I can't remember who it was batting,but a hard hit ball to the backhand of the Met's third baseman causing him to be off balance as he threw the ball to first...the ball bounced once,and hit the first basemans mit but fell out as the runner crossed the bag....HIT Or ERROR ???....The announcer scored it a hit....Now was it because of the hard hit, and the off balance of the defensive player or was it that the runner hit the bag as the ball got to the first baseman???? Do you see where the score keeper could have called it either way....why not an error to the first baseman ???? I agree knowledge is very important to get correct STATS on any player....(Scenario)--Runner on third ,1 out, batter hits ball to deep right field, the ball is caught,but runner at third advances home...does this count against the batters average ???

 

Stats

Guru, The first question. When we are score keeping does softball have the same criteria as baseball. Reason : Provisions are made to reward a batter for a well hit ball that "eats up" a defensive player and causes that player to mis-throw, or not even properly handle the ball. Sometimes a scorekeeper is asked his/her opinion and with that you will get more than one "read" on a play. On your second senerio, this is clearly a Sac fly. The batter gets a no AB, (just as if it were a walk). But does get credit for an RBI. PM me and I can give you a name of a really good book that helps scoring a game.

 

I agree with your assessments 100%,but the point of my comment is to open the eyes of our score keepers to properly score each hit,walk, SAC,FC,or even error correctly...this could in return give someone that is really batting .198 a .333 batting average which would be incorrect due to improper handling of the book by the unkowledgeable score keeper....that's why I'm not really sure when I see someone batting .600 on TBR I agree with it...JMO

 

Agreed

I agree that even a short tutoring session be given and "iffy" calls be addressed by more than on coach. It ain't goinna happen so we need to elect a Deputy Guru for every team. LOL Report directly to you.

 

Tipping a glove does not make the play an error. Not touching the ball does not necessarily make it a hit.

The rule of thumb should always be this... should the batter, or any runner, have been put out by ordinary effort? No matter what the situation or circumstances, always go back to that maxim and you can't go wrong.

There is no hit on a force out, so no matter what base you go to, it's a fielder's choice. If you could have put out the batter, but decided to go somewhere else, it's a fielder's choice, even if all of the runners are safe. It's a simple game and no one who does not understand scoring should be allowed to control the batting averages of young people.

I have seen plenty of Legion scorekeepers get it dead wrong (and they are not the only ones, just the present example). I don't trust any group that doesn't have an official scorer or folks from both teams present when scoring a game.

 

Good Answer Again !!

The purpose of the thread is to make everybody aware that you can't always go by stats to determine a kids athlecticism,because of the unskilled score keepers..that's why I'm always cautious when a parent on the team keeps stats except one parent that I know personally, she keeps the books correctly actually she is harder on her own child than others about scoring a hit vs.error..but the other parent will give her child a hit when the ball hit by her child goes right through the legs of the opponent...but I guess it's like softballjunkie said it's like beating a