Drafting a team from a pool of rec players is much more an art than a science. Often there is no data available from the previous season on any of the players. There is a good chance that there will be quite a few girls who are unfamiliar. Here is how I recommend dealing with a rec league draft.

First, develop a plan before the draft and stick to it. Emotions can rule when everyone else is waiting for your next pick and everything is starting to blur because sweat is getting into your eyes. With a plan, picks become easy and automatic. Let other coaches who did not prepare a plan do the sweating. Remember to stick to your plan and don’t get caught up in what other coaches are doing with their draft.

As much as I love coaching, the season can be a grind. Any kid who shows a bad attitude during tryouts, or any time previously on the softball field (even if not on my team), I strike them off the draft list. It does not matter how good they are – they are not worth the hassle. Ditto problem parents, no matter how talented and/or nice their daughter is. Often, a team that looks good on paper does not meet expectations by the end of the season because they have extraneous hassles and drama that bring the team down. Do not let your team be that team.

Once undesirable players have been scratched off, I am ready to develop my plan. If I do not already have a pitcher on my team (if I do it is because of daughters of my assistant coaches since my two daughters are a catcher and a first baseman), then I rank the pitchers from first to last. Pitching is the name of the game, so getting the best pitcher possible is paramount. Then I rank all players from first to last (including the pitchers as position players). As the draft transpires, mark the girls as they are drafted. When it is time to draft a player, pick a pitcher if necessary then simply pick the top-ranked girl available on the draft plan.

I usually focus on girls who can hit well, even if they are weak fielders or throwers. Hitting is the hardest thing to do in softball, and I figure it is easier to teach a good hitter how to field and throw than it is to teach a good fielder how to hit. Then I will bump up girls who have been on previous teams of mine – the more girls I have who are used to the voodoo I do, the less time I have to explain why we do the voodoo we do. Finally, I’ll bump up players who have parents who are known to be good eggs.

Somehow or another, it all works out. Typically, I’m happy with the team I’ve drafted, even as most coaches kind of scratch their head and wonder “what the heck was Don smoking?” Usually, they are not wondering that at the end of the season.