By BK, Athletic Hitting Development
Complete Hitters Aren’t Born. They’re Built… and Earned.
Key takeaways
- Playing time is a scoreboard of preparation — it keeps score of the work nobody sees.
- The best thing a parent can do is hand the responsibility to the player: no blaming the coach, no excuses.
- Change the car-ride question from “Why didn’t coach play you?” to “What will it take to earn more innings?”
- “Enough” means training all 4 pillars — the swing, the body, the Hitting Processor and the mental approach.
“Let me know when you’ve done enough for coach to put you on the field.” That is one of the best sentences I’ve ever heard in this game — and it is the whole secret to earning playing time.
Playing time is earned, not argued for. The best thing a parent can do is skip blaming the coach, hand the responsibility to the player, and support the work it takes to earn the spot.
Train it: Complete Hitter Masterclass →Fifty-two years of playing, coaching and scouting, and that one line still stops me every time I think about it.
No blaming the coach. No blaming anything. Just a simple: get it done, and let me know when you have.
1. Where did the line come from?
A good friend of mine has turned into an excellent head baseball coach at a few different powerhouse programs here in the Phoenix area. Years ago, before he ever ran a dugout, he was a kid sitting on a bench wondering when his turn was coming.
His father is a great man. He was busy building an incredible business, and he did not have time to sit in the stands every inning making sure nobody “stole” the bench from his son.
So he told his boy one thing. We’re going to call this dad Mr. Havoc.
“Let me know when you’ve done enough for coach to put you on the field.”
2. Isn’t that a little harsh?
I know what some of you are thinking. What?! That’s not nice!
No. It isn’t nice. It’s AWESOME.
Read it again. There’s no anger in it, no lecture and no guilt trip. It’s a dad who believes his son is capable, handing him the keys and saying: the field is yours when you earn it — go earn it, and tell me when you have.
That’s not a father who doesn’t care. That’s a father who cares enough not to do it for him.
MR. HAVOC’S RULE
NO BLAME.NO EXCUSES.
- Not the coach
- Not the teammate
- Not the umpire
- Just get it done
LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU’VE DONE ENOUGH
3. What did Mr. Havoc leave out?
The power of the line is everything that’s missing from it.
- No blaming the coach. Not “coach doesn’t like you,” not “coach plays favorites,” not “I’m going to have a talk with coach.”
- No blaming the teammate. Not “that kid only plays because of his dad.”
- No blaming the circumstances. Not the field, the weather, the lineup card or the umpire.
- No excuses at all. Just get it done, and let me know when you have.
One sentence, and the whole responsibility lands where it belongs — on the player. Not as a burden. As an opportunity.
4. Why does it work?
Playing time is a scoreboard. It keeps score of preparation.
Good coaches want to win. They put the players on the field who give them the best chance to do it. When a young hitter understands that, the question stops being “Why isn’t coach playing me?” and becomes “What do I need to do so coach can’t keep me off the field?”
That second question is where hitters are built. It’s what we preach every day at AHD: nothing is given. Aggressive, athletic hitters with controlled violence in their swing don’t get there by accident. They stack days of work nobody sees.
5. What does “enough” actually look like?
Mr. Havoc never defined “enough.” He let his son figure it out. If your hitter is asking, here’s what earning a spot looks like:
- The swing is builtStance, gather, load, launch, barrel approach, contact, extension and finish, trained in order — the way hitters build Mechanically Advantaged Angles (MAA).
- The body backs it upStrength, speed and explosive power so the swing plays at game speed.
- The eyes and brain are trainedSee it, recognize it, time it, decide and attack it — the Hitting Processor, trained daily.
- The mind is steadyA plan for every at-bat and a short memory after the bad ones.
- The little things are automaticFirst one at practice, hustle on every ball, a good teammate on the bench while you wait.
Those are the 4 Pillars of a Complete Hitter. Train all four and nobody needs to sit in the stands lobbying for you. Your work does the talking. Not sure which pillar is holding your hitter back? Run SwingChecker™ free and find out in about three minutes.
6. How can parents be a Mr. Havoc?
You don’t have to skip the games. Sit in the stands, cheer loud, bring the snacks. Just change the conversation on the car ride home.
- Swap the question. Instead of “Why didn’t coach play you?” try “What do you think it’ll take to earn more innings?”
- Let your hitter talk to the coach. A 14-year-old asking “Coach, what do I need to get better at to help the team?” is worth more than any parent meeting.
- Support the work, not the excuse. Rides to the cage, a bucket of balls in the backyard, a quiet word of belief. Fighting their battles isn’t the job.
- Celebrate the work. When your kid hits off the tee for 30 minutes on a Tuesday night with nobody watching, that’s when you tell them you’re proud.
Coaches, you’ve seen both kinds: the player whose parent is at the fence after every game, and the player who walks up and asks what to work on. My friend was the second kind. Now he’s the one writing the lineup card.
Go earn it. Then let me know.
I don’t know about you, but youth sports could stand a lot more Mr. Havocs. If you want a plan for the work, the Complete Hitter Masterclass trains all four pillars, and lessons 1–3 are free. Don’t collect drills. Build a complete hitter.
THELESSON.
- Playing time keeps score of preparation
- Train all 4 pillars
- Talk to coach yourself
- Your work does the talking
Complete Hitters Are Built…Earned.
Want to go deeper? Read How Parents Can Help a Hitter Get Better Without Guessing and Bring Back the Sandpaper Guys.
Quick answers
What should I say when my kid isn’t getting playing time?
Skip blaming the coach. Ask your player what they think it will take to earn more innings, then help them do that work and encourage them to ask the coach directly.
Should parents talk to the coach about playing time?
In most cases the player should have that conversation. A young athlete asking what to improve to help the team shows ownership and usually gets a clearer answer than a parent meeting.
How does a youth baseball player earn more playing time?
Outwork the spot. Train the swing, the body, pitch recognition and the mental approach, be first at practice, hustle on every ball and be a great teammate while you wait.
Is it okay not to attend every game?
Yes. What matters most is the message you send. Believing your kid can earn it and supporting the work does more than watching every inning.
Don’t collect drills. Build a complete hitter.
Complete Hitters Aren’t Born. They’re Built… and Earned.
