Guide to Being a Captain

What It Takes to be a Great Captain

• Captains do not pick teams in Riverdale Sandlot, but they keep the games moving at a quick pace.
  
  

• Your team will likely have 12 or 13 players. 10 players will play in the field at a time. That means you will have two or three players sitting on the bench each inning.
  
  

• The goal is for the first games of the evening to begin around 5:45pm. Captains should be able to arrive at Seton Park by 5:30pm at the latest.
  
  

• Your lineup should be set before 5:45pm. Where each player will play in the field for the first inning, should also be decided before 5:45pm.
  
  

• Find the other team captain to do rock-paper-scissors to determine who is the home team before 5:45pm as well. That way you can get started on time.
  
  

• Players may arrive late, but if both teams have at least 9 players present, captains should begin play. Late players can be slotted in as they arrive.
  
  

• If both teams are ready and have enough players to begin before 5:45pm, go ahead and start whenever you're ready. The earlier you can start, the better. There are no lights at Seton Park and the sun doesn't stay up forever.
  
  

• A stellar captain may consider creating a lineup grid like the example below before even arriving to the field. This will make your life a lot easier during the games.

• If you don't make a grid ahead of time, you should be thinking about who will sit out each inning as soon as your team comes to bat. Once your team makes the third out in the field, and you head back to the dugout, begin assigning players positions and decide who will be on the bench for the next half inning. That way, when your team makes the third out when batting, players can immediately take the field and everyone knows exactly where to go. If you wait to assign positions until after your team makes their third out while batting, you will slow the game down significantly. So please plan ahead.
  
  

• Your team will consist of players of varying skill levels and it's understandable that you will want your better players to always play the field. But this league is just for fun and everyone should get roughly equal playing time. Please make sure every single player, including yourself and your pitcher, sit at least once, before having people sit on the bench a second time. (We recommend having your higher quality players sit on the bench earlier in the game. As you get to the 6th and 7th innings, if it's a close game, you'll want your best fielders in the field. It's easier to come back from costly errors in the 1st inning than the 6th & 7th inning. So consider benching your best players in the earlier innings. Your batting order is not impacted by players sitting on the bench. They will still bat at their turn in the batting order.)
  
  

• Lastly, be prepared to think quickly and adjust on the fly. Sometimes players show up late or not at all. Sometimes a player needs to leave in the middle of a game or after the first game. In these instances, you may have to alter your lineup at a moment's notice.