What surprised us most in this survey was the range. While not obvious from the bars on the charts, we had suggested teams from 11-20 players and while 2-3 catchers was the norm, for instance we had suggested teams with as few as 3 pitchers and as many as 9 players assigned to infield roles. Perhaps some of the coaches who suggested 11 have truly dedicated players and those who want 9 ready for infield work don't have much confidence in their top 4 or 5.

On the issue of cuts, most older-team coaches and players clearly supported cuts. More surprising where the number of younger age coaches who saw no problem with teams crossing age boundaries - even though child development varies greatly between 7 and 12.

Should players be cut Alternatives to outright cuts Team size and player distribution