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What Are the Different Types of Baseball Coach Jobs?

Dan Cavallari
Dan Cavallari

Many people get into coaching by simply being enthusiastic about a particular sport, or stepping in when a kids' team is in need of a coach. Baseball coach jobs are available, however, in a variety of settings that may or may not pay a wage. Little League® coaches, for example, are usually not paid for their time or effort, but instead are rewarded by helping kids learn to play baseball and by participating in a sport about which the coach is passionate. Other baseball coach jobs may pay a salary; high school and college coaches are usually paid for their time and effort, as are coaches of professional sports teams.

Two general types of baseball coach jobs exist: head coaches and assistant coaches. The head coach is not only responsible for managing the players on the team, but also for managing the coaching staff, which may include one or more assistant coaches. On the professional level, several assistant coaches will work with the head coach, and each assistant will have a specific job. A pitching coach, for example, will work exclusively with pitchers on their mechanics, while hitting coaches will work with all hitters to improve their swings. Other baseball coach jobs on the professional level may include the bench coach, the third base coach, the first base coach, and the conditioning coach.

Batting coaches work to improve the hitting statistics of a team's players.
Batting coaches work to improve the hitting statistics of a team's players.

At the high school level, baseball coach jobs usually include only a head coach and one or two assistants. The pay for such a position is generally much lower than that of a position at the college or professional level, though the season is usually quite a bit shorter. The head coach and the assistant will fill the roles of all other types of coaches such as hitting and pitching coaches. At this level, it is likely the head coach will be responsible for doing paperwork relating to the team, heading fundraising efforts, interacting with the parents of the players, and so on.

A pitching coach will work exclusively with the pitchers to help them improve their mechanics.
A pitching coach will work exclusively with the pitchers to help them improve their mechanics.

College baseball coach jobs generally pay better than high school jobs, though the competition for such positions is much greater. The potential candidate will need to have a fair amount of experience to get hired, and he or she will generally have a fair amount of responsibility regarding the sports program at the school. College teams are likely to travel quite a bit as well, so the coach will need to be willing to commit to such trips.

Discussion Comments

Feryll

You might be surprised to learn that even professional baseball players don't always have the fundamentals of the game perfected. As a coach, you should start with the basics. Never assume that your players have already learned what you expect them to know by the time they reach your team.

Sporkasia

Volunteering at your local high school or middle school is a great way to gain experience as a baseball coach. Many of these teams are often looking for coaching help, and if you don't know a great deal about coaching baseball or baseball in general then this is a good first step.

Drentel

Other than manager (head coach), the pitching coach is the most important coaching position on a baseball staff. The pitcher instructs the pitchers on how and when to throw particular pitches and the pitching coach also keeps track of the number of pitches his pitchers throw during a game and during a week. This is very important since a pitcher's arm can be worn down if his amount of work is not monitored closely.

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    • Batting coaches work to improve the hitting statistics of a team's players.
      By: Actionpics
      Batting coaches work to improve the hitting statistics of a team's players.
    • A pitching coach will work exclusively with the pitchers to help them improve their mechanics.
      By: 56426358
      A pitching coach will work exclusively with the pitchers to help them improve their mechanics.