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My son has been the primary catcher pretty much for every team he's been on since 2010. As such, he throws a LOT. Given he also has zero interest in pitching (he can play most other positions) and the only coaches that wanted him to pitch (very much so) were LL or LL AS coaches who knew very little about coaching and had 1-2 pitchers who they would throw as much as allowed, he held his ground with my support. Only one coach resented it, but we told him before the season started that he was not interested in pitching and he agreed to it. That's it, only been an issue that one time.

Originally Posted by Batty67:

My son has been the primary catcher pretty much for every team he's been on since 2010. As such, he throws a LOT. Given he also has zero interest in pitching (he can play most other positions) and the only coaches that wanted him to pitch (very much so) were LL or LL AS coaches who knew very little about coaching and had 1-2 pitchers who they would throw as much as allowed, he held his ground with my support. Only one coach resented it, but we told him before the season started that he was not interested in pitching and he agreed to it. That's it, only been an issue that one time.

I like that approach Batty67. Coach can then plan around not having to use your son for pitching. 

Originally Posted by Batty67:

My son has been the primary catcher pretty much for every team he's been on since 2010. As such, he throws a LOT. Given he also has zero interest in pitching (he can play most other positions) and the only coaches that wanted him to pitch (very much so) were LL or LL AS coaches who knew very little about coaching and had 1-2 pitchers who they would throw as much as allowed, he held his ground with my support. Only one coach resented it, but we told him before the season started that he was not interested in pitching and he agreed to it. That's it, only been an issue that one time.

And coaches were just fine with the idea that they had a catcher with a great arm but he in no way would be allowed to pitch?  Did you play for a competitive team?  The coach that resented it...did he ask you back the next year?

CaCo3Girl-

If you plan on the route of no more pitching I would suggest waiting until after the upcoming season- which I think is your plan. Maybe he will enjoy it again? If he still does not want to pitch after this season then tell the coach.That gives the coach enough time to plan for next season. If you and your son are having a great experience and like the coach, consider what other skills your son brings to the the team. Hitting ,fielding, base-running, team player, etc.. Because that is what the coach is going to look at. How does he now fit on the team without his pitching. TB is crazy!

Originally Posted by TPM:
The best players on any youth team can play multiple positions.

The best player on any team should be willing to do whatever the coach needs him to do but never in excess that he may get injured.
I am with swampboy. This wasnt about any concern that he might get hurt or over used or he may not be having fun. OP has stated multiple times in multiple topics he loves the game and wants to play beyond HS. This was about the player having to sit while pitching and being unhappy about it. This is not a good team attitude for someone who is supossed to be one of the best players on the team.

The OP also has stated that they play serious travel ball. This is not a casual  rec team.

If he is as good as the OP has stated he is, then he should learn now that humility is also a very important attribute to being a good ballplayer and that in the recruiting process unless the player is one of the best in his class coaches dont want an "its all about me" mentality in a player.

Start teaching your son to be a leader and make him understand that there is no i in the word team.

Even if he is 12.

I agree with this post 100%.  It is hard for all of our boys to learn humility, and that they will have to sit at some point, so please don't take this as harsh.  All of our kids, an probably most of us parents, have been selfish at one time or another regarding our kids position, playing time, etc.  Right now, your kid is doing what most 12 year olds do, he is being selfish and looking out for his own interests.  Please try to steer him away from this attitude. It will serve him well. I promise...

Originally Posted by rynoattack:
Originally Posted by TPM:
The best players on any youth team can play multiple positions.

The best player on any team should be willing to do whatever the coach needs him to do but never in excess that he may get injured.
I am with swampboy. This wasnt about any concern that he might get hurt or over used or he may not be having fun. OP has stated multiple times in multiple topics he loves the game and wants to play beyond HS. This was about the player having to sit while pitching and being unhappy about it. This is not a good team attitude for someone who is supossed to be one of the best players on the team.

The OP also has stated that they play serious travel ball. This is not a casual  rec team.

If he is as good as the OP has stated he is, then he should learn now that humility is also a very important attribute to being a good ballplayer and that in the recruiting process unless the player is one of the best in his class coaches dont want an "its all about me" mentality in a player.

Start teaching your son to be a leader and make him understand that there is no i in the word team.

Even if he is 12.

I agree with this post 100%.  It is hard for all of our boys to learn humility, and that they will have to sit at some point, so please don't take this as harsh.  All of our kids, an probably most of us parents, have been selfish at one time or another regarding our kids position, playing time, etc.  Right now, your kid is doing what most 12 year olds do, he is being selfish and looking out for his own interests.  Please try to steer him away from this attitude. It will serve him well. I promise...

Please explain how he is being selfish, has an "it's all about me attitude", or is not being humble?  If you look through the previous posts never once did he say I'm too good to sit on the bench, or anything like that, he said he wanted other kids who wanted to pitch to have more turns and wanted to make it easier on his coach so he wouldn't HAVE to fit him in the pitcher rotation, and he wouldn't have to carry an extra glove...what was it the glove thing?

 

Not once has he shown a bad attitude about sitting, but of course it's not his favorite thing to do, no kid would choose to sit over playing.  Accepting the reality of not liking to sit doesn't make him selfish or thinking he is better than anyone else, and trying to figure out a way for him to sit less doesn't make him selfish when the whole time he is thinking about how other kids like to pitch and he really couldn't care less.  I thought his reasons for wanting to talk to coach was in line with being a team player, and yes it MIGHT cut down on mandatory sitting time as an added bonus, but for all we know Coach is having a hard time getting all the kids who want to pitch into the rotation and we know of one boy who wants to pitch more.

 

I just don't get these comments.

Originally Posted by CaCO3Girl:
Originally Posted by rynoattack:
Originally Posted by TPM:
The best players on any youth team can play multiple positions.

The best player on any team should be willing to do whatever the coach needs him to do but never in excess that he may get injured.
I am with swampboy. This wasnt about any concern that he might get hurt or over used or he may not be having fun. OP has stated multiple times in multiple topics he loves the game and wants to play beyond HS. This was about the player having to sit while pitching and being unhappy about it. This is not a good team attitude for someone who is supossed to be one of the best players on the team.

The OP also has stated that they play serious travel ball. This is not a casual  rec team.

If he is as good as the OP has stated he is, then he should learn now that humility is also a very important attribute to being a good ballplayer and that in the recruiting process unless the player is one of the best in his class coaches dont want an "its all about me" mentality in a player.

Start teaching your son to be a leader and make him understand that there is no i in the word team.

Even if he is 12.

I agree with this post 100%.  It is hard for all of our boys to learn humility, and that they will have to sit at some point, so please don't take this as harsh.  All of our kids, an probably most of us parents, have been selfish at one time or another regarding our kids position, playing time, etc.  Right now, your kid is doing what most 12 year olds do, he is being selfish and looking out for his own interests.  Please try to steer him away from this attitude. It will serve him well. I promise...

Please explain how he is being selfish, has an "it's all about me attitude", or is not being humble?  If you look through the previous posts never once did he say I'm too good to sit on the bench, or anything like that, he said he wanted other kids who wanted to pitch to have more turns and wanted to make it easier on his coach so he wouldn't HAVE to fit him in the pitcher rotation, and he wouldn't have to carry an extra glove...what was it the glove thing?

 

Not once has he shown a bad attitude about sitting, but of course it's not his favorite thing to do, no kid would choose to sit over playing.  Accepting the reality of not liking to sit doesn't make him selfish or thinking he is better than anyone else, and trying to figure out a way for him to sit less doesn't make him selfish when the whole time he is thinking about how other kids like to pitch and he really couldn't care less.  I thought his reasons for wanting to talk to coach was in line with being a team player, and yes it MIGHT cut down on mandatory sitting time as an added bonus, but for all we know Coach is having a hard time getting all the kids who want to pitch into the rotation and we know of one boy who wants to pitch more.

 

I just don't get these comments.

I think you are kidding yourself if you think him not wanting to sit is not selfish, but hey, carry on.  Like I said previously, all 12 year olds are selfish, mine, yours, everyone's.  You need to remove the rose colored glasses before it is too late.

Dear CaCO3girl, From reading your posts, its sound like you have great boy. And he has a good coach. Attached are links to interesting reading, and some statistics. You may have seen these sites. Wishing your son the best in his baseball journey. Matthew T Collins

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com...all-from-the-inside/

 

http://baseball.isport.com/bas...school-baseball-team

 

http://www.baseball-excellence...rum=1&Topic=2157

 

http://diycollegerankings.com/...college-baseball/78/

 

http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/inside_the_numbers.htm

Originally Posted by CaCO3Girl:
Originally Posted by rynoattack:
Originally Posted by TPM:
The best players on any youth team can play multiple positions.

The best player on any team should be willing to do whatever the coach needs him to do but never in excess that he may get injured.
I am with swampboy. This wasnt about any concern that he might get hurt or over used or he may not be having fun. OP has stated multiple times in multiple topics he loves the game and wants to play beyond HS. This was about the player having to sit while pitching and being unhappy about it. This is not a good team attitude for someone who is supossed to be one of the best players on the team.

The OP also has stated that they play serious travel ball. This is not a casual  rec team.

If he is as good as the OP has stated he is, then he should learn now that humility is also a very important attribute to being a good ballplayer and that in the recruiting process unless the player is one of the best in his class coaches dont want an "its all about me" mentality in a player.

Start teaching your son to be a leader and make him understand that there is no i in the word team.

Even if he is 12.

I agree with this post 100%.  It is hard for all of our boys to learn humility, and that they will have to sit at some point, so please don't take this as harsh.  All of our kids, an probably most of us parents, have been selfish at one time or another regarding our kids position, playing time, etc.  Right now, your kid is doing what most 12 year olds do, he is being selfish and looking out for his own interests.  Please try to steer him away from this attitude. It will serve him well. I promise...

Please explain how he is being selfish, has an "it's all about me attitude", or is not being humble?  If you look through the previous posts never once did he say I'm too good to sit on the bench, or anything like that, he said he wanted other kids who wanted to pitch to have more turns and wanted to make it easier on his coach so he wouldn't HAVE to fit him in the pitcher rotation, and he wouldn't have to carry an extra glove...what was it the glove thing?

 

Not once has he shown a bad attitude about sitting, but of course it's not his favorite thing to do, no kid would choose to sit over playing.  Accepting the reality of not liking to sit doesn't make him selfish or thinking he is better than anyone else, and trying to figure out a way for him to sit less doesn't make him selfish when the whole time he is thinking about how other kids like to pitch and he really couldn't care less.  I thought his reasons for wanting to talk to coach was in line with being a team player, and yes it MIGHT cut down on mandatory sitting time as an added bonus, but for all we know Coach is having a hard time getting all the kids who want to pitch into the rotation and we know of one boy who wants to pitch more.

 

I just don't get these comments.

CaCO3Girl,

 

Personally, I dont think that youth players should be pitching and catching at the same time. I understand why Batty posted what he did.

 

But that was not what you asked.  You wanted to know what we thought about him NOT wanting to pitch, not because he didnt like to pitch but rather he didnt want to sit out any part of any game. I dont think that as selfish, but rather just very typical of players that are very competitive. Its not pitching as a curse but rather the fact that pitching means he sits.

 

I think that you are making too much out of something that is very common. Part of the process in youth ball should be to learn to be versatile.  Sounds like the coaches are trying to teach that and not over use any one at one time.  As a youth player son played every position and pitching wasnt his fav for sure. Then one day at a youth tournament in a pitchers dual, a crowd of about 100 gathered and his whole attitude changed. Ask any pitcher why they love the position.  Most likely its all eyes on YOU at one time, plus it is YOU that controls the pace of the game.  Pitchers are cut from a different mold, not everyone can do it, but the bottom line is that if a player has a good arm, the coach, no matter who he is, will use that gift until it becomes apparent that the players skill lies somewhere else.

 

Eventually the wheat will separate from the chaff. Do not support him in telling the coach what he wants to do, at 12 or at any age, that is just not how it works, I think that is the message that some have been trying to send to you.  You should always support the coaches decisions (and teach your son to do the same), unless they are placing him in  harmful situation.  

 

The issue some have with comparing 10- 12 year olds is that some are always smaller and some are always bigger, eventually at 16,17 most have caught up.  My son was not the best player at 10-12, but he sure was one of the best in his graduating class at 17.  

 

 

Originally Posted by lefthookdad:

Ryno, so I guess you are saying every player, regardless of age, who would rather play than sit is selfish?  I guess that makes Cal the worst offender of them all.  I could see considering the kid selfish if he threatened to quit, threw a hissy fit or refused to sit when told do do so.  But, none of those are evident here.

There were sportswriters who stated as such. There were baseball people anonymously quoted saying as such. There were people who thought Ripken played on dinged up and fatigued when a day off here and there might have helped him and the team.

Just let the coaches know prior to the draft that your son will not be pitching. I did that with my son. Some years I would get calls before the draft from coaches double-checking to see if he still was not going to pitch. There were no hard feelings or pressure during the season. By the way, it has all worked out OK. He is now a high school senior and is being recruited by several schools as a middle infielder.

This is going to tick off our poster today. In a few years she will laugh at how seriously she viewed 12 year old baseball. The kid should do what the coach tells him unless it's harmful. It's all part of learning the game. 

 

When I was twelve when I didn't pitch I played short. I'm left handed. I can't imagine my father would have ever interfered. I can't imagine him telling the coach playing short was not in my best interests as a baseball player. I can't imagine him asking anyone else what they thought, At the time it was in the best interest of the team. That was good enough for him.

 

Doing what is in the best interest of the team is just as much of learning the game as learning how to properly field a grounder.

Originally Posted by lefthookdad:

Ryno, so I guess you are saying every player, regardless of age, who would rather play than sit is selfish?  I guess that makes Cal the worst offender of them all.  I could see considering the kids I selfish if he threatened to quit, threw a hissy fit or refused to sit when told do do so.  But, none of those are evident here.

I absolutely stand by what I said.  If a kid is concerned about always playing, and never sitting, that is a Me First attitude.  As I previously said, most kids & parents have this issue at times.  It is definitely not a TEAM First kind of attitude, and it probably needs to be adjusted. He is only 12 years old, so I do think it is normal to feel that you deserve to play every inning, all the time.  I just don't think that is always best for the team.

Originally Posted by Batty67:

Perhaps I'm not reading deeply enough into the issues here. If a 12 YO does NOT want to pitch, why force the issue at that time?  By this I mean dead-set does not want to pitch. So much baseball ahead of him and things change.

Rec team I get it, on a travel team that stresses player development not so. I do believe that this player is on such a travel team. 

 

The player does not want to pitch only because he sees it as an opportunity to SIT.  Maybe there are others whofeel that way, so what happens when you have half of your team wanting to do what THEY want to do?  Who now controls the team.

You learn to do what is expected of you to do, and the younger you learn that, the more you will find yourself in the game.

 

When son was a sopohmore they took away the bat, he was devastated.  Did he go back and tell the coach this was not what he wanted to do?  Nope. Most likely because he understood as a 10-12 year old you do as told.

 

BTW, as a senior he led his HS team in ERA, batting average and HR. But he also had a significant $$ opportunity at a D1 program because he concentrated on the skill he was most likely to succeed at.  It didnt matter what he wanted to do, there were others who knew more than us and he to help make that decision.

"The player does not want to pitch only because he sees it as an opportunity to SIT.  Maybe there are others whofeel that way, so what happens when you have half of your team wanting to do what THEY want to do?  Who now controls the team.

You learn to do what is expected of you to do, and the younger you learn that, the more you will find yourself in the game."

 

This is exactly my point.  He doesn't want to pitch, because he'll have to sit the next game.  Pretty selfish, and not a team first attitude.  That will generally not take you far.

No disagreement on what you have said, but I dont see it as selfish, rather than somewhat typical youth level mentality, as well as often at this age (though not necessarily in this case).

 

Use this opportunity to make your player (and yourself) a better person, not necessarily a better player. That will happen. 

 

Because the real reality is that it means absolutely nothing until he reaches the next level.  

Last edited by TPM
Originally Posted by rynoattack:
Originally Posted by lefthookdad:

Ryno, so I guess you are saying every player, regardless of age, who would rather play than sit is selfish?  I guess that makes Cal the worst offender of them all.  I could see considering the kids I selfish if he threatened to quit, threw a hissy fit or refused to sit when told do do so.  But, none of those are evident here.

I absolutely stand by what I said.  If a kid is concerned about always playing, and never sitting, that is a Me First attitude.  As I previously said, most kids & parents have this issue at times.  It is definitely not a TEAM First kind of attitude, and it probably needs to be adjusted. He is only 12 years old, so I do think it is normal to feel that you deserve to play every inning, all the time.  I just don't think that is always best for the team.

At no point, ever, in the post by the OP, was there even a hint that the kid presents the attitude that he deserves to play and that that is the reason why he does not want to pitch.  It is only inferred that he wants to play and sees an opportunity to gain more play time by not pitching.  That is two totally different attitudes and two different scenarios  

Last edited by lefthookdad
Originally Posted by Swampboy:

You might also remind him that baseball is a team game.  

 

The team needs someone on the mound every inning, and every player needs to be prepared to carry his part of the pitching load. 

 

A player in youth ball who won't pitch for the reasons you described is putting his preference ahead of the team, which is not an attitude that will serve him well in high school and beyond.

This post states it best.  

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