quote:Originally posted by rz1:
Appropriate communication is a must between pitch and catcher. In HS my son anticipated that he would have problems talking with catchers, and for that matter other players down the road so he took HS and college Spanish.
Disclaimer: Some on this site may consider this a "racey" or smarta$$ thought, but he has found it beneficial in his playing career, and eventually may also help out in his future baseball related "real life" job.
No disclaimer necessary. It's a fact - if it wasn't there wouldn't be interpreters on MLB payrolls. Also, 2013's high school team has two students for whom Spanish is their primary and native language. Almost all the English-speaking players are taking Spanish in school and they use this as an opportunity to learn a baseball vocabulary and to help the Spanish-speaking players learn the English terminology.