Question, does your son think he will be the starting catcher? Is his strength defense, offense or both for the varsity team.
Here is why I'm asking, if his strength is defense and he is not physically ready to hit varsity pitching, the coach might DH for him. Note, his defense will flourish, but his offense will need to wait for the summer.
You will also need to project how many games your son will be playing next year.
He has a high potential to hit a wall around June/July.
# of games (2020) = High School + Summer Travel + Fall Travel. So you have potentially 70 to 80 games, (assume he catches 65% of his games. He is potentially catching 45 to 50 games.
The issue for catchers is two-fold, wear and tear on knees and shoulders, specifically the labrum (SLAP tears are common)
Remember this is a marathon not a sprint, pace and balance is critical
Also, try to stay clear of talking to the coach, let your son create the relationship, as for it will prepare both you and him for what will come down the line.
Good luck.
I would say at this point he is definitely stronger defensively. I would think the possibility of the coach DH’ing for him is there. As far as whether he thinks he will be the starter, I think he knows it but he does not talk about it or act like The job is his.
My wife and I try to avoid talking to the coach. My son has been on his travel team going on two years so we are somewhat friendly with him. Basically we will not talk to him unless he talks to us first.