CADad:
We have kind of the same problem on our Jr. Division LL team. My son doesn't throw a curve ball, just a "slurve" ball. He often throws it for strikes, but, sometimes, it does end up in the dirt although the batter will swing at..lol
Our catch-22 situation is as follows:
We drafted a 13 year-old catcher who is very good at blocking balls, but doesn't have great arm for throwing out runners. We also have a 14 year-old catcher, who has a great arm, but can't block pitches in the dirt.
I can't count the number of times a dropped third strike turned into a passed ball, allowing the runner to reach first or the number of times a throw to second bounced twice..lol
My son has learned to block all that out and just pitch the best he can. After all, you win as a team and lose as a team. It's just frustrating, but you learn to laugh it off. I know next year when the kid goes to high school, the players at all the positions will be better.
BTW, we won our Jr. Division title this year and won our first TOC game yesterday, so life is good so far..lol
Garry