quote:Originally posted by YHF:
Truthfully, the bottom line is he needs to lose about 30 pounds. He has a big build and though he is actually pretty athletic, the extra weight restricts him. If he can get in better shape for next year he should be able to tryout for freshman ball again and have a good shot to make it. Some teams may take a slower kid at catcher or 1B but not this one.
YHF,
From a coach's perspective, losing the weight and getting in shape is the best thing your son can do at this point. If time and money is an issue, forget the hitting and catching lessons. Get a good personal trainer and get your kid leaner, stronger, and faster. If he is 30 pounds overweight at his age, he probably hasn't done a whole lot of conditioning in the past. Now's the time, if for no other reason than to teach your son healthy habits that will last him a lifetime. His health and well being are much more important than making the high school baseball team.
A kid who runs a 9-second 60 yd dash is a huge liability to the team, even at the freshman level. He would just about have to hit it over the fence to advance beyond first base. If he is standing on first base, what is the team's chances of getting him around the bases and actually scoring? What about the poor kid batting/running behind him? He can't advance either. A very slow runner on base bogs down the entire game plan. Can't sacrifice, play hit and run, steal, or even score from second on a single. As a coach, I'm stuck going station to station, and that will probably lose me some ballgames.
I may be wrong, but also suspect that your son has limited mobility behind the plate. Passed balls due to lack of mobility will drive a coach absolutely bonkers. I will take an athletic, mobile, great blocking catcher every time, even if his arm is weaker than the big and slow kid who can't get down or move side to side and block balls.
There's a general misconception that catchers and corner guys can be slow and out of shape. That's definitely not true, especially for better players and top programs. I'm not picking on your son in any way, just trying to give you some constructive perspective moving forward. Encourage your son to spend the bulk of his time over the next year getting in great shape, and turning some heads next season when he hits the field as a legitimate high school player.