TPM,
No offense, but you're way off the mark. Talent being equal, there's no reason 7th graders should be starting infield.
BTW, my son hit a double last night...only player other player to do better was a huge 9th grader. I guess his position at this point is batter.
The reason the MLB training center told us to stop coming was because they are VERY busy and the only center in this area. They don't need our money. You have to reserve there at least 6 months ahead of time to get a slot. We had him there for two 6-week sessions back to back.
"Winning or losing at this point doesn't mean much, it's about development." That was the whole point about my post. The coach is developing the larger 7th graders to the detriment of the really talented players. "Size doesn't matter in "pre" JV, or even later if he has the ability and talent as he matures." Oh really? How can you expect a kid to hang in there? I understood last year, and so did he, that as a 7th grader, you sit the bench. That's how it is. Only the best of the best 7th graders started (I think there were 3). Those 7th graders then went on to JV this year. SOOOO...you expect that as an 8th grader, you will get to play. Especially if you're good. I guess it's more important if you're over 5'6" and weigh at least 140 lbs. I thought this was baseball, not football...
I don't think my son has a whole lot to improve on right now. Anytime a coach has tried to change up his batting or pitching (and he perfected his technique at the MLB center, by the way), they made it worse, not better. He just needs to grow and gain weight to improve his speed. Once the growth spurt hits, he probably will need to refine his techniques. He could also improve his focus and keep his head in the game, which of course, is tough when you're doing nothing but sitting or standing in one place, especially for a kid who needs to stay active and engaged to stay interested.
I'm not saying the coaching is bad...after all, this guy's been coaching for 50 years or something (he's in his 70s). I just think he's misdirected. If he wants these kids to continue playing, he needs to keep them interested. That's not going to happen if they're sitting the bench for no reason. A kid can't help getting discouraged when they know they're better than the 7th graders on the field, but smaller. It happened to my husband. He quit all sports after 9th grade. Then he hit his growth spurt the summer before 11th and came back to school 5"10" and benching 350. By then, he had lost a lot of time and had a job, so he never went back to sports. I don't want that to happen to my son.