TRhit- I agree with you on this one. It would have been preferable if he DH'ed the decond game or came in halfway. That's alot of wear and tear. You would NEVER see a pro catcher catch the second game.
Secondly, this whole age thing regarding Stock being so young has got to go. The kid probably has an August or September birthday like a bunch of kids. He was not playing D1 as the equivalent of a HS junior.
The reality is that he did this to better his future professional career (and it makes sense). High school baseball, even in southern california is just not very challenging for kids who play at a high level in the summer. He was a dime a dozen as a pitcher and had some arm challenges (why bother). His receiving skills were not very good to be brutally honest. He had a strong arm behind the dish but his footwork was poor. He was younger for his grade and going off to play rookie ball at 17 with a bunch of kids who didn't speak his language would have been an absolute culture shock.
The solution- Go play college baseball for three years at USC. He gets to work with an ex big-league catcher at getting better, enjoys the college life, and comes out bigger, stronger, and more prepared for the rigors of pro baseball. Good choice.