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Reply to "Two-Way Player... becoming more common? Should it? Thoughts"

"Have you known any 2-ways who hated pitching?  That seems unlikely. "

As a former pitcher, I can see why you'd think that.  But it turns out, we've had several in our program who had/have all sorts of pitching talent but just don't want to do it. 

As one example, we had one Va. Cardinals alum get very highly drafted as a position player/hitter in 2019 (3rd round).  He was low 90's off the bump without even trying hard, and he had a wipeout slider.  But he felt that pitching left his arm compromised for when he was in the field (SS in HS and still listed as a SS in MiLB), and he felt that showing as a pitcher undermined his desire to have scouts see him as an everyday player/hitter.

Based on the amount of money he got, it's hard to say he got it wrong!

I've seen other kids who want to bulk up for hitting power and who realize that this doesn't mesh with pitching. 

Over the years, I've even seen some kids who claim to have phantom elbow pain -- never so bad to keep them off their position, but bad enough that they "don't feel comfortable pitching."  It's something the kids learn -- coach may want you on the mound even if you don't want to be there, but no coach wants to risk hurting a player and so, never questions whether the pain actually exists. 

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