Tagged With "chubby"
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2020 just wants to pitch.......
Hello everyone, Been lurking for a while and just got up the nerve to ask for some advice. To give you a little background, I have a 2020 that started playing baseball about 3 years ago. At the time he was the chubby kid, not much talent but if he wanted it, his mom and I were going to support him. He was about 5'6" and weighed 200. He is an A student as well. He had never pitched before and because of his age during the upcoming season he was expected to pitch. We decided to seek out a...
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
Quick update ...... Son did a 180, struggled to throw strikes this summer and bat improved to the point that if he wasn't pitching he was at 1st or 3rd. They needed his bat in the lineup. He hit for average with some pop. The plan now is to continue to work at 1st and 3rd and his hitting. The game will eventually tell him when he is a pitcher only.
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
Thanks for the update. I think the forum really appreciates it when someone comes back with an update. It make the post so much more valid than one that never has an answer.
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
Good to hear he kept an open mind about other positions and is improving at the plate.
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
Glad this was revived... When I commented originally I can't believe I failed to say a couple things. First big time kudos for your son being an A student and second good for him with working hard to get in athletic shape! He is on the right track.
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
Actually, he is at the age when teams start to look to add players who are "pitcher only." But he better like sitting around a lot. Depending on circumstances he may only get one game for a typical tournament week end.
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
JMO but from my experience players should not be pitcher only until they reach varsity in HS. Why the rush? Mine was one of the top middle school pitchers entering HS. He passed up most of his freshman year to play varsity and remained as a utility guy. When not pitching he played other positions. But during summer after that year he was a pitcher only on any travel team and HS team until senior year.
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
At 12 or so my son thought he would like to be a PO. He wasn't having the success batting that he wanted and was frustrated. But, his team had 11 players so a PO wasn't an option(and we wouldn't have supported it at 12 anyway). So, he worked on his batting and by freshman year he had a pretty good bat. Now he is a sophomore playing varsity as a primary pitcher but will also play in the field as well. Because his bat is too good to put on the bench. Do you think his desire to PO is in any way...
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
The OP explained he plays other positions but loves to pitch and wants to be a PO. Should he be? No. JMO
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
This is what I have seen. At his age, a lot of travel teams want PO's, or kids who mostly pitch, but the orgs themselves do not work pitchers in practice like they are pitchers only. The put them through positional fielding and batting practice. If a PO, pitcher specific conditioning, bullpens, long toss, pitcher drills come outside of the org's practice. So just something to consider in how your son's travel team is set up.
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
I remember these words of wisdom..."there's only so many bullets in the holster". Since your son has seen such good progress with a pitching coach, have you considered that he may have the same or better success with a hitting coach? He's average now (as are most 14 yr olds)...a few hitting lessons could take him to above...or exceptional...or...? And, there's not quite the risk of overuse/injury/pressure. And, playing multiple positions, developing as a hitter...provides more options in...
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
Im of the mindset that he should continue as a two way player at this point. Things may change once he makes the V team at HS but until then leave all your options open. I am going to use my 2017 as an example... Up until this past off season he was a 2 way player. P, IB and some OF. Going into the off season his HS coach mentioned that next (this just started) season he most likely would be primarily a P on Varsity and play some 1B in the JV games (if he wanted to play a position). His...
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
Yes..... He has not had the success at the plate as he's had on the mound. It's not that his hitting is that bad, I think it has more to do with his pitching is very good and his hitting doesn't compare.
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
He should do what makes him happy. But my approach would be to let the game tell you when it's time to be a PO. When the coach stops putting you in the line up then it's time to be a PO! In the meantime he can of course direct his efforts to improve more in the pitching area. Kind of what my son will do with basketball. Simply doesn't have any more hours in the day to give basketball a max effort. So he will play in high school for fun til the coach cuts him. If he plays four years great. If...
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
I also have a 2020 and I have to say I am confused by your post. Does your kid love baseball or not? It's all well and good to have a preference for a favorite position but playing on a team is suppose to entail the whole concept of "Yes sir, wherever you need me to play". We all gravitate to what we are good at, but your son will have more baseball options open to him if he can broaden his knowledge base. If he loves the game and wants to continue he should learn all that he can and become...
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
I don't see a problem with your wanting to pitch only. His talent as a pitcher will determine whether he can do that or not.
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
My son only became a PO when he became part of a team in which his bat simply wasn't as good as the rest of the lineup. This is summer ball. In high school, he will likely be hitting middle of the lineup. It doesn't bother him and we haven't spent a lot of time on hitting over the past couple of years, simply because it has been obvious for awhile that any opportunities to play beyond high school are tied firmly to pitching. the point is, I guess, that he didn't choose when to become a PO,...
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
At that age, he still has a lot to learn about the game. Scenarios, plays, defensive strategies, etc. Do you think he will learn at the same rate watching from the bench as he would being a part of the action during each game? I know a couple kids your son's age who might do ok with that task, but the vast majority would not. My 2018 LHP son learned so much about baseball between 7th and 9th grade that I can't imagine him taking this route. I guess I would just be thinking about his overall...
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
The time to be P.O. is college or a summer travel team that gets exposure to scouts. My son had an opportunity to be a P.O. for a 18U travel team that supposedly had the majority of players signed to colleges already (words from the coach) and some being looked at by MLB scouts. I think my son felt that if he stunk it up then there was nothing else to contribute and he didn't want to waste $600.
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
Welcome to the site. You said he does enjoy playing the infield and then you asked if he is too young to only want to pitch. So there is a bit of contradiction / confusion. Assuming he does enjoy playing the infield, I would encourage him to continue to do so for all the good reasons mentioned... continue to develop a first hand knowledge of the game, enjoy playing more and sitting less, use less pitching bullets, potentially develop a love for other aspects of the game as well, contribute...
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Re: 2020 just wants to pitch.......
Another thing to think about is how much kids mentally and physically change from middle school to their senior year. It sounds like he has just gone through puberty with the way you described his body changing. Usually it takes a good year or so for a kids hand eye coordination to catch up to his new body. Hitting has a lot to do with hand eye coordination. I would give it a few more years and see how he develops at both pitching and hitting.