Skip to main content

8 replies

2016 catcher on varsity team but not playing

L learning500+ posts

My son is a 2016 catcher who was moved up to his high school varsity team at the end of his Freshman season and played in a couple of games when the starting varsity catcher was not able to be there.  He made the varsity team this year as a Sophmore but has not played much so far this season.  His primary position is catcher but he also plays OF positions.  The situation is this:  the team has a very good 2015 catcher who has been on the team since he was a freshman.  They also have older more experienced players in the OF positions.  So my son has had little playing time with the exception of running for the catcher and getting put in for games against far lesser teams.  When playing against lesser teams he has played both catcher and OF ahead of 4-5 2015 players that have been sitting along with him during most games.  Two of the starting OF players will graduate this year so I believe that next year my son will have a shot at getting one of those starting positions.  There have also been rumors of the current catcher working on other positions but we have not seen it happen during any games as of yet. 

 

The question is this:  since the current catcher won't graduate until next year, and assuming my son does not beat him out as starting catcher (which I think may be unlikely because their skills are similar and the other catcher is a better batter) during my son's junior year he will not be able to get 'noticed' by colleges for his catching on his high school team.  I think I know the answer but any thoughts on how to address this?  I'm assuming if he can start as catcher for his summer and fall travel/tournament teams (which he will be doing this year for sure) and possibly attend showcases that this could help address this situation.  But just wondering how likely it would be for colleges to bring him on for a position he is not playing in high school in his junior year.  I fully expect him to be starting catcher his senior year but it seems from everything I've read that Junior year is the most important for 'getting noticed'...right?  The HS team will also likely not be as good that year as there are a large number of good 2015 players that will be leaving and less strength on the 2016 players that will be coming on.

 

Any thoughts or advice would be welcomed.

Last edited by learning
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

TD The Doctor5,000+ posts
Originally Posted by learning:

My son is a 2016 catcher who was moved up to his high school varsity team at the end of his Freshman season and played in a couple of games when the starting varsity catcher was not able to be there.  He made the varsity team this year as a Sophmore but has not played much so far this season.  His primary position is catcher but he also plays OF positions.  The situation is this:  the team has a very good 2015 catcher who has been on the team since he was a freshman.  They also have older more experienced players in the OF positions.  So my son has had little playing time with the exception of running for the catcher and getting put in for games against far lesser teams.  When playing against lesser teams he has played both catcher and OF ahead of 4-5 2015 players that have been sitting along with him during most games.  Two of the starting OF players will graduate this year so I believe that next year my son will have a shot at getting one of those starting positions.  There have also been rumors of the current catcher working on other positions but we have not seen it happen during any games as of yet. 

 

The question is this:  since the current catcher won't graduate until next year, and assuming my son does not beat him out as starting catcher (which I think may be unlikely because their skills are similar and the other catcher is a better batter) during my son's junior year he will not be able to get 'noticed' by colleges for his catching on his high school team.  I think I know the answer but any thoughts on how to address this?  I'm assuming if he can start as catcher for his summer and fall travel/tournament teams (which he will be doing this year for sure) and possibly attend showcases that this could help address this situation.  But just wondering how likely it would be for colleges to bring him on for a position he is not playing in high school in his junior year.  I fully expect him to be starting catcher his senior year but it seems from everything I've read that Junior year is the most important for 'getting noticed'...right?  The HS team will also likely not be as good that year as there are a large number of good 2015 players that will be leaving and less strength on the 2016 players that will be coming on.

 

Any thoughts or advice would be welcomed.

 College coaches understand the many situations that occur in HS, and the good coaches won't hold anything against a kid doing what he is told, just trying to conform and get some time on the dirt. But they will need to see him behind the plate during the summer or at their camps.

Last edited by The Doctor
MizzoubaseballMizzoubaseball1,000+ posts
Originally Posted by FoxDad:

 

 

The only time I've seen college coaches and pro scouts at a HS game is if there is a kid throwing 90+.  And only because they've either seen him at a showcase or someone made some phone calls.

While I agree with the summer team being more important for showcasing his skills, I will not agree with this.

 

It may depend where you live, but there were pro and high school scouts at about 90% of my son's high school games that took place on weekdays.  All the way from SEC schools to the local JUCOs.

 

Never assume colleges dont come to high school games.

ABC_DadABC_Dad100+ posts

Just speaking form personal experience, everyone's situation is different. My son is a catcher and has not played catcher his Junior or Senior year. Junior year he sat the bench and his senior year he is the DH, although he did split time at catcher during non-district games. He was recruited as a catcher and has received a scholarship to play in College. He did attend a few showcases and had "workouts" when he visited colleges last summer. So I say all that to say this, High School ball may be very important it's not an unsurmountable obstacle.

F FoxDad10,000+ posts
Originally Posted by Mizzoubaseball:
Originally Posted by FoxDad:

 

 

The only time I've seen college coaches and pro scouts at a HS game is if there is a kid throwing 90+.  And only because they've either seen him at a showcase or someone made some phone calls.

While I agree with the summer team being more important for showcasing his skills, I will not agree with this.

 

It may depend where you live, but there were pro and high school scouts at about 90% of my son's high school games that took place on weekdays.  All the way from SEC schools to the local JUCOs.

 

Never assume colleges dont come to high school games.

Yes, it is probably dependent on where you live.  It has been my observation that unless scouts (college or pro) are aware of a specific player, they don't usually attend HS games to look for prospects.

soulslam55soulslam551,000+ posts

Learning

 

Don't sweat the HS stuff, it's important to be part of the team...if he really wants to be noticed as a catcher, get on a good summer team as noted by many. 

 

If he can hit, and hit well, he'll get his spots. My son is also a 2016, primarily at 1B. One of the senior captains is also a 1B (as well as #1 pitcher), so my son plays in about 1/2 the games. He's fine with it for this season...he's also on a summer team playing 5 of the bigger NE tournaments this year. 

 

Tell your son to work on his hitting, and take any opportunity (C, OF, DH) as if his hair is on fire. All good!

 

 

Add Reply

Post
.

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Link copied to your clipboard.
×