Another Question about HS Baseball

Son asked the coach to clarify his role on the team this season and is told," he is the number 1 catcher for the team and it should not be seen as a demotion to be moved to the OF or second, but rather a compliment to his athletic ability that he can help the team out in multiple positions. That although there is a drop off in arm strength/pop time with the other catcher,the team's defense is stronger with our son in the field when we are playing teams not known for stealing bases."

 

IMO, this is THE BEST possible answer that your son could have received!  As I was reading your post this is exactly what I was thinking, while your son may be the best catcher, that may not be where the team needs him the most, and you admitted the other catcher is pretty good.

 

Now, here is where you are going to take a hit:

" I want to laugh at this as my son shares this with us (but I don't) as it sounds like a well rehersed political speech.  We are later informed by a former team coach that the freshman player's father donated $5k to the baseball team halfway through the season.  I really don't know if there is a connection" (bingo)

 

"My angry parent instinct is to tell our son to sit out next year and just play for his summer"...may advice to you on this one would be to stay out of it and let your son work it out.

 

Your son seems to be valuable to the TEAM.  The coach will put him where he needs him to play for his best chance of winning a game.

 

Being a Utility player is not a bad thing!

 

 

I agree with all of the above.

The important thing is that he addressed it with the coach as he should have, regardless of whether you accept the answer seems like he is willing and that is good. Remember, the coach has the right to make decisions for the betterment of the team, not the player. 

 

You need to stay out of it, period, I wish more and more parents could accept that, but it seems that at times they don't.

There are a lot of kids that play out of position in HS to help the team, then go back to regular position in the Summer.  My son is a catcher and played a significant amount of infield last year for the exact same reasons you expressed above -- the had another catcher that was capable, and the infield needed help.  He did not like it, but he understood.  This year was a different story and he played catcher all year.  Don't sweat it.  It is a compliment to your kid.  

My son played three positions his soph and junior. Soph year he started the season at third. This was after being told all freshman year he was the heir apparent at short. When the coach realized he should be the shortstop he was moved to short. 

 

After being all conference shortstop the coach told him he would be plugged into the lineup based on whether an infielder or outfielder won a starting job. He had to practice at two positions. He was moved to center where he made all conference. 

 

My son never complained. All that mattered was he was playing and his team was winning. While short was his preferred position he had a revelation in the outfield. Outfielders don't get spiked by sliding baserunners. He was moved to outfield on his travel team. He plays mostly outfield in college. But his ability to play infield allows his coach to be creative in mid game switches.

 

My son operates by an ideal I passed on to his travel team and him at 13U. There are only two positions on a team. There's between the white lines and on the bench. Anywhere between the lines is better than the bench. 

 

It would have been easier to stand on the sidelines in middle school and high school ball if more parents had this attitude and there was a little less sense of entitlement over a position played last year.

I agree with lefthookdad.  My son played multiple positions during his HS career even though he was considered by many to be an outstanding catcher.  His sophomore year he was the starting catcher - beat out a senior for the position.  His junior year coach moved him to 3rd base as that's where the TEAM needed him.  Was named All District at that position.  His senior year coach moved him to first base - again where the TEAM needed him - was named All District, All Region, All Area (local media selection) and Honorable Mention State.

 

He just finished his 1st year at a D2 JUCO where he was the backup to 1B, but was the starting DH for most of the season. 

 

I was the same way - I wanted my son to play the catcher position, but in the end being a player that can play multiple positions can make him more valuable than being a superstar at any one position.

 

The best response is to do nothing.  Things usually have a way of working out if he's good enough.

You are wise to vent here. Now your challenge is to not let your feeling spill over so that your son gets poisoned. That's not easy! I think there are many parents with holes in their tongues.

 

Not catching all the games in HS won't keep him from catching in college, if that's what is important to him.

 

Congrats to your son. Sounds like he is doing great!

 

This is a great post RJM. So many parents get caught up tin the Their position. It is not THEIR position. Play were your put. At least you are playing.

Couldn't agree more.  My son is a 2016 and just finished his first year of High School Baseball.  Some mound time on varsity but never as a position player.  He sat the first 3 district games (our pitchers pitched well-don't need your 5th guy) and asked our head coach if he could play on JV and pretty much stayed there until playoffs.  He realized sitting the bench is no fun.

 

Next year coach told him to be ready to catch, pitch, play 3rd and OF depending on who is pitching that day.  Coach told him I can't tell you where you are going to play next year on any given day, but keep doing what you are doing and you will be on the field for the varsity.

 

I got myself a little sideways with a dad of a junior this spring.  He was complaining his kid was having to DH. I told him pretty directly there were about ten kids who would be happy to trade with his son including mine.

Thanks for all of the advice!  I posted here because I wanted to get the perspective of veteran baseball parents.

 

RJM I especially like what you had to say about playing vs. not playing and we will use this when the season is over and we are talking it over with our son.  We have been very careful to keep our feelings about what has been going on to ourselves both with our son and on the sidelines.  I agree that grumbling parents on the sidelines are the worst, that is why we always keep it positive even when we don't agree with what is happening.  Sorry but FoxDad is right, I guess I am venting here.

 

The main issue that we have with what is going on is not that he is being asked to play multiple positions, it is that he has been given NO preperation to play in these positions.  He practices exclusivly at catcher and then catches half the time and is moved all over the field the other half of the time. If he knew what to expect, he could prepare on his own, but he never knows where they will play him now. He does not take grounders or pop flies at practice, he catches bullpens.  In all of the scenarios mentioned above, the athlete was allowed to practice the positions that they would play or at least told how to prepare on their own even if for multiple positions. 

 

The one thing that I would respectfully disagree with that I read here is that I believe there is a big difference between earning a position and feeling entitled to a position.  In my mind, feeling entitled to a position would be, I deserve a position because I came out to play baseball.  Earning a position involves countless extra hours working to be the best that you can be in a given position and going into practice or game situations and proving that you deserve that position based on performance.  Like FoxDad's son, our son had to beat out some pretty good and older competition through the years to earn his place on the team.  Last year he was All District First Team, All State First Team and Sophomore Player of the Year for our Region as well as All City Honorable mention and this includes all teams 1A-5A.  My point is not to brag or whine, only to say that in my opinion, he earned it.  Does he have to continue to earn it daily?  You bet, but this is not a sense of entitlement.

 

Thanks again for the input, it gives us some things to think about.

 

 

 

I agree with what others have said here. It really is a compliment to your son that the coach feels that he can use him anywhere. It will serve him well in the future. Your son, if he goes on to play at the next level will wind up playing where ever the coach wants him.

My son had a HS teammate who was a short stop. Went on to play at a major D1 school. His freshman year, he played left field. Because they wanted his bat in the line up. This year, he has played 3rd base. A freshman is playing SS. You play where the team needs you. And you and your son should be happy that he is getting to play.

Sometimes it's not about who is the best at any particular position. It is what about what is the best mix for the team. If they want the freshman catcher in the line up, maybe he can't play any other position, so if he didn't catch, he would be on the bench. That might not be good if they need his bat in the line up. Your son can contribute in another position and the TEAM is able to keep 2 bats in the line up with out hurting the teams defense.

I thought the coaches explanation was a good one and perfectly reasonable. Now whether the donation had something to do with that, I don't know. But if the team benefits by both players being in the line up, it doesn't really matter.

2014 ... My son was the best shortstop at his high school. He worked his tail off. He earned the shortstop position. But the following season the coach decided the team was better served with him in center. So he played center. It's all about the team and what best leads to winning.

In college, they are all SS, CF's, C's and P's. My son's team has a kid starting in RF who is the backup SS and only plays OF during warm up's for games and the actual games. We have multiple MIF's sharing 1B.

 

My advice, HIT and they will find a place to play you. It probably won't be the position you played before, but since you're a SS or CF, you should be able to figure it out...

 

 

JMoff hit the nail on the head. 
Visit any college program and many of the players were so versatile that they can play any position and make their way into the lineup via batting average.  Don't worry about your sons superior position skills in HS as chances are he may not be the #1 guy at that position later on.   Your bat gets you on the field.

Watching the Cardinals/Mets game yesterday and the Cardinals announcers were talking about this very topic.

 

They were talking about one of the second baseman, sorry can't remember which, but the comment was he had told them he had never played an inning at any level coming up at second base.  His first second base experience was in the big leagues.

 

They then went into a pretty lengthy conversation about the fact that most MLB players were C, P, SS, or CF for most of their youth experience.  Some start to move around in HS and college.  Most in the minors.

 

They talked about how catchers and CFs become corner guys as well.

 

The final comment was that there are only 30 guys who start at SS in the big leagues everyday, but there are many more shortstops playing in the big leages everyday.

 

This is a big compliment to your son's athletic ability as well as his baseball IQ.  I would look at it that way and take it as such.

The funny thing is that your son might learn that another position is more fun than catcher.  

 

Like everyone else in college baseball, our son played shortstop from 6 years old through HS.  In college they've tried him everywhere EXCEPT shortstop (including catcher!).  Now he is the closer which he says is the most fun he's had in baseball.  On the fist day freshman year they told him, "we are going to figure out where we can use your arm best... now go play third".  He was terrible at third.  Closer it is, and its more fun anyway.

I believe that might be dan descalso 3b/2b/ss.
Most of the cardinals inf can play multiple positions.

RJM again I agree with you. You do not earn a position, you earn a spot on the team. No one should be given a position, whether they worked hard to earn it or not. They should be put at a position that gives the team the best opportunity to win. That is not decided by the player or the parent, only the coach can decide that.

Man I used to sound just like this guy....My advice to you is to be the best player you can be every day you hit the field.  You never know when it's your last day.

It is a valid concern regarding not getting the work at other positions he may be asked to play and it is tough as a catcher because he is needed by the team for bullpens.  He should ask the coach what other possible positions he may be asked to play and express to the coach that he wants to make sure he can contribute effectively and ask if he could stay after practice for extra reps at those positions.  This is a fairly common occurrence at our school (players asking for extra reps after regular practice) and, usually, either the HC or an assistant is more than willing to accomodate such a player.

 

Your son may have earned a right to compete for the C position through hard work, proven results and subsequent accolades, but that still doesn't necessarily make it the best option for the team.  The coach has MANY things to consider, most of which will not be on your radar.  And the hope would be that he has a team full of players who have worked just as hard and are similarly talented so that he has lots of tough decisions to make for the team and the program, for this year and the next and the next.

 

Regarding the "donation" thing - that's the last thing you want to give head space to.  Have your son totally focused on what he needs to do to continue improving and helping his team in any way asked.  Don't let the accolades allow him to think he has "arrived" and the work is done.  It is healthy to compete.  It is detrimental to compare.

 

Best wishes.

2014,

I was going to share my 2 cents worth, but then I read the advice from cabbagedad.  Sound advice from him as always, there's no doubt in my mind that cabbagedad is an excellent high school baseball coach.

 

Bottom line, the HC has enough confidence in your son to move him throughout the lineup to help the TEAM.

Nothing to add to this incredible thread ... from the OP to all the responses ...except to say THIS is why HSBBW is so valuable to all of us with boys in HS. So glad I found it. I struggle understanding why EVERY parent of a HS ball player -- especially those who hope to play after HS ... aren't on here. Every parent at our HS who asks me about baseball stuff in general ... I point them here ... but I've yet to hear back from any.

 

Maybe they're here and I just don' know it. I hope so.

No one has addressed the dad "donating" money to program and all of a sudden his don is playing over a previous starter. Is catcher the only position HE plays? Never see that here. Maybe it's a private school thing.

Thank you for all of the great responses.  JP24, I couldn't agree with you more;  It is wonderful to have a place to come to access so much information and support about  everything related to baseball!

 

Cabbagedad, Thank you for your suggestion about how our son can get in the reps that he needs to feel ready to help his team out in different positions.  I really wish that our son had thought of this earlier in the season. It is a great idea and I don't know why the guys on his HS team do not ask the coaches for extra reps after practice.

 

Our son is not one of those blue chip players that I read about on here, but he does love the game and continues to work very hard both in the classroom and on the field.  Our hope is that he will be able to find the right college program to play for in the future and to be honest, he would be willing to play anywhere between the lines for a chance to play at the next level.  Maybe this HS season has prepared him to do just that.

 

 

What I'm about to write has little, if anything, to do with the specific situation described here. In my opinion, some great advice has been given, and the OP has responded in as positive and constructive manner as anyone possibly could have. Rather, I'm writing this because it's a general theme that comes up from time to time; and I think it needs to be repeated occasionally.

 

As parents, our opinion of our son's baseball prowess relative to another player's means virtually nothing. Unless we earn our living in some aspect of advanced player development (coach, scout, front office, etc.), we are not Baseball People; and, even then, it probably only carries so much weight.

 

This is not to suggest that our opinions are necessarily inaccurate (or perfectly natural); just that they lack credibility in the eyes of the person(s) making the decisions about our son's role on the team. As a result, they lack persuasive effect in a situation motivated purely by a desire to have exactly that...persuasive effect.

 

So, before weighing into a situation comparing your son's relative attributes to another's with his coach, think long and hard about it. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, you'll do nothing but risk harming your son's position. 

 

 

 

++1

I'm not sure that will happen.  Catcher's are born into it.  They have some part of their brain missing, as they keep putting on the gear even though they get punished game after game.  They usually also have a form of attention deficit as they need to be in on every pitch.  They may tolerate playing elsewhere, but a true catcher always has more fun behind the plate.

I didn't realize this until after my shoulder injury. I got hurt and during the recovery I told my dad that I will get healthy enough to be a catcher or I'll start my coaching career early. Next year I'll be a junior in college and in my second year of coaching. 

 

Also RJM and Cabbagedad hit on the head. I played every game my senior year at first base. The summer before I started over our hs team's starting catcher. A solid bat keeps you in the lineup, and will help get you to the next level. Which from everything I have heard seems to be the goal.Don't worry to much about position during the hs season. Just make the best of your opportunity every day.

Thank you, bsbl247, for the kind words.  I hope your son is on a good path.  We, too, have become all too familiar with the hallways of a few of the Kerlan-Jobe facilities.

Some great advice and insight posted above.   I love:  "It is healthy to compete.  It is detrimental to compare.    I don't want my son's coach to be willing to compare and debate my son's performance with other parents so I shouldn't expect him to have that dialogue with me.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is key.  When I look at my son I always ask myself, "how has he improved vs last year?  Last season?"

 

I'm not, and most importantly he's not, concerned with what the kid next to him is doing.  It's an all-out effort to improve his skills.  Based on where he was yesterday.

 

A player can't be concerned with making himself better than "that kid", because he'll stop working to get better when that goal has been reached.

On the issue of sons comparing themselves to others, I sorta agree ... with a caveat: I think it's healthy for a boy to believe he is truly better -- or can become better -- than anyone on the diamond, or in the district, or in the PG tourney. Not in an arrogant way at all ... and not in a naive way ... just an inner belief. My gut tells me THAT is in part what propels some boys to the ever-higher next level. Am I missing something?

 

I agree.  My point was directed towards a player, and his parents, comparing himself with a teammate on a daily basis.  The typical "I'm better than..." or "my son is better than...".  I think that's just wasted energy.

Totally agree NYD.