This isn't a complaint. I'm looking for points of view. My son plays for a quality team with a good coach. It's a 16U feeder team to a prominent showcase team. Last night my son's coach told him he's walking too much. So far he's 4-10 and ten walks or HBP. He takes a lot of pitches. He's very patient. He has the vision to see a pitch is inches off the plate. The coach told him he bats third to drive in runs, not walk. He told him he's not going to walk his way to the next level (college). For what it's worth the lineup is loaded. He leads the team in runs scored. While this is stats in small numbers, he has a history of walking a lot. He's always led off, hit second or ninth until the power developed this year.
One theory is the coach is right about a #3 hitter. And the ability to drive the ball is there. Another theory would be he should move to the #2 hole given he's a lefty, takes a lot of pitches and runs well. What do you think? For anyone whose son is younger and not at this level yet, the goal of the team is to balance winning with development so players advance in the game.
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