Funny thing is that my kid has the opposite problem. He'd prefer to be a PO.
Sounds like he can play anywhere he wants.
Originally Posted by CaCO3Girl:
Originally Posted by TPM:
And yes if you tell the coach no just because you dont like that position you are a spoiled brat, but if you say no because of injury issues than what is there to discuss?
I get you are a brat if you say I will ONLY play position X....but is the 15 year old a brat if he says I would prefer to play ANY of the other 8 positions, please I don't want to pitch.
I'll have to admit that if he were on my team, I'd probably be pressuring him to pitch. I'd try to sell it rather than demand it, but I wouldn't passively take no for an answer. My understanding is that your kid is in a pretty well known program with a lot of talent. They probably won't be so desparate for pitching talent that they will press too much. Trust me, they will press a little, though.
Originally Posted by CaCO3Girl:
Originally Posted by TPM:
And yes if you tell the coach no just because you dont like that position you are a spoiled brat, but if you say no because of injury issues than what is there to discuss?
I get you are a brat if you say I will ONLY play position X....but is the 15 year old a brat if he says I would prefer to play ANY of the other 8 positions, please I don't want to pitch.
CaCO, I've been reading your threads and posts. If I understand correctly your son wants to be a catcher, you are paying an org to develop / play your son, they are wanting him to pitch, and he is 12. Tell the coach he wants to be a catcher, not a pitcher. If they still insist he pitch, go somewhere else.
You know your son and situation much better than the posters.
It's that simple.
btw, I didn't say it was easy, I said it was simple.
Originally Posted by roothog66:
Originally Posted by CaCO3Girl:
Originally Posted by TPM:
And yes if you tell the coach no just because you dont like that position you are a spoiled brat, but if you say no because of injury issues than what is there to discuss?
I get you are a brat if you say I will ONLY play position X....but is the 15 year old a brat if he says I would prefer to play ANY of the other 8 positions, please I don't want to pitch.
I'll have to admit that if he were on my team, I'd probably be pressuring him to pitch. I'd try to sell it rather than demand it, but I wouldn't passively take no for an answer. My understanding is that your kid is in a pretty well known program with a lot of talent. They probably won't be so desparate for pitching talent that they will press too much. Trust me, they will press a little, though.
How does one know what will happen in years from now when the player reaches and plays in HS? If you told son he was gonna be a PO he would have laughed you in the face. However, he loved the game so much he would do anything he was told, and above all he trusted those that were telling him where his success would come.
Pitchers become pitchers only for a reason. Only if you are better suited ( speed, pop time, leadership) for another position will a very live arm never pitch. More catchers in pro ball will convert to pitchers to stay in the game or accept another position, only if they can HIT the ball.
Come recruiting time any coach running a travel team worth anything WILL press you to play at the position you are best at.
Originally Posted by Go44dad:
It's that simple.
At 12, yes, not in HS.
I agree. And posters son is 12. And it is her thread.
Get your kid on a team that will play him as the #1 catcher, it's pretty simple. I think you "may" be caught up in an "organization" or a "name on a jersey". He can ALWAYS practice pitching with a pitching coach if that is what you/he sees as his ultimate path to college or pro ball. I love hearing from "elite" teams parents (not an indictment) who blather on about having their kid being seen, winning the xxy national tourney in Hoboken or droning on about their coaches who are the best yadda yadda yadda. Let your kid play on a team who values him as their #1 catcher....and sometimes, for heaven's sake you have be the parent and help him make that move to a team.. without his friends so that his interest/desire of being a catcher is respected & applied.
Anyone who thinks at 12U a kid is a quitter for not adjusting to the coaches wishes can go pound sand....everything changes a few years down the road and those 12U coaches wont be there to pick your kid up....i guarantee it.
I agree. Now I'm trying to be funny here. In a perfect world all our boys would be 5 tool ball players. Or at least 2-way ball players. Trotsky baseball and MLB scouts would add a 6th tool. They want a ballplayer to have that intangible quality. The mental makeup a player develops. The ability to slow the game down. I'd like to add the 7th tool for the pitcher. The ability to not remember what happened 10 seconds earlier. Pitchers are pitchers because they love to pitch. At the highest level, Pitchers are a rare and strange breed.
They are just as rare as catchers. Agreed.
I am just wondering how far any player gets playing just one position HS. I remember whoever caught also played other positions. As long as they hit they didnt sit.
Most position players given scholarships just didnt play one position in youth ball or in HS.
Why not just try letting your player be the best he can be and not worry about whats gonna happen when he isnt even in HS yet?
I am just wondering how far any player gets playing just one position HS. I remember whoever caught also played other positions. As long as they hit they didnt sit.
Most position players given scholarships just didnt play one position in youth ball or in HS.
Why not just try letting your player be the best he can be and not worry about whats gonna happen when he isnt even in HS yet?
Originally Posted by CaCO3Girl:
Then he said, once again, that he REALLY doesn't like pitching and in the same breath asked when the next catcher only practice was...
Just have him catch. He's 12 and he doesn't like pitching, he likes catching, so let him catch (on a different team if his current one won't let him). He should be having fun playing, not be forced into something at age 12 that he doesn't want to do. That seems like a recipe for an unhappy kid. And if his future (i.e., high school varsity, college, etc.) really, truly is on the mound, he won't be harmed by NOT pitching in travel ball at age 12. Heck, it might actually help him to NOT throw 100 innings or 500 curveballs this year.
Well I think I have said over and over for years and years as a young player its about having fun. And that not pitching until later is more beneficial.
But what do I know.
You can do whatever you wish with your topic..I'm out.
But what do I know.
You can do whatever you wish with your topic..I'm out.
granbyfan posted:Originally Posted by CaCO3Girl:Just looked up on PG.
Top 50 ranked 2014's, total of 5 catchers:
#4, Alex Jackson = C, OF, 3B
#24, Jackson Reetz = C, RHP, OF
#29, Cobi Johnson = RHP, C, IF
#43, Devon Fisher = C, 3B, RHP, 1B
#45, Chase Vallot = C
3/5 of the best catchers last year were also pitchers.....thoughts?
#43 Devon Fisher Pitched 0 inning senior year on State Championship team. Drafted by Boston as catcher.
Actually Devon Fisher had pitched pretty much his entire Jr year at GCA and did in fact close out quite a few games for WB his Sr year. Ironically enough after injuring his left shoulder in the GCL 2015, he has now converted to a full time pitcher for the Red Sox.
CaCO3Girl posted:I was talking with a 17u coach the other day and he was adamant that ALL of his catchers are pitchers. He was very clear that he lets them rest, pitch, rest then later on in the tournament he uses them as catchers. He said it makes the most sense because pitchers and catchers both need incredible strength, and while the throwing mechanics are different for each the strength required to make the throw is the same, and not similar to OF or the rest of the IF. Also, it makes a better catcher if he understands fully how to pitch.
Now I have read on here multiple times that it is NOT good to have a player be both catcher and pitcher, it over uses the arm and will shorten the shelf life of both a catcher and a pitcher.
Anyone have strong feelings on this one way or the other?
I find the idea to be bizarre. And you're talking to a guy who did both, up till I was 16 yo.
My son pitched and caught thru high school, but was always watched very carefully to be sure he didn't over do it. He went to college as a catcher but at his D1 they always looked at any of the players who had experience pitching in the fall to see what they had. He went to a D1 JUCO his freshman year and was a catcher only. He was picked up his soph year by a good mid major D1 and won the starting catchers job as a soph, but broke his hand sliding into second the first inning of the second game of the year. In a cast all he could do was throw, and when he was released after 6 weeks he wasn't allowed to hit or catch. He entered a few games and pitched, did well some games, struggled in others. Next fall at pro day he hit 95 twice in front of the scouts. Spent that year as DH and did a little pitching. He was drafted as a pitcher, didn't sign and returned to get his degree. His senior year he was all conference catcher. He played 4 years after college, the first as a pitcher and the next three as a catcher.
