Center Fielder - Not a Catcher's "Body"

At the high school last season we had a catcher out with tj. In june drafted by Cinn,now in Arizona.The kid is 6'7" The tallest catcher I've ever seen quite a prospect.How tall is your son projected to be? Is pitching an option? Go with what feels right..

Seems pretty simple to me.  If the kids wants to catch and he's good enough for the  coach to put him in there,  he should catch.  But I would make sure that he kept getting his OF reps.  IMHO the last kid you want to be on a HS team is the #2 catcher.  Catching pens and sitting on the bench is a thankless job. 

Play as many position as you can, come HS it's about playing time especially at the varsity level. Son came in as a SS / catcher (he has no pudding) very athletic and quick, all good things to gave as a catcher, but he had a chance to play V as a freshman at 3rd so he did. He can also play the OF if he needed to. Don't limit yourself to one or two positions. Never know if there is a stud already at your spot.

Be a baseball player. Your son's body has a whole lot of change left in him.  What position to play will sort itself out in due time.  Work on being the best player you can be at any position.  My son (16) plays corners (LF, RF, 1st, 3rd). pitches, and is being converted to playing catcher (he's meaty) in high school.

Definitely agree with letting him as many as possible, IMO, just makes you, more valuable, especially if you can hit, then the coach will find you a place to play

Personally, I am all for getting him behind the plate if he wants to be there, but I am just partial to good catchers

Agree with the last few posts.  Coaches love players that can play multiple positions - gives them flexibility with the defense and lineup.

In JV, my son (was 6' 00', 170 lbs at the time - no pudge) played 3B, 1B and catcher.  As a 11U-13U he was primarily a catcher but played other positions as well.  At the varsity level, he became the starting catcher (beat out a senior) his sophomore year, played 3B his junior year and moved to 1B his senior year (was All-District, All Region, 2nd Team State). He's now in his 2nd year at a D2 Juco - set to be the starting 1B this year - was the starting DH last year.

Most good catchers I've seen in HS, Legion, and college were athletic - basically tall (most about 6' or so) and lanky, and could hit very well.

A player plays any position that gets him in the lineup. My son was a LL all star catcher. In middle school he was the shortstop. When he was in 8th grade the high school coach was at a game. He asked the middle school coach to put my son at catcher. After the game the high school coach told my son catching would be the fastest path to varsity. My son didn't look like a high school catcher. He was 5'4" at the time. The high school coach was assuming he would grow in the next year, which he did to 5'11", 135. The high school coach liked his hands, athleticism and his work ethic. 

The coach ended up moving the varsity second baseman to catcher. But had he got injured my son would have been the first freshman to start on varsity. He started at short the following year.

Also agree with others..  during his first two years of HS V, Cabbage started games at six different positions including catching and he's a lefty so 2B, SS and 3B were not an option.  The versatility definitely added value to the team.  He eventually settled into CF and P his junior and senior seasons but the need could have been elsewhere, depending on how other players developed at their positions.  My point is that position versatility was a big plus for him in regard to opportunities.  The experience at those various positions came from willingness to play them and work at them several times prior to HS.

Lets say your son sticks with OF only and becomes really good - the fourth best OF in the county.  But the top three happen to play at his same HS.  Where does that leave him?

Also, playing different positions at that 7th-8th grade age your son is at really gives a player a much better understanding of the game overall.

Catching has lots of pros and cons.  You are involved in the game more than anyone.  You take a beating much more than anyone.  Sometimes, you miss out on cuts in the cage because you are catching bullpens.  Kids usually either love it or hate it.  I also second the thought that it would be great for him to play some there as long as he can continue getting OF reps.  

My son will be 15 next month. He's been a primary catcher since he was 11, and caught a lot 2-3 years before that. He was always "built like a catcher." Then he grew 6" in 2012 and is now almost 5'10" and 138 lbs (lanky). He lifts regularly and has gotten much faster so he no longer "looks like a catcher." He also plays LF/RF (and 1B). Versatility is huge. At my son's HS there is another really good catcher 1 year ahead of him who is truly built like a catcher (and this only plays catcher with 1B and 3B). So my son plans to beat him out behind the plate, but failing that, he plans to hit so well and fully capable at other positions that he'll be on the field somewhere...

Depsite the body type change, my son is still, at heart, a catcher. I expect he'll start bulking out before long, and I hope he has another 3" or so of growth left in him...

My son (15) is playing any position offered in HS and loving it. there is a line in a dave matthews song "If you hold on tight To what you think is your thing You may find you're missing all the rest", this actually came true over an out of country baseball holiday he was on last month. Since he was 5 he has played nothing but 3rd base (some outfield) well... the coaches that were with him on this trip saw something neither of us ever saw, that he could be a good pitcher, long story short he excelled beyond our imagination and now is his HS teams 2nd starter as well as 3rd, SS, OF ect...

Sometimes you never know what this great game can bring. Play anything at all times, learn all the positions because you never know what your "thing" is.

Being able to learn and play another position is a route onto the field, and the possibility should never be dismissed.

My son played catcher pretty much exclusively from the time he was 10 years old. In his junior year in college, he was beat out at catcher by a younger player. That season, my son DH'd almost every game. He did well at the plate, but always yearned to get back on the field.

The fall of his senior college season, he was shagging fly balls in the outfield during BP. He always was a "full effort" practice guy, because it makes it more fun for him. So he was chasing line drives, diving to catch the ball, that kind of thing, just for the fun of it. Coach was watching, and asks him if he wants to take reps in the outfield.

Of Course! For the rest of the fall and after Christmas break he split time in scrimmages and practice between catcher and right field. It was a pretty steep learning curve, since he had literally never played outfield in his life.

He ended up playing every game that season in right. I'll never forget the opening game, at University of Florida. First fly ball that came to him was - of course - one of those slicing line drives from a right handed hitter. Actually a routine play, since it was in front of him. He ran to it, didn't quite judge the slice correctly, and corrected at the last moment, reach back and darn near snow coned it. Whew. He jogged into the dugout with a relieved smile.

He said a few weeks later that he knew he had learned the position when his on field teammates stopped surrounding him when he camped under pop-ups.

Anyway, he developed into a legitimate ACC outfielder, and that's the position he played in his first pro season. But now, as he attempts to move from indy ball where he played last summer to an affiliated team for the coming season, most of the interest he is getting is as a catcher.

Who knows what happens from here, but I think it is safe to say that the ability to learn a new position at the relatively late age of college senior has been critical to delaying the day that he hangs up his cleats.

A coach will always look to fill every position as best as they can, so being able to catch could be a plus. 

Freshman year, my 2016 worked out with varsity after tryouts for a couple of weeks, but he and another frosh were sent to JV right before season began. HC told the boys he would rather see them playing fulltime on JV than sitting bench on V. Anyways, son has primarily played 1B (some 3B) but was asked by JV coach if he ever caught (which he had on occasion). Bottom line, he started as JV catcher as a frosh and played every inning of season.

Now as a soph he's shown himself to be a little more versatile than some others. Hopefully that helps him. BTW, he's playing on a 16U club team that has a few of his teammates on it (and a connection to HS team). Right now he slots in at 1B again. 

It all depends on what they need and how you can contribute. Tell your son to try his hand at catching. At the very least he will get a different perspective of the game and become a better player for it. 

Good luck to your son. 

Every inning my son played in high school was behind the dish. Made All State.

He is in his first year of college and the coach wants him to try another position because that's where they have the greatest need.

So, the moral of my son's story...hitting is key. My son is moving not because they think he will be the best fielder, but because they expect him to hit.

Catching is great and requires a lot of work to be good, but if your son can  play a few innings (or practices) in other positions, that's even better. No matter what, keep hitting!

As usual, very good stuff from everyone and reassuring to know that many of you have been through similar with your sons. Taking a bit of time out of your day to provide feedback on this is appreciated. WestCoast jr. is going to discuss getting some work in at catcher with his travel ball coach. 

My son is currently a catcher in a Pac12 program, he is 6'1 180 lbs. He isnt the "typical" body type, but he is very flexible,quick and strong arm.  He was a shortstop most of his life, But also played some CF.There was a need for catcher on his summer team in 8th grade and basically, he went where he was needed and has been there ever since. 

If you can hit, the coach has to put you in the lineup.

Catching at higher levels isn't a body type position,  it is a mental position. The catcher is the quarterback of the baseball world. He needs to know exactly what everyone else is supposed to be doing on the field every time a ball is put into play. He has to be the person to tell me that the pitcher's arm slot is a little off or if he doesn't have it that day. I would take a smart kid that can play the position over a "typical body type" kid.

Quick Edit...

You say that catchers at his age level have a little bit more mass on them... unfortunately that is because a lot of youth coaches still have that misconception that you put the "fat kid" behind the plate because they have to find a spot for him to play by rule. A lot of MLB catchers started off as Shortstops. Catcher is a premium defensive position and athleticism is key to playing the position well... Most "fat kids" aren't truly athletic enough to play the position. I was a big kid when I finished up playing high school ball... 6' 215-220 lbs... I caught and played 3rd base. To me the baseball IQ number will always be more important that height, weight, and BMI.