Changing Positions

Keep in mind that 1/2 of all college and professional players are pitchers. 

KauaiDad,

I can see why you posted the question because I would be scratching my head with the scouts comments.  Keep in mind that it is common for high school position players to change positions in college due to position competition, skills or coach suggestion.  It is not common for pitchers to become position players or position players to become pitchers that late in development.  But there has to be more to  this guys comments.  Pitching isn't just about those things listed which makes his comment/suggestion that more interesting.

It could be argued that a CF with speed, arm strength and solid hitting skills would be more valuable to a team (at any level) than a position player learning to pitch.  You know your kid, and his target schools.  If this doesn't make sense then I probably would file his comments away unless someone you know and trust in the baseball world makes the same comment.   JMO.

Baseball is crazy that way. 

2 NorCal examples come to mind for me.

Joe Nathan:  D3 Shortstop.  Gets drafted, can't hit his weight in MiLB, gets converted to pitcher, becomes one of the best closers of his era.

Jason Lane:  D1 Pitcher. Converted to OF, has a few solid seasons as a major league player.  Once his opportunities dry up, scuffles for years (still at it) trying to make it back as a pitcher.

It is not uncommon for a scout to look for potential pitching prospects all over the diamond when looking at really young players.  That is their most common and, arguably, most valuable target position.  Son played in the SoCal scout league and there was no doubt that extra scout attendance was driven by pitching.

The relevance of the five points he listed are pretty simple.  #1-  He must have shown good arm strength and mechanics.  #2-4 - He projects to be a big kid with long levers - fits the blueprint of a durable P.  #5 - self-explanatory.

There is a sentiment in those circles that a big kid with a good arm and mechanics can be taught to pitch.  There is also a sentiment that seems to be gaining steam that a kid like yours will have less wear and tear on his arm because he has not been pitching for several years.

I'm curious, what is your son's body type?  Is he likely to fill out to be thick?  Speed?

In any case, congrats on the interest!

If he has the arm strength it makes him  more valuable to any team or program. First he has to have the mental make up and want to do it. If yes then see how he does and more importantly how  hard he is throwing. The harder he throws the more valuable he is. If he is significantly above normal than he has a lot more value than a CFer. 

Normally i would just file it away somewhere but the guy sure is persistent (which i appreciate). What is interesting is that my son does understand pitching , he completed a few projects / reports on the physics of different pitches so he understands what they are / are not doing. He is blocked by about 6 pitchers in front of him so i cannot imagine he will have the opportunity to pitch anytime soon though.

If he sprouts up to my in-laws heights (all 6-4 plus) im sure sooner or later someone will ask to see him throw. Until then we just keep moving forward

thanks again

Late to the game to learn how to pitch?

One friend of mine never pitched at any level until halfway through his senior year of high school. A pitcher on his high school team hurt his arm. My friend became a pitcher. He had already been recruited to an SEC school as a catcher. They saw him pitch and told him he was a pitcher. He pitched in the World Series. He was around long enough to get one big, three year contract.

Another friend hadn't pitched after LL until his senior year of high school when graduated wiped out the previous years team. He pitched well against a top draft choice in the playoffs and was drafted in the 16th round. He made it to AAA. He was also a catcher.

6' 180, on workout program to add 15 lbs by next March (been playing FB,Soccer,baseball,track every season since he was 5) no body fat whatsoever and weight gain is difficult to say the least. In-laws are all from Angola and Haiti (tall and slim), my parents from the old country (short and rotund). he has the characteristics of the in-laws which are all giants (even the women). 

edit... forgot to answer the speed part. been timed in the 60 7 times, all within 6.6-6.8. Best 100 meter in track was 10.85 last year so he is pretty quick

Hmmm... sounds like he has a great dilemma to deal with!  Especially if he hits well too.

KauaiDad- Scouts operate on a 20-80 grading scale, with 50 as MLB average, and each 10 points above or below 50 represents a standard deviation above or below the mean. This scout might be alluding to the fact that your son's size could eventually play him out of the ability to stay in CF at the professional level, given the required tools to play the position. The #1 noted point he made - arm strength - is a staple of pitching much more than it is a staple of a centerfielder. It's much easier to teach a kid how to pitch if he already possesses a strong tool than to teach a kid how to continue playing another position if his tools don't translate as positively for that particular position.

That being said, I'd encourage your son to continue playing as many positions as possible for as long as possible. Staying in the middle of the diamond is always a good thing.

Don't forget that everyone including Scouts have their own likes and dislikes, outfielders are known for their over the top motion, high arm slot, and staying behind the ball. It could be as simple as your son reminds him of another good pitcher with similar arm actions.

 If your son shows some interest, I would toy with the idea and see where it leads, everything sounds positive.

Troy Percival was drafted as a catcher and was converted to pitcher in A ball due to arm strength.  I'm sure there are plenty other examples.

Not common to have a coach show such interest in general as to be calling monthly to check in?  Not common but definitely not unheard of for guys to shift focus to pitching later in development... Either because they've grown into more of a traditional pitchers build and/or maybe they've hit a ceiling as a position guy or at the plate.  You mention that your son has never pitched... Never!?

If you trust the coach's expertise, then seems like the obvious course is to have your son spend some time working with a pitching coach and see where it might lead.  I have definitely seen good coaches spot things about players that the rest of us just don't see yet... Things that aren't obvious.  This college coach made his suggestion 5 months ago and has followed up regularly ever since... And your son hasn't given it a shot by throwing off a mound and testing the waters a bit?  I don't see the downside of giving it a shot.

A few years ago on our Goodwill tour of Australia, we traveled with the La Roche family. Dave, Adam and Andy.

Dave, the father pitch for the NY Yankees.

Adam the young son was a LHP and 1b. Andy was a infielder.

During the four years, I was convinced that Adam could make the MLB as a pitcher, however Adam and his father was determined that Adam was a hitter.

He signed with the Braves and struggled as a hitter and I called the Braves Scouting Director and ask their opinion. He said not until AA ball did they believe Adam was a hitter.He was always a great 1B.

Of course, the rest is history. Adam is hitting over .300 for the Nationals.

Determination can go a "long way" to a players success.

Bob

Ultimately, it's your son's decision as to what he'd like to do and where he sees himself down the road.

My son had similar issues.  He was a two-way-player and was a very good pitcher where he had scouts and college recruiters very interested in him for that.  He got offers as a pitcher and was drafted out of HS as a pitcher.  As good as he was as a pitcher, he wanted to be a position-player and loves directly contributing in every game.  I and others (scouts and recruiters) felt his tools were best fit for pitching.  But he's done so well as a position player that it seems to have been working out very well for him so far. I've never tried to talk him into what direction to go . . . . though I've sometimes made not so subtle hints what I thought he should do (I felt his strongest attributes were best fit for pitching and pitching offered better odds for his baseball future as long as he stayed healthy).

No, it's not late in the game to learn.  I would say is a good time to do some pitching and see how it goes.  He can be a two-way-player, but doing so DOES require all that additional work.

Ultimately, you son has to enjoy what he doing and he's at an age where he really must be the one to weigh his options and make choices.  IMHO, once he goes onto college, that's when it's becoming "late in the game" for these kinds of changes.

As fate has it coach decided to give him a try last night and it made my day (last and meaningless game of the year). I thought he did well considering first time out but he was not happy afterwards. 2 innings, 3 K's no hits and a walk. He thought he did not throw as hard as he could and threw too many curves. Coaches were very happy as 2 of the 3 starters are graduating this year and they have him for 2 more. he obviously is raw but feeds off of coaching in all sports, have yet to see a coach not like the kid

Unfortunately where we are there are limited to no options available for 1 on 1 training. Any sort of training needs to be off island which is a pain. heck, i had to build my own cage since none are available here. There is a guy on Oahu that teaches something called the tom house pitching method, may check him out if son wants to continue.

Hold that thought.  I believe you are about to get a few opinions

thanks and same here, going to be a great trip. 

OK, well I thought you would anyway.  House is a very highly credentialed guy who has many faithful followers but, at least for a while, I recall there was a fair amount of controversy involving some of his mechanic teachings.  It's been too long since I read up on it so I can't provide much detail but it may be worth doing some research before you decide to go that route.