Changing positions in college from 3rd to 2nd...

I think he's certainly within the size range of what you'd expect a 2b to look like.  

No doubt the coaches are going to tell him  what he needs to know, but #1 is the old adage that there are only two positions in baseball:  on the field or on the bench.

#2 I'd say that a 2b should make it his goal to make every routine play, and trust that he'll get his share of the others.

After that, I'd say that 2b is much more cerebral than 3b, with less reaction, and more thinking, so he's got to be anticipating before each pitch what he's going to do in each potential situation.

There are some automatic habits he doesn't have that he's going to have to get into, such as covering 1st on a bunt to the right side, holding the runner at 2nd, and watching for overthrows from catcher to pitcher.

One great thing about 2b is that you can boot a ball badly and still get an out, so you need to remember not to give up on a play.

Since he's new he will need to work hard with the SS to communicate and get feeds right, learning when to go high and when to go low and how communicate that.

After he gets comfortable he can working learning how to position himself in certain situations and on certain pitches.

Other than that just have fun and remember rule #1.

There will be several situational awareness adjustments that he should be able to pick up quickly but the biggest thing will be getting comfortable with the various turn2 mechanics, both flipping and receiving. 

Here's a youtube from a milb player that made the same switch and he talks about those challenges...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwAE-iLOQrg

So, crash course on turn mechanics and get tons of reps putting that into practice.

My son is going the other way....from SS in HS to 3B in college.  He played 3B most of this past summer at 18U so it's not completely new.  He actually likes it.  All of his "range" is to the glove side...very few backhands.  He's quite a bit quicker than your typical 3B so he gets to a lot of foul balls that may otherwise have dropped.  So far so good...we'll see how things go.

Seems alotta HS short-stops getting moved around. Ours has played all 3x IF spots and even been doing some Catching! He was recruited as a 2-way MIF/RHP. Sounds like he's being pulled in several directions with each position coach needing a good junk of time. 2-way thing doesn't as easy as once thought at a "good" school. Said he easily puts an 6+ hours per day in on all his baseball work.

My son is in the same position.  Only 2-way (IF/RHP) on the team.  At this point (2 weeks in) he's kind of thinking this may not be the best idea...as he doesn't get to put in full-time work at either spot.  They have him working out at 3B, but they don't want him throwing to first....just field the ball and roll it in.  Not sure what will happen long term....hopefully the next couple weeks will tell more.

Our son same thing. He was recruited as 3rd/RHP. His coaches telling him to practice with infielders and when time to throw bullpen they will call him. 1st scrimmage he actually played 2nd and pitched 1 inning. As of now he's loving it, says he can't get enough.  I will know more this weekend when we see him for parents weekend.

2nd base, IMHO, is a very difficult position to adapt to for someone who's only played on the left side of the infield... Lots of 'backward' stuff and different coverage assignments... Plus all the rightfield pop-up ground you have to cover...

Good luck... Be patient!!!

Son played SS almost all of his BB career with a little second base and 3rd base thrown in here and there.  Now in the pros, he's played SS very little, 3rd base a little more than that and mostly 2nd base.  He says the biggest challenge it changing his arm slot for that position and making the turn on double plays.  And the reason it's particularly challenging is the substantial increase in the speed of the game. In college you get a lot of very speedy guys and in the pros, most of them are fast or very fast down the line.  It's way different from HS.

Not sure it's the best work to refine your game. Jack-of-all-trades and a master-of-none is about the most you can hope for.

It's fall and I'm sure the coach needs to see exactly what he's working with. I think you just work thru the fall and hope you can catch on at a position of need in spring or a need arises in season to jump in there (injury,grades etc). 

This thread is exactly why kids need to play multiple positions at a younger age.  I coach HS baseball and if there's a kid I can move around that helps me out a ton it gives me options.  

My own son has done nothing but catch for his first three weeks at college.  1st fall game coach tells him to play 1st (he has many times in HS and summer).  He texts me after practice Tuesday and says I think they want to move me to first.  He says Dad I don't care where I play I just want to play.  

A local JC really only recruits MIF guys and moves them around.  They are ususally the best athletes on the field so it only makes sense.

The only problem I see is spreading yourself thin and never being able to reach an elite level at a position that would catch a college coach's eye. We opted to stick with SS and 2nd positionally in HS. Those plus pitching seemed to be about right. He caught till he was in 7th grade and dropped it to refine MIF. 

His old travel coach started in the MLB as a catcher and eventually became a Utility player. He warned to always keep your Catching up. He saw it as a way to stay in the game and a hard to fill position at higher levels.

Worried about the above with 2015 as well, especially at showcases. In the end, versatility proved to be beneficial in his recruitment. School he is attending in fact mentions that he played 6 positions on his high school baseball team.

I'm sorry if I'm hijacking, this might be slightly off topic, but I saw mention from a number of posts talking about 2-way players on the college level. Having a son who was a 2-way college player, becoming a "jack of all trades and the master of none" becomes a real possibility. He was always putting in extra work on "his own time" but never enough for either his pitching or hitting coach, and he hardly ever did all the work required for fielding. Being a pitcher and another position is a very difficult thing to do on the college level. Just something to consider....

I think an athletic utility player is at an advantage as a Freshman wanting to play early. But... Could be an issue for a guy trying to develop for the next level unless the player is an outstanding athlete with a few things coming very easily to him. 

For the average D1 2-way player, a year bouncing between Pitching and IF/OF is alright but it's probably best to settle into one-or-the-other if you have MLB aspirations. Just don't have enough time to master any one thing. 

Looking back on it, I agree this is what happened with my son. He started off as a better pitcher, had an arm injury and surgery, and never again threw any harder then he did as a Freshman. After he recovered, he never should have went back to pitching. It effected his development as a hitter. My recommendation for players would be to figure out what you are better at and go with it. 

I would suggest, learning the techniques of the relay. Get in a good receiving and throwing position.

Work on the DP turn. Work on a quick release. No time to wind up.

Play a short distance catch with someone by concentrating on catching and releasing as quickly as possible.

Also work on the pivot throw to second to start the DP. 

As others noted learn the situations.

Much more challenging than 3B

Have fun!

A good infielder is a good infielder. If he can field it he will transition just fine. My advice is spend a ton of time on dp feeds, slow rollers since it's a totally different throw from 2b, and study cut/relay assignments.

At my college we at one point had the starting ss, 2b, 3b, and lf who were all hs shortstops. I don't think there's such thing as being too versatile so this will be a good opportunity for your son to show off his ability and athleticism.

If coach has moved him, perhaps it means he "trusts" him there. Similar situation to 36jr his Jr college year. Went from 1b, 1b/DH to 2b. I said "you've never played 2b before!" "Dad....it's baseball." Classic response from a student of the game. Summer coach in a heavy D1 league, just played him every spot except CF-P-C. He had a blast and did very well each spot. Versatility and the ability to perform as well as or better than the regular there is really appreciated by the staff.