Coach wants D3 position player to pitch

You answered your own question, it's the coach's call.  He is being asked by the coach to help his team by pitching.  If other players take issue with your son, that's on them and shouldn't be his concern.  If coach says you need to pinch hit, you grab a bat.  If he says pinch run you grab a helmet.  If he says go close the game you head to the mound and give it hell.  These young men have all been playing this game since they were kids, they should all understand this well by now.

Is he asking for your help? I guess every kid is different but I can’t imagine a senior player asking for parental help with anything involving baseball, unless it involves paying for something. 

My son is contemplating moving in with a group of fellow pitchers next year. I suggested he might be more comfortable NOT living with people he's competing with for innings. He looked at me like I was crazy and  informed me that his teammates all know their role and don't think about it that way any more.

He might be naive, but I'm guessing he's right.

So don't worry about it.

Pitchers need to give their head a shake. EVERYONE has to compete for playing time. The fact that the coach wants your son to pitch means that they better start working harder.

  I thought you were going to go in another direction with this. My son has been asked to pitch in the recent past, and he has found that his arm simply isn't ready. He throws hard, and he gets really sore. He has had teammates in the past who have been in the same situation and have ended up hurting their arm enough that it then affected their ability to be a position player. What was OK at 14-15 yo is not OK at 20-22 yo.

   YMMV.

Iowamom23 posted:

My son is contemplating moving in with a group of fellow pitchers next year. I suggested he might be more comfortable NOT living with people he's competing with for innings. He looked at me like I was crazy and  informed me that his teammates all know their role and don't think about it that way any more.

He might be naive, but I'm guessing he's right.

So don't worry about it.

he is probably right but it is kind of based off the kids, certainly not a blanket statement one way or the other. 

learning posted:

My son is going into his senior year at a D3 school and has had a good career as a starter and playing multiple positions over the years.  He has a great arm and coach has had him try pitching this fall which has gone well.  He’s always pitched here and there in high school and on summer teams but has never focused on it, never taken lessons etc. -   he thinks the coach may have him close some games here and there.  He thinks some of the other pitchers probably aren’t too happy about it.  Any suggestions on how to help him handle some of the potential issues that could come up with players being frustrated that someone who isn’t really a pitcher may get to pitch ahead of them? I hate for it to cause conflicts but it’s the coach’s call ultimately. 

I am sure there are pitchers who aren't happy about it but they have all been around long enough that it shouldn't be any issues between players. 

Coaches coach and players play.

If this is what the coach wants then I think your son needs to ask the coach to help him become the best college pitcher he can be.  My only cause for concern is that your son has not pitched in meaningful college games...he will need help to learn how to pitch and what to think on the mound at the college level.  Is the coach willing to invest the time and resources to make this a successful transition.   Most college players don't wake up the next day to suddenly become effective college pitchers.   

Good luck!

He is a senior in his college program.  By now, he has either earned the respect of his teammates or not.  I'm guessing by the fact that he has had a successful career and contributed at multiple positions, he has.  I fully understand that there is a degree of separation with P's and position players but it's really no different than having beat out other players for PT at those other positions.  

It's a coach's job to win games.  To win games you put your best players on the field.  If it means your son takes innings away from someone else, so be it.  By this time, these guys have probably been playing baseball for 15+ years.  It's pretty likely that it's happened to every kid at some time in his playing career.  They'll be fine with it.....especially if it's helping them get W's    Good luck to your son! 

Thanks for all the feedback - it's good to hear other's perspectives. 

JCG, you asked if he was asking for my help - no, he wasn't and his attitude is 100% do what coach is asking and do his best at it.  He texted us that he had pitched an inning at an intersquad and so we called him to hear more about it -  he said mostly the others were excited to see him pitch but said it's possible that some might feel negatively.  But what everyone here has said is right - at this point they've been around long enough and well, they just have to deal with it and work harder if they think he's taking a spot they could have had.  

57Special - I do worry about his arm too and having this impact his position playing.  He was saying that his arm was hurting last night.  That would be the worst if this impacts his regular play in his senior year.  I sure hope that doesn't happen.  

I'm sitting here recalling how I came on this board before he started college trying to find out about recruiting etc. - now, here he is a senior, has had a great time at school, academically, personally, and on the field, and he has a job offer at a good company for after graduation.  Wow time sure flies.  Thanks to everyone who contributes on these boards, it is really very helpful to so many!

JCG posted:

Is he asking for your help? I guess every kid is different but I can’t imagine a senior player asking for parental help with anything involving baseball, unless it involves paying for something.