Converting a catcher to a pitcher

My son did the same thing entering his senior year of high school.  He was (is??) a very strong defensive catcher with a plus arm.  Once he started pitching, the general interest in him ramped up considerably and he is sticking with focus on pitching.  I would say let it play out for a while and see where it leads.

Agree with 9and7, let it play out.  Having that kind of pop time keeps catching as a legitimate secondary fallback position.  If he can touch 90 now, assuming he has not worked out much as far as pitching mechanics go, he should have no prob sitting low 90's after some time in the pen on the mound.  Good luck

 

Thanks!

He's warming up to the idea, pitching coach has some MILB experience and is working on mechanics and teaching him some other pitches. Last time he pitched was in the 12yr old U-trip state tourney when they played 6 games on championship Sunday and were almost out of pitching so I think his mechanics are probably non existent, the learning is exciting him. Threw 2 innings in a inner squad Saturday and got out of it with 21 pitches then put on the gear and caught 6 innings. Coach said the scout that shot his throw to 2nd in the game called and said get him on the mound. He said he will be playing both positions with some 2nd base mixed in so he's pretty excited and that's a good thing.

Well yesterday he made his debut in the first fall game, pitched third inning gave up 2 hits, 1 run on 19 pitches. Sat 92-93 on fastball slider was not that great but threw 3 out of 8 for strikes. 1 pop up to catcher, 1 ground out to short and 1 fly out to center. He was pleased with the inning. Put the gear on and caught the rest of the game and threw 2 out trying to seal second. DH'd and played short second game till the rain ended everything. Coach was pleased with the effort and said upcoming weekend they will push it to 2 innings, guess I will be making a 6 hour trip to see it.

I might look at this a bit differently. We see many pitchers every year that throw in the low 90s.  We have only seen one or two catchers in the last 20 years with that combination of velocity and pop time.  So if he can hit and shows power potential he should be a highly regarded prospect as a catcher.

 

I suppose the thinking is about his ceiling as a pitcher.  If he has just started, I suppose anything is possible.  But right now he sounds like a catcher with a great arm.

Honestly I think the hitting is the issue, always has been more of a hit for average gap to gap hitter, never a power hitter. That's how he ended where he is on the recommendation of a D1 coach so they can fix that, and I don't guess they could. He's been to a few of your events with the NOLA group and Coach T-Bus and I think everyone they talked to said the same. We had a long conversation last night and my thinking is like yours but he really is excited about the possabilities and said he's gonna play it out and see where it goes. He's almost 20 so it's his choice now and I'll just be encouraging as much as I don't totally agree with him.

IMO he should stick to catching.

curious, do they plan on him pitching/catching in same game all the time. 

I hope not, it's JUCO fall ball it's kind of like a showcase team in the fall. They are just getting sophomores the looks to try and get them moved on.

If he eventually gets drafted he may end up like our college team's catcher. He did not pitch one inning for Delta State in two years but then he was drafted and has not had one AB as a catcher. Pitching only in the minors.

I am a Catcher Coach; so I have a bias.  I have seen excellent catchers converted (temporarily) to pitchers and shortstops because they have good arms and are good athletes.  As pitchers, many elbows are injured because they continue to throw like catchers. Catchers use "bow & arrow" type mechanics to attain the quick, accurate throws to second base. In a given game, that accounts for a dozen or so throws (most between innings).  That can work as a relief pitcher but NOT as a starting pitcher.

Some coaches do not consider the player best interest.

Remember this quote: "the fastest route to becoming a major leaguer was as a catcher."

 

Rick hit the nail on the head. Threw 7 pitches in the inning, saw the gun said 97. I was busy looking at that. When I looked up I saw his coach talking to him on the mound and I said to my wife is he pulling him already she said he hurt something look at his face. He walked off the field an came to get some ice, I met him and he said he felt a pop in his arm, it was swollen on the fore arm by elbow. MRI is tomorrow and we are hoping for the best. He's scared and so are we. He said he's not having surgery he will rehab it and I'm thinking it's all over now. Don't know how to say you should have stuck to catching without sounding harsh. At least I got to see what was possibly be his last game is all I keep telling myself.

3T's Dad.  Man, I hated reading that news.  Best wishes for tomorrow.

I am truly sorry to hear this.  I have seen this too many times.  BUT, each catcher that suffered this, MADE IT BACK to catching again; without surgery!

This thread caught my eye tonight because my 2016 catcher came home today saying that he hit 90 on the gun today and the coach told him his catching days are over.  I have never wanted him to pitch, and I still don't.

 

Your son's experience might help my son make a more thoughtful decision.  Thank you for sharing a very difficult time for your family.  Best of luck tomorrow.

Some coaches are myopic. 

Listen closely when he said "his catching days are over".

 

I'm sorry. Modern medicine gives us much hope. Keep us informed.

Reminds me of Winemiller the D3 pitcher from Case Western. He had not pitched until a summer in the NYCBL. He hit the mid 90's and was drafted it the 25th round by the Jays. Before that he was a backup catcher at Case. Now, I hope someone is watching out for his mechanics. He is going back to Case for his senior year. He admittedly is a reliever for them so not as much work on the arm. 

MRI showed a minor tear in the UCL and a lot of stretching in the UCL. 4-8 weeks of rehab to start and no throwing for 4 weeks. Looking like a red shirt coach said he won't play with it and that's fine by me. Doc said with the amount of stretching it was a matter of time more of a when not a if thing so pitching or catching it would have happened sooner or later, pitching just made it sooner. Son said when I go back to catching I'm doing some serious arm care and that was music to my ears.

You should ask the doctor about doing PRP treatments. It's kind of new, but from what I've read, it sounds like your son's condition might be a good situation for it.

Just wanted to give a update. We got him to another Dr. that did the dye& ultrasound test and turns out that the minor tear was a little more torn than the original Dr. told him. It was a complete tear, Dr. said your options are have the surgery if you want to ever pitch, play catcher, play outfield or play infield again or move to 1st because if you throw from any of those positions you will be feeling it for a week. He called me a couple of days later and said dad I talked to coach and I'm moving to 1st then I'm gonna hang it up after this season and focus on my career goals. I said sounds good kid its been a good run, you still might want to consider the surgery because one day you might want to throw a ball with your kid and ole Tommy might come in handy, he said haha I'm gonna be fine. Sunday night I'm laying in bed and get a text that says I'm red shirting effective tomorrow and Rocket (the trainer) is lining up the surgery. this in a span of 2 days, so I said ok what changed your mind he replied with had a long talk with coaches. Calls the next day and is really pumped about the surgery and coach said he'd have the same deal for next year and just going a mile a minute about coming back with a new arm and all the plans for next year. So I asked what changed your mind so fast, he said Coaches took him to dinner and one gave him the you'll regret it / what if speech and that one day you'll be married and walking around what if-ing and being a grumpy old man and before you realize what happened you'll be a divorced grumpy old man and I know because that's exactly what happened to me, he said that was all it took to convince him. Surgery is Monday in the morning.

IMO, those are fantastic coaches.  It's the right decision.  Hope the surgery and rehab goes well.  Good luck.   

Wow, quite a week.  We'll be pulling for him for full recovery and continued enthusiasm.

Quick update...surgery went quick and easy, getting range of motion back and Doc says he's about a month ahead of where he should be. Says he'd do anything to be able to throw a baseball right now and is driving little brother crazy with all his arm care advice and catching advice. Actually had 2 offers from mid level and low level D1's, both knew of the injury / surgery / redshirt and said they were fine with it, he declined both and said he told coach he would come back and he was sticking to his word. Starts the full rehab plan next week so i guess we will see if he still has the same excitement when he starts to feel a little pain again but at least he will be back at school for a couple of weeks and little brother will be happy about that!

Good Luck

Rosenthal, CJ Wilson, and Jansen are converted position players who the teams moved to pitcher.    Jansen was an up and coming catcher in the Dodger organization when they moved him.  

Interesting fact about Trevor Rosenthal... As a junior in High School he peaked at 85 mph at a PG event.  Just goes to show what is possible.

You don't mean CJ Wilson, the left handed pitcher for the Angels?

Trevor Rosenthal was kicked off of his HS team for off the field behavior and went to JUCO where he got it together and the coach realized he had a great arm but needed the right conditioning. 
Dont ever sell some of these JUCO programs short.
Many catchers that flash hi velo get converted.

Actually when i looked it up it looks like he was a two way player.   I thought I read somewhere that he thought he would be a position player but eventually was moved full time to pitcher.  

 Just wanted to give a quick update and say thanks for all the encouragement. Son started throwing and hitting in early Feb. and has been working at a hitting facility not to far from school running the cages and giving a few hitting lessons.

 He came home Thur. for a few days of the Easter break and as soon as he walked in he sat down with us and told us he was done, too much pain in the leg where they took the tendon out, too much pain in the arm and he's just tired of hurting. He had a scheduled appointment on Fri. with the Dr. at Tulane who did the surgery so I said well talk to the Dr. tomorrow and tell him. Came home and said Doc said it's gonna hurt and its gonna be sore it's all part of the healing process. I said well that seems encouraging and he said yea, he said it will be sore and hurt for a few months as the work load increases. Then says I'm gonna finish my therapy but I really am done it's time.

 I said well and he said look dad it's my life and I said yes it is and I hope you have a plan. He said well I can tell you that I am not ready to be done with baseball but I'm done playing, one thing I realized while giving these kids lessons is that I can see I'm making a difference, I enjoy teaching them and I enjoy them getting it. I'm gonna keep on working doing that and get a teaching degree and get into coaching that way I can stay involved with the game and hopefully teach some kids what I know and hopefully make a difference with some of them. I smiled while holding back a tear.

 This game really is a wonderful game and does really teach life lessons. One thing my wife always says is you just gotta love them baseball boys and as usual she's right .

 Son left about 3:00 to head back to school and work, came back about 3:30 because he left his mitt and bat. He just looked at us and laughed then told his brother they ain't yours yet.

 I was a lurker here for 5 years before I signed up and it took another year before I replied to a post but the things I learned here well you can't put a price on it. Good thing is I have another ball player, 10 years younger but more of a baller than his big brother. So I will have more FUN this time around and know what to do and when to do it this time around thanks to this site and you guys.

 Back to lurking for a few years, Thanks guys and gals!

Good for your son for finally making a decision he wanted to make probably before surgery.

If it makes you feel any better you are not the only one experiencing their sons leaving the game due to fighting the pain of injury.  It just gets very tiring after awhile.

My son recently had the same type of experience. He gets a real sense of satisfaction giving lessons and seeing their improvement on the field as well as their self esteem.

Best of luck to your son!

Out of retirement update
Well it took all of 2 weeks of watching little brother play and helping his team out before the fire started burning and he started back at it. Had a work out for the local JUCO and he's inked. Got a full release from the Dr. in late May. No throwing pain but hurts when he hits for whatever reason. He's excited again and at least he will be a half hour from home so when he plays we can take the quick trip across the river instead of the 5 hour drive and a hotel room. Who knows where it will end but we are all happy. And if it ends here we know he gave it his best shot!

wow!  Thanks for keeping us posted.  What a saga.

3T, your original post caught my eye because my son has been back n forth with catching and pitching for years.  Baseball was always his main thing, did league ball from 4, and travel since he was 9. So, last year was his freshman year of high school. He played football and was good so they moved him up to varsity. He was away from baseball July to until November. That was the most ever since he'd started. Then he went to a showcase late November. That radar gun came out and he had that pop in his arm. Didn't think too much of it because sometimes he said he was fine. After his travel ball practices he had some pain in inner elbow. Got the MRI (with the dye) late December after the pain didn't go away, and Dr. said it was good news, just a "Micro tear of the UCL". He only needed rehab for 6 weeks. So that's what he did. He's super into arm care now and has a whole regimen that he does several times a week to continue to strengthen and keep flexible. Finished his rehab at the end of high school baseball season, so he missed that and was sad because his high school went state without him   But he's come back for travel ball this summer and has done really well catching, hitting too, he's was named to the All Tourny Team for one of his PG tournaments this summer. But the coach is trying to get him to come back to pitching because they are always short pitchers, and he was the best one on the team before his arm injury. I don't know how he'll do now, and I don't really think he should pitch. I wanted him to choose catching before his arm injury. When he was released in May from rehab, he was given the all clear to do the "return to the mound" program, which he started a few weeks ago. Mentally he's been riding a roller coaster even though physically he's been fine. My son is only 15, so I still have some say in his baseball career. But not much.

 

So with all that, you can see I relate to your story, and your son's story. What a riveting story it is! I truly felt for both of you reading this thread and feeling your highs and lows. Baseball is a part of them- and has become a part of us parents too. I'm thrilled that your son is playing again. That he's overcoming his arm issue. That needing surgery wasn't the final goodbye. And when he gets old he'll realize that many of us have pain daily and we just live with it. At least he's getting to do the thing he loves with his. Those mental hurdles after being injured are so huge and it's easy to see why there is a demand for sports psychologists! The longer he plays, the less regret he'll have. I hope my son has coaches as good as the one your son has had, steering him in the direction of continuing. Lucky us, oh how lucky we are, our sons play baseball. Thanks so much for sharing your story. I'll have my son read this thread so he can see the struggle of another player. I'd like to know if your son still catches and pitches. Does he still do both? How is his arm pain?  All the best to you and your baseball playing boys!

So far the plan for the fall is to play middle infield. The coach at the JUCO where he will play actually watched him as a JR in high school when he played shortstop, was all-state at short that year, and work a few games at catcher towards the end of the season. Easing back into it I guess you can say. Went to the Dr. yesterday just as a follow up and did all the stress test and all was good. Coach had him working with hitting coach over the summer to get his swing back, all state at short Jr season, all state at catcher Sr season, but that has all to do with batting average here. Average dropped about 125 points freshman season in college, doc and coaches think he was over compensating for the pain and changed his swing up. Still hit .257 freshman year but from .440 & .428 it's a big change. He's all for whatever and is just glad he's getting to play. No pain throwing or hitting now and the doc said he won't discharge him until he says he wants to be discharged. I hope he finds his way back to catching but if he ends up in the middle infield that's good too. 3 weeks till first official practice, but he's been going hard all summer, taking a couple of classes, working and practicing.
Oh to be young and full of energy!

Thank you for all the updates.  I too have a catcher (HS Sophomore) that everyone tries to convert....Luckily - I don't know anything about recruiting, showcasing, committing, etc so I'm sure this will only be a HS thing and hopefully he can make it through that without injury!

Thanks again - keep the updates coming!

As a general rule, I would discourage my HS or older son from catching and pitching. Just my opinion.

RedFishFool...how do you know which one the kid should focus on?  It makes total sense to say doing both is just too hard on a kids arm, but if he's showing talent at both, and his body style is dead center of both, how do you guide a kid to choose one, and which one?

Not an easy answer. In our case, son started leaning toward enjoying pitching more. On his teams, it was easier to find another catcher than find another pitcher. As he reached, 14-15, coaches basically made that decision for him but he was fine with it. 

 

Funny story: When he was a HS freshman playing on the sophomore team, he had pitched 3 innings, had a no-hitter or one hitter against a the #1 team in our district. Winning 3-0. Catcher intentionally ran into a fielder instead of sliding and was thrown out of game. We were short 3-4 players for that game for some reason. No other catcher on team. Coach was scrambling. Asked whole team if anyone could catch. Son didn't volunteer but 5-6 people pointed to my son. He donned the catcher's gear and finished the game behind the plate. The next two pitchers proceeded to walk 8+ batters  including walking in the winning run in. Son never caught again.