Disappointment on first day

I think you tell him that playing baseball is a beautiful and special thing ... and every team has a different makeup and different needs. The key word is 'Play'. So, like many things in life, you can choose to view change as an opportunity to become the best at something new, and then you're really good at yet one more thing that creates new possibilities ... ultimately, having a positive outlook and embracing change as a opportunity for personal growth is a wonderful life lesson ... it expands your perspective of things.

I also think it should be looked at as a very positive sign.

I have never know a coach who put a sophomore in centerfield that was not very high on him.

It will only help his development. Sure, he may have an adjustment period, but with his speed I assume he is a good athlete and will adapt just fine.

I know plenty of kids who would die to play centerfield as a sophomore, so I would explain to him how much of an honor it is to be asked to play there.

Who knows he may turn out to love the position and if his name is in the lineup each day that is a huge plus.

I'd tell him to go play center field with all his heart and to love it. He is at a higher level now and any position is a great one. The goal is to get on the field. Best of luck. It sounds to me as if he is off to a great start.

We went through the same thing. Our son is a lefty and knew he might eventually end up in the outfield, but loved the action at 1st base. When his coach moved him to centerfield he told him, "We don't need speed at 1st."

It took him awhile to get used to it, but he did well and was eventually drafted as an outfielder. I bet your son will be fine with that speed.

The more positions that he can play, the more valuable he will be to a college coach.

Tell him it's an opportunity to expand his abilities. He may not be tracking fly balls naturally for awhile, but it will come to him. He'll need to learn to take the right line in the OF, but it's another "tool".

Flexibility is a great thing in a player.

quote:

He's got a very good bat and 6.6 speed so centerfield seems to fit but we don't know if he can play that position.

Nothing more beautiful in baseball to me than a 6.6 speedster running down a long fly ball in centerfield.

A transitional time, when natural abilities, talent, skill, and projectability begin to take over in the assignment of postions.

As the power of the bats increase, the demand on skilled OF's increases.

Your son is rising to the occasion.

And, I have seen things work out very well for others in your son's position.

With his speed, you and he both should have expected this at some point in his career. My son is also a centerfielder, and by no means is it a demotion.


He is the leader of the outfield, make sure he understands that.

"Look at me.....I can be......Center Field!"

He's disappointed playing CF? Are you kidding me?

Tell him that the CF is the leader of the defense. The money position! 2B is known for undersized "utility players of the month" with weaker arms.

I played centerfield. You smell the grass, make diving catches to save the game. Manage the outfield to adjust to the game. And best of all, you don't take grounders in the chicken mcnuggets.

I also got word that my son was offered Centerfield. I think of it as an opportunity to start every game. He is an 8th grader and quite frankly I do not care where he plays as long as it isn't the bench!

Take advantage of the opportunity and thrive. Now he will be a CF and a 2b. A darn good one too!

Good Luck!

6.6 speed as a sophmore! Very impressive.

The key defensive positions in baseball are up the middle. Pitchers of course, catchers, shortstops and centerfielders. Only the best defensive players play those positions. My son who has been backing up a better shortstop is being asked to take a shot at third and he's thrilled, but even if he wins the starting job, someday that position is going to be filled by a power hitter. I only wish he had the speed to play centerfield.

KellerDad

It's funny you say that. He was timed in the 60 about a week ago and I told him then that he shouldn't be surprised if the coach talks to him about switching to the outfield. Of course, it was one of those in one ear out the other moments and I don't think he thought I was serious. I'm dad remember...I don't know anything.

In HS my son was primarily a pitcher but played other positions, mostly 3B or 1B, when not pitching. In his senior year he was the only returning varsity pitcher, so the coach figured their outfield might get some action. Son volunteered to play CF (when not pitching of course), and had the speed to get to the ball, and a good arm to make coaches think twice about sending runners. Surprise, at the end of the season although he had a good spring on the mound, he won his highest HS honor/recognition as a centerfielder!

Similar experinces? Kinda ---- My son came in to high school as a P/3B and has played five different positions since. He played four different positions in one college game but he never played centerfield. Center field is good because that is where the best athletes play! My son never had the athletic ability to play CF. I might add that the key word here is "PLAY" .... not "WHERE".
Fungo

Missouri.....son was a High School second baseman, but wanted to play good summer ball so badly that he signed on with the American Legion team.....as an outfielder.....they wanted his bat....but.....the infield was tied up with senior players.....the only openning was the outfield......never thought we would see the day.....but he embraced it....and it was a wonderful summer......the team went to the Nationals....he enjoyed it tremendously......and would do it again....for the opportunity to play.....

I think that you will find that most outfielders were infielders before the switch.

My own son was an excellent SS but he had excellent speed, he was a 6.4 in college, and a great bat--he was switched to CF in HS and never looked back

Time for you to grab the fungo bat, a bucket of balls and hit, hit, hit balls out to him. He'll be ready in no time. Centerfield is a great position, and a real good way to discourage your opponent when speed and a sure glove shuts down their best hitters.

We had a kid at our school that didn't play the same position any of his four years, yet he started every year. Coaches sometime just want the best players on the field.

This board has it right. The best gloves play up the middle (catcher, 2nd, short, cf). The best speed goes to the outfield. Please pass on to your son

best glove + best speed = centerfield

congrats

Same thing happened to my son FR year. Moved from 1B to outfield, usually RF or CF, because he threw 91mph on his crow-hop throw in tryouts. Coach told him there was no way he would waste that arm standing on 1B!
We hired an instructor (former MLB outfielder, I can give you his name is you're near KC) who met our son at the HS field a few times to work on things and it really helped. Who would have guessed that you need to be taught how to run after the ball...Where your glove should be while you run, which way to turn when the ball leaves the bat, how to feel for the wall, how to lay out and avoid injury. It took some help, but he became a great OF and the long toss between every inning has helped his pitching!
When boys are little, the best players are on the infield and the weaker players are hidden in the outfield. Your son is not little anymore and the outfield should no longer be considered a place of shame. Just ask any pitcher how they feel about a strong outfielder who can run down anything. Nothing worse than watching catchable balls drop because the OF is not capable!

My son will play any position on the field, any time. He loves playing the game and doesn't care where.

Over the years, he has played every position (coach's son for several years). He knows all the assignments.

That has put him in games, at times, where he might not have been had he insisted on just playing one position.

At this level of ball, every position is critical. Your son obviously has the wheels to play CF. He has been paid a compliment.

Since he hasn't played there before, you need to ensure he knows the assignments. Make sure he can properly excecute the turn & sprint for the ball hit over his head. Proper diving technique. And take him out to the practice field (after practice & on weekends), hitting him a couple hundred fungoes every day. Make sure to hit a number of hard line drives straight at him, those are the most difficult to judge. There is no substitute for repetition and he probably won't get enough reps in the normal course of team practice.

Good luck.

My CF doesn't consider himself to be a lesser player on his team. Being asked to play varsity as a sophmore is an honor. Son might want to re-think his position on this.

quote:

Coaches sometime just want the best players on the field.

As a sophomore, he's still very young in the game. Younger players often have the gut reaction that the infield is more important than the outfield, forgetting that an infield mistake usually means a runner on first; an outfield mistake often costs a run. If you suspect that's in the mix, have him name MLB second basemen for you, then name MLB OFers, CF in particular. He'll recognize where the glamour is!

He is probably also thinking that he knows the 2B position, and CF is (literally) unknown territory and there's a great deal to learn. He's right, he's got a challenge in front of him and will need some help outside of hs practice to be better prepared.

As the board has said, though, this is great news --- congratulate him from all of us!

For all of the reasons mentioned earlier your son will love playing center field...

He must recognize what his coach obviously recognized...

1) He has great speed that will be a huge asset for the team in center field...and less of an asset at 2nd base.

2) He most likely has a strong arm...again an asset at center field and less so at 2nd base.


And best of all...he is a sophomore that is wanted and needed on the varsity team. The coach has thought this through and your son got the nod...talk about trust!...talk about a confidence boost!

Hearty congratulations to him...please keep us posted!

My son's a lefty and always Pitched, 1st base, OF.
Loved playing 1st base, did not want to play outfield.
Coached changed him to outfield his sophmore year, and he
Love's the position now.
He will still play 1st base, he's pretty equal at all three position's.
But he Showcases as an outfielder.
With your Son's speed he would want to showcase as an outfielder also.
3 outfielders only one 2nd baseman!!! The EH

Not only will it most likely be a positive move/decision for your son in future, but it sends a message to the team that this is a team sport and no 1 piece is bigger than the whole.

Also, many IF are converted to the outfield at the next level so why not get a jump on things and expand your game right now.

No disapointment indeed. When my son first tried out for the freshman team there were 120 kids who tried out since it is the largest school in Ohio. About 30 kids made the team.

He had always played short, second, or third whereas another friend of his had always played centerfield. Well, the 9th grade coach decided that my son was the centerfielder and the other kid was his third baseman. My son started every game in center that year and people would come up to me and say, aren't you upset? I said, are you kidding me? We are just thankful he was playing after all those kids tried out.

After that year, the other kid complained that he didn't like infield so my son became the thirdbaseman for JV's, and then the varsity shortstop his junior and senior years. The team will find you eventually but it sure helps to be playing everyday in the mean time.

Dad...6.6 in high school as a sophomore in high school equates to 6.4 or better as a senior with a bit of work/muscularity/maturity.

That kind of speed (at 6.6) puts him in the top 5% in the country...And he's only a sophomore.

Take him to a national showcase and get him timed by them at 6.6 as a high school sophomore and you'll get more offers than you can imagine!

I like that post, KC.

The same thing happened to my oldest son when he was a freshman in high school. He had always played shortstop. To make a long story short after being down in the dumps a few days he decided center field was going to be ok. His senior year he was named most valuable defenseive player on his team. Sometimes coaches can sense these things. He would not have changed his last 3 years of HS Baseball for the world.

Excellent advice by BeenthereIL.

I think #7 made that switch from middle infield to Centerfield and it seemed to workout for him and the Yankees

quote:

Same thing happened to my son FR year. Moved from 1B to outfield, usually RF or CF, because he threw 91mph on his crow-hop throw in tryouts.

Dad...I'm a dad, too. I love my sons, too.

Tough to believe a high school sophomore running 6.6...now 91 from the outfield as a FRESHMAN in high school.

Saw lots and lots and lots of 1st rounders in the past 15 years. Sounds like the top half of the first round to me when he's eligible in a few years.

Beenthere

It is KCBaseball's son that throws 91 from the outfield, not my son.

Centerfield! For one year, when not pitchng, my son lived and died for centefield. Eventually they took him out because of his uncanny ability to find this an opportunity to practice things he learned as a youngster in gymnastics. They were afraid he might hurt the arm (thanks coach).
Centerfielder at son's school is awesome (former pitcher), for his speed and ability to always find his way on base (he is the team table setter).
Orlando, good post. Help your son to understand the importance of the position, and give him as much help and encouragement he needs to be successfulThe more poisition you learn to play the more valuable you are to coaches. Many college players often don't play the position that is their favorite, but where the coach sees him making teh largest contribution.

TPM

I hope the back flips were between innings.

I'm a CF, and I look at it this way. No body calls a CF off the ball. He is the leader of the defense and its an honor to be in that position

What school?