Great stuff here...

Welcome aboard!

The growth spurts are great but they can really lean them out. Good luck on the weight gain...it’s easier said than done. We have first hand experience with that at my house.

Orlando2022Dad posted:

Hey All,

Been lurking and reading for a few months now. Lot's of very insightful discussions here. Very knowledgeable folks! Decided to join and say hello

Little about 2022. 5'11" - 120lb. Mar 2004 bday. 8th grade in Central FL. Plays 14u travel. Hit a growth spurt recently and we have decided to focus time and effort towards a pitching future. Recently started concentrating on food intake for weight gain, working out for strength (cardio, core and legs) and starting with a pitching coach tomorrow...

Thanks for reading and having us 

Hopefully I will be able to contribute and provide some value to the forum.

Thanks Again!

Orlando2022Dad

 

Welcome Orlando2022dad.  When my son hit his really big growth spurt in 7th grade it wasn't pretty!  Walking into walls, knocking stuff over, it was like a new born horse trying to find his legs.

If pitching lessons don't work out right now don't get discouraged, my son couldn't figure out how to move his body after his growth spurt.  I sent him to speed and agility classes to learn how to move again, even now I can always tell when he grows another inch, everything gets off again for about 2 weeks.  It's all working out okay, he's a 6'3, 165#, 2020.

Welcome!  I think my 2017 was about the same age when I found this site.  You're right it's a great resource.

Curious as to why your son is becoming a PO?  He's tall and skinny, so he sounds like he's a pitcher, but why not keep hitting at least until a HS coach tells him he's a PO?

Welcome indeed! 

Not only will you find some of the top baseball minds and professionals in this country, you'll find that some of the very best writers and thinkers exist right here on the hsbbweb.  All the best to your young man and family in the future.

JCG posted:

Welcome!  I think my 2017 was about the same age when I found this site.  You're right it's a great resource.

Curious as to why your son is becoming a PO?  He's tall and skinny, so he sounds like he's a pitcher, but why not keep hitting at least until a HS coach tells him he's a PO?

He hits in games of course...but really has no desire to want to get better as a hitter. Although, he's a decent hitter. We practice twice a week with his travel team and they run BP & fielding but do not run bullpen sessions. 2022 really likes pitching and wants to focus his attention on being the best he can be at it. Also, strikes me as odd as it seems like usually the best travel teams have the best pitchers, but few tend to pay attention on it in practices. We have seem this with other travel teams as well. Odd?

If at all possible, keep him playing a position.  This assumes he enjoys playing regularly.  Being set off to the side as a PO can reduce the fun factor.  Unless he is really good at pitching and will consistently improve with age, he could have some ups and downs over the next couple of years and if all he has is pitching - and it deserts him for awhile - he could slip away from the game.  I am generalizing and some kids thrive as PO's from an early age, but that takes a very certain personality.  Good luck - great info here from some very knowledgeable people who really seem to be wanting to help strangers better manage their baseball journeys.

Orlando2022Dad posted:

JCG posted:

Welcome!  I think my 2017 was about the same age when I found this site.  You're right it's a great resource.

Curious as to why your son is becoming a PO?  He's tall and skinny, so he sounds like he's a pitcher, but why not keep hitting at least until a HS coach tells him he's a PO?

He hits in games of course...but really has no desire to want to get better as a hitter. Although, he's a decent hitter. We practice twice a week with his travel team and they run BP & fielding but do not run bullpen sessions. 2022 really likes pitching and wants to focus his attention on being the best he can be at it. Also, strikes me as odd as it seems like usually the best travel teams have the best pitchers, but few tend to pay attention on it in practices. We have seem this with other travel teams as well. Odd?

I'll 2nd that. Definitely not enough focus on pitching on select teams. Mostly because almost all the pitchers play other positions which makes it tough when you only practice maybe twice a week. That's why a good pitching coach can be very valuable to a young player. Goodluck!

My son went into HS @ 6'3", 170# and left @ 6'8", 220#. Yes! Speed & Agility classes 2x/week w/personal trainer in 8th & 9th grade. Pitching lessons 2-3x/week after growth spurts.  Currently a Senior PO @ Mid-Major D1;  6'8" 252#, Yoga is the name of the game now, along with wt. lifting and conditioning.  (He did not become PO for HS till spring Jr. year @ request of coach, he did not want him to get hurt on the base path.  Keep it all moving & flowing for bone strength & balance of use of joints & large muscle groups as long as you can)  When son played for fun with his travel team & legion team @ summer lake home he was 2 way player, but PO for his showcase team and his Scout team in the Fall. The coaches will tell you.

Orlando2022Dad posted:

JCG posted:

Welcome!  I think my 2017 was about the same age when I found this site.  You're right it's a great resource.

Curious as to why your son is becoming a PO?  He's tall and skinny, so he sounds like he's a pitcher, but why not keep hitting at least until a HS coach tells him he's a PO?

He hits in games of course...but really has no desire to want to get better as a hitter. Although, he's a decent hitter. We practice twice a week with his travel team and they run BP & fielding but do not run bullpen sessions. 2022 really likes pitching and wants to focus his attention on being the best he can be at it. Also, strikes me as odd as it seems like usually the best travel teams have the best pitchers, but few tend to pay attention on it in practices. We have seem this with other travel teams as well. Odd?

My sons coach is great, he's actually a head coach at a junior college, but he's not a pitcher.  I wouldn't want him tweaking my sons pitching mechanics any more than he would want to try.

In the world of baseball there are pitchers and positions players.  You can turn a first basemen into an outfielder, shift the guy at third to SS if he's quick, but you can't just grab the LF guy and put him on the mound and expect good things to happen. It's a craft, it's a specialty, and pitchers have their own instructors because of that.

CaCO3Girl posted: My sons coach is great, he's actually a head coach at a junior college, but he's not a pitcher.  I wouldn't want him tweaking my sons pitching mechanics any more than he would want to try.

In the world of baseball there are pitchers and positions players.  You can turn a first basemen into an outfielder, shift the guy at third to SS if he's quick, but you can't just grab the LF guy and put him on the mound and expect good things to happen. It's a craft, it's a specialty, and pitchers have their own instructors because of that.

What’s bad is, while there are a multitude of pitching coaches/instructors running around out there, the percentage of really good ones isn’t very high. It’s a bit of a crap shoot for a pitcher.

2017LHPscrewball posted:

If at all possible, keep him playing a position.  This assumes he enjoys playing regularly.  Being set off to the side as a PO can reduce the fun factor.  Unless he is really good at pitching and will consistently improve with age, he could have some ups and downs over the next couple of years and if all he has is pitching - and it deserts him for awhile - he could slip away from the game.  I am generalizing and some kids thrive as PO's from an early age, but that takes a very certain personality.  Good luck - great info here from some very knowledgeable people who really seem to be wanting to help strangers better manage their baseball journeys.

I think what it is that 2022 excels at pitching and see's it as potentially his path to bigger and better things in baseball. He's long & lanky, bats low in the lineup and if he get's 2 hits in the same game it's a big deal He get's frustrated with hitting. Do you think 13yo is too soon to specialize/focus on pitching only?

Orlando2022Dad posted:

2017LHPscrewball posted:

If at all possible, keep him playing a position.  This assumes he enjoys playing regularly.  Being set off to the side as a PO can reduce the fun factor.  Unless he is really good at pitching and will consistently improve with age, he could have some ups and downs over the next couple of years and if all he has is pitching - and it deserts him for awhile - he could slip away from the game.  I am generalizing and some kids thrive as PO's from an early age, but that takes a very certain personality.  Good luck - great info here from some very knowledgeable people who really seem to be wanting to help strangers better manage their baseball journeys.

I think what it is that 2022 excels at pitching and see's it as potentially his path to bigger and better things in baseball. He's long & lanky, bats low in the lineup and if he get's 2 hits in the same game it's a big deal He get's frustrated with hitting. Do you think 13yo is too soon to specialize/focus on pitching only?

I think it is. Among other things, the lesson he's going to learn from going PO this early is when you get frustrated with something like hitting, don't work through it, just quit. That doesn't seem like a good lesson to offer.

There's a reason kids don't choose a major for the rest of their lives when they're 13 — they don't really know how they're going to grow or develop or where their interests will take them. Why would baseball, or sports in general be any different?

Orlando2022Dad posted:

2017LHPscrewball posted:

If at all possible, keep him playing a position.  This assumes he enjoys playing regularly.  Being set off to the side as a PO can reduce the fun factor.  Unless he is really good at pitching and will consistently improve with age, he could have some ups and downs over the next couple of years and if all he has is pitching - and it deserts him for awhile - he could slip away from the game.  I am generalizing and some kids thrive as PO's from an early age, but that takes a very certain personality.  Good luck - great info here from some very knowledgeable people who really seem to be wanting to help strangers better manage their baseball journeys.

I think what it is that 2022 excels at pitching and see's it as potentially his path to bigger and better things in baseball. He's long & lanky, bats low in the lineup and if he get's 2 hits in the same game it's a big deal He get's frustrated with hitting. Do you think 13yo is too soon to specialize/focus on pitching only?

At the end of the day, I guess it really depends on the individual kid.  Sort of like whether to focus on baseball to the exclusion of all other sports.  At some point, that decision may need to be made, but until such time, other sports are a positive.  I personally think 13 is too soon to focus solely on pitching, but that is based largely on how I view my kids.  Baseball can be grueling at that age with long weekends, but my kids have always loved the long weekends and multiple games each day.  If they were to pitch a single game over the weekend, I think they would have thought the game was boring.  Even if pitching becomes the focus, I think continued participation in the field (with proper arm care, of course - maybe rule out catching altogether) keeps them a little more invested in the game.  Can also help even out the journey if the pitching has its ups and downs.  That said, I am sure you have a better feel for what is going to work - just wanted to add this for possible consideration.  Good luck!

It's not too early to commit to PO, but it may be too early to say he's not going to grow into/become a better hitter, that happens and he hasn't been playing a defensive position and he may end up a PO by circumstance and not by choice. You will get the greatest of support and advice here. Your SON will need to make his own educated, researched decisions. Now, if he does go the PO route: that can be a 7 day a week proposition with band work, long toss, bullpens, lessons, strength/conditioning, rest/recovery. To do it right is time consuming. Just ensure that you and he make the right decisions, commit to them and see where it goes. I personally believe that he may a year or 2 early in going straight PO, he can put his primary focus into pitching without completely scrapping the other aspects of the game, let him mature a bit more physically and mentally, these things seem to work themselves out. Best of luck, locate the FB, develop the CU and remember, if you are going to be a pitcher's dad: never yell from the stands for him to "throw strikes".

Welcome aboard, Orlando! I'm relatively new here as well, and was also a lurker for a while prior to signing up.

I'm a bit surprised to hear that other travel teams don't work on pitching, though. For the teams that I coached, we had bullpen sessions every practice, rotating different players through each practice (i.e. 2-3 guys threw a 'pen each practice, not every pitcher every practice). I don't understand how a travel team develops its pitching staff, decides its rotation, etc. without practice. Apparently I'm the odd one. I've been called worse!

I agree with the other responders, though--it's probably too soon to be a PO. Versatility is a huge asset!

-42

Stats4Gnats posted:

 

CaCO3Girl posted: My sons coach is great, he's actually a head coach at a junior college, but he's not a pitcher.  I wouldn't want him tweaking my sons pitching mechanics any more than he would want to try.

In the world of baseball there are pitchers and positions players.  You can turn a first basemen into an outfielder, shift the guy at third to SS if he's quick, but you can't just grab the LF guy and put him on the mound and expect good things to happen. It's a craft, it's a specialty, and pitchers have their own instructors because of that.

What’s bad is, while there are a multitude of pitching coaches/instructors running around out there, the percentage of really good ones isn’t very high. It’s a bit of a crap shoot for a pitcher.

I will second that !

CaCO3Girl posted:

Orlando2022Dad posted:

... We practice twice a week with his travel team and they run BP & fielding but do not run bullpen sessions. 2022 really likes pitching and wants to focus his attention on being the best he can be at it. Also, strikes me as odd as it seems like usually the best travel teams have the best pitchers, but few tend to pay attention on it in practices. We have seem this with other travel teams as well. Odd?

My sons coach is great, he's actually a head coach at a junior college, but he's not a pitcher.  I wouldn't want him tweaking my sons pitching mechanics any more than he would want to try.

In the world of baseball there are pitchers and positions players.  You can turn a first basemen into an outfielder, shift the guy at third to SS if he's quick, but you can't just grab the LF guy and put him on the mound and expect good things to happen. It's a craft, it's a specialty, and pitchers have their own instructors because of that.

Welcome to the site!

Agree with CaCo, pitching is much more of a specialty and those with aspirations beyond HS (and often to excel in HS) tend to have their own instructors.  A big factor - it is quite difficult to provide regular bullpens for all P's with sufficient individual attention in a team environment (which generally has to occur within the time constraints of the full team practice).  

If you are part of a travel organization that has ties to facilities, then pitching instruction becomes a key part of the equation.  Otherwise, your move to have him work with a P coach is a good one, provided his personality, philosophy and mechanics are a good match for your son.

As far as quitting on hitting, the only thing I can add to others' comments is that the further he takes his hitting, the more he will understand hitters at a higher level and, thus, can use that knowledge to be a more effective P.   But, if he just plain doesn't like hitting, that can be overcome.  I will say that it is quite unusual for a baseball player to demonstrate a dislike for hitting at that early age.  I know of very few players who have gone on to play beyond HS who were not at least decent hitters in HS.  I know MANY who were stuck behind better hitters and smartly made the move to focus on pitching, but none that didn't WANT to hit.

Just a small posting tip - use the second person (my son, he, him) rather than the third person (2022) to describe your son.  It's hard on the reader to read 2022 did that or 2022 did this.  It's much easier to read my son did this (or he did this) and my son did that (or he did that).   

and remember, if you are going to be a pitcher's dad: never yell from the stands for him to "throw strikes".

What are you talking about?  I've had that drilled into my head since t-ball from all the dads sitting behind me.  I guess if you throw it outside the strike zone and gets kids to repeated swing, that might be a good thing.

On a serious note, if you are going to be a pitcher's dad, remember that the pitchers' and the hitters' relative skills will ebb and flow.  When the day comes (usually early in the season when the hitters are revved up and pitchers are ramping up) and he gets tagged, don't sweat it as long as he is throwing like he should.

4T2 posted:

Welcome aboard, Orlando! I'm relatively new here as well, and was also a lurker for a while prior to signing up.

I'm a bit surprised to hear that other travel teams don't work on pitching, though. For the teams that I coached, we had bullpen sessions every practice, rotating different players through each practice (i.e. 2-3 guys threw a 'pen each practice, not every pitcher every practice). I don't understand how a travel team develops its pitching staff, decides its rotation, etc. without practice. Apparently I'm the odd one. I've been called worse!

I agree with the other responders, though--it's probably too soon to be a PO. Versatility is a huge asset!

-42

We have our pitchers throw bullpens once a week at practice. But that is far different than working on pitches, mechanics, grips, and so on. That is very specific training which I would leave to someone more knowledgeable than myself.

I will add that the HS my son goes to has some tough competition.  We have V and JV, no 9th grade team.  Every year more than half of the 9th graders that try out do not make it.  My son did and I truly believe it was because he could pitch and play positions.  He's in the "yearbook" as a catcher, outfielder, and pitcher.  Never got behind the plate, played maybe 5 innings in the outfield, had 8 at bats and was on the mound for more than 20 innings.  For JV as a 9th grader that was a stellar year.

HS coaches have a limited supply of kids.  Being able to play a position could help him make the team if competition is fierce. 

Welcome Orlando!  Strap yourself in, it's a crazy ride!

I feel at 13 he should focus on being a baseball player first. Play multiple positions work on hitting etc. A p.o. at that age has limited game experience. You get better by experience. From what I have seen many kids that pitch In college were shortstops and outfielders in high school. 

Welcome!...And, YES, it's way too early to focus on PO! His HS coach needs guys who are flexible enough to pick up the mantle when someone else isn't performing, injured, etc...

Most importantly, remember (and keep this "fact" on a front burner)...."There are only so many bullets in the holster!"...Think long term as far as overall development & College prospects...And, check the ASMI site for pitch counts & rest, conditioning, etc. Remember, too, pitching involves his hips & back (takes a toll)...Make sure he's properly strenghtening/conditioning his entire torso & legs. 

Good luck!

Hey there fellow parent of a 2022! My soon to be 13yo kid (Nov bday) had a 4 inch growth spurt from 5'0" to 5'4" from 11 to 12. He lost weight went from 108 to 101lbs. My kid now is about 5'7 and weighs 135 lbs. He has a more lean muscular build due to lots of sports and following the driveline youth workouts for the past 2 years. He is primarily a catcher and gave up pitching in the spring because of the workload behind the dish made it impossible to get mound time without being reckless in regards to arm care. He now plays C and OF. Hopefully he will return to the mound in HS.

Thank you all for the thoughtful insight and advice!