Jack-of-All-Trades/Position Question

As a coach (and I'm not and never have been) I would love a player who could play multiple positions.  It would give me options for the lineup.  My son played multiple positions on his travel team (3B/1B/C/OF) - wherever the coach needed him.  My son started his HS career (varsity) as the starting catcher his sophomore year, moved to 3B his junior year and then 1B his senior year.  He went on to play college ball as 1B/DH/OF.

As the saying goes, as long as he can hit, the coach will find a place for him in the lineup.

There's a college thread that touches on this. The conventional wisdom is that "If you hit, you will not sit", and for that reason the ability to play multiple positions is a plus.

In HS, it depends a lot on the program. If freshmen always play on the freshman or JV team, a talented player like your son should get a shot to play, and coach will likely slot him where he has the most potential.  On the other hand, if your son plays at a school where one or two of the best freshman generally make Varsity, your son's ability to play multiple positions could be a real advantage.   By looking at who graduated last year, and who remains, you can probably figure out where the team's  needs are greatest, and your son can try to get reps there and prove he can contribute.

The one thing to be wary of is being the 2nd or 3rd best catcher on a team.  That kid usually ends up catching a lot of bullpens and never seeing the field.

Even being the 2nd best catcher on the team can pretty much relegate a player to the bullpen with not much playing time.

Sophomore year son was the starting catcher.   The backup (a senior) caught a lot of bullpen and only saw the field when the team had a sizable lead or it was a weak opponent.  Even on Senior Night the senior didn't see the field until the late innings (had a good lead over a district opponent).

Each HS is different but at our HS the kids are slated into a position and thats where they play.  My son could pitch, play the corners and play OF.  We were deep in pitching and had plenty of OFs so he slated into 1B as thats where they needed players.  He stayed there all HS even though he pitched, played OF and 1B on his travel team.  

I'd say it depends on what his goals are.  If it's to play in HS then having position flexibility is a plus.  As noted above, he better hit, particularly if others are better at the positions he plays.  If his goal is to get recruited for college, he needs to become very good at a position and develop the tools (speed, arm, bat) to go with it.

Sonny R posted:

My son will be a high school freshman in the 2018-2019 school year. He plays on a fairly competitive travel team, but he does not have a set position—he will play all three outfield positions, 1^st base, pitcher, catcher, and 3^rd base on occasion. He normally starts at one position or another. He is nearly 14 and is 6’0” 165 lbs. Although a little tall for his age, he is still pretty quick. Is the lack of reps at a certain position something to be concerned with as he enters high school? Is there something outside of his travel team activities we should be doing at this time?

Welcome to the site.  It is a plus, particularly at this stage.  It helps him understand the whole game and gives him the versatility to take advantage of a wider variety of playing time opportunities that may come up within the HS program and elsewhere.  But, much more important is that he continues to develop his skill set and starts advancing into age appropriate speed/agility/strength work.  You mentioned, among other things, both pitcher and catcher.  There are MANY threads you can search on this site that discuss the challenges and concerns of having both of those positions in the mix at the same time.

I think its an advantage to be versatile. My son is 2020 RHP and utility player. He was a primary catcher during his freshman year and plays corner infield and outfield as well. The only concern we have had is with combining pitching and catching - you need to be very mindful of the amount of throwing involved.

My son was the heir apparent at shortstop for his high school. He played short in middle school. He played short on JV as a freshman for half the season. The center fielder got injured. My son was moved to center. Soph year he was starting varsity shortstop,

i coached his travel team from 7th grade though freshman summer. He played whatever position the pitcher came from unless he was the pitcher. He was athletic enough to do it. It kept everyone else in their positions. 

Post soph summer his 17u team recruited him as a middle infielder. He subbed in center due to injuries one weekend. He spent the rest of travel and high school playing center. 

In showcases he did the outfield and infield drills. In college his bat kept him in the lineup at any of seven different positions. Through high school and college his versatility gave coaches flexibility. And he got three free gloves. 

Colleges tend to recruit middle of the field players and mashers for position players. It means a lot of players play new positions in college. The key is athleticism, foot speed and arm. The rest is just instruction and reps.