Just a Pitcher

What grade is he in? Or did you mention it and I missed it?

I saw a 6'6" JP from Vancouver at a Santa Barbara Showcase last fall. He said he was a not a hitter. I think he took 2nd in the homerun derby. You could tell he didn't take a lot of BP because his form was breaking down, otherwise he might have won the Homerun Derby.

It almost sounds s though that decision has been made for you. There are Pitchers and Hitters. At some level they break them out and it sounds like that is where you are at.

Hitters need a position to play. If your team has Hitters the coach needs a home for them. The team needs pitchers also, but not necessarilly to play a position, other than on the mound.

On our team pitchers (starting) typically never play infield positions. This maintains the integrity of the infield as the players learn their team mates strengths and weaknesses.

Our pitchers if they can hit usually end up in right field or on the bench awaiting their next start.

I think this is quite common for a varsity program.

What has he been doing for the past two years? Pitcher/1B for JV?

I hope it all works out. Sounds like whatever happens, he's got a good future in the sport.

In any case, I hope if he doesn't get the 1B job, it's not because he lost the job to a righty. Nothing more annoying than rightys playing first... especially if they're short!

LHPMom

I'll only add a thought - it seems that HS coaches have their hands full. So they focus on a few skills they think will add immediate impact. If a player can hit, he will have a position. Having said that, my son who is similar size, had a tough time at the plate because his growing threw everything off. He concentrated on pitching - kept that together and did a fantastic job. This off season he worked on batting and seems to be back to hitting like he used to. But guess what - the coach still has him pegged as weak at the plate. That is tough for son (he doesn't think the coach has confidence in him), and is a bit concerned about his position. He was switched from 3rd to 1st last season.

He understands his performance will tell the tale. I guess that is the bottom line - right now he is confident he can get the job done.

It's called PO (Pitcher Only) here. If he doesn't get to play IF for the high school team, there's always summer ball where he can.

LHPMom2012

I'm with you on that right handers at first thing. Lefties can only play so few positions as it is! Up here it is the big slow righties that clog up first base for my son as they are too big and slow for third or the outfield..so they try to play first...leaving the lefties for the mound and the outfield. Late innings in a close game they usually come to their senses and put the lefty back at first..lol.

There are worse things than being just a pitcher like Just a Bench Player....lol. But truely My son went through that this past spring in the first few weeks of the season. He was Just A Lefty Pitcher until the coach needed a bat off the bench and he came through. After that it was pitch, EH, outfield, and very little first base, any way to have his bat in the line up.

Have son keep his chin up, work hard and don't let any fustration show, he will get his shot---never let someone tell him Pitchers can't hit, and when given the chance show them.

Good luck

Sounds like what my son went through in high school. He hit around 360 avg throughout high school and was a good out fielder. Has good speed also. The coaches often talked of being a good two way player, but he was usually used as a DH and PO. It seemed that they were always worried we was going to get hurt in the field. In his senior year we saw the hand writing on the wall and just focused on pitching. I recommend you get him in weekly pitching lessons as well as a good pitching specific training program because that will open many more doors at the next level.

This is a hard one to swallow. In our case, my son was recruited by some schools as both a pitcher and hitter. That was 2003. He hasn't touched a bat since 2003 and will admit that it was for the best. Your son has the size to to make the next level as a pitcher, you don't teach size. Obviously hard work, dedication, and luck factor into the equation, but sometimes the glass half full is not a bad alternative.

With that said, there's no reason not to fight to use the bat, but remember, in the end your kid is luckier than most, his dream is still alive.

If they're pitchers and are generating interest at the next level, they should be focusing on pitching.

At the high school level, pitchers are typically good fielders and hitters but yet when they get past high school, they become pitchers only.

I've seen it work both ways in high school where pitchers play two ways or they're pitchers only.

I guess a lot depends on the coach on what he believes is the way to handles his pitchers or the type of players they have in a given year..

The transition from being a two way player to a pitcher or position player does seem to start at the varsity level in high school.

My son was a P/OF but when he made varsity, he was an everyday position player and didn't pitch as he did on Freshman & JV. The varsity pitchers typically were on the bench until their next start and one or two player split time in the field and on the mound but weren't necessarily everyday players. The DH always hit for the weakest hitter on defense, not necessarily the pitcher.

It's probably time... On the plus side he's still getting some bp at practices, which translates to the door is still open, albeit just a crack. No doubt, he's very fortunate that he'll be able to continue playing bb awhile longer after hs.

We've talked a bit about the process and ultimately this is the coaches decision and his decision alone. The same man who had to make some hard choices on who makes the team and who gets cut. No problem with coping an attitude over this. He has a good feel for that respecting and honoring a person does not necssarily mean things have to go your way.

We also talked about redirecting the time committed to hitting to training and getting bigger stronger, faster at pitching to stave off the inevitable and to be the best he can be now and for the future. He said "that's great as long as it doesn't take away from our time working off the T, short toss, and me throwing bp". He wants to ready for the summer.

dswann,
Son also a lefty.
Played the field and pitched his whole life, thru HS.
A very good hitter.
Offensive Player of the year in his league.
High PG rating as a hitter.

And know doubt he could still hit at any level.

Hasn't touched his bat in 3 years at a D1.
He was drafted as a left handed pitcher.
and thats his future.

And it kills me.
They will make the decision for you.

EH

My heart breaks for you, EH

I hope he was at least drafted by a National League team!

LHPMom

What's wrong with pitcher only?

My son was a pitcher only, two years pitcher only on varsity on the HS team and pitcher only throughout HS on travel teams. He was devastated at first, but it was explained to him why, the big reason being that his future was clearly as a pitcher only.

Senior year after begging, he got to play first as well and hit. He was awarded utility player in all county. We all held our breath, because he plays hard. In HS he continued to take batting practice at every practice, and in college walked around swinging the fungo. He asked if he could hit at college, they laughed, made a bet with him and gave him a shot at one practice, he hit one out in his 10th practice pitch. He never asked again. He gets to try out the bat again soon, in AA. He's excited.

Looking back, he is very grateful that wiser people than him decided he should be a pitcher only. We are too.

Now it's time to focus on pitching only, pitchers are hot commodities. A lefty your sons size gets many opportunities if he can pitch and has good velocity that others don't get. If he wants to play bb at the next level (college) or the next level after that (pro), time to get ready for it.

This is a topic near and dear to my heart.

Coming out of teen travel ball and then when Midlo Son was on JV, he tore the cover off the ball and was a decent fielder at 1B as well. He did ultimately become his team's top 1B when not pitching. But when we hit the recruiting circuit, he was sought as "just a pitcher". It always rankled me, because I loved seeing him play every day and I knew in my heart he could compete.

Had he been a lesser pitcher, perhaps he would've ended up a 2-way player in college. But he was fortunate enough to be highly regarded as a pitcher. We discussed how he would have to decide between maybe going mid-major as a "two-way" guy, or going to an ACC or SEC school and there being a "pitcher only" (which I prefer to "just a pitcher", which seems pejorative). Because while he was a pretty good HS hitter, I don't think anyone would have considered him ACC or SEC caliber (at least not for a power position like 1B), nor anything close to a pro prospect as a hitter.

He surprised me by accepting the "pitcher only" role right away. In his mind, he decided this was where his future was, and that he would prefer to focus on that and that alone, so that he could be the very best he could be at that one thing. (Which, BTW, is a very tough thing to master all on its own!)

At the same time, his HS teammate went to the same college and has immediately established himself as a starter both at LHP and otherwise at 1B (converted from OF). It's weird that one guy chose one path while the other went the other direction.

But the truth is, once Midlo Son flipped that switch in his mind that his future was as "pitcher only", he began to fall off the pace as a hitter. His friend took his hitting to another level and while they both batted in the middle of their HS team's order, we aren't kidding ourselves -- the other guy was at a whole other level than Son. We saw what you had to be to be a major college 1B type, and Midlo Son was not that.

But here's the moral of the story. Son is a very happy camper as a "pitcher only". Dad misses seeing him hit, that's for sure. But ultimately the focus on pitching and pitching alone has been in his best interests.

I can't say whether your son is more like mine, more like our teammate's, or completely different (which is most likely). I can tell you this: if he's to be a "pitcher only", then make sure he's the best pitcher he can be, and that will be enough for him to continue to play and enjoy doing it for some more years yet.

It'll all be over all too soon, so grab what you can while you can!

quote:

And it kills me.
They will make the decision for you.

True dat

Also agree with MidloDad

quote:

which I prefer to "just a pitcher", which seems pejorative

j-a-p doesn't begin to describe all the work and effort that pitchers pour into their game.

Will add a few items for being a " just a pitcher. " We parents have more difficulty with it than the kids. My son had the bat taken out of his hands at the Varsity level. The odds of a two-way player getting hurt go way up compared to pitcher only. Pitching from the High School Varsity level on up to the Pros is a full-time occupation for today's players if you want to keep your spot. Pitchers get noticed and fill half the roster when trying to get to the next level.

Good point about injury and roster spots for pitchers. Son was 2 way player through HS. He played (not very well) the last month with a separated rib from trucking a catcher.

quote:

Originally posted by TDad:
Will add a few items for being a " just a pitcher. " We parents have more difficulty with it than the kids. My son had the bat taken out of his hands at the Varsity level. The odds of a two-way player getting hurt go way up compared to pitcher only. Pitching from the High School Varsity level on up to the Pros is a full-time occupation for today's players if you want to keep your spot. Pitchers get noticed and fill half the roster when trying to get to the next level.

Excellent points. Pitchers are typically the best athletes on the team. Be thankful your kids can pitch.

If you have the "stuff" making a ball club is much easier as a pitcher than a position player. Pitchers are treated differently than position players. And good ones actually have longer careers than position players. So being J-A-P has its upside.

JMO

I do agree about the parent part.
It's hard not to see them playing the game of baseball.

CD Quote:Excellent points. Pitchers are typically the best athletes on the team. Be thankful your kids can pitch.

My point exactly, I know in my heart that my son could hit at the next level, and help out his team to win.

But it's a business now, Anything after HS is Business.

EH

A thought or two on the "just a pitcher" concept from a travel program

As a showcase/travel program our goal is to get the players on our roster the maximum amount of exposure---that is our main goal. When we invite players to be part of our program we discuss with them what our initial plans are for them.I guess we can be termed at fault for being part of the "just a pitcher" syndrome because in our effort for maximum exposure we employ a "pitcher only" program. The pitchers know that coming in but accept it---they do get at bats during the fall season as a DH or pinch hitter--some will even get some innings in the field but that is unusual because of the weekend compressed series we play--

Just another view of the situation

quote:

Pitchers are treated differently than position players.

Reminds me of a story about an old school coach who told his team's pitching staff, "Pitchers aren't real baseball players...If I could figure out how to play the game without you, I would!"

quote:

Originally posted by TDad:
The odds of a two-way player getting hurt go way up compared to pitcher only. Pitching from the High School Varsity level on up to the Pros is a full-time occupation for today's players if you want to keep your spot. Pitchers get noticed and fill half the roster when trying to get to the next level.

Agree also that getting maximum exposure for your best position on showcase/travel teams is most important. I don't beleive that son would have had the opportunities he did if he presented himself as a two way player.
Of course everyone and every situation is different, but it's important to go with your strength.
JMO

quote:

Originally posted by justbaseball:
Reminds me of a story about an old school coach who told his team's pitching staff, "Pitchers aren't real baseball players...If I could figure out how to play the game without you, I would!"

Another coaches quote:

Pitchers and kickers are from the same Jello mold.....and the cranial consistency is about the same also

One of my son's pitching instructors was talking about his j-a-p moment:

Sophomore year in HS, the coach comes to him and says, "Your only job from now on is to get on the bump and throw hard." From that point until his career ended (AAA) he never had a bat in his hand unless he was handing it to a hitter .

Thankfully, 27 doesn't have to face that just yet. HC loved his hitting as well as his pitching, so he'll get at least one more season of both.

quote:

Pitchers and kickers are from the same Jello mold.....

LOL! My son was both.

I believe being a left handed pitcher increases your odds in being able to play at the next level anyway and especially working as a left handed relief specialist.Remember Mike Morgan,Rob Murphy Franco, dang those guys hung around pitching in the majors for years facing one or two batters every so often.They may have played for many different teams such as Mike Morgan did, but they would show up pitching for somebody.On the other hand, it is still interesting to see how many lefthanded players there are that have made it to the majors that play the outfield or 1B and do not pitch. Josh Hamilton comes to mind, I understood he pitched at one time, but he is a freak of nature and who would take the bat out of his hands? These situations usually work out for the best. As far as righties taking over first base for the lefties. I agree with that totally. Especially, if the lefty looks as though he belongs there and can field his position perfectly. There are probably two reasons why coaches do what they do in throwing righties in at first. I think some coaches think they can throw just about anyone down there at first base especially if they have a kid where they don't know where else to put him and they need that kid's bat in the lineup. As outfielders in the majors get older and don't have as much speed but still can swing a bat they need to be in the lineup somewhere. And if you do not have an EH situation or DH that seems to be the other natural place to put them at 1B. However, there is alot more to being able to play 1B than clogging up a postion, you better know how to stretch, pick, watch the bunts, cut off the ball, and it seems alot of kids can not do that successfully.

The shorter rightys playing first should just put a sign on their backs saying, "I'm not good enough to throw the ball across the infield."

It's so annoying... your kid is told all his life of all these positions he can't play because he's a lefty, and then he has to share time at 1st with rightys who can't stretch or scoop.

Of course, there are some advantages to being a left-handed pitcher...

His school will probably take the bat out of his hands in the next year or two. It's fine. He can hit, but he's obsessed with pitching. He goes to the plate thinking like a pitcher. It'll be time.

Our family hosts college players every summer, and I've known a few who pitched in travel and high school, and then gave it up to hit and play a position. When they realized it was so much more competitive to be a position player than a pitcher, a few of them tried to pick up pitching again, but it didn't work out.

LHPMom