Not looking forward to spring...

First off, the booster club parents are not on the team.  They do not play the game or wear a uniform so who cares how loud they get. 

Second, I would tell your son to play wherever the coaching staff asks him to because they seem to be trying him at a lot of spots because they are trying to find a position for him because he is hitting well.  Maybe the starting first baseman is leaving the school.  Have your kid take reps outside of the team practice at different spots because you never know when they might change his position again.

As a JV player, just have your kid play anywhere the Coaches want him on V, and hope his bat gets him and keeps him in the lineup...

 

Well, the thing about the booster club is that a contentious relationship with them ultimately makes the coach's life more difficult.  There is next to nothing in the school budget for baseball, so practically all of the funding comes from booster activity.  It's all fine when the team does well, but if not - they can make the coach's life difficult. Yes - it's meddlesome, but I'm just an observer reporting what I see - I don't necessarily approve.

 

My son will play wherever they tell him, but he knows any time spent working at first is kind of pointless.  The kids ahead of him (good friends of his) aren't going anywhere.  If they had said any other position on the field it would have made more sense.  

What kind of advice are you looking for?  I know I am new and naive and haven't lived through this stuff, but you are talking about your 10th graders High School Team...does it matter?  Don't most scholarship offers come from what the kid does on his travel team and at showcases? 

 

It sounds to me like whether these coaches know what they are doing or not they want to give your son a chance at playing in a position he isn't familiar with, isn't that a good thing?  Don't you think it might improve his ability to read the ground balls, which you say he is week at?

 

What am I missing?

I disagree with this. Certainly most of the players whose parents are on this site are looking to recruited or have been through the process, but for 90% of players, HS ball is the pinnacle of their baseball career so if the kid loves playing baseball it should be very important for him.  And even D1 recruits take playing for their schools very, very seriously from what I have seen.

 

That said, my advice to Rob is to take deep breath. Your anxiety will not help your kid.  There's literally nothing you can do but advise you kid to work his a$$ off every day to play wherever the coaches put him as best as he possibly can.   Unless the coaches are idiots, if the kid can really hit, he will not sit. Personally I would not be upset about the catching situation, as being backup catcher on V means spending a whole of time catching bullpens, which could impact his ability to work on his hitting.   I do understand the concerns about 1B, but again, there's nothing you can do about that but support him 100%  and root for his success.

What does the corner OF look like? Could any of the players ahead of him be moving out there? Or maybe DH? Since the team does not have the horses they had last year, coaches may be moving players around to get as many bats in the line up as possible.
As others have said. I am sure he will play wherever they put him.

I don't think there is any harm at "working" at first.  Learn something new.  Sounds to me like they see your kid as a potential pitcher, DH, and 1B (plus catcher in a pinch).  Possibly rotate the two lefties and your kid between the three spots.  Good luck. 

I think you should look forward to the spring.

 

Your son is a sophomore. 

 

The coaches like his bat.

 

The coaches like him as a pitcher.

 

They see him as a potential varsity solution in a number of roles.

 

You know he can learn to field ground balls and play first because he's a good enough athlete to be a credible candidate for catcher.

 

Let the coach worry about the boosters and getting his new staff organized. 

 

This is an exciting time for your son, and should be an exciting time for you, too.

 

Enjoy the spring!

If I could like Swampboy's  post  a hundred times I would.

So what part of this experience can you and your son control? It's the only aspect to be concerned. You can help your son with extra practice and a positive attitude. Your son can practice hard and hit. Chances are someone on the team won't hit. If your son hits he'll be learning that position next. Sophs have to be ready to play anywhere. It may be their big opportunity. They may play a different position when they become juniors and seniors. Tune out the booster club. If they become a problem, keep your distance. Don't become part of the poison.

You are welcome to disagree, and I would care to wager you know more than I do...BUT (you knew the BUT was coming) 90%+ of the posts on this site are about college camps, and how to best show and how to showcase, and how to treat scouts....all of this screams college ball to me.

 

So, I guess the question is "What is this poster actually worried about?"  Is he worried about his son being looked at by college scouts at 1B which he doesn't know at all, or is he actually worried about his sons high school team chances this year, which according to him are slim and none because half the talent graduated.

 

The posters' question seems to be does anyone else see this disaster coming, and I'm trying to figure out what the disaster is.

Yea, I was a bit convoluted.

 

Really my concern is less for where my son ends up, and more for how the program itself will turn out.

 

My kid will end up somewhere on the field.  My point was more about the coaching staff not really knowing who their players are and what they can do.  I'm hopeful they get it figured out.

 

I see a perfect storm of issues...

*A popular and successful coach leaves.

*New coaches the kids are unfamiliar with, and them with the kids

*A team that overachieved last season

*A big loss of talent from that team

*Unrealistic expectations of greater success

*An overly involved booster club connected to school administration

 

I'd certainly rather have a coach who was maybe not "perfect" but got the job done, than start a coaching revolving door - but I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority opinion among the parents.

What is there not to look forward to?  Your son's coaches know that he can pitch, catch and hit the heck out of the ball.  They obviously think he is talented enough to pick up a new position....You should be excited that your 2017 can even play with the varsity....or do you just not want him to sit the bench and earn his stripes for a year?

Sounds to me like they are trying to figure a way to get his bat and arm into the varsity lineup... Most sophomores usually end up on the JV. Like many others, I'm not sure what looks like an oncoming disaster. 

I really don't see a problem and agree that you should be anxious and eager for the season to get here.  It appears that your son projects, at least to the HS coaches, as a very valuable Utility player.  Try to relax (almost impossible as a supporting parent...lol) and enjoy it.  Let your son take care of business, which it sounds like he is doing....and good luck to him!

RobT,

 

There is always the possibility that you will be pleasantly surprised when all is said and done.  Unrealistic expectations for success is required in my opinion.  Going into a season realistically expecting to fail will insure failure!  There is a reason they play all those games.

 

Truth is, I hate reality!  It just gets in the way at times.

 

Anyway, best of luck to your son.  Sometimes you just have to figure out how to survive when obstacles present themselves.

I suspect that a young man who played college ball in the ACC and also spent time in the minor leagues would have a clue about the talent level on the team.  I suspect he would also have a clue as to where a given kids' skill set might best help the program.  

 

I'm not suggesting that he will be the COY, but perhaps a little patience and trust is warranted.  Change can always be a little scary, but it doesn't mean that change is bad.

I couldn't disagree more.

 

Travel ball plays a huge role in providing exposure to kids, but I can assure you that a kid attending a camp, and/or college recruiters attending spring Varsity games are just as vital.

 

In The Tidewater area (Va), when a couple of the better programs get together, it is fairly common to see a handful of college guys along with a few pro scouts.  In the Chesapeake/Va Beach/Suffolk area, kids find themselves in front of coaches quite regularly.

I see a parent who is concerned about his son having a quality high school baseball experience. Regardless of whether or not high school ball has any bearing on playing college ball, high school baseball matters. One of the visuals that will never leave my memory is the conference winning dog pile on a walk off hit. I also remember the big smile on the coach's face. He took a perennial loser to a conference title in three years.

Swampboy said it best that was perfect. FWIW reflecting back, the worrying about where and how much son played on Varsity as a Soph ( he did not) was probably the most wasted worry in the entire journey.Hope he gets playing time on one of the squads and enjoys it.

Good luck will be interesting to see how it all woks out in the end. Your son could have this coach for 3 years that is also a positive. 

My son's HS team was anything but a powerhouse.  Had a few talented kids, but were always in a VERY tough region.  Our hope was just to be one of the top 4 in the region to make it to the playoffs.  He had, what I considered to be a very good coach his freshman year.  He left to go to a program closer to where he lived.  Our next coach was not very good.  Good guy, but not a great coach.  I never worried about it.  I just enjoyed watching my son play baseball.  He enjoyed playing baseball - win or lose.  Of course the winning was better and he and his teammates reveled in the individual wins rather than the season as a whole.  HS baseball should really be about enjoying the time with your friends and supporting your school.  It should be about having an awesome time watching your son play baseball as a parent.  If he plays a lot, great.  If he doesn't play a lot, enjoy the times he does.  

 

If you get too involved in the booster club shenanigans and the jealous, unhappy parents, it can be miserable.  My son's HS days went by SO, SO fast I am glad that I didn't get involved in any of that.  You cannot control the variables - other than helping your son get better so he can increase his chances of playing.  

 

My advice?  Don't worry about what kind of year the team is going to have.  Make it what you want it to be.  Don't get involved in the gossip and attempted political maneuvers.  Practice with your son.  Tell him to be the best he can be and play where the coaches tell him to play.  Then sit back and enjoy.  It will be over before you know it.

When I first started reading this thread I expecting much worse than the OP's situation. I don't think going from a ex college player to an ex college player in a coaching change is recipe for disaster. Three years ago our local HS was coached by the school cop because he was the only one the would take the job. He took the job so he could get his grandson on the team. Then when he covered up his grandsons drug dealing and lost his job as the school cop he could no longer coach. The school board made one of the PE teachers that wasn't coaching anything take the job. His response was and I quote " are you serious. I hate baseball". Now that was a recipe for disaster. And it was, they only had 9 kids play and after the fourth game when one got hurt they canceled the season. Three seniors that had played ball since they were five couldn't play their senior year.

Now they have a teacher that moved to the school that has never played baseball at any level. However he is a fan of the game and loves baseball. The players are so excited about it they have a record number of kids trying out this year. I couldn't imagine getting someone who had played pro ball.

I guess it's in the eyes of the beholder but if my son was in the OP's sons situation. I would be all kinds of excited.

Good advice by Swampboy, read it over a few times.

Why don't you just sit back and enjoy instead of worrying about something that you have no control over. You will look back and be sorry that you worried about this.

IMO, be happy that your son has gotten over his injury and he will have a chance to play and get better and stronger.

 

You live in a place where scouts show up at games. If your son is good he will be get attention. He doesnt have to be on a team that goes to state to get noticed.

 

Make sure your son is on a a competitive summer team and takes the time to get in some showcases where he will be evaluated.

That is a "Nawesome" Story!  All of that turmoil for one school is horrible.  I feel bad for everyone involved.

My sons HS coaches have a saying "if you can hit you don't sit". Say they can teach a kid to field but much harder to teach hitting if kid doesn't have it by the time they get to HS. We do have lots of PO's regardless of whether they can hit though. I'd think if they see him as a pitcher its a smart move to remove him from catching. Sounds like they want his bat & trying to save his arm. Doesn't sound like they're clueless.

Rob T,

 

Perspectives change over time.  You should be fortunate to have a talented son with an opportunity in front of him.  You should be looking forward to this season not dreading it.  

 

The youngest of my three son's will graduate in May.  There is a 50/50 chance this will be his (and mine) last baseball season ever.  His older brother has graduated college and has moved forward with his professonal business career.   None the less, I'm not dreading it at all.  I can't wait to see him play.  All the needless angst over 10 years of high school and college baseball with 3 sons will be over for me and my wife.  It was a fantastic ride, and no doubt will be referred to as the good ol' days.   Enjoy it while you can, because it is better than the alternative.  Good luck!  

Then you have a grandson. Every time you visit you stick a baseball in his left hand. And stretch him out so he'll grow to at least 6'2".

 

My son-in-law is athletic. But he was never into team sports. My daughter said their kids will play baseball/softball and basketball even if she has to coach.

 my son told me they wanted him to work at first 

Here's the thing - my son has never played first base in his life. 

 

Usually coaches ask a kid to try something because they think he might be able to do it 

 

Is your son a lefty?

Lefty catcher?

Sorry, my question was to Will.

To the OP.  Same thing happened to my son last year.  Here's how I see it, he was a MIF with a solid bat.  There were two upper classmen in the MIF last year.  The V coach wanted him in the lineup and 1st was an easy fit, even though he had never (and I mean never) played or practiced at 1st in his life.  It worked out fine.  He started at 1^st the majority of the season, got a few solid innings in the MIF when it was available and even 3rd.  Short version, he contributed to his team, on V, as an under classmen and had a blast doing it.  Looking forward to the spring. 

Daughter gets HUGE atta girl!!