Player talking to the coach

Really depends on what kind of person the coach is...

1) I think it’s great for kids to learn to advocate for themselves, and I’m very happy to hear you talking about him talking to the coach as opposed to so many parents these days who feel they have to advocate for their kid

2). It’s really great for kids to learn to be versatile.  Some kids literally never play an inning in the Outfield until they get to college.  That’s not exactly a great time to try to learn an entirely new position

3) outfielders are extremely important.  Some of the greatest players of All Time are/were Outfielders (Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Mike Trout, and many more)

4). 8th Grade ball is no big deal, there’ll be another time and place to play in other spots

Having said all that (!) my suggestion is that you encourage your son to talk to the coach.  He should tell the coach how much he’s enjoying playing on the team and how he wants to do whatever he can to help the team win.  He should express that he’d like to continue to develop at several positions, and ask if maybe he can take some reps in practice at his primary position, and if there is a blowout game maybe even play a few innings at that spot.  

Finally, I will say that players *think* they know their primary position, but Baseball decides that, not the player.

Up until high school my son played second base primarily, with some reps in LF

Freshman year of high school they put him at 3B and he played Shortstop in a few games

Senior year of high school, the team had several injuries and my son played at least a few innings at literally every position besides pitcher and catcher.  He had a blast

In college he plays 3B, 1B, and DH

@BB328 posted:

...Would there be an appropriate way  for my son to ask what he needs to do/work on to get some time there and indicate to the coach how hard he has been working on the side to get back into pre injury shape?...

There were times during my son's career he wasn't playing his primary position.  People used to ask me, aren't you upset he's not playing his primary position?  I said without hesitation, "There are 25 guys sitting on the bench, I am just thankful he's playing somewhere."  I never encouraged anyone related to me to talk to the coach.  Tryouts is where a player announces his intentions by trying out for his primary position.  He can tryout next year at that spot while remaining ready in case he's called on this year at the position.

No matter how artfully you craft what seems an innocent question, it comes across as awkward.  Just by asking the way it is phrased, you are saying the only reason his tryout was not up to standards was injury.  Hopefully, the coach knew about the injury before tryouts and if he did, then maybe he's doing him a favor by playing him in the outfield.  Secondly, it assumes no one else is working as hard as your son.  Thirdly, should all players be able to bend the coach's will by indicating how hard they are working on their own to overcome whatever deficiency during tryouts?  How would you feel if the coach inserted some guy at your son's primary position if the player convinced the coach he was working hard on his own?

A player cannot control a coach's decision.  All a player can control is his own attitude and effort.  Gratitude is a good thing.  Being gracious is another.  I think your son has it right.  Leave it alone until he can show his true colors at next tryout.   

In middle school, my son played right field and third base because he could throw the ball in fast.  Now he's a college RHP.  I think your son has a lot of time before he has to pick just one position!  I'd leave it alone for this season and have him try out for a different spot in summer ball.

@ClevelandDad posted:

There were times during my son's career he wasn't playing his primary position.  People used to ask me, aren't you upset he's not playing his primary position?  I said without hesitation, "There are 25 guys sitting on the bench, I am just thankful he's playing somewhere."  I never encouraged anyone related to me to talk to the coach.  Tryouts is where a player announces his intentions by trying out for his primary position.  He can tryout next year at that spot while remaining ready in case he's called on this year at the position.

No matter how artfully you craft what seems an innocent question, it comes across as awkward.  Just by asking the way it is phrased, you are saying the only reason his tryout was not up to standards was injury.  Hopefully, the coach knew about the injury before tryouts and if he did, then maybe he's doing him a favor by playing him in the outfield.  Secondly, it assumes no one else is working as hard as your son.  Thirdly, should all players be able to bend the coach's will by indicating how hard they are working on their own to overcome whatever deficiency during tryouts?  How would you feel if the coach inserted some guy at your son's primary position if the player convinced the coach he was working hard on his own?

A player cannot control a coach's decision.  All a player can control is his own attitude and effort.  Gratitude is a good thing.  Being gracious is another.  I think your son has it right.  Leave it alone until he can show his true colors at next tryout.   

Just to clear I did not mean to knock another kids hard work and dedication to earn a starting position. Perhaps he is just better and more prepared to take on that role right now. I know there are plenty of other kids who are hard working as well.

To the best of my son's ability he has been working on building  skills both at infield and outfield  this year in the off season because he didn't want to lose the opportunity to start somewhere.

It is very positive that he is not on the bench. We have a big team. It's turns out he can track a ball pretty well and being in the OF is less wear and tear on his arm. So it's another way he can contribute to the team.

His attitude has been great, he's embraced his role and he's made some great plays in the OF. He doesn't pout, sulk or complain.  He is a leader and helps the younger kids on the team.

My son has expressed to me that he is afraid that he will get pigeon holed into a single position in school ball in the upcoming years. From what I can see the ms and hs coaches here all talk, generally work together and don't really move kids around that much.

I  thought by encouraging him to talk with the coach it might leave the door open for the opportunity in the future especially when the coach had previously indicated he may get time at his primary position. Ultimately it's my son's choice whether he talks to the coach. But I think getting feedback and suggestions for improvement would be helpful and it would be great for him to learn to communicate more with his coaches in general.

My objective by posting here was I know there are a lot experienced coaches and parents here and I wanted to see if it was a good or bad idea to encourage him to have this conversation.  And if other members here felt it was ok. What would be an appropriate way to do so.

BB328

What is his "primary" position? What is his speed in the 30 yd, 60 yd, home to 1B?

As a Coach, I placed players in defense positions where they could help the team compete. Do you know the phase "range work"?

Bob

@RHP_Parent posted:

..................................

  I'd leave it alone for this season and have him try out for a different spot in summer ball.

Exactly.  Short season and your son has not been 100% healthy yet.  Besides there are other players on the team that factor into the coaches lineup and plans.   I'd put the idea of "primary position" to the side and have your son ask what he is doing well and what does he need to improve upon.  Use that information to focus on what needs to be done.   

My 3 sons had many different coaches (Rec/Travel/Legion/High school, etc...) over the years, and the advice was always similar....hit the ball more consistently and hit for more power.   Very rarely did they focus on defense, unless it had to do with pitching.   The message was you hit the ball well, and we'll find a place to put you.

Just my experience.....

@BB328 posted:

My objective by posting here was I know there are a lot experienced coaches and parents here and I wanted to see if it was a good or bad idea to encourage him to have this conversation.  And if other members here felt it was ok. What would be an appropriate way to do so.

Your post is why I understand so many talented players get to college and can't perform as expected. I also am not clear on who really feels your son is in the wrong place on the field, is it him or you?

I know times are different but your son is in 8th grade! In 8th grade son was playing different positions as well as different sports. In HS he played multi positions but the decision was finally made he would be a PO. He wasn't happy with that decision but, oh well!

I have known ClevelandDad for quite sometime. His son and my son played against each other in college.  You dont have to agree, but I would listen to what he has to say. Question, does your son play summer or travel ball and for who? The school coaches?

If it were my son, I would definetly wait until he reaches HS and fully recovered from injury.

Please do not take this response personally. What you should relay to your son is be patient, HS is right around the corner.

JMO

I don't think there is anything wrong with having the conversation, he just needs to be prepared to accept the response. I also agree that it is great to encourage him to have this conversation himself rather than you calling the coach.

School ball is about the team and kids play out of position all the time. My son's HS team has 6 D1 committed OF's. 3 of them are out of position every game, and sometimes 1 or 2 aren't even in the lineup.

I agree with above.  Listen to your son.  The problem with many players is their parents/friends/girlfriends and others tell them they should not be happy where they are so they become unhappy.  I had a girlfriend of a great player come stand with me and another guy last weekend and badmouth the coaches and their decisions on how long her boyfriend pitched and got to warmup and so on.  I finally said you need to get over yourself and let him enjoy the ride.  He is getting to pitch in the sec and that is a blessing.  I can name 5 guys in the dugout that would love the opportunity to pitch.  He asked to pitch and he is getting to pitch whether one batter or 3 innings, let him be happy with what he gets.  Interestingly my son got 1 pitch that game in a critical spot and was done.  I just looked at her and laughed.  She finally smiled.  Let him enjoy the ride.  If he feels the need to talk, then encourage him to go with his feelings but don't push it.  You might push him right to the bench.

A player will only get pigeon holed into positions the coach believes he can play. Pitcher and catcher are a little unique. Otherwise it’s middle of the field and corner of the field.

My son was the all conference shortstop his first year (soph) of varsity. Junior year the coach found out he was moved to center on his 17u team post soon summer. He was told he would play short or center depending on which new soph won short or outfield. He was the better shortstop. The new shortstop was a far superior hitter than the outfielder he beat out.

My son was recruited to college ball as an outfielder. He was moved to second. Soph year he was moved to center.  Junior year he was moved to right until he had a foot injury and was moved to first.

Here’s how it all nets out … You hit, you play.

When I started a 13u travel team I recruited a bunch of former LL studs from our eighteen league district. Every right handed fielder was a shortstop. In our first practice I let them express their preferred position. Every right handed said short. I explained there are nine positions out there (field). Everyone one of them is better than a position in here (dugout).

In middle school I put a serrated knife  through the ring finger of my throwing hand trying to dislodge a frozen steak umm from other frozen steak umms.  This happened at the start of tryouts.  All these years later and with all I went through in 7th grade my son is still a stud.  What is my point? Enjoy 8th grade baseball but YES have your son speak to the coach.  It’s a good life lesson at a minimum.

I disagree with telling an 8th grader in middle school to speak to the coach. This opens the door for the player to speak up whenever he feels he isn't in the right position.

JMO

Some coaches are better at communicating than others. So no matter how your son approached such a conversation, he might or might not get a satisfactory answer. You say your son doesn't think it's appropriate to ask, he probably has a feel for this.  Go with his feeling.

Will he catch for his summer team?

In HS, many coaches have end-of-season conversations with each player. To me, that would be the time to bring it up. But, your son is in middle school, it's a different situation. Still, if your son will be playing for the middle school coach in the summer, that's another good time for him to ask if he can do some catching.

An 8th grader should be able to talk to his coaches. If there is an exit interview, I'd encourage him to ask where they see him on the field moving forward and ask them what they want him to do in the offseason in order to help the team. I think an 8th grader can politely and respectfully ask a question about a certain position as long as he can receive feedback that isn't easy to hear. And, if he irritates them because of his questions or just the way he asked them, consider it a learning experience. I do not think the parents should approach he coaches on this subject- I haven't seen a positive outcome for the player when this happens.

@BaseballGhostMom posted:

An 8th grader should be able to talk to his coaches. If there is an exit interview, I'd encourage him to ask where they see him on the field moving forward and ask them what they want him to do in the offseason in order to help the team. I think an 8th grader can politely and respectfully ask a question about a certain position as long as he can receive feedback that isn't easy to hear. And, if he irritates them because of his questions or just the way he asked them, consider it a learning experience. I do not think the parents should approach he coaches on this subject- I haven't seen a positive outcome for the player when this happens.

Do they do exit interviews in 8th grade.

If it's close to the end of the season, your son could approach the coach for convetsation but since he seems reluctant to do so, he knows more about the coach than we do!

So he is a good outfielder, how well does he hit?

All the advice is sound and makes sense except maybe the steak umms and stud comment and  lol. I am alot newer to this then everyone here but appreciate the constructive advice.

It's been a frustrating time for my son but I do believe he's grown from it and definitely is becoming a more well rounded player in the process.

I do very much like the idea of him asking the coach what he is doing well and what he could do better unrelated to playing time in a certain position. It would really help focus his training a bit better.

But in the end it's his journey and his decision how to approach things or let them lie.

  I won't lie it's been frustrating because my son has put a ton of training into his primary position for several years and loves it. We collectively were disappointed. But he's taking pride in his new role and I think that's the right attitude.

What I am trying to do is release my expectations of where he might play in field or how he will do at the plate based on last season. With puberty, players developing at different rates, and injury this year everything is changing so quickly.

I think it just depends on the kid. Maybe he struggles with speaking up or with speaking to adults/coaches and his parent is encouraging growth. But seeing that he might be a catcher....catchers are usually very comfortable with talking to coaches. If that's the case, I'd definitely take his lead on when to approach.

As the parent of a catcher I understand your feelings about the years of training. It takes a long time (and money) to grow a catcher! I, too, would struggle with the transition into a different position. Hopefully his summer ball team will be a good spot for him to keep growing in that position, and I'd definitely consider it a blessing in disguise for his arm to not get as much use in the spring. Steak umms threw me off too, but I hope there were stitches involved

@BB328 posted:

All the advice is sound and makes sense except maybe the steak umms and stud comment and  lol. I am alot newer to this then everyone here but appreciate the constructive advice.

Don't pay attention to THAT GUY!

Something to remember, your son is in 8th GRADE!

I would also say to every parent of a catcher. Make sure your son can play other positions. I have seen too many kids who were ONLY catchers get left out. Normally only one per team in HS.  There can only be probably two catchers per team in college and a bullpen catcher, who normally never gets promoted.  All it takes is for someone really good to move in, transfer in, or a fielder bounced out of their position, who has a cannon for an arm, to decide he wants to play catcher some.   there are two positions on the field that kids get stuck in. First base and catcher.

I don’t know how normal this is. The varsity coach for the high school was a middle school teacher. When he got the job he started occasionally having lunch with the kids he expected to play varsity at some point in the future. My son said he felt he could talk about anything.

I believe the big strategy was keeping players from leaving for privates and Catholics in high school. He ran a couple of 8th grade practices and attended a couple of games.

My son was the heir apparent for varsity shortstop. One game the varsity coach asked the 8th grade coach to have him catch a few innings. He hadn’t caught regularly since LL all stars and a handful of innings in 13u.

The coach knew he didn’t have a viable catcher the following year. He ultimately went with moving the senior, good hands, starting second baseman to catcher.

My son was a primary catcher preHS. At HS, he spent time at almost every position except on the bump. Played DH too. He went to his college camp as a catcher and played RF as freshman.

A long read....bare with me.....

My (baseball playing) son wanted to play the drums.

So, I had him take several years of weekly piano lessons so he could learn to read music (plus we HAD a piano, and we didn't have drums).

Then we moved on to private drum lessons the year before middle school, where his elective would be band.  We invested in the lessons and a snare drum..... and the silencer. 

At tryouts, I thought he would be a shoo-in for drums, especially after years of piano and drum lessons.  He came home that night and said, proudly, that he will be playing the trombone.  Trombone??  Huh?  Because HE COULD PUCKER said the teacher and not everyone could pucker!  (insert snicker)

We invested in a used trombone and he played trombone for 6th and 7th grade.  On the last day of 7th grade he was trudging up the hill from the bus stop with a HUGE black monstrosity.  A TUBA.  A loaner for him to play around with during the summer.  It was a looooong summer.

He learned the tuba pretty well and played by ear several popular tunes by the end of the summer and it was fun watching him in the concerts at Christmas and the end of the year.  Did you know there are tuba solos?

All this to say, be versatile.  Trust the teachers/coaches.  Enjoy where you are.  My son played SS on almost every team after LL, except when he was playing on teams where player's dads coached.  He played SS on the JV and varsity teams.  He was recruited to play in college as a SS.  But, he played 2B in college, with some SS on the side.  He was drafted as a 2B, but played 2B, SS, 3B, 1B, RF, and LF.   In every instance, IF YOU HIT YOU WILL PLAY.

Invest in the lessons, but be willing to play the tuba.

@keewart posted:

A long read....bare with me.....

My (baseball playing) son wanted to play the drums.

.....................................................................

All this to say, be versatile.  Trust the teachers/coaches.  Enjoy where you are.  My son played SS on almost every team after LL, except when he was playing on teams where player's dads coached.  He played SS on the JV and varsity teams.  He was recruited to play in college as a SS.  But, he played 2B in college, with some SS on the side.  He was drafted as a 2B, but played 2B, SS, 3B, 1B, RF, and LF.   In every instance, IF YOU HIT YOU WILL PLAY.

Invest in the lessons, but be willing to play the tuba.

Great analogy!

However, there was no mention of golf lessons in there, anywhere?    BTW, Keewart's son hit a hole in one a couple weeks ago on the golf course.    This speaks volumes to being versatile and talented.

@keewart wrote, “Invest in the lessons, but be willing to play the tuba.”

I absolutely love this! What a great line!!

Does anyone have any stories of positive outcomes that resulted from a player speaking with a coach? My son has spoken to different coaches at various times about what he can get do to get on the field, what they'd like him to work on, etc. The coaches he's spoken to have always been vague. Basically saying continue to work hard, get stronger, faster, stay positive, etc. He does what he's asked, yet nothing ever really happens or changes. This just seems like poor coaching. As a teacher, if a student were to ask me what they needed to do to raise their grade I have specific steps on what they would need to do. If a student was willing to put in the work, I was more than willing to let them have the opportunity to raise their grade.

I've had some with players when I coached HS but it was in daily conversation not in a meeting format.  But I can tell you there was never a positive conversation with me and a parent.  Told a few to either go back to stands, relatively and physically, or take their kid and go home.

I think the conversations come out of the relationship.  The meetings don't normally go good because everyone is put on edge.  When a player says, Coach can I talk with you the coach goes on the defense.  In practice, when the player and coach are just talking, which they should do if there is relationship, the player can ask the questions in the right way.  If there is no relationship, the questions are kinda meaningless.  I've always taught my sons to build relationships with their coaches, and now that two are coaches with their players.  If the players can't do that, it will be a long season or seasons.

I agree with @PitchingFan about the importance of building a relationship between the player and coach. However, I believe the current state of the game is working against that. College baseball has become more transactional and business like - especially at the highest level of D1. The general over-supply of players, the transfer portal, and over-recruiting are all factors that don’t favor relationship development. IMO you are most likely to develop a relationship with your coaches at the JuCo & D3 levels. It’s less likely to happen at D2 & NAIA. And much less likely to happen at D1. That’s how I see it. Of course, there are always exceptions.  

@Momball11 posted:

Does anyone have any stories of positive outcomes that resulted from a player speaking with a coach? My son has spoken to different coaches at various times about what he can get do to get on the field, what they'd like him to work on, etc. The coaches he's spoken to have always been vague. Basically saying continue to work hard, get stronger, faster, stay positive, etc. He does what he's asked, yet nothing ever really happens or changes. This just seems like poor coaching. As a teacher, if a student were to ask me what they needed to do to raise their grade I have specific steps on what they would need to do. If a student was willing to put in the work, I was more than willing to let them have the opportunity to raise their grade.

I coached from kiddie ball 7-12yo rec and 9u-16u travel. To be honest every kid who ever came to me (or worse the parent came to me) asking what they could do to earn a specific position had an unrealistic view they could play that position supported by a parent.

The worst year was 13u when a couple of parents didn’t understand their kid didn’t have the speed, quickness and/or range to play short or center on the big field. I got tired of the hassle and didn’t invite either kid back for 14u.

One situation was a fatherless player. The mother approached me about things a parent should never approach a coach (playing time, position, place in the batting order). She was under the impression she needed to advocate for her son because she felt I must have been having those conversations with the other player’s dads. She even had the nerve to come into the dugout mid game one time.

In high school my son was afraid of his coach soph year. They barely spoke. But after an all conference soph year and a hot start junior year all of a sudden he felt he could joke with the coach. His performance on the field earned him the access.

The only real conversation they had soph year was the end of season exit discussion. The coach told him he expected a big junior year. When my son came home that night he said until then he didn’t know if the coach liked him or not.

In college he said he had two real discussions with his head coach. The first one was about where he might be drafted. The second was an introduction meeting with the new coach because my son was a returning starter. Ongoing conversations were with assistants.

My son was on varsity as a freshman, but didn't play much.  He didn't understand all of the decisions.  I know he had an exit interview with the coach, but I don't know/remember what he said, or what the coach said (getting it filtered through a 15-year-old - hmmph).  Sophomore year and after he was a starter, he played different roles each year, depending on the other players and what the team needed.

I agree with PF that many coaches are put on the defensive by any type of question about playing time.  And how can a player or coach talk about this without mentioning other players?  It's the right thing for a coach not to talk about other players, so then he necessarily has to be vague:  get stronger, faster, etc.

Some great responses on this thread from 2017:  https://community.hsbaseballwe...king-to-coach?page=1

@Momball11 posted:

Does anyone have any stories of positive outcomes that resulted from a player speaking with a coach? My son has spoken to different coaches at various times about what he can get do to get on the field, what they'd like him to work on, etc. The coaches he's spoken to have always been vague. Basically saying continue to work hard, get stronger, faster, stay positive, etc. He does what he's asked, yet nothing ever really happens or changes. This just seems like poor coaching. As a teacher, if a student were to ask me what they needed to do to raise their grade I have specific steps on what they would need to do. If a student was willing to put in the work, I was more than willing to let them have the opportunity to raise their grade.

Yes.  My son approached his 14U travel coach (at the end of the season) about playing in the field and hitting more in 15U as he played the field and hit 3 or 4 on his JV high school team (8th graders can play JV).  We've known the travel coach for a long time and he gave my son the best answer and honest feedback that motivated him even more.   This would end up being a milestone in his baseball journey

He said my son had a great feel for the game, and knew when to throw certain pitches especially his change up that many times resulted in a ground ball or double play.   The coach was very much in tune with what my son was doing on the mound, and told him his ticket to college baseball was on the mound not in the field.  He was 100% right despite my son's further objections about playing the field and hitting.   He added that my son's velocity was elite for this age, but that he wanted him to go deeper into games with his 3 pitches (FB, Cutter, ChangeUp).   He needed him to get in better shape and work on his pitching endurance.  His travel coach had recommended that my son try out for a new national travel/showcase 15U team that was being formed and that his son was trying out for the same team.   This national travel team  ended up being the path to more competition, exposure, opportunity, and instruction.  This team would go on to win the PG National 16U WWBA.

The advice his former coach gave him was priceless.  He saw things we didn't see at the time, but we would eventually see.   

Just my experience....

@fenwaysouth, that’s a great testimony to listening to good advice from someone that knows more than you do. It seems to me that went on much more in years past than it does now. I advise a lot of players and parents. The ones that listen to me and follow my advice tend to have good results. But a lot of players/parents don’t listen to my advice or any other advice that they don’t agree with. And they tend to not have good experiences - at least not in the beginning. I consider the people that frequent this board to not be in that category for the most part. But I do wonder why so many players/parents now think they know better.

@keewart

My son is definitely willing to play the tuba lol metaphorically speaking.

In fact the focus this year in the off season was to practice skills in the outfield and infield to become a more well rounded player.

A few years ago he was basically  thrown into being a catcher it was a trial by fire. He ended up catching almost every game that summer and the majority of them last summer. He loved it so we invested in training and he focused heavily on that for the past 2 years.

But his travel ball coaches who have been around the block  encouraged him to become more versatile. He played and practiced multiple positions during winter workouts.

Regarding hitting he's a pretty good hitter with good EV usually placed in the upper part of the order but needs to develop more power and muscles like most 14 yos.

He choose a really competitive (not school related) summer team. He moved up a level after the fall. They have too many options for catcher so competition will be tough. They are all good players and all can hit. Being realistic he may only get behind the plate as a guest player locally. That's why I thought it might be good for him to have a conversation with the school coach.

We've encouraged him to continue his catching training because he loves it. However catching can be all encompassing and can take away from developing other skill sets if your player is good but not elite with a plus arm.

I keep going back to the fact as a parent it's great to practice non attachment (like Buddha says) to any one idea about where my son will end up in the field and be steady in your support and encouragement.

In baseball there are so many ups and downs and twists and turns who knows where he will end up.

@RJM posted:

I coached from kiddie ball 7-12yo rec and 9u-16u travel. To be honest every kid who ever came to me (or worse the parent came to me) asking what they could do to earn a specific position had an unrealistic view they could play that position supported by a parent.

This is probably a common occurrence for sure.

I'm just sitting as a parent observer and letting everything play out between my son and his coach. I don't think it's an issue with unrealistic expectations. This is a top ranked team for the largest school division within our state. I think it's more an issue of there being too few spots and too many good players. This will be the third year my son has been on varsity. Granted first year there was no play time, but that was expected. Fortunately they let him get play time with JV. My son's an introvert, so I appreciate @PitchingFan's thoughts. It will give him something to work on. The coach has made a concerted effort and gone out of his way to tell me how he appreciates my son.

I just find it interesting that too often the advice is for the player to have a conversation with the coach and this is exactly what coaches request a player do (as announced at the start of the season meeting with parents). Yet, in reality the coach doesn't provide specific answers and/or they act as if they don't want to be asked.

So advice. Been asking around, albeit carefully. The recommendations from other coaches have been to have my son transfer because he's not getting fair treatment and he'd be playing at any other school in the state. Unfortunately, the damage of him having little play time in HS will unfortunately be a potential red flag. I know it's not the end of the world sort of damage, but let's face it....it is a red flag. So I guess the thing to do is for him to just keep grinding and rely on continued success during travel?

Being able to play Catcher will absolutely open a ton of doors in College.  It’s a huge plus.  Definitely keep him training in learning the Catcher position regardless of where else he plays moving forward

Not having the wear and tear of playing Catcher very often in meaningless Travel Ball games in the next few years is also a huge plus

Try to see it as a win win

@Momball11 posted:

Does anyone have any stories of positive outcomes that resulted from a player speaking with a coach? My son has spoken to different coaches at various times about what he can get do to get on the field, what they'd like him to work on, etc. The coaches he's spoken to have always been vague. Basically saying continue to work hard, get stronger, faster, stay positive, etc. He does what he's asked, yet nothing ever really happens or changes. This just seems like poor coaching. As a teacher, if a student were to ask me what they needed to do to raise their grade I have specific steps on what they would need to do. If a student was willing to put in the work, I was more than willing to let them have the opportunity to raise their grade.

What isn't communicated and probably should be was the part that the player had to get faster and stronger than the others he is competing against.   It doesnt matter if you improved from a 7.2 to a 6.7 running the 60 if the other kid is at 6.5 or if you exit velo jumped 10 mph if the other kid jumped 15.   Its what you have to do relative to all others.

@NewUmpire posted:

What isn't communicated and probably should be was the part that the player had to get faster and stronger than the others he is competing against.   It doesnt matter if you improved from a 7.2 to a 6.7 running the 60 if the other kid is at 6.5 or if you exit velo jumped 10 mph if the other kid jumped 15.   Its what you have to do relative to all others.

Yes, absolutely. Son did improve to the point he was either best or second best in all that could be measured. This was a big factor for why others advised transferring.

@NewUmpire posted:

What isn't communicated and probably should be was the part that the player had to get faster and stronger than the others he is competing against.   It doesnt matter if you improved from a 7.2 to a 6.7 running the 60 if the other kid is at 6.5 or if you exit velo jumped 10 mph if the other kid jumped 15.   Its what you have to do relative to all others.

Please don’t take this personally, but this advice that specifically focuses on improving metrics is exactly why so many players now have a low baseball IQ. Good metrics alone do not make a good player. To address the examples given, most players would be better served to learn how to improve their baserunning (and reads off the bat) than working on straight line speed. They would also be better served to improve their situational hitting, going opposite field, and bunting than trying to achieve higher exit velo. The people that embrace what I just said are the ones that have a better chance of improving - and maybe getting on the field more often.