Primary Position

Why not have your son email the schools that have contacted and ask them with regard to what position they see him at in their program. You and he might be surprised at the answers he gets

Allow me to give you an example: we have a player with us who was a secondbaseman before his HS coach had him play CF last spring because of team needs--a coach who is very interested in him , the boy is doing an overnight there this weekend, called me and asked if we could have him run thru infield practice before next weeks first tournament game so he can see him there at second as he needs a second baseman for next season. The boy is our centerfielder because of his 6.8 foot speed---he gives us three outfielders with under 7.0 footspeed
in the outfield at the same time--our pitchers truly like that setup

What position is his passion? There lies the answer.

He's not sure - I think as far as he's concerned any of them are fine as long as he's playing. Personally, I don't think he would be happy being a Pitcher only - but I'm sure he would do it if it was his only option.

sportsmomof2,
Good question. My son was much like yours. He was primarily a P/C but did play the corners too. I'm not a big proponent of two way players but it does provide additional options in many cases. "We" discussed this and my son went with catcher as his primary position and pitcher as the secondary. The reason being ---- if selected as a pitcher many colleges would NEVER give him a chance to play another position or to bat. He would end up being a "pitcher only" and he didn't want to do that. It is easier (and common) for a coach to "ask" a position player to help out in the pitching rotation or to be a closer. My son caught his freshman year of college and was considered a good hitter and was called on to come from behind the plate and close a few games. He was moved from behind the plate to pitch his sophomore year as a starter but continued to hit since he had already established himself as a hitter. He was given the option to catch, pitch, or do both his junior year. He chose to catch only and never pitched again.
Fungo

My son was a P-CIF in HS, he had the tools to go in either direction, his college coach made that call for him. He hasn't hasn't faced live pitching since 2003. Does he regret it? I don't think so. He was challenged to be the best on the bump, and that was his goal, and that's where his focus was directed.

rz1, Did your son showcase? And did he showcase at more than one position? If so what did he list as his primary position?
Fungo

I believe I asked this same question over 3 years ago.

And the college coach will make that decision for you.

Although, the advice I recieved here on the HSBBW made myself understand. Meaning ( How good could you become if you concentrated on just one position )
Pitcher VS. an Everyday player.

My son was a very good hitter, but also a LHP. end of story.

He's a LHP in college.

He did get a chance to hit a couple times in summer ball this year.

His first time facing live pitching since 2006.
And drove a deep Flyout line drive to Right Center.
To me that proved he still had good hand eye cordination.
And hasn't lost to much of his timing on the ball.

But he will never see the bat in college.

EH

It's all depends what kind of tools he got. If he can throw high 80s to low 90s with good control, focus on the pitching side. Otherwise, he should try to be a position player. If he is a good hitter, coaches will find a position for him, catcher or corner infielder.

quote:

Originally posted by Fungo:
rz1, Did your son showcase? And did he showcase at more than one position? If so what did he list as his primary position?
Fungo

He did a TeamOne showcase at Notre Dame after his Soph summer and a pre-draft showcase with PG, that's it....I think . He played maybe 20 games with a travel team and the WWBC most of which occurred after he verbally committed. We were "old school" in WI in regard to recruiting, not a baseball hotbed. Ryan promoted himself to schools, had a great list of references who spoke highly of him, and a HS coach who went the extra mile. He maxed out his official visits to colleges around the country, without showcases and without summer filled travel teams. I don't think Ryan ever got to use the PG service as a recruiting tool, we were ignorant to it's existence during the early recruiting days. Ryan used a recruiting website he built and maintained. It was a life lesson in self promotion, not your typical recruiting story, not a path I would recommend today.

The one recruiting showcase he did have pitching as his primary and CIF as a secondary.

Good advice from all the above.

Think about having your son showcase at the position he feels most comfortable at and enjoys the most.

Although he played some 3rd, my son showcased as a MI.
With that said,....most common question asked to him, " Can ya pitch? "