Question...Position player or Pitcher

Welcome to the site and you're going to get a ton of great information from very knowledgable people. My opinion is keep working hard to improve all facets of his game and the decision will be made for him. If he has something to offer then the people at the next level will use him as they see fit. We had a guy go in last year's draft and he was truly a prospect at pitching and hitting. Over the season every team had a different thought as to if they wanted him as a pitcher or hitter but overall most liked him as a hitter. The team who drafted him really liked him as a hitter but they told him he was going to pitch. I've seen tons of guys going to college almost in the same boat and the college coach puts them wherever they are needed most or project the most.

Now if you feel it's best for him to pick one over the other to maximize his chance then I say do it now. Have him focus and work on only one aspect of the game to be the absolute best he can be.

Overall though I say let him play whatever the team needs him that day and work on his overall game until the decision is made for him.

LeftyDad,

As long as his arm holds out, I would encourage pitching. But it is your son's decision as some like to play everyday while pitchers have a lot of down time. All I can say is one has a better chance being drafted as a pitcher, and being a lefty is a plus. If son grows to over 6ft, the taller the better for pitchers.

Pop up was a good power rightie, but converted full time to catcher in HS, now he likes catching, but he won't be drafted unless he knocks the cover off the ball. You don't have to worry about the hardest part of baseball if you concentrate on pitching.

A 2015 has yet to face the level of talent needed to discern if he is better off as a pitcher or a hitter regardless of the level he has played at. Coach2709 is right on target. And while Pop Up Hitter dad also has it right, by virtue of his experience, I just don't think your guy has been exposed enough to decide, unless of course he loves one much more than the other. Then he should go with his love.

One other thought, being drafted in nice, but those making it to good money are few and far between. If he is one of the lucky ones with the right connections, timing, and exposure, and oh yeah talent, then make sure he achieves that doing what he likes. My pet peeve with pitching is you are only in the game once every five days. As to PopUp Hitter Dad's son, I'd rather be in the game every pitch, but I'm biased towards catchers . Experiencing so much of the game now versus a dash of hope for the future is much more appealing IMHO.

There is no doubt that pitchers demand more attention than most position Players. More Scholarship $$ will go towards Pitchers (Especially a good Lefty). My guess is his School Coach will have him Pitch first. Luckily he is an Outfielder & if the rest of his game warrants it he can still play the Outfield on days he doesn't pitch. He may not play the Outfield the day after he pitches but should probably see plenty of time out there. My Son is a 2014 & had to give up SS last year. Now he Pitches & plays CF or 1B. The move was the best thing for his Arm & I'm glad we did it. Good Luck

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You don't have to worry about the hardest part of baseball if you concentrate on pitching.

Odd statement....

I would not look to push to get an answer to, what is he, pitcher or position player, too soon. In many ways the "process" of playing HS, Travel and attending showcases will give many answers to that as he goes along. If you follow the recruiting process, those answers usually come in their own time, and the decision might and should become quite apparent.

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Originally posted by YesReally:

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You don't have to worry about the hardest part of baseball if you concentrate on pitching.

Odd statement....

I second that! From the perspective of this proud dad of a D1-bound RHP, I guess the logical corollary to that statement is that if you're an infielder or an outfielder you don't have to worry about having the ball in your hand every play of the game.

To LeftyDad: Seriously, he should go two-way as long as he enjoys it and (according to an objective source) shows promise. It goes without saying that high school LHPs get the attention of college coaches if they show the least bit of projecibility. Good luck & enjoy the ride!

i agree with all the above comments. my son is also a 2015 LHP / CF. he and i have had this exact conversation over the past several years. his response has always been, "dad, i love to play everyday and hit". so my advice would also be to allow your son to follow his heart. if he truly develops as an elite pitcher, then he may have to make a choice down the road. my exerience is that, in high school at least, there are very few pitcher only kids. in our area, all the best athletes are pitchers as well. on the other hand, i do strongly believe that if son is succussful on the mound it will get attention faster than as a CF. only time will tell, but this is our plan. we will continue to become the best pitcher possible while taking as much bp as possible to become the best hitter we can be and then let the chips fall as they may. hopefully this will allow my son to catch someone's attention in two different aspects and not put all our "eggs" in one basket.

Totally agree with shortnquick on this one. Continue to develop both areas of his game would be my suggestion. The game and college level will decide if he moves forward as a position player, pitcher or both. The higher you move up the baseball hierarchy the harder it is to be a two way player. Keep your options open until a college coach tells you where he wants you and needs you.

BTW...If you look at any college roster of about 35 players, you will notice that 50% are pitchers! Just about every kid that my son played elite travel ball with thought they were going to recruited as a D1 two way player. Fast forward three years later...almost all are playing D1 but none are two way players.

On a serious note - we - too - faced this issue with our son. Some will tell you that the game of baseball will decide this for you at some point. Others will say that you cannot devote the time and attention necessary to training to be a pitcher if you are also trying to stay at the top of your game as a position player. While that may be true and we realize that the talent that distinguishes him from the crowd is his pitching - he loves to hit and is a realtively successful power hitter. He ultimately chose a college that seems to want him to pitch and hit. He almost sees pitching as a job he loves and hitting as a hobby he has the luxury to enjoy. IMO the longer you can successfully play both ways and enjoy it - the better. With that said - if there is ever a conflict between pitching opportunites hitting opportunities - for son - pitching prevails.

The next level is looking for two things. 1) Pitching with velocity. 2) Hitting for power and average. Focus on those two things and where he ends up will become self-evident eventually. Get him in the weight room and get bigger stronger faster, work on Long Toss and good pitching mechanics, work on hitting technique. Focus on those two things.

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Originally posted by BOF:
The next level is looking for two things. 1) Pitching with velocity. 2) Hitting for power and average. Focus on those two things and where he ends up will become self-evident eventually. Get him in the weight room and get bigger stronger faster, work on Long Toss and good pitching mechanics, work on hitting technique. Focus on those two things.

I agree with this statement and those that are saying that the decision usually takes care of itself. Everyone covets good left handed pitching and certainly the odds of playing in College are twice as high as a pitcher (probably even higher as a lefty). IMO, too early to limit options, keep working on all aspects of the game. His own preferences may change in the coming years!

Very good advice here.

Key points to remember are:

1. Don't even bother to think about it. Just have him put his head down and work on every aspect of getting better. Someone far smarter than me said it best; control what you can control.

2. When the time comes to make those decisions, they will be made for him not by him. He may find that he can play at one level as a pitcher, another as a postion player and another as a two way guy. He may find that he will be told that if he goes to XYZ U he will play both but never see the field as one type or another (or neither).

As someone who's son has travelled down that path, just have him enjoy each day he's on the field in whatever position he may find himself in and continue to work hard to follow whatever dreams he has in store for himself.

Good luck.

WOW... All great stuff. Our plan has always been for him to keep getting better at every aspect of his game so it is nice to read we are thinking the right way. If asked, at this early stage of his Career, he could not tell you which way he would want to go as he loves to play every day and especially hit, but he also loves to pitch with a passion. For now we will just go forward as stated above and let things develop. He is a highly recruited Frosh at a private Catholic School here in NJ with a long history of State & National Championships and was ranked 23rd by USA Today and 8th by Max Preps in the Nation last year, and projected in the top 20 or better this year. It was stated that the incoming Freshman class arguably could be the best talent pool ever. He is projected to start JV this year in CF/RF. The JV and the Varsity teams will play in the Easter Classic in Las Vegas hosted by Bishop Gorman Easter week. Considering his teammates talent level, and the competition slated for Easter week, we will know right away how talented he really is. Thanks for the all the words of wisdom and please keep the advice and opinions coming, it’s Such Great stuff for us newbie’s.

All points suggested are very good points, however wanted to add a few more that made our decision...

1 - What is going to get you noticed? For OF you need GREAT speed (not just good) and POWER, not just average. Singles and doubles get forgotten by Triples and by others tearing the cover off the ball.

2 - Place yourself at Jupiter Florida in front of scouts your Junior year. Your shot at making a BIG impression. Will the power of the bat and speed stand out above the masses? Or will the Fastball blazing and racking up K's turn more heads?

3 - One thing you don't want to do (IMHO)...Is blend in with the masses in the field for 5 days toiling in the sun swinging as hard as you can then get the call to the mound and NOT be at 100%. Everbody is watching the pitcher since he initiates the play.

2013 was forced to decide. He was a hitter with good average with a great OBP however being left handed, it really limited his positions. 1B, and OF were it. 1B is a Pure Power Hitter (not him), CF is Flat out Speed (not him - good speed but not sub 7), LF is usually a power hitter as well leaving him to compete for RF.

Current coaches are all about the power of the bat. Home Run Hitter with lower BA will beat out a player who hits for average. Quotes Used "if you can hit with power I will have a spot for you"...

Travel coach saw him "in the pack" for OF, however once he got on the mound - that was his calling. THAT was going to make him stand out to colleges not his batting and fielding.

After LOTS of long discussions, he went Pitcher only. This allowed him to focus soley on one aspect and improve greatly vs marginally in two aspects. Does he miss playing everyday, yes. But he wants to play in college. He knows that if he is called, it will be beacuase of his pitching. Also realize LHP's get a discount vs RHP's just due to less out there. Left handed fielders don't get the same discount.

Did he make the right decision? We will let you know this fall. He has gotten looks on the mound that he would not have gotten in the OF.

Good Luck and enjoy the ride....

One more to add...A dropped fly ball can ruin your chances, however a ball at the plate is just one pitch.

2013LeftyDad all good stuff, thanks so much. Best of luck to your son and please keep me posted on his progress.

As a 2015 it's too soon to start considering the forks in the road. That said lefthanded pitching is the most cherished commodity. But your son has to have a passion for the avenue he pursues.

I was a lefty P/CF who enjoyed playing every day too much to choose pitching. But as a college freshman when the coach asked, "Is there a f'n lefty who can come out of the pen and throw strikes?" I reponded. It got me on the field freshman year.

There is no need to do anything right now but continue to work to be the best player he can be. Best pitcher, fielder, hitter he can be. There will come a day when someone else will make the decision for him. He may be a 2 way guy in college. He may be a situational lefty and a position player. He may be good enough to start at a Major college program in the field but not good enough to pitch. Who knows right now? Its way too early to do anything other than work hard and let the chips fall where they fall. Good luck

I take the approach to be his best at every aspect of the game, whether it be bunting, running bases, hitting the opposite way etc. Point being is that the more tools he can develop the better chance he can continue to play the game. Don't just work on baseball skills but also work on the underlying tool such as getting faster, stronger and developing a stronger arm. As much as we don't want to admit it, the game ultimately will decide for him where he belongs. I am not sure we can always control that part of it. For example, the kid who has a great bat but can also pitch will find out soon enough where he should be. If he starts to hit below the mendoza line because he can no longer catch up to the fast ball or can't hit the curve ball then assuming his mecanics are good, he probably won't be able to continue as a position player. Yet, if he hits a certain height and also is throwing at a certain velocity with good command and some good secondary pitches then the game has told him where he belongs.

the problem usually takes care of itself as the player matures--- a kid who can mash and run 6.6 60 won't stay a pitcher for too long

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So the big question is when do we have to make the decision and what are the benefits of position player vs. Pitcher as far as recruitment $$?

Dad, this might sound pretty abrupt, and it could be. My view is your son and you are far too young/early to be thinking and talking about recruitment $$$, unless your son is one of the top 1%-5% of 2015 players.
I would estimate that upwards of 75% of college players are doing that without athletic $$$$.
I could be off, but when we consider D3 and no money, D2 and limited $$$ and D1 with 11.7 and 27 players max on scholarship, the odds are not great.
The other aspect is who knows whether there will be NCAA and/or MLB changes between now and 2015. Many really smart folks are projecting the recent MLB draft changes will force more quality players to college. The result will be less overall dollars for college players, in my view.
Those who suggested your son put his head down and work every single day to be the best position player and best pitcher, in the best possible condition have it right, as I see the future.
None of us can predict the future for you and your son.
Those who have done this can pretty safely predict it likely will be different than what you might hope/expect, if your son isn't the top 5%.
Any guidance I would provide would be to forget college and college scholarships.
Become the best player, best HS player and best pitcher you can, get better every inning, every game and every season.
Be a regular on the HSBBW and finally, lets revisit when your son is getting close to or in 2014.
Good luck to you and especially your son.
While this might have been a wonderful run in his young life, and no matter how you try and "plan" for it at this point, the next years from now to 2015 and beyond are so unpredictable.
In MILB, players are told to learn to focus and pay attention to those baseball items/play on the field they can control, and nothing else.
The advice works so well in professional baseball.
It, in my view, applies at least as well, and probably far better, for the parent of a player in HS.
Good luck to your son.

I cannot disagree with the idea that the game of baseball will ultimately make the decision for you, however, don't allow one program or one coach to make this decision under the guise of the the game making it.

Leftydad,
I agree with others that this is something that will work itself out. Most of the time this decision is made for you by your performance on the field.

The program your son plays for is run by the the number one baseball family in NJ, and maybe the northeast. They are baseball lifers who forgot more than most northeast coaches ever knew. Especially the ones they coach against locally. These guys have seen many LL stars come to their program. It's time for forget his past performances and prepare to compete for playing time. I'm sure your son is not the only superstar they brought in last September and they could care less about those days.

In a very short time they will have your son evaluated and decide to focus him on fielder, pitcher or both. Since they also coach the summer and fall teams for this school they will have a huge influence on your sons career. I believe that's a good thing. This family has been doing this for about 50 years and have helped many players get to college and professional leagues.

My son played for a family member who left the high school about 15 years ago, but from what I've seen they all operate the same way.
Working hard in the off season, progressing year to year, and performing on the field are the only things matter, rightfully so. If your son commits to the program and enhances his talents all the other stuff will take care of itself. Like it always does.

Good luck!

I can understand why a young kid would be a pitcher only on a given team. However, most every high level pitcher at that age plays another position. As time goes on it sorts its way out. Sometimes it sorts out in high school, sometimes in college, sometimes in pro. Sometimes pitchers turn into position players and even more often position players change to pitching in professional baseball.

I'm guessing that at his age it would be difficult to know just how good he might end up being at anything. His current velocity is pretty good. Some who throw that velocity at that age will end up throwing mid 90s. Others will end up throwing low 80s. Also, some who don't hit with power at that age will be big power hitters in 3 or 4 years. Some will run much faster, others won't.

Obviously you have to do what the coaches want and need. They will use players as they see fit. But it's too early to give up on anything at his age.IMO

However, if your son is, or becomes, a pitcher only, it's sure not the end of the world. If he makes the most out of it he will have a bright future. Best of luck!

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Originally posted by fillsfan:
Leftydad,

These guys have seen many LL stars come to their program. It's time for forget his past performances and prepare to compete for playing time. I'm sure your son is not the only superstar they brought in last September and they could care less about those days.



Good luck!

Fillsfan thanks for your thoughts. The family is very Familar with my son as he has played with their Summer and falls teams as well as other Elite Travel programs in the area. Never played LL only Ripken up to age 11, nothing but Elite Travel clubs since. He is very prepared to compete for positions and playing time and looking forward to it. Your right, lots of top talent brought in in Sept. Should be a good ride, thanks.