Turns out the little guys aren't durable

I would chalk this up to everything working out and your son ending up where he needed to be at this time.  He has coaches that really care, has extra time to grow/show his skills and will have the ability to sit back and in a year or two, choose the D-1 program that is the best fit for him.

Congratulations to him on making the best of a bad situation.  Reading your post, I just have an overwhelming feeling that this is the way it was supposed to be.

It has nothing to do with the "durability" of a little guy.  Sounds like that kind of tackle could have done anyone in. Look at what happened to Buster Posey a few years back.  So happy to hear he's recuperating - here's to a successful senior season!

Anything can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. My son was 6'1" 165 post junior year summer. He tried to score on a short distance wild pitch. The pitcher didn't react. The catcher dove at him, hit him in the knee and tore his MCL and PCL. What are the odds? Then in fall, (now 175) during rehab he fell on his shoulder and separated it requiring surgery. In college he got stepped on and his foot broke requiring two surgeries after he continued to play on it and it didn't mend properly. At this point he was 6'2" 195.

i know kids who are 5'9" 175 who would bite the nails off the wall and spit them back at you to win. Injuries are sometimes conditioning and sometimes fate. My son's knee and foot injuries were fate. His shoulder separation was a result of fate and wear and tear. It wasn't excessive pitching. It was just from constant year round sports being a physical athlete.

BaseballChauffeur posted:

As my friends on here know, my 2017 catcher is a late bloomer.  The recruiting road has been an adventure.  Has received interest and visits from all levels from D1-JUCO, though only a few offers (and not from the big schools, despite all conference, district and area awards; has good grades and average test scores).  He's a bit sick of hearing "I love how you play, but I don't believe you're durable enough for the next level."   

When we're talking about durability for a catcher, it's not referring to the ability to avoid traumatic injuries like this one. It's referring to the body's ability to withstand the constant physical torment that catchers face, and the chronic issues that can go along with them. It's referring to his knees and shoulder being able to play almost every day with all of the lower-body movement and throwing catchers do.

BaseballChauffeur,

Glad to hear everything is working out, and your son is on the road to a healthy return.

Yes, there is a reason coaches are looking for a specific frame or body type for college positions and beyond when recruiting.   We came across it first hand  6-7 years ago when my oldest son was being recruited as a RHP.  He had the velocity but did not have the projected frame for elite D1 programs.  Initially, this was a hard pill to swallow for us.   As it turns out, the elite D1 recruiting coaches were right.  There was significantly less risk taking one of his travel teammates at 6'4" 235 than it was to take him at 6'1" 185 with all things baseball being equal.   As this door closed, another door opened up and it was the best door possible for him.  He understands now, how important that projected frame is for these experienced coaches.  They see these recruits year after year, and the tale of the tape and stopwatch rarely lies. 

Thanks everyone for the kind words.  He had a great visit and verbally committed yesterday.  It took him a bit of time to work up the nerve to call other coaches and thank them for their time and offers, but they were very understanding and one coach told him he'll still be following him for the next two years.  

Matt, thank you for the explanation.  I figured the "durability" stated had to do with collisions.  I guess I follow the reasoning for bigger is better, but it seems like the little dudes in top shape that move like cats would suffer less injuries with the constant up/down that the position requires.  However, I also understand that son's size is just way too small.  The fact that he received the attention he has at 150 lbs (after 2 solid years of heavy lifting and weight gaining eating) was pretty amazing.   

Congrats!