No, I think the majors will still treat players the same way they do now.
I just think that the changes we are seeing in college baseball will make some of these two way players very desirable, much to the detriment of their future development.
quote:Originally posted by FrankF:
infielddad,
Your instances involve mostly infieldpositions which I agree are somewhat interchangeable. My premise mostly involved the catching and pitching aspects which IMO is a much bigger adjustment which you also acknowledged.
Listening to the draft, there were many players chosen at other than the positions they played in HS and college. Many SS are moved to 2B at the next level.
Frank, for the most part, I agree the adjustment between pitching/catching is more difficult, if not impossible.
From talking with our son and his friends,including the Stanford grad, rotating between the left and right side of the infield is much harder than it appears. It is especially difficult because of the mechanics and footwork around 2B on the double play.
When you watch them do it on a daily basis, however, they sure seem to make the transition pretty smoothly.
Maybe it's because those that rotate infield positions are more athletic????
There will likely always be some 2-way guys on college teams. But the higher you go, the harder it is to keep up with both jobs, in terms of conditioning, preparation, and being able to rise to the level of your competition and perform well enough to keep both jobs. It's hard enough to land one job on a team and keep it, let alone two.
As one example, I think most people would tell you that Sean Doolittle at UVA wore down and underperformed both as a LHP and as an offensive player last year. Had he done only one and not the other, his numbers most likely would've been markedly better in the chosen position.
Most 2-way guys I see pitch as relievers, not as weekend starters. Doolittle was an exception as was Owings. It's just tough to play a position when you went 110 pitches yesterday.
As for the impact of the new NCAA rules on recruiting, I do see a new emphasis on recruiting utility guys -- the bench player who can fill in at several positions, serving as an insurance policy in case of injury to any one of 3-4 starters. E.g., a guy who can handle infield AND outfield, or maybe serve as the emergency catcher. He may not be the projected starter at any one position, but he may end up starting a lot of games by the time a season runs its course.
As one example, I think most people would tell you that Sean Doolittle at UVA wore down and underperformed both as a LHP and as an offensive player last year. Had he done only one and not the other, his numbers most likely would've been markedly better in the chosen position.
Most 2-way guys I see pitch as relievers, not as weekend starters. Doolittle was an exception as was Owings. It's just tough to play a position when you went 110 pitches yesterday.
As for the impact of the new NCAA rules on recruiting, I do see a new emphasis on recruiting utility guys -- the bench player who can fill in at several positions, serving as an insurance policy in case of injury to any one of 3-4 starters. E.g., a guy who can handle infield AND outfield, or maybe serve as the emergency catcher. He may not be the projected starter at any one position, but he may end up starting a lot of games by the time a season runs its course.
In this scouting process we both (son and I) are learning from the colleges what THEY see my son playing in THEIR eyes. My son loves playing everyday as an infielder but he also loves to toe the rubber equally as much. He has come to a tough conclusion that he may pitch at the next level be it every 4 or 5 days (if he isn't used in another capacity).
About Owings. I saw him hit a ball during HS playoff's that truly traveled about 425ft easily and pitched during the game hitting 92-93 all game long. He needed only 1 more bomb to break the National HS record for homeruns during a HS career (69) I believe it is. At 6'5 he is a monster with raw power and talent. My son happened to be in the room the other day when Micah called his old HS coach and on speaker phone mentioned that they (Ariz) asked him what he thought about playing some outfield. There you go.
About Owings. I saw him hit a ball during HS playoff's that truly traveled about 425ft easily and pitched during the game hitting 92-93 all game long. He needed only 1 more bomb to break the National HS record for homeruns during a HS career (69) I believe it is. At 6'5 he is a monster with raw power and talent. My son happened to be in the room the other day when Micah called his old HS coach and on speaker phone mentioned that they (Ariz) asked him what he thought about playing some outfield. There you go.