Versatility good or bad

It's good in almost every case, including with my own son. I think it will be good for your son, too. He's a very good athlete and he can do a lot of things. The versatility only creates opportunities rather than limits them. Another guy like this is Riccio Torrez.

I've often wondered if being a jack of all trades and a master of none was better or worse as well. My son is a MIF but opts to not advertise his ability at other positions since it's not where he concentrates his efforts. Seems that college coaches recruit several Short-Stops each year knowing a couple will be moved to other positions.

Everyone pays lip service to it being good, but I think not. Too easy to move them around to plug holes,and however versatile they are, the positions differ and experience makes one better at each. Younger son was versatile and at one top high school showcase, his coach told me the college coaches liked him, but couldn't agree on where he should play (He played 3b, 2b, ss, P, and OF during a 3 day showcase.) In college, he was blessed to start for 4 years, but was DH, then 3B, then 2B, then SS, with a OF or two sprinkled in, and I never felt he really got settled at a position...but, he started for 4 years so who am I to complain.....

Based on what I've seen thus far...the positions most viewed/evaluated/graded are SS, CF, P, C. These positions seem to be the most looked at with 1B for the big hitters. Everything else almost seems secondary. I'd say stay in those positions if able. Just my opinion.

Dougnutman,

My son is struggling with the same issues as a 2014. He is usually moved to a spot where no coach's son plays and pitches the last inning of a tournament (so as not to burn his arm out to play other positions). I think part of the problem is his indecisiveness, but there were definitely summer coaches at the most competitive local program who took advantage of him and moved him to where their kids did not play. My advice is to get him into a summer/fall program where no parents are involved. Unfortunately, we really did not have that choice because the most competitive programs around still have parents involved until summer before senior year.

He is at the point now where he does not know what he is. Within the last year he has seen time at all 9 positions. He is a team player and an agreeable kid - and is now looking like a jack of all trades (master of none).

Good

Our guy was pegged as a left fielder by his 18u travel ball team, although he played SS and 3rd in High School. When he went off to College he was recruited as a 3rd Baseman but played his first season as the starting SS. He changed colleges and was recruited to be the 2B but started at 3rd and was the Ace Pitcher. During Summerball in the CPL he played Short and Second and at times 3rd.
His Junior year he was the 3rd baseman and played short at his CPL team.
Senior year in college he played Second, but was moved to Short mid season and became the starter there.
He was drafted as a second baseman but finds himself behind a 3rd round pick so he is getting innings at both second and third now.

So... Perhaps if he had only played one position he may have been drafted sooner? Or maybe not drafted at all. As it was he has never sat an inning since entering HS, up until now as a pro trying to find an opening to get at bats.

Being able to play multiple positions will only serve him well as he continues on, so long as his primary position remains that of a HITTER.

Versatility is great, but he needs to hit (or get on base) to be valuable to the coach and team. If you hit and you are versatile, you have many options.

DM, I think your son is a good hitting power hitter, if I've read your past post correctly. If so, I think it could only help him to be versatile. It will most likely be his bat that gets him recruited, so being able to move around could make it easier for a coach to slot him into a position. If he has a 1B, you guy could go to the OF or 3B, or visa versa. Unless you're a SS or catcher isn't it offense and speed that gets position players recruited.

I think that being able to play more than one position can never be a negative.

From what I have read on here over the last year or so doesn't this come down to hitter first fielder second?

With the exception of a couple of spots on the field (P,C,SS) but kids on the field need to be able to hit regardless of position. Hit and they will find you a spot to play.

My guess is that the folks on this thread whose kids play all nine spots, etc. is that their stick keeps them on the field somewhere vs. guys on their team they are competing with.

I would think a coach would love to have a hitter with athleticism to play everywhere.
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Guess I should have hit refresh before posting

The game covets two basic skills. For pitchers, they want to see how hard you throw and then they'll consider all those other things. For position players, the skill is hitting. No one recruits defense-only players anymore. Versatility allows a coach more opportunities to get your bat into the lineup and also optimize the overall lineup.

Parents sometimes lament what they don't have rather than being thankful for what they do have. It's better to focus on the blessings of versatility rather than the perceived negative of not optimizing his talent for "one" position. Can your son hit? If the answer is yes, then encourage him to be versatile because it will double, triple, and maybe quadruple his chances of getting into the lineup at the next level.

Ask the coach who is getting his team together and making the final cut what he thinks of versatility.

If you are talking about college projectability then you need to fit a profile for a position on the field. Colleges recruit Pitchers, MIF, CF, C and kids that can hit for power and average who end up in the corners of the field.

Two positions that offensive capability that can be overlooked are SS and CF. You still have to be able to hit, but if you have outstanding speed, range, and arm strength you can get by with lesser offensive skills. Pitchers need velocity or in some cases a funky delivery who get outs.

In the end you need to have skills that standout for a given position and ones that separate you from the pack, versatility means little to a college coach IMO. For position players it is speed, range, arm strength, and the ability to hit for ave. and power. Don’t get me wrong a few kids end up being utility players, but the 9 players being run out on the field day in and day out play generally play one position and excel at it. If you want a college coach to pick you up find something that you excel at, being average in a lot of places on the field will get you nowhere.

A player plays the position the coach determines best suits the team. Therefore, worrying about position is worrying about something that is out of the players control. If a player has hands, an arm, agility and speed it's not going to matter what position he plays. Before all this comes hitting. Half the players in college ball are playing new positions.

The main problem is that he is being moved from SS because the team needs more pitching this year. Not because he was beat out. It is a good thing that he will play first because it will protect his arm. The bad part is that the scouts and coaches that have seen him for the past two years at SS will probably think he can't play there anymore and isn't good enough to play the spot. I just feel that it will hurt his recruitment going into his senior year. College coaches are definitely biased towards SS's. Not first baseman.

Nothing wrong with vesitiltiy, particularly if its a mif and/or catching.

However, the most important factor for a position players is whether or not he can hit college pitching. If you can hit, "they" will find a spot for you.

quote:

Originally posted by Doughnutman:
The main problem is that he is being moved from SS because the team needs more pitching this year. Not because he was beat out. It is a good thing that he will play first because it will protect his arm. The bad part is that the scouts and coaches that have seen him for the past two years at SS will probably think he can't play there anymore and isn't good enough to play the spot. I just feel that it will hurt his recruitment going into his senior year. College coaches are definitely biased towards SS's. Not first baseman.

I really do not think he will have an issue with college coaches. They know what he can do, and they know the reasons he might be at different spots. I understand your concerns, but I think his broad talents will serve him well.

Doughnut,

I think he will be fine. Just play the cards he is dealt with. I assume that he also plays some club ball besides HS ball so he can showcase his other positions there as well.

I remember seeing his PG profile and he can play IF/OF and pitch.. That is a good thing!

Good Luck!

quote:

The bad part is that the scouts and coaches that have seen him for the past two years at SS will probably think he can't play there anymore and isn't good enough to play the spot.

How can you say that?
I am certainly no expert, but I watched jemaz son at Sunken Diamond this year. While I believe he is a middle infielder on the ASU roster(I know he is on the Newport Gulls website) he played left field at Stanford. I only had to watch a few innings to know that is someone I want on a team.
Boy, he plays the game the right way, plays it hard every minute, and he can hit!
I don't mean to put you on the spot but if the ASU coaches seem to recognize and reward the versatility of jemaz' son(and probably love his bat and hard nosed attitude in the line-up everyday), why would you think versatility for your son might be a "bad" thing?

quote:

Originally posted by infielddad:

quote:

The bad part is that the scouts and coaches that have seen him for the past two years at SS will probably think he can't play there anymore and isn't good enough to play the spot.

How can you say that?
I am certainly no expert, but I watched jemaz son at Sunken Diamond this year. While I believe he is a middle infielder on the ASU roster(I know he is on the Newport Gulls website) he played left field at Stanford. I only had to watch a few innings to know that is someone I want on a team.
Boy, he plays the game the right way, plays it hard every minute, and he can hit!
I don't mean to put you on the spot but if the ASU coaches seem to recognize and reward the versatility of jemaz' son(and probably love his bat and hard nosed attitude in the line-up everyday), why would you think versatility for your son might be a "bad" thing?

I am starting not to follow the logic in this thread either. Since when do scouts and coaches base their recruiting decisions on those of the high school coach? My understanding is that they go by what they see. If they see him at a showcase event working out at shortstop, then that should cover him playing somewhere else otherwise. Am I missing something?

I must be missing something too.

What is the purpose of the team? If the team is there to straight up, no doubt go for the win then he plays where he's needed to make the strongest team.

If the team is about showcasing then he should play where he wants to be noticed the most. Let him get his innings at wherever and then move to a secondary position or leave the game.

That being said it doesn't matter. The college / pro scout will make the decision they want to make because they know what they want. Even if they are not sure where he will play at the next level it's better to be the starter at a secondary position than the number one back up at your primary position.

If you're in the game then you have a chance. If you're beside the coach in the dugout you're in trouble. They don't scout for coaches.

I can think of several kids on my son's former showcase team that played certain positions only to never play those same positions in college. A 3b that played catcher. A pitcher that played cf. A ss that played 3b. A catcher that played OF. All of which were drafted. And two of those kids have already been told they will play different positions since drafted.

The ability and the opportunity to play multiple positions is a big plus. It gives the player more experience and options at the next level. It gives coaches the opportunity to see the player show off his ability to play multiple positions. Scouts, College Coaches can see arm strength, athletic ability, the ability to hit, field, etc etc.

We had four guys who were outstanding SS. Two ended up 1st round picks one was a 4th round pick and the other a 5th round pick. Only two of them played SS on a regular basis. And the fact is several other guys could have played SS and done a good job. Heck our 1B was Micheal Roth who never pitched unless we were hammering someone and we were trying to save our better arms.

One of our pitchers was Mack Williamson BaseballBuzz son who was just a 3rd rd pick of the Giants and played CF and dropped bombs for Wake Forest. Our 2B was Tyler Hanover "LSU" who played 3B at LSU. Our 3B was Pratt Maynard who caught at NC State. Our back up catcher utility infielder was Andrew Rash "VA Tech" where he played CF. Our DH went on to be a stopper for UNC "Greg Holt" and was drafted by the Nationals in the 5th rd last year. In fact more guys played other positions in college than they did in HS or on the showcase team.

If you can play you can play. And the more positions you can play the better off you are and the more valuable you are. The starting SS for UNC this season "by mid way of the season" started out as a RF. Played LF, 3B and finally moved to SS when Coyle was moved back to 2B. The fact is college coaches are looking for baseball players. Guys that can hit, throw, field and simply play the game at a high level. They understand the dynamics at play.

By the way no one saw Roth being what he turned out to be as a pitcher at South Carolina. And if Mac Williamson had not torn his labrum he would have been a pitcher only at Wake. And he may have never been given the opportunity to be a full time position player. Sometimes if we just get out of the way and the let the process play out things work out just fine. If they can play they can play. And if they can play we don't need to do a darn thing but let them do their thing. And if they can't play nothing we do is worth a darn either.