When did a player become a certain position only

It may be this year. He has caught a lot of innings the past 2 seasons and his bump time has evaporated. They alternate him on the corner OF but they used him on RF in the 60/90 because of his speed and arm.

Johnnie attended a week-long camp at Vandy ( don't judge- he really wanted to go there). Keep the dream alive, always.

He's primarily a CF, but would ask to play other positions for fun. Remember, it was a camp. Johhnie forgot about the Rules I laid down on the long drive there.

He had a great time and they played him at every position except catcher.

Bottom line, your Johnnie is an athlete and baseball player. He should have an opportunity to play all over the field. The knowledge gained from watching the game from alternate positions is invaluable.

Players get assigned positions as youth by parents and coaches and things don't change as the player grows. Too slow- 1B (LH or RH) or C, Speedster - CF, strong arm - P or 3B/SS. What's on 2nd- "I don't know."

Enjoy the game, be the game, and encourage play from all over the diamond whenever possible. The best seat in any game is the one your sitting in, so never sit in the same seat again. I guarantee you're missing something if you do.

Real Baseball

I don't think there is any one answer. The best thing that one can do is to continue playing as many positions as possible. Coaches will let you know when you can't SS/CF/P anymore. The only position that you have to commit to early (HS) is C, IMO.

Interesting topic. Sounds like you are seeing the same trend as what's happening here:  position "specialization" earlier and earlier. My guess is this has occurred as a result of the "travel ball" phenomenon. (I use that term loosely because many travel teams here only "travel" across town, lol). Around here, as soon as you "make" a travel team roster you are assigned a position that will most likely be yours until you leave that team.

Before the time when every parent wanted their kid to play "travel ball," all the kids played in their local baseball league. Each year all the kids were assigned to a new team, often a new coach each year. You might have one really good kid that played SS every game, but other than that the coach probably moved kids all around. Heck, coaches probably spent half the season figuring out which kids could/should play where. 

But then all the kids started playing travel ball where they are with the same kids and coach every year (from 8u up around here). Coach assigns players a spot that first year, and they keep it unless they leave the team or coach has to shift a kid or 2 when a new kid joins. That seems to be what happens around here anyway. 

I'm seeing that kids at the age of 14/15 are being divided up among "you are a corners guy" (3B/1B/LF/RF) or "you are a middle guy" (SS/2B/CF).  And sometimes kids are looked at as "strictly an outfielder".

The trend in Baseball is for versatility to be increasingly valuable.  My son's Travel Coach for 15U told him he'll be mainly a "corners guy" playing the 4 positions I listed above but wants him to get some reps at second, too

I think the best programs don't have kids specialize in a position too early.  Versatility is King ....

Son was very athletic. Aside from pitching he was a middle of the field athlete (C, SS, CF) from kiddie ball through middle school and a SS, CF in high school. In 13-16u travel ball he played whatever position the pitcher came from. By 17u he was a CF. In college this versatility kept him in the lineup somewhere. His nickname was Zo. 

There are nine/ten positions in the lineup. Then there are a bunch of seats on the bench. Any of the former are better than the best of the latter. 

My son is now a college freshman.  He decided to play rugby after 14 summers of baseball, 8 falls of football, 10 winters of basketball and some soccer and hockey.  I am fine with it as I played rugby and refereed rugby for years.

He figured out that the way to get the most playing time in HS was to be willing play every position at any time.  He ended up playing every position but catcher at some time in HS.  This helped him avoid being pigeonholed into 1 or 2 positions.  

He was lucky enough to have travel coaches who most often encouraged development over win at all costs.  Also lucky to play on travel teams made up of players from 6 or 7 HS.  And none coached players from their High Schools.

My son is a sophomore in high school and is just now gravitating toward pitching. He has played pretty much every position except middle infield (including catching which he loves, but that gets very hard to combine with pitching...) When he was younger, his club coach emphasized fundamentals and versatility. It is serving the boys very well now in high school. In my experience, it seems many want to specialize too early.

We have known several players who committed to Pitcher only way too early. They only pitched in Practice and Games. They played no other sports. Several had spinal issues or Muscular development issues. The spinal issues were from repeating the same motion over and over. They did not get a break by playing another sport or practicing another position. For pitchers the muscular development was not equal from left to right side. Again because they overused the muscles on one side and became asymmetrical. One one side the muscles were more developed than the other.  

We did not see it in position players because there work is more well rounded. 

When did a player become a certain position only?

The short answer is never, it is still changing.  Son has played every position by the time he hit high school.  He gave up pitching for fear of possible arm problems in latter years though.  High school he became MI, one year 2nd and the rest SS.  Change was based on what HS coach had to work with team makeup.  During college recruitment he went with the coach who told him "if you can continue to hit like in HS we will find a home somewhere on the field for you".  He continued to hit and due to college team makeup he was converted to CF.  In minors he is still hitting and has seen time at 3 positions.  Thus the answer for his case is the manager/hc will decide where to put you.  Just hit well and you will play somewhere.

My 14 year old freshman JV son spent the last 2 years of travel ball primarily as a RF with a little P, 2B, and 3B thrown in.  Now on HS JV he is the first pitcher used and then goes wherever the current pitcher comes from (except 1B, and then he goes to RF and the RF goes to 1B).  So he has played P, SS, 2B, CF, and RF so far.  I think that is perfect preparation for a shot at varsity next year.

Trust In Him posted:

When did a player become a certain position only?

The short answer is never, it is still changing.  Son has played every position by the time he hit high school.  He gave up pitching for fear of possible arm problems in latter years though.  High school he became MI, one year 2nd and the rest SS.  Change was based on what HS coach had to work with team makeup.  During college recruitment he went with the coach who told him "if you can continue to hit like in HS we will find a home somewhere on the field for you".  He continued to hit and due to college team makeup he was converted to CF.  In minors he is still hitting and has seen time at 3 positions.  Thus the answer for his case is the manager/hc will decide where to put you.  Just hit well and you will play somewhere.

By the time my son played HS ball (JV, Varsity) he had played every position on his travel team though is primary positions had been catcher, 3B and 1B.  But he did on occasion play outfield, middle infield and pitched.  Once he got to HS it was primarily catcher, 3B, 1B and outfield.  In college it was down to 1B, 3B, outfield and DH.

I agree, hit well and the coach will find a place for you in the line up.

A few thoughts...

I agree with the often-stated message here on HSBBW that if you can hit, they will find a place for you.  However, there is another side to that coin.  If a player is enough of a defensive liability, whether it be poor fielding, very slow speed, poor arm, etc., it becomes very difficult for a coach to find a place to put him.  Our current HS team has five or six guys that will play in college, possibly one or two more eventually.  There is one player that hits as well as any of them but is that defensive and base-running liability and it becomes very challenging to find ways to keep penciling him in the lineup.  For this reason, it is very unlikely that he will have the opportunity to play in college. 

On the other hand, we have a SS.  He checks every single box of what colleges look for in a SS.  In years past, if I got a call on a SS, I would have an answer to the question "where can we play him besides SS".  Because that is often the mindset of college recruiters... find the best HS players (usually SS) and move them around the diamond (around the best of the best SS's).  But, in this case, while the kid can play anywhere on the field, I just can't see him being moved from SS.  

Then, there is everything in between...

Funny, but I wondered about this, too.

In travel, my son was primarily a CF, but once he hit middle school ages, he got played all over the infield.  A few games at 3B, a few at 2B an few at 1B.  Not sure he ever played SS. And when he wasn't playing those positions, he played LF.  

Then, when my son started playing in HS, they took half the kids and put them in the outfield and half in the infield.

My son got put in with the infielders.  

I thought this was odd.  Sort of like early little league or rec ball where you take the kids who can play and put them in the infield, and the kids who can't and put them in the outfield.

There were ABSOLUTELY some talented outfielders in the outfield.  But overall, it seemed like the high school was taking the more talented kids and putting them in the infield group.

My son loved playing center field.  But they put him in the infield group. After a few practices, they separated corner infielders and middle infielders.  My son got put with the corners.

Then, they tried him at 3B a few times and eventually settled him into 1B.

The other thing going on is that the varsity team was looking at who was graduating, when, and what holes needed to be filled.  It seemed like they felt like they might need a first baseman some time in the next few years.  So, my son played JV first base as a freshman.

He had honestly played first base maybe a game or two in his whole life prior to that.

Fast forward a couple of years and this year, he would line up to take infield at first base and once in a while, the coach would tell him to go work out with the outfielders.

I took that as a bad sign.  That they no longer were grooming him to be the starting varsity 1B.

Well, opening day of the varsity season?  He was on the lineup card, hitting in the 5 hole and playing left field.

So, honestly, I don't know what goes into this. 

At least in the case of my son, he STILL doesn't necessarily have a position other than "outfield" and he's a junior.  The coach has also told him to be ready to play some first base if the need arises.

This is both good and bad. The good part is that, like most talented kids in HS, he can play a lot of positions. The bad part is that the coaches clearly don't think he's amazing at any of them.  Haha!

As for POs, our team has them, but honestly, with pitchers, they fall into sevaral categories.

We have POs who never bat.

We have Pitchers who bat when they're pitching

We have Pitchers who play a position when they're not pitching and they're in the lineup.

It honestly depends on how well they  hit.  

The POs who never bat, are obviously considered to be weak hitters.

The POs who are in the lineup are obviously considered to be stud athletes who can hit.

The ones who hit when they pitch?  Probably guys who aren't THAT far off the hitters in the bottom of the lineup and the coach can use a D/H to cover for somebody else.

Thing is, we're just not that objective about our own kids.

And a coach is trying to put out a winning lineup. They MAY try to get some playing time for various players if they can.  

But making sure that the SS also gets time at right field so he'll be more attractive to scouts?  That's just not something the coach is worried about.

I honestly think it's always been this way.  You hit the HS pipeline and the coach sees what the team needs and what you can do.  They fill out the lineup and that's it.  

Obviously, all programs are different. Some more competitive than others. But my son attends a high school of about 1,250 and his baseball team won the most games in the school's history last year.  And the kids MOSTLY kept the same positions, but not necessarily.  My son was moved from 1B to LF.  Last year's 3B is this year's SS.  The year before they moved a kid from 3rd to first.  This year's starting 3B was a catcher last year.

So, I think what I've observed bucks the trend.  These kids play wherever they're needed and where they've shown they can play.

A coach asks a kid where do you play. His answer is "wherever you want" . Now that kid wants to play ........

I think it is always easier to play down in the spectrum. A SS can easily play 2nd and third but vice versa not always. Also a CF can easily play each corner OF position. So it is good to be able to at least somewhat acceptably play SS (or CF if you are an OF). Especially when you have a fringy bat that up the middle skill can really help you to get some playing time as a utility/4th OF. an IF who can't play short or corner only OF isn't really ideal for that bench spot.

if you really rake at the plate that doesn't matter but having the flexibility to play the premium positions does help. 

Prof Jimmy posted:

Funny, but I wondered about this, too.

In travel, my son was primarily a CF, but once he hit middle school ages, he got played all over the infield.  A few games at 3B, a few at 2B an few at 1B.  Not sure he ever played SS. And when he wasn't playing those positions, he played LF.  

Then, when my son started playing in HS, they took half the kids and put them in the outfield and half in the infield.

My son got put in with the infielders.  

I thought this was odd.  Sort of like early little league or rec ball where you take the kids who can play and put them in the infield, and the kids who can't and put them in the outfield.

There were ABSOLUTELY some talented outfielders in the outfield.  But overall, it seemed like the high school was taking the more talented kids and putting them in the infield group.

My son loved playing center field.  But they put him in the infield group. After a few practices, they separated corner infielders and middle infielders.  My son got put with the corners.

Then, they tried him at 3B a few times and eventually settled him into 1B.

The other thing going on is that the varsity team was looking at who was graduating, when, and what holes needed to be filled.  It seemed like they felt like they might need a first baseman some time in the next few years.  So, my son played JV first base as a freshman.

He had honestly played first base maybe a game or two in his whole life prior to that.

Fast forward a couple of years and this year, he would line up to take infield at first base and once in a while, the coach would tell him to go work out with the outfielders.

I took that as a bad sign.  That they no longer were grooming him to be the starting varsity 1B.

Well, opening day of the varsity season?  He was on the lineup card, hitting in the 5 hole and playing left field.

So, honestly, I don't know what goes into this. 

At least in the case of my son, he STILL doesn't necessarily have a position other than "outfield" and he's a junior.  The coach has also told him to be ready to play some first base if the need arises.

This is both good and bad. The good part is that, like most talented kids in HS, he can play a lot of positions. The bad part is that the coaches clearly don't think he's amazing at any of them.  Haha!

As for POs, our team has them, but honestly, with pitchers, they fall into sevaral categories.

We have POs who never bat.

We have Pitchers who bat when they're pitching

We have Pitchers who play a position when they're not pitching and they're in the lineup.

It honestly depends on how well they  hit.  

The POs who never bat, are obviously considered to be weak hitters.

The POs who are in the lineup are obviously considered to be stud athletes who can hit.

The ones who hit when they pitch?  Probably guys who aren't THAT far off the hitters in the bottom of the lineup and the coach can use a D/H to cover for somebody else.

Thing is, we're just not that objective about our own kids.

And a coach is trying to put out a winning lineup. They MAY try to get some playing time for various players if they can.  

But making sure that the SS also gets time at right field so he'll be more attractive to scouts?  That's just not something the coach is worried about.

I honestly think it's always been this way.  You hit the HS pipeline and the coach sees what the team needs and what you can do.  They fill out the lineup and that's it.  

Obviously, all programs are different. Some more competitive than others. But my son attends a high school of about 1,250 and his baseball team won the most games in the school's history last year.  And the kids MOSTLY kept the same positions, but not necessarily.  My son was moved from 1B to LF.  Last year's 3B is this year's SS.  The year before they moved a kid from 3rd to first.  This year's starting 3B was a catcher last year.

So, I think what I've observed bucks the trend.  These kids play wherever they're needed and where they've shown they can play.

By high school the best players aren’t necessarily the infielders. The best players are up the middle ... catcher, short, center. The most damaging play in high school and beyond is a ball that goes to the fence.

Playing  where you’re needed isn’t bucking the trend. It’s the norm. After an all conference year at short my son was told he would play short or center depending on which new player made the lineup. After four games at short  (and a player going 0-8 with 5 K’s) he was moved to center.

High school coaches aren’t concerned with playing kids where college coaches can see them. College coaches don’t make many high school games. Travel coaches place players where their talents can be exposed to colleges coaches.

However, in every showcase my son attended all the infielders line up in the shortstop hole and the outfielders in right. It’s show me your arm time. The college coach will figure out later where a kid will play. Chances are most of the college position players were shortstops and center fielders in high school.

<<By high school the best players aren’t necessarily the infielders.>>

Right.  This was at the JV level. And they did put a few speedsters in the outfield group.  Like I mentioned, a few who could really play outfield, but the rest were probably the weaker players.  Again, JV. The coach is sorting and seeing what he has.

<<Playing  where you’re needed isn’t bucking the trend. It’s the norm. >>

Yes, was specifically talking about the trend of kids getting one position young and then playing that.  That just hasn't been my experience at all.