When did your son go baseball only?

When the football coach told him that he needed to gain at least 50 pounds.

My 2017 catcher started playing baseball in Fall of 1st grade (tee ball) and has played baseball solely as his team sport, ever since. However, he is a skateboarding and mountain biking counselor/instructor and plays team airsoft on occasion.

Only Baseball since Grade 9...

My son played football until his junior year, although he never truly loved it the way he loves baseball.  He was invited late in the summer before junior year to go to Jupiter with a great team and decided that was more important to him than football.

Son gave up soccer going into 9th grade, Boys soccer is played in the Spring in Washington State; conflicted-out as it were. Still surfs though. Thanks goodness.

 

That said, I really think the "specialization" controversy is overblown. There are myriad ways to improve athleticism while focusing on development in a single sport.

After his senior year in high school. Begrudgingly.

My son is a sophomore and he still does both. It is a pain in the neck juggling both sports with camp, clinic and schedule conflicts, but I will support him in both sports for as long as he wants to keep doing both.

Have him keep playing both until he no longer can.  My youngest just decided this summer he could no longer be "in what amounts to a car accident on Friday" then play his best baseball in games over the next two days.  An older brother played both all the way through high school, but football was his passion.  As your son progresses along, allow the game, his coaches and him (with your input) decide.

This is 2017's first year being baseball only.  Until high school was football, basketball, baseball.  Was a huge 5'4" freshman year so didn't even bother going out for basketball and turned into a ski bum that winter.  Bad concussion during football so did soccer/baseball sophomore year.  Realized there's lots of running involved in soccer so didn't bother with that this year.

 

9th grade.

My son played football from age seven throughout high school and would do it again, given the chance. However, he was an undersized lineman who put up good numbers in the weight room and purposefully gained body weight.

 

This, in retrospect, was a bad choice for a kid who was interested in playing baseball at the college level. Anything that is a detriment to your 60 time is bad for baseball. Though his build was never fat or sloppy, he was thick and heavy built. There is an eyeball test.

 

So, if your kid is a receiver, running back, QB or DB, then yeah, it's probably good as those are the fastest, most athletic positions, and he will be working on his speed for those positions. FB or LB, maybe, if he carries his speed well. Lineman, absolutely not unless he is tall and hits monster bombs with regularity. Otherwise, he'll just be considered a plodder on the basepaths.

 

My son lost 20lbs in the summer before he went to college and lost another 10 during his freshman year.

 

For a fall sport, soccer is probably a better and safer option than football.

 

My oldest has always been a baseball-only kid.  His choice.

 

We live in S. Florida, so baseball was always available to play.  I'm sure if we were in a colder climate, he would have found a fall/winter sport to do during those times of year.

 

The youngest has asked if he can play soccer this fall.  Our park runs it between the fall and spring baseball seasons, so the timing works out well.  I think I've convinced the wife not to disown him.

 

Personally, I played football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and ran track at some point in high school. I gave up basketball by sophomore year. Not fast enough for a guard, too short for everything else. (at 6'2 mind you)

 

A shoulder injury from football pretty much ended my soccer (goalie) and baseball careers.

 

  

Son played school and travel ice hockey until senior year.  

Great endurance and fitness workout. 

 

Football: despite repeated requests from varsity coach, stopped early in HS, he is so 100 mph all the time we feared concussions or other injuries. Had been Tight end & Monster back.

Basketball: played school and travel until 9th grade. not his focus.

 

To be with his friends played local rec/travel soccer through senior year, both goalie and scorer.  good conditioning.

Missed many games due to baseball/showcases/camps, but since this was less strict than school sports no worries.

 

My son played varsity soccer and baseball in high school. He played freshman basketball. Soph year he was cut from basketball for missing all the off season optional workouts and not playing in a summer league. In the summer he played travel baseball. He attended two weeks of soccer goalie camp. He played fall travel ball while he was playing soccer at school. The winter was physically training geared towards baseball. He also played basketball in the town rec league. He dominated. He belonged on varsity.  The net, baseball became a year round effort in high school even while playing another sport.

 

My daughter (college softball) played varsity volleyball, basketball and softball in high school. In the summer she played travel softball. She attended day camps for volleyball and basketball. She played a handful of fall ball tournaments each year. Like my son softball became a year round effort in high school. 

7th grade. His call.

Football, Soccer, Basketball and Baseball in 3rd grade....

 

Soccer, Basketball and Baseball thru 8th grade

 

Varsity Soccer and Baseball thru HS.....only baseball in the summer

 

The soccer definitely helped him with speed and agility for baseball

 

Sidenote on the football.  He was the backup QB in 3rd grade.   The starter was the son of the HC....and couldn't play QB if his life depended on it.   My son kind of brought the back up role on himself I guess....the WR's, TE's and RB's didn't want him to play QB because when they ran pass plays, they said he just threw too hard...and they couldn't catch it....    Who'd have known then that he would end up throwing 90 someday....lol

 

Add: my son played football in middle school. Freshman year he said he couldn't imagine playing football on Friday and rolling out of bed for a Saturday 8am baseball game. He had stuck with travel soccer while playing football in school. He returned to soccer for school freshman year.

 

My kids also skied, surfed, water skied and swam. My son skateboarded until he had a bad fall in 8th grade. He decided missing sports over skateboarding wasn't worth it. One of his skateboard buddies got sponsors and turned pro. He still claims skateboarding is great for agility.

 

My my son was the only varsity soccer player not playing on a summer elite team. Every one of these players went on to college soccer. The coach was not pleased with my son's choice. He probably was a better goalie than a baseball player. His response to the coach ...

 

Coach, it's no problem. Outside the 18 yard line is like playing short. Inside the 18 yard line is like playing third.

2016 played freshman hoops but decided after frosh year to play baseball only. 

 

2019 has played travel basketball in past, but hasn't made up his mind if he will play in HS. He grew about 4" after basketball season ended last year so I am encourging him to at least tryout his freshman year (his HS only has V/JV). 

I'm with Buckeye and RJM: Junior, freshman, and 6th graders all still playing soccer and baseball. Jr. and Frosh only kids on their teams (Vars and Jv) who aren't playing club soccer.

 

Problematic for us though: HS soccer season overlaps HS baseball tryouts and season for one month. Tough but doable transition, especially since we only do school soccer.  No club soccer; that would be impossible where we live.

 

the sport they're into that's really getting in the way now is surfing.

My 2018 still plays football and baseball, although this could be the last year of football. Had a scare last Friday night before the varsity game even started. During the pregame huddle where they jump and chant and cheer to get pumped up, a kid landed on his knee. He never even played a minute and we had fears of a torn meniscus. Thankfully, it's looking like only a bruise and he'll be playing this week. After the game, the head baseball coach, who is also a football coach, said it may be time for him to be baseball only. We'll see what he decides because it really his decision.

 

BTW - he also races motocross. I don't see him giving that up for anything, but we don't usually let him race during baseball season, which really limits the amount of racing he gets to do.

Freshman yr, but played church league basketball for 2 yrs. 

football interfered w fall baseball, basketball had him missing baseball conditioning and early practices if team was going to state. Didn't have problem giving up other sports as long as he could play baseball. 

only one or two on HS team has played another sport past Soph yr.  most chose baseball.

8th grade. His choice. Let him do what he enjoys and he'll keep having fun. Keep it in perspective. It's just a game. Period.

Son #1: Baseball and HS/Club Swimming through high school

Son #2: Baseball, Travel Ice Hockey through Junior year, Indoor Track Junior and Senior years, Football Freshman and Senior years.

 

Both also skied/snowboarded.

9 played baseball and basketball all 4 years of high school and also played both in prep school.  Was all state in basketball, though he never attended any summer workouts or played summer league basketball.  Basketball coach knew his priority was and always would be baseball and that was where his future was (is).  Was never a problem.  7 is going into his senior year and will have done exactly the same, played all four years both baseball and basketball.  They both played a heavy summer travel schedule for baseball and baseball in the fall.  Hoop was winter only.  9 was heavily recruited and I think every coach, or just about every one, asked him about his basketball experience.  None made a particularly big deal about it, but they engaged on the subject and were interested.

Son became "baseball only" upon graduating from high school. Though his competitive juices flowed in each sport he played, baseball was his true passion, the sport he would pursue to play in college.

He left basketball after the 9th grade season, though he developed some upperbody muscle. Taking charges (he 160"..charger 200+lb)in hoops helped prepare him for any collisions at home or a pivot at second. He finished soccer after varsity season in 12th grade; he developed some serious calf muscles during that season. As a chief defender sweeper, sprinting down field was similar to speed needed to score from second base on a hit (albeit without the turns). He was done with indoor track after season ended in 12th grade, but benefited with strengthening upper leg muscles and learning technique.Track coach too was a personal trainer so he got some arm strength work in.  His running in baseball developed from the other sports. Son liked that teammates/peer groups were different in each sport. He only played baseball in summers.

The guys I know who played baseball past High School all wish they played other sports longer.  I am close with a couple guys that played through D1 college.  Both were seriously burnt out by the end of their college senior years.  Knowing they would only be a MiLB pawn they walked away from the game and didn't look back for years.  One guy I know who played MiLB out of high school doesn't even have interest to go watch a game.  All of them keep telling me the same thing, keep your son in as many sports for as long as possible. 

Son played football, Basketball and Baseball. In grade school.Starting middle school he played Football Basketball and Baseball.  After his 7th grade football season, He said "Dad, I just wasted a fall baseball season, so he decided to play Basketball and Baseball. He played 7th grade Basketball but was cut in 8th. He was devastated. Coach asked him to stay on and keep score, he wanted to keep him on the HS Basketball track. He kept score and played Rec basketball. Continued to play Baseball. Summer after 8th grade, we started getting calls form Basketball parents, "why wasn't son at the HS coaches camp?", Was he going out for the freshman team?" I talked to my son about it. He said that Rec league was so much fun that he was going to play that and focus on Baseball in HS. Basketball coach was not happy. Was not mad at son or us, but was mad that the MS coach gave him the opportunity to play rec and that he had cut him. Son would probably never have been an impact basketball player. He never cared about scoring, All he wanted to do was steal the ball. In Rec the coach would tell son, go after the ball. No set plays, he would always be on the other teams best player. He loved it. He played rec Basketball though HS. Andf just graduated from College after playing baseball four 4 years. 

My daughters did not want to play college sports, so they played multiple sports through high school.

 

My son went with the 'best chance route'.  He wanted to play college or beyond, so he decided to quit HSV basketball and give up HSV football and focus on pitching (his best chance), and not get hurt.

 

He (maybe) could have played college basketball, but baseball was interfering with summer leagues, so not sure how that would have worked out.

 

Of course, he was injured anyway ... playing baseball in HS and college.

My 2016 rhp son is a D1 commit.  When he wondered if he should quit one of the 3 sports he plays, he asked those D1 coaches their thoughts.  Loved what they said. They said, play them all.  Have fun and enjoy these years.  That they had played multiple sports in high school, and some of their best memories are of those times with their high school teams- be a kid, enjoy these years.  He asked "but what if I get hurt", and they said "don't let the FEAR of getting hurt keep you from playing".    

Son's an 8th grader.  He hasn't yet, but says he will go baseball only in HS.  Currently plays football, basketball and baseball.  May play league basketball in HS.

My 2018 played football, wrestled, and played basketball at various times through 6th grade.  Hasn't played any of those since by his own choice.  Well, not in a league anyway.  I have a 2016 that played 3 sports in high school through his sophomore year.  Junior year he gave up baseball largely because it wasn't fun for him anymore.  It was really a matter of the team he was on.  There was not much camaraderie which was abundant in football and wrestling.  The crazy thing is that the kids in the 2017 and 2018 class at the same high school are very tight on the baseball team.  Just bad luck for 2016.  

As a side note the soccer players blow my mind, lol.  Around here the soccer and baseball season are both in the spring and summer so there is no ability to do both.  Soccer is a 4 letter word to baseball players.  

Lots of great replies here, so sorry if mine has already been covered.

 

Son is a frosh in college and this is the first time he's focused on baseball for the entire year. Played soccer, football (mostly K/P), basketball, and baseball throughout high school years. Missed some seasons when recovering from injuries, but otherwise played sports constantly. Made a lot great friends, learned from some great coaches, won a baseball state championship, earned a bunch of V letters and awards, and thoroughly enjoyed his high school years.

 

Always his decision. He chose his private high school in good part because of the sports traditions. He wanted to be involved in everything possible. This absolutely impacted his baseball recruiting process, but he was ok with that. It's extremely early, but so far the college part is working out well.

 

Having said that, if he had been a diamond rat and wanted to play baseball year round, I would have been fine with that, too. No size fits all.

My son is still playing baseball as a redshirt senior in college.

 

He was a three-sport athlete in 9th and 10th grades: football, wrestling, baseball.

He wrestled and played baseball 11th and 12 grades.

 

He was actually better at wrestling than baseball in high school. There was a local D1 he was interested in playing baseball for: the wrestling coach wanted him, but the baseball coach didn't. 

 

Reasons I encourage multiple sports for players who want to pursue them:

--The future holds no guarantees; play what you love while you can play it.

--Playing more than one sport can develop mind, body, and character in more ways than playing one sport can.

--Cross-over benefits of conditioning, competitiveness, toughness, athleticism.

 

Why I'd have second thoughts about multiple sports for certain players with post-HS ambitions in a particular sport:

--As a LHP  > 6 feet, > 200 pounds with ridiculous strength, conditioning, and toughness, my son was able to find a college baseball home with a less polished and less developed game than other players could get away with. A position player or a RHP without an imposing physique or dominant baseball tools might not get away with playing as little baseball as my son did (no "real" travel ball until after soph year of high school, only a smattering of fall ball).  Not focusing on baseball may have limited his ceiling and made his transition to college ball more difficult. 

 

Reason that didn't enter into our calculations at all:  risk of injury.  You can get hurt doing anything. Play hard--take your chances.

 

2019 was a baseball/soccer since 4. This year entering HS he decided to give up soccer and concentrait on baseball. Plus HS soccer is a spring sport. Unfortunately HS football coach found out the boy was a soccer player and now he's on the football team. So it's back to being a two sport athlete. Well if you consider a kicker as being an athlete hahahha.

Had both son started playing two sports (Baseball and Soccer) at a very young age as I also coached their teams. Both were above average for both sports.  When youngest son became old enough he tended to practice with older son's teams (there being a 4 year difference).  Older son gave up soccer rather early to play baseball and when he entered HS he would play baseball and football.  Older son really loved to play Football and had the build of a lineman.  He felt discouraged in HS when he stopped growing at 5'10" hoping that genetics would kick in and get him well over 6'.  It never happened.  But the real problem for him was though he was/is a highly intelligent individual, he really hated academics and refused to try to do well, so his eligibility to play a sport ended his HS sports participation for his last two years and he never made it to college.

 

Youngest son was/is a more determined person and extremely competitive, particularly against his older brother.  In watching him play soccer and baseball, it was quite evident that he had athletic talent well above his pears and he was regularly the MVP of his teams. When he started playing LL Majors, the soccer and baseball practice schedules overlapped a lot and I made him choose to dedicate himself to one team or the other as it wasn't fair to either team's teammates that he would only be there half the time and be a full time starter.  It was solely his choice and he chose stop soccer to play baseball.

 

When youngest son started JrH, he started to play travel ball as we looked for a places to raise the bar and see where he stood with with groups of more talented players.  At that time, and for some reason, he said he actually wanted to excel in Track & Field and planned to get straight A's or be on the Deans List all time in order to get to a D-1 school (these were his plans without our input).  All through JrH he did indeed make the Deans List every time with absolutely no coaching needed from his parents and he played just about every sport he could at school (e.g. Cross-country, Track & Field, Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball, Flag Football, Softball).  This was in addition to his travel ball.  He did exceptionally well at all of them and I really thought he'd choose to focus on Track & Field as he had previously expressed himself. 

 

As he entered HS as a 9th grade Freshman he had decided that Baseball was what he loved most and that was going to be his future.  I encouraged him to play other sports as I feel they have a way of enhancing various baseball skills.  The biggest problem in HS was most of the sports he liked and felt he would like to play were Spring Sports.  He played on the Freshman basketball team and became one of the best players (to my surprise since he really never played a lot of it).  But, Baseball was still his focus and he made that Freshman year his last for basketball because the season overlapped with the start of baseball season by two weeks.  He didn't like that at all, particularly since he was to be a rare Freshman to play on the Varsity Baseball Team.  So, from then on is was Baseball only and I couldn't get him to do any other sport as much as I tried to encourage him with the understanding that it was always HIS decision alone.

 

He achieved his goal of getting a scholarship at a D-1 school. . . and NOT just any D-1 school, but at the highest levels of D-1 and chose a school in the PAC10/12.  He was a two-way player in HS and thought he might do the same at college.  But with the grind of a Student-Athlete, he decided not to go two-way and focus only on a position as middle infielder.

 

As good a baseball player as he is today, I still feel that had he played some other additional sport(s) in HS he would be even better for it.

My 2016 played basketball and baseball through Soph year.  That hoops season he had two concussions within 5 weeks and missed half the season and a lot of school.  Took a long time to recover from the second one and was back just in time for baseball but still has problems from time to time.  We encouraged him to continue playing (he had played at a very high level since 5th grade and now was stopping just as it was time to play on varsity when people actually begin to pay attention) but he decided to focus on off season workouts (weights and baseball).  

 

As part of his workouts his trainer/coach had him doing olympic weightlifting and he qualified for USAW Jr. Nationals his first competition which he went to at the end of June (in the middle of his summer season).  So he's still technically a two sport athlete if you count that.  He has another year of "Jr" classification due to being a young 2016 so he'll compete at Nationals again next summer.  

 

He also plays golf, surfs, tennis - you name it and he does it.  In fact I think golfing was one of the reasons he switched to pitcher only.  

 

Our younger son plays football, basketball and baseball - although none of them with the same conviction as 2016.  He enjoys playing and being on the team but seems like he'll be happy ending things when HS is over. 

Gave up basketball after 9th grade to focus on strength and conditioning during the winter in 10th grade.  It worked. 

 

Still plays rec basketball, and golfs some, when he can in college.

d-mac,

I was just talking with the parent of one of the very elite baseball recruits out of the 2016 class.  If he was not before, he certainly was after the Area Code games. He is also a football player (captain), basketball player (captain), and captain of the baseball team.  From what I heard, he would not give up any of them.  I also learned he does not even pick up a bat during football and basketball season even though it is his bat which has attracted so much interest.  Around the time of the Area Codes he did a baseball verbal but has not ruled out football in college, where the University has strong interest.  And  he has many pro scouts with varying levels of expressed interest because of his college commitment, but knowing the college commitment will drive the price for his signing bonus if he is picked..

Our son played football and baseball through HS.  Became baseball only his freshman year in college, but did have the College football coach talk with him when he arrived on campus.

Turned out just fine...1st team D3 All-American, drafted into Mlb and a wonderful Milb career before a baseball injury ended things not too far from the destination.