Just filing away all our tryout registration forms for the year and with 150 or so registrations I'm noticing probably 70% primary positions as either SS, 1b, or P. Nobody loves roaming the outfield anymore?
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They've been trained by their parents outfield is where the stiffs play. The kids who figure out how important outfield play is and work at it have a huge advantage heading into high school. When they're freshmen or sophomores, if they can hit, chances are the openings are right and left field.
Being a lefty I couldn't wait to move to center after LL. First is boring. Center is where the big plays are made.
Being a lefty I couldn't wait to move to center after LL. First is boring. Center is where the big plays are made.
The fact of the matter is the best athletes are put at Short. Unless you're best player is a lefty, you have the best athlete on the team play shortstop. Especially in the smaller schools kids that are natural outfielders are moved to shortstop because they are the best athlete in the program.
We have spots for primary position, secondary position, and other positions on our registration form. It was strange how many didn't list the ability to, or the willingness to play outfield. It cost a few guys a chance to make the program this season. Just a numbers game 60 shortstops into 4 shortstop positions doesn't go.
i've always tried to get kids to play every where, for just this reason.
in the last 15 yrs i've seen the kids change. from i can play anywhere to i play here, i don't know how to play there.
just this year i've noticed really bad behavior( helmets thrown, talking back to umps and caches).babe ruth age kids, from sub varsity players. and no reaction from coaches.
maybe i'm just old.
in the last 15 yrs i've seen the kids change. from i can play anywhere to i play here, i don't know how to play there.
just this year i've noticed really bad behavior( helmets thrown, talking back to umps and caches).babe ruth age kids, from sub varsity players. and no reaction from coaches.
maybe i'm just old.
I would tend to agree w/ RJM....
A lot of untrained baseball people think that outfield is where the less skilled players play and that if a skilled player is placed in the outfield that it is a demotion OR punishment....
From when I was a All star coach or even a regular season coach I had always said that the outfield positons are the most important... that 1 missed play can result in runs scored there is no back up... if an infielder makes an error the outfield will back them up....
A lot of young infielders can't catch a routine fly ball.
My two boys have had thousands of falls hit in the air to them... but there again I was an outfielder.
kpc
A lot of untrained baseball people think that outfield is where the less skilled players play and that if a skilled player is placed in the outfield that it is a demotion OR punishment....
From when I was a All star coach or even a regular season coach I had always said that the outfield positons are the most important... that 1 missed play can result in runs scored there is no back up... if an infielder makes an error the outfield will back them up....
A lot of young infielders can't catch a routine fly ball.
My two boys have had thousands of falls hit in the air to them... but there again I was an outfielder.
kpc
Great Post
I have been tryin to tell everyone I know that learning the play the out field is a good thing. I know when my son (LHP and First baseman) joined his travel team at 13....I was glad to see we had another left handed stud that also played first base. This forced him to learn to play some outfield since he was the faster of the two.
He made his JV team as a freshman as a LHP pitcher but his ability to play the outfield aslo allowed him to start the games when he did not pitch in the outfield.so he played every game.
Lesson to everyone if you can hit and you have a chnace of playing JV/V as freshman/Sophmore....go start taking flyballs.
As a sophmore he made varisty as a pitcher and was moved back to first base when he did not pitch becasue of the team make up but still did get some time in the outfield...gave the coach greater flexibility.
I have been tryin to tell everyone I know that learning the play the out field is a good thing. I know when my son (LHP and First baseman) joined his travel team at 13....I was glad to see we had another left handed stud that also played first base. This forced him to learn to play some outfield since he was the faster of the two.
He made his JV team as a freshman as a LHP pitcher but his ability to play the outfield aslo allowed him to start the games when he did not pitch in the outfield.so he played every game.
Lesson to everyone if you can hit and you have a chnace of playing JV/V as freshman/Sophmore....go start taking flyballs.
As a sophmore he made varisty as a pitcher and was moved back to first base when he did not pitch becasue of the team make up but still did get some time in the outfield...gave the coach greater flexibility.
back to 20dad that bad behavior you are seeing I believe start with the coaches these days. There are some that will win at all costs and hate to lose. And the players feed off of this. This past summer we were playing a team from down south, close game, and a very good one. There second baseaman has a ball go right through his legs, after the inning the coach starts yelling and swearing at the kids before he is off the field. Then with an open hand he slapped the kid in the face. I couldn't believe it, but none of the parents on that team said a word, I think the reason was at the time that team was in first place. We won the game and the coach was ****ed at me for winning. The funny part is that every time I called the coach for a game he wouldn't play us, we never played them again for the rest of the season. But the bottom line is it is the coaching. Coaches are to blame to the behavor of their players.
5hole
to a point your right,coaches allow this or by their actions encourage it to happen.but, if i saw my kid do these things .............. well,parents hold some blame as well.
but it's up to the coaches to teach the respect.
to a point your right,coaches allow this or by their actions encourage it to happen.but, if i saw my kid do these things .............. well,parents hold some blame as well.
but it's up to the coaches to teach the respect.
We had one spot left on our 60 man roster. I called a kid who played for us last season who did not put outfield on his registration form and tried out as a shortstop. I told him that the only reason he didn't make the program was because he didn't put outfield on his registration form and if he had put it on there he'd probably be here. Expecting him to say "I'll happily play the outfield" or "I didn't understand the form I can play outfield" at which point I would have offered him the spot. Instead he said "You don't want to see me play the outfield"
And maybe I never will.
And maybe I never will.
20dad, your kid and my kid wouldn't act like in the first place, parents will put up with alot to have their sons on winning teams.
Coaches don't have it easy either, especially at the high school level. The best coach I ever played for was my varsity HS coach, he left/quit/was fired- whatever happend only one season after I graduated. From what I gather, and I wasn't there, he was starting underclassmen who were better over lesser talented seniors. Those kids parents went to the AD, went to the Superintendant, etc and basically forced the guy out. My high school is on its third coach in ten years. Two had kids on the team and as far as I know coached little league previously and left when their kid graduated. They won 1 game last year. A single game. My coach went to another high school, has won a state title, and is in the playoffs every season.
My son is a Lefty who pitches and plays first base usually when not pitching. I had him playing outfield as early as tee ball. He didn't like it at times (not many plays to the outfield until majors when on the small field)but understood that as a lefty there were only 5 positions he could play after youth ball (not too many lefty catchers out there)and 3 of them were in the outfield. So trust me he knows that when he lists his positions it is LHP, 1B & OF. He isn't the fastest so he is mainly a corner outfielder when out there.
We lost our district finals due to a kid not knowing how to play outfield. Coach had him out there (trying to find playing time)and he played tentatively and let a fairly easy ball fall in for a hit which allowed the winning run to score...a true outfielder made that play easy!!
If and when my son is older and signs up to tryout for a showcase team you can rest assured he will have "OF" on there somewhere!!
We lost our district finals due to a kid not knowing how to play outfield. Coach had him out there (trying to find playing time)and he played tentatively and let a fairly easy ball fall in for a hit which allowed the winning run to score...a true outfielder made that play easy!!
If and when my son is older and signs up to tryout for a showcase team you can rest assured he will have "OF" on there somewhere!!
i agree ,coaching hs ball ain't all cupcakes and ice cream. any ball today for that matter
my oldest son started hs ball in 2000. i was horrified at our first parents/booster meeting, they spent most of the time bashing the coach.
i was president of the booster's (name only as the woman did all the work)
for the about 5 yrs. my first agenda was to let all the parents know we are here for the kids and the needs of the program, not to ***** about playing time or the coach.for the most part it's been smooth sailing since, the coach gets a few questions a year but not like before.
i really think once the goals are outlined, half the battle is won.
i think about these things quite often. the average ball player is only going to play from 9 to 17. or about 8 yrs. some will play in college but lets say 8 yrs. they can be 8 fun packed yrs of baseball or any number of miserable ones for them and anyone with in ear shot. why not have fun?
my oldest son started hs ball in 2000. i was horrified at our first parents/booster meeting, they spent most of the time bashing the coach.
i was president of the booster's (name only as the woman did all the work)
for the about 5 yrs. my first agenda was to let all the parents know we are here for the kids and the needs of the program, not to ***** about playing time or the coach.for the most part it's been smooth sailing since, the coach gets a few questions a year but not like before.i really think once the goals are outlined, half the battle is won.
i think about these things quite often. the average ball player is only going to play from 9 to 17. or about 8 yrs. some will play in college but lets say 8 yrs. they can be 8 fun packed yrs of baseball or any number of miserable ones for them and anyone with in ear shot. why not have fun?
Our current high school has been at our high school for 30 years. He currently holds that crown for most wins in New Hampshire. He has won championships and had bad years, but he plays the best players he has in the program, he says that he doesn't care how old or young the are, he is going to put the best nine players on the field. He has placed seniors on JV teams, he will sit seniors, juniors, if there are better under classmen. Last years team the starting nine were 4 seniors, 4 juniors, and a sophmore. On the bench he carried 3 seniors and a junior on the bench. You are rught there are always parents complaining about the way he coaches, he tells the players and the parents that if they don't like the way the program is run join the track team.
My son has spent years in travel being the kid who can play the position where the pitcher comes from. He's played short, second, third, center and right. He also pitches. When it comes down to it, he's the shortstop. But his versatility has allowed coaches great lineup flexibility.
His travel showcase coach and his high school coach recenty advised him he would be nuts not to showcase in center. The high school coach is considering moving him to center. The coach said he can handle a few boots at short over balls going up the gaps for extra bases.
His travel showcase coach and his high school coach recenty advised him he would be nuts not to showcase in center. The high school coach is considering moving him to center. The coach said he can handle a few boots at short over balls going up the gaps for extra bases.
I agree totally. My son is now 15 year old and after little league moved to left field (he is a lefty) . He is in a large school district where it is difficult to make the team. In 7th grade he played modified. In 8th he played Freshman and in 9th he played JV. He has had among the most innings played and it is clearly due to the fact that not only is he a good player but like most schools we have multiple players and backups for the infield. His travel team is doing very well and both last year and this he also moved to outfield instead of 1st base and had better play. He is now 5'11 and runs a 60yd in about 7.08-7.46 and will likely be moved to center field on the school team next year. He loves the sport and outfield has become the place for him to be to get the most play on the teams and be most useful to them . We were lucky to get one of the better catches on tape in one of the from a game in a July 4, 2009 tournament in Mystic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pegCF9PRuI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pegCF9PRuI
When my son tried out for HS, he was only one of a handful of legitimate experienced outfielders. Most tried out for 2B & SS. My son was a SS on his rec, all-star and Legion teams but he knew as a good hitter and a ton of kids trying out for SS & 2B, his best shot was to tryout as an OF. He also was a P&C so that helped because in his sophomore year, he caught about 25% of the games and he didn't even tryout as a catcher or have his own gear. Due to a cut of a catcher, my son approached his coaches said he'd backup the regular C if needed and turned out he was needed more than expected. Being flexible worked to his advantage because it kept him in the lineup.
Getting back to OF, the ones who convert don't always play the outfield as good as one who played it thru LL like my son. I could see the difference in a converted outfielder from the IF as opposed to a true outfielder. My son was as good as anybody on going back on balls and cutting off the angles.
From what I've seen, converted OF's who play CF play deep because they can't go back on balls that well. Part of it comes from thm being reluctant to move to the OF since they never played there during LL years. My son with the experience, while primarily was a RF because of his strong arm was the #2 centerfielder when not in RF played a relatively shallow CF because he could track down a ball. While he didn't have the speed the regular CFer had, he had good spped but a very fast first step on tracking down balls.
Another thing I've noticed converted HS outfielders don't do as consistently is make the catch in a good throwing position. So many outfielders with less experience will go back on a ball make an over the shoulder catch but can't make the strong throw back to the IF and hold or cut down a runner while the experienced outfielder knows how to go back, then come in on that same flyball and get a strong throw off. My son led all outfielders in OF assists 3 out of his 4 years in HS. That wasn't by luck.
In the little league years, OF is such an underrated position, treated as a dumping ground for the 3out/1At-Bat spaz, kids and parents don't realize how important outfielders are at the HS level and by being able to play OF can increase their chances of making the team. In LL, everybody wants their kid to be the SS while RF is the quarantined section for the undesirables so nobody wants to play there.
Had my son tried out at SS, he may or may not have made the team but since less kids tried out for OF, it increased his chances that much more and with a strong bat got him in the starting lineup batting in the middle of the order.
Getting back to OF, the ones who convert don't always play the outfield as good as one who played it thru LL like my son. I could see the difference in a converted outfielder from the IF as opposed to a true outfielder. My son was as good as anybody on going back on balls and cutting off the angles.
From what I've seen, converted OF's who play CF play deep because they can't go back on balls that well. Part of it comes from thm being reluctant to move to the OF since they never played there during LL years. My son with the experience, while primarily was a RF because of his strong arm was the #2 centerfielder when not in RF played a relatively shallow CF because he could track down a ball. While he didn't have the speed the regular CFer had, he had good spped but a very fast first step on tracking down balls.
Another thing I've noticed converted HS outfielders don't do as consistently is make the catch in a good throwing position. So many outfielders with less experience will go back on a ball make an over the shoulder catch but can't make the strong throw back to the IF and hold or cut down a runner while the experienced outfielder knows how to go back, then come in on that same flyball and get a strong throw off. My son led all outfielders in OF assists 3 out of his 4 years in HS. That wasn't by luck.
In the little league years, OF is such an underrated position, treated as a dumping ground for the 3out/1At-Bat spaz, kids and parents don't realize how important outfielders are at the HS level and by being able to play OF can increase their chances of making the team. In LL, everybody wants their kid to be the SS while RF is the quarantined section for the undesirables so nobody wants to play there.
Had my son tried out at SS, he may or may not have made the team but since less kids tried out for OF, it increased his chances that much more and with a strong bat got him in the starting lineup batting in the middle of the order.
Almost every outfielder was a shortstop at one time (unless a lefty) even if it means going all the way back to LL. Through high school the shortstop is often the best athlete on the team. A college program may recruit six high school shortstops with the idea they can be moved somewhere on the field.
The bottom line is hit and there's a place in the lineup somewhere on the field. In 13U I told all my players (2/3rds shortstops) there are two positions available, on the field and on the bench. I told them all they would get time in the outfield since for many of them the fastest way to varsity (as a soph) would probably be playing right or left field until the upperclassman shortstop graduates.
The bottom line is hit and there's a place in the lineup somewhere on the field. In 13U I told all my players (2/3rds shortstops) there are two positions available, on the field and on the bench. I told them all they would get time in the outfield since for many of them the fastest way to varsity (as a soph) would probably be playing right or left field until the upperclassman shortstop graduates.
