Which Positions?

Sounds like the coach is not real bright if the kids are forced to "commit" to a position, What happens if his best nine guys all commit to play shortstop? Make sure he hits the heck out of the ball and they will find a position. Catchers are invaluable, then corner infielders, then corner outfielders.

A good defensive catcher is worth his weight in gold. A good defensive catcher who can hit, priceless.

DPE99, sending you a PM.

Hi DPE:

Sounds like you're describing my guy. He's 12, 5'6" and 155 pounds.

We were down in your area a few months back and saw some great young 12U ball players. Power like 300' + power.

My guy is hitting more like 250'.

You have to ask yourself whether he will have the balance, strength, and agility to excel as a catcher. How well does he block?

My guy likes to pitch moreso than anything else.

Like they said earlier - if he's a hitter they'll make a spot.

Cheers

I appreciate all the input. It sounds as if the speed/agility needs to improve to be sure of getting a spot. So what is a good high school time for running from home to first? What is a good high school time to throw home to second? How do you measure range in a infielder?

He is working with a speed/agility guy at the Y and we have seen some improvement. I guess I have been hoping he will "grow into" that big body of his and become quicker then. Right now he is all legs and really big feet!

You've got some good advice for your boy so far.

I would second that a good catcher is priceless and a sure ticket to the HS team. Big kids play the corners 1st/3rd/LF/maybe RF. So hitting is 1st. Good arm strenth 2nd. Make sure he gets into a serious long toss program. Work on getting soft hands in fielding. By all means work on speed, but don't neglect his primary objectives. The good news is the size does matter in HS baseball and bigger stronger kids will generally get the playing time.

The reality is that he will play where they need him so get experience in multiple positions if possible.

DPElite 99,

At my son's HS tryouts they also had the kids pick a position. Coaches then made a few changes on various days between SS and 2nd or 2nd and 3rd for a few kids. Kids themselves changed positions- like from MIF to outfield after they compared their skills to others trying out. A lot of kids all ended up trying for 1st base and many cut from there. The two 1st basemen kept are also primary pitchers... So if your son is NOT trying for the outfield, he needs to pitch or have a very good glove and good accurate arm to make the throw to 1st base (or other bases).

There's a big kid who plays 3rd mainly for his bat. But his throws are wild at times - after a bad day at the plate he was benched the next game... I don't think this is where you want to be as a player ( on thin ice).

You mention speed but aside from running the bases- how is his fielding range? I would work on SPARQ type training and get him in a program where he can take a LOT of ground balls. Or become a pitcher... And while everyone would love to have that "big bat" it is easier said than done! You can launch bombs in the cages or at practice but doing it against good pitching is much harder!

I have heard some good coaches say " work on defense and hitting takes care of itself". This is why the majority of practices on good teams focuses on defense. I also know coaches who track players based on what they contribute defensively (outs) then offensively (hits). So if you make an error - you need a hit just to break even!

bbdad,

Thanks for the opinion. His range is OK, but he still needs improvement, in speed and range primarily. His glove is good, his throws are accurate. He gets rid of the ball quickly and delivers it on target. I looked up the SPARQ training and at least as far as the drills and equipment, he is doing that already with his trainer at the Y. We have discussed the opinions everyone has shared and he tells me he is recommitting to the 7AM bucket of balls and then the jump rope, ladder drills, etc. after he returns home from school. The only coach I have to base my expectations on for him is my oldest son's coach who had them pick positions and counted hitting as more important than anything else. It would be a nice surprise if most high school coaches actually looked at all 5 tools plus those intangibles like hustle and how coachable a kid is.

He is willing to get back into catching, and work on trying to pitch, however his current team only seems to want him to play first since the 4 coaches all have sons who play third, short, catcher and second. Thats a whole other can of worms I'm trying to deal with. I have signed him up for additional hitting instruction as well as some pitching instruction, so I'll see how that goes. He works 5 nights a week on something baseball related and still brings home A's on the report card. I'm praying it will pay off.

Thanks again to everyone for the insight and opinions.

Sounds like your son is working hard - that is what counts! The practices are important so make sure he gets rotated in to get ground balls. My son played a lot of 3rd in LL and Travel for the same reasons you mentioned ( coaches kids) and because he had a strong arm to make the throw to 1st and he was perceived as having limited range. He is now the starting 2nd on his HS team and has worked out with Varsity at 3rd. Try and find good coaching and don't worry about positions too much right now. There is a lot to be said for proper footwork and form fielding ground balls. It seems not many kids are taugh properly...

I would be telling him to consider learning to play the outfield. On high school teams, there are so many who tryout for infield while there are quite a bit less who try out for the outfield. Ther might be more opportunies to make the HS team via way of the outfield.

However, as an outfielder, he has to be a hitter hit if he wants to make varsity and get meaningful playing time in the OF. Also, needs to be able to be quick off the crack of the bat and cover a lot of ground.

It worked for my son. Had he tried out for the infield, it's likely he never makes freshman ball. He wound up as a starter in the outfield on varsity.