Ya, I have seen this story in our team also the last few years. The coaches kids always get the preferential treatment regardless of how good or bad they are. The coaches project them to play certain positions in high school and all but i believe it is mostly just their own desire of wanting it for certain kids rather than the reality of the bigger picture. Another belief I have is that travel teams should assemble the team with players that are closely matched with each other in skill and then move them around to at least three different spots. Every kid should play some outfield just to get the hang of things and have a better understanding of hitting cut-offs and chasing balls down all the while thinking on where and what you are gonna do when you get the ball. Every kid should learn at least one infield position. every kid on the travel team should also be good enough that they get some pitching or catching time also. Those three positions will help the entire team and at the same time make all the kids better and more projectable to play at the higher levels.

The bigger picture is that as kids grow and develop, some get better at certain positions and some get worse while others just seem to stagnate always just playing the one position. A good coach should constantly evaluate each kid on where they will play the best "presently", not where they might be "projectable" years down the road. For instance- I have a kid on the travel team who is left-handed and has an unbelievable strong body with a good arm and a good knowledge of the game. He plays two teams. On my team he plays catcher while on his other team he never plays catcher because lefties are usually not "projectable" as catchers. From all of the play time he has recieved catching for our team he has been able to develop much quicker reflexes and better and more accurate throws to bases. This in turn makes him more projectable rather than just someone you stick at first base.

Kids, especially on travel teams, should be playing where they play the best to help the team out and win games or keep them close. In games where it is a blowout- have a little fun and play kids at different spots to help them be more projectable.

Another big problem I have is the unseeming logic of determining where kids should play based on things like- players height, glove size etc. I had a coach tell me once that my kid wouldn't be good at third because his mit was an outfield mit. I had another coach say that my kid would need to get a smaller mit to play at shortstop. On our own team, our best ss is the kid who has the biggest mit on the team. One of our best catchers is the lefty and btw, he used his first base mit like a man to catch until his catchers mit came- so much for the logic of things eh?

Projection is way over-rated at the age of 11-12 year olds. Let them play where they play best and help the team achieve satisfaction- after all, thats how they do it at every professional level!

IMHO, I seem to remember stats on this sit at some point about the numbers of kids that stop playing baseball the older they get. So based on this why would a coach project what position an 11 yr old would play when the odds are he won't continue playing?

Son is now 18, hs senior(still playing and will play in college). When I remember back to travel ball @ 11-12 yrs old many of the kids with the pushy parents are no longer playing baseball! These are the same parents that would corner the coach after each game and complain about playing time of position. Many of these parents were memorable because of their bad behavior.

As parents we need to let our kids play to the best of their abilities , be open to coaching and instruction(coachable), and support them the best way we can with a minumum of complaining.

I don't disagree with projecting future postions but what about waiting until they're 13 and older? You just never know what may happen with hard work and dedication on the part of the player.

Sometimes changing teams can make the difference of a child enjoying the game or dreading the game. If the coach for some reason or other has decided he doesn't like a kid it would be foolish to try to stay on that team.
My younger son played on a very good team for two years and at first things were great, but things did not work out between the coach and my son and we feel he's now on a better team and having fun! He's pitching a lot less and playing more positions, and a lot happier.

Trying to "project" an 11YO is a complete crock. And inappropriate as well for that age.

I know a guy about 5'7" or so, with a wife who is shorter. His son, now in HS, is 6'4" and still growing.

Both should be seeing some time at SS. 11YO is way too early to be locking kids in.

A quick update...

After another set of errors Kid B was moved to second. Kid A has now played SS for the last two tournaments with great results. Kid B is playing well at second and the two seem to be making a good tandom. They both still practice at SS and 2nd routinely.

I will say father of Kid B does not appear to be happy. He hasn't said anything, but his distance from the rest of the fence leaners is noticable.

Thank you for the update.

quote:

father of Kid B does not appear to be happy.

Sometimes the kids are more mature than the parents.

The point is to get results and it sounds like this is working for the team. Father of Kid B needs to realize that many SS's play multiple positions. The key is to play and do it well, where ever you are asked to play.
No one position is better than another.

quote:

Originally posted by shortstopmom:
Thank you for the update.

[QUOTE]


No one position is better than another.

Ain't that the truth!

Most LL age parents don't get this until their kid plays HS ball. More specifically, varsity where multi-position players move around less then they did even at jv or freshman where winning is still less a priority and focus more on their primary position and winning.

Also, what many parents of 11-12 yr old and younger players overook is hitting. Hitting will be far more important than whether he's a SS or RF. Players who hit always will find a place to play. If they don't have a position they don't necessarily excel at, the coach will find one for him as long as their bat's in the lineup.