What position to play???

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Judging from all of the postings for players, and if you are new to travel ball or have a young (8-10 age) DD, what positions would you suggest for her to go for?

There was a post on another forum that ask coaches to list the importance of each defensive position. Almost all of them had CATCHER as their #1.

Every pitcher needs one. ?Every team needs at least two or three of them. ?The defense depends on a good catcher more than the pitcher. ?If you are looking for job security, this is the position.

Every year, you see more and more teams looking for catchers. ?If you were a college student choosing a degree, would you want a field where there will be a demand?

This has been a paid announcement for all coaches and the Catcher's Union of Fastpitch Softball ;D

Well, thats my suggestion, any other positions and reasons?

 

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Ok now I have a question what is the most important quality in a catcher-being quick and able stop anything or having the throwdown to second there in a split second? Ideally I understand both. But with a young one trying out for catcher it would be nice to know what is being judged most important.

 

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For the young catcher, stopping/blocking the pitch is more important (to me) than the throw to 2nd. ?The throw down will develop with time.

I have seen a lot of games where the catcher cannot/does not block the ball and countless runs score from 3rd. ?Now,I understand that there are some wild pitches that there is no way to get a glove on it. ?But the majority of dirtballs can be kept at or in front of the plate.

 

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Simple. At the 10U age group the 3 most athletic players on the team are all top candidates to be the catchers.

Few 10U players come to tryouts specifically as a catcher because its not like they have 3 or 4 years experience to bring to the table.

Find a player with the right mentality and physical ability and build them into a catcher. By the end of the season half the team wants to be a catcher.

 

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A wise man once said to me. You know, there is only one scholorship for an infielder but there are three for an outfielder who can hit........

Elliott.

 

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:My daughter was plucked out of the crowd from age 8 as a catcher. Maybe it was because she likes getting dirty. Maybe because no one else wanted to do it, and she just wanted to play. As she grew to love the game, she told me that she'd like to try pitching, catching was just too hard on her legs. I told her it would be a good idea to learn pitching, and every position for that matter, because if you can hit AND play 'd' anywhere, you won't be riding the pine much. She loves the mental battle of pitching, and has a lot of potential there (13 y.o.), but after her first year of school ball, she was the only player not to have sat the bench at all, and it was obviously due to her being willing to catch. She ended up only pitching 2 games (in 7th grade ball) because of the 8th grade 'stud' pitcher that dd has been catching for the past 2 years. No major problem with that. She likes to pitch and has some problems with control occasionally, but has great focus, good speed, and determination(doesn't get rattled). She's looking forward to college ball, and to that end, if she decides to focus on being a catcher--I forsee a lot of down time--possible ACL and leg related surgeries, stuff like that, but if she wants to pitch, she has to put a lot more time into it. I know pitchers have their own hazards to deal with, but every time I see her getting spiked or head-on tackled, I get a real sick feeling. She tries to 'clothesline' runners gunning for her at home--that's what she calls it, and it's kind of funny to hear BIG aggressive runners complain that the itty-bitty catcher hurt them, but she is defending herself. So she's sitting on the proverbial fence as to where she wants to be on the field, and at this point, the answer remains--'just not on the bench, Mom'. But it does seem that every team out there seems to be crying for catchers.Another issue she has to deal with is wearing contact lenses. Got them for her so she wouldn't be afraid to whip off her helmet, and for rainy days, but the bad scenario for a catcher with contact lenses--dry, dusty conditions at home. Once the runner starts kicking up that dirt and the catcher is wearing contacts--well, you get the picture.

 

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Elliot,

That was a very wise man! Ask any young girl what position they want to play, and they will almost always say an infield position. Most girls are still trying to get time in the infield as they grow older. But, a girl who works hard at being a good outfielder will see her value rise as she gets older, especially when the hitting catches up with the pitching.

Joe

 

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Racer62 , you hit that right on the nose.

 

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My DD has never tried catching and coach wants to develop a backup catcher. ?She's a small 13 y/o (( think she weighs 82 pounds soaking wet), but he thinks she'd be a great catcher because of her quickness, great arm and knowledge of the game, but she's never even had equipment on in her entire life. ?She's a little hesitant to even try. ?I keep reinforcing the perks of catching (i.e. position security, college recruitment, etc.), but she is still somewhat reluctant. ?Any good ideas on how to strongly influence her to try this position? ?

Any feedback would be great! ?Thanks! ;D

 

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My dd loves catching. It is definitely a position that needs to grow on you. But we got her started by explaining to her that other than the pitcher no one else gets that much action. Plus I think she likes the thought of being able to knock into someone and generally not get hurt with all that gear on.

 

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I am a catcher and have been since i was about 8-9. I have always thought catching is the most fun possition in the game. I think when you catch you see the ball better, and have better eye hand coordination so it helped my batting as well. I have also found that when your catching your more involved and more into the game. Besides that, the catcher can see the whole field and is yelling and helping the team when the ball is in play. They have the best view so they call the plays and such. Best way to influence her into catching is just stating the fact that the team will rely on them alot during the game I think.

 

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Ooowee...3 years and counting...even with all the gear on, unscrupulous baserunners--no doubt egged on by equally unscrupulous coaches--will find a way to elbow you in the neck, come in spikes up (and in college that's metal), head-butt you like they were a battering ram, bowl you over like you were a bowling pin, then-- dealing with prima donna pitchers (and worse, their parents, if they think you're making dd look bad), being the 'grunt' while the pitcher is the 'glam' (ever see who those sport photographers zoom in on during tournies?). I wasn't surprised when one day dd said to me, 'Mom, I wanna learn how to pitch.' And to this day she rides that fence of indecision--to pitch or to catch?It's up to the coach on any given day on any given travel, rec ball, school ball team where they want her to play.Those rare birds that work both sides of the battery do have an empathetic advantage, though... :-/
I agree with the little penguin dude, catching does give you an edge as a hitter with what you mentioned PLUS it's no big deal to have a face guard on a batting helmet--you're already looking thru a cage with the catcher's helmet on.

 

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Ok now I have a question what is the most important quality in a catcher-being quick and able stop anything or having the throwdown to second there in a split second? Ideally I understand both. But with a young one trying out for catcher it would be nice to know what is being judged most important.

some may disagree and thats ok. For me if the player is an athlete they can be taught fundementals about blocking,secondary position and controling the game behind the plate. a quick throw to second and arm strength (with proper technique and footwork it will improve) are harder to have naturally. I guess what i am saying is we can work on fundamentals but arm strength has a lot more to do with natuaral and physical ability.
Also that a good catcher has an attitude with them. You know ( this is my sand box and you cant play here ) I like my catcher to be the toughest kid on the team

 

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As far as position, I'd also say outfield. This holds true all the way up through 18-U. Become a good outfielder who has no designs on playing infield and you'll get plenty of opportunities to play on good travel teams.

I also agree on the catcher position, but you'll need to be good.

 

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You always want to play a position you like to play, BUT you only have 1 spot open per game at each position. You should learn to play multiple positions to make yourself more valuable to your team, no matter what level of play it is (rec,travel,school).

DD played every inning this past school year at 3rd or SS (18 games). This past Travel season, she played all but 1 inning in the outfield (approx. 48 games out of 55). As a parent, I wish she would have played more 3rd, but she enjoyed the OF. She also had 14 assist from the outfield with a majority of those coming at home. Her speed made her valuable to the OF in covering balls in the hole. She adapted very well, but we still work at taking ground balls, so if she is called on, she can step right back in and play the IF position w/o missing a beat.

 

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Yep, the ability to play several positions, especially including the outfield, can sure help avoid the bench time. ?DD has traditionally played 1B when not pitching, but her incoming college class has 5 pitchers and I'm guessing that 1B is the back-up position for most of them. ?Suffice it to say that she has been working hard all summer on her outfield play. ?Thanks to Grand Slam and all those years of clinics/instructional league, etc. etc., she was fairly comfortable with the notion of playing outfield. ?We'll see whether it gets her some innings her freshman year.