Position for Success

It seems to me that there is an ever increasing amount of energy around baseball players and their families getting in position to play college baseball. For some it is a chance to get a break on the cost of college, for others it is about getting to the next level. For most it is the next step in a great journey, wherever that takes them. The harsh realities will become known to some sooner than others, but the fact remains that baseball is a demanding game and one thing recruiters demand is a certain performance profile that meets accepted standards by position (pop times for catchers, 60-yard times for middle infielders and outfielders, velocity and command for pitchers, etc). It seems to me that young players should get themselves aligned with the positions that best suits their game and do so as soon as possible:

· If you are strong, love the game, love a challenge and you are not a fast runner….embrace catching.
· If you have a live arm, like the mental aspects of pitching and you are not a fast runner….think pitcher.
· If you are a fast runner, work on your speed technique constantly and know that you will have opportunity in the outfield or middle infield
· If you are a good player, but on the slow side (and not a pitcher or catcher) then you need to get to the corner infield positions as soon as possible and work
diligently on your hitting as offense productivity will be key to your longevity (and work on your running technique to make up as much speed deficit as you can)

I see a lot of players playing out of position….shortstops that are good athletes and good players, but come nowhere close to the profile of a shortstop at the next level (extremely quick, very strong arm from the hole and across their body). Or outfielders that are good players but lack the foot speed to track down that bases loaded, two-out fly ball and instead of catching it, they are retrieving it at the base of the wall while three runs score. I remember seeing the North Davidson vs. South Caldwell high school playoffs a couple of years ago and the shortstop for North Davidson was a real shortstop, and noticeably so. I just learned last week that I was looking at sophomore Levi Michael, who just announced he was becoming a Tar Heel.

When you are on a team, the needs of the team always come first. Players can still play their way into the position that best suits them long term by working on the unique skills required to play that position and making yourself valuable to the team in that position because you’re the best at making the tough plays required. Coaches love the first baseman who cleans up the bad throws and the third baseman who holds his ground and sticks his chin in there on the hard hit balls and won’t allow any throw to third past him because he knows that means a run for the other team.

Bottom Line: Find the right position for your body and your game as soon as possible and then work on all of the skills to play it the right way and then you are then positioned to go as far as you can.