POSTION

Question
MY SON IS 10 YEARS OLD AND HAS BEEN PLAYING BASEBALL SHORTLY AFTER HE TURNED 4.MY SON TRUELY LOVES THE SPORT. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW BEING THAT HE IS LEFTY WHAT POSTION(S)SHOULD HE BE PLAYING? HE IS A PRETTY GOOD PITCHER AND HAS THE SPEED TO BACK IT UP,BUT WHEN HE ISN'T PITCHING THEY HAVE HIM IN THIRD BASE.HIS DEFENSE IS GREAT.I'VE HEARD THAT WHEN HE REACHES HIGH SCHOOL THERE IS JUST CERTAIN POSTIONS A LEFTY WILL JUST NOT PLAY. PLEASE HELP ME SO THAT I CAN MAKE SURE I START PRACTICING WITH IN THE PROPER POSITION A LEFTY SHOULD PLAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.                       GLORIA mcgdogm

Answer
Gloria,

Thanks for the question.  I have a definite answer for you as I too have been blessed with a lefty!  As a left hander, your son will play one of only a few spots in the field at the higher levels.  They are:

Pitcher,
First Base,
Outfield.

That is it.  He will never play third base past little league.  As a coach, I have always insisted that my left handers played the proper position, regardless of the talent present.  We have had as many as 3 left handers on our roster at one time.  

My son is a pitcher and doing quite well.  If your son truly has a love for the game and wants to go a long way with it, you should look into getting him private pitching lessons.  Do not rely on his talent at 10 years old to take him through high school.  He needs to learn the proper mechanics now so that he is ready when he gets to high school.  At 10, talent will cover up bad mechanics.  At 15, talent alone will not get the job done.

Pitching is my specialty. My son began pitching lessons with the help of a MLB pitching coach at age 9. He is now 13 and throws 70 mph on his fastball and has a great curve and slider and is working on a changeup.  He obtained the proper mechanics at an early age which now set him apart from the other 13 year olds. He has also learned how to pitch and is smart on the mound. We play select ball which means we play year round and will play close to 70 games this year.  HE wants to play college and hopefully professional ball. He may not make it, but I will do what I can to help him.  He also takes a weekly hitting lesson with hitting instructor. Then we work 2-4 days per week on our own aside from team practice.  It is a commitment, but a fun one.

I commend you on your desire to help your son improve.  Help him to learn how to play first base and outfield, look into those pitching lessons and hitting lessons.  At his age, some good instruction will really set him apart.  

Additionally, if you do get him into private lessons, let his team coaches know this.  Tactfully tell the coaches that he is taking private lessons and the instructor is working on certain things with him.  Ask the coaches not to confuse your son as he works on what the instructor is teaching him.  I see this a lot with volunteer coaches. I know what I am doing and still have my son taking outside lessons. While many dads mean well, they teach incorrect techniques that can develop bad habits down the road.

Good luck and Play Ball!!

Coach Boss