Position when registering for camps

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Apr 16, 2010
924
43
Alabama
I wanted to get your thoughts on what position to list when registering DD for camps now that we are getting more serious heading into her freshman year. She is solid in the OF but hasn't played much out there in the past year primarily playing C, 2nd, and 1st with some SS mixed in. She pretty much has become a utility player that plays everywhere even though she is a lefty. She is 5'4" and about 125lbs now and I doubt she will wind up 5'9".

Would she be better served showing her skills in a another position because coaches want versatile players or show her skills in the OF where she would probably wind up at the next level? Would being a lefty at C or 2B help her stand out and showcase her abilities more than just heading to the OF?
 
Jul 14, 2010
150
18
Having an OF only college player, I wouldn't lead with OF knowing her D2 coach doesn't recruit OF, that non-OF players are put there for their bat (bat more important then skill unfortunately - I've seen the skill part lose games). For DD2 I put C, IF, OF. Encourage her to get time in both IF and OF stations. Curious to hear others advice - great question!


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Jul 25, 2015
148
0
I know "lefty" is acceptable in Softball as a catcher but are college coaches open to a "lefty" in the middle IF? I know in baseball it is pretty much P, 1B, OF for a lefty and I am dealing with that with a "lefty" DS that desperately wanted to play catcher... So for me, the "lefty" side of the equation has me curious...

I have not had to deal with the "lefty" for either of my DD's but for both, we always listed their primary and their secondary... IE: DD1 was always "Middle IF" / "OF" and DD2 is always "Corner IF" / "Pitcher".
 
Jun 11, 2012
741
63
Having an OF only college player, I wouldn't lead with OF knowing her D2 coach doesn't recruit OF, that non-OF players are put there for their bat (bat more important then skill unfortunately - I've seen the skill part lose games). For DD2 I put C, IF, OF. Encourage her to get time in both IF and OF stations. Curious to hear others advice - great question!


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DD is a lefty outfielder who has gotten the attention of quite a few coaches who have come to our games to watch other players. If she can hit and she's an above average outfielder she'll get noticed.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
I have been watching this thread, did not get as much traction as I thought so my piece. Sorry for rambling.

Our SS is a lefty, arguably best defensive player on team. She is smart and good.

IMO she has 0 chance of playing 2nd, SS or 3rd at a higher level. She is good but not that good.

1st base is hitting so throw that out.

Down to C and OF.

Defense C is golden, lefty even better. OF hit is hitting too unless your special.

I think I would go C and OF.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
Not sure I have ever seen a high level left handed 2B...I would go with CF at camps if she is fast. 1B if she is tall, average speed or has a big bat.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
Not sure about 2nd but I have seen some top D1 play SS and 3rd, really unusual though. 2nd seems like a really bad position for a lefty, probably the worst.
 
Jul 25, 2015
148
0
Not sure about 2nd but I have seen some top D1 play SS and 3rd, really unusual though. 2nd seems like a really bad position for a lefty, probably the worst.

At 2B you are pretty much sacrificing the 3-4 hole with a lefty but I really do not see how a lefty can make the throws against speed at 3B and SS either... I am sure there are plenty of lefty's out there with enough athletic ability to do it at the lower levels but they are going to be a really special player to be able to hang in most D1 programs... I fought this with my DS his entire playing career and even pulled him from two travel ball teams where the coaches would put him on 3B - he did fine playing there and was as good or better than what was available but I knew as he progressed he needed development at a position he actually had a chance of playing in HS or beyond...
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
Put your child in the best position to succeed.

I won't discount the possibility that a lefty can play second and play it well. But we're not really trying to answer the question of "Can she play here in the future?" You want to know which position(s) will get her noticed (in a good way). My suspicion is a lot of coaches are going to see a lefty at 2B and either mentally move on to other players or try to figure out a better position for her anyway.

So if she's about equal at all these positions and she enjoys them all about the same, go with where she may play in the future. That's probably C or OF, so stick with that. If she's a good catcher, list that as the primary position (finding good catchers is hard; finding/creating good outfielders is not quite as difficult). If she has a good bat, a team that already has a #1 catcher could still be interested in her as an outfielder anyway.

Also, if she's a center fielder, I'd be specific. A CF can always be moved to LF/RF (it's not the same, but a good CF can adjust) if needed, but if you just list "OF" that doesn't tell much of the story. As others have mentioned, a lot of OFs are bat-first types who just need to play somewhere. Coaches rarely put those girls in center.
 

ian

Jun 11, 2015
1,175
48
Dont hesitate to register your lefty as SS. If she has skills there is no other place to put her at the camp. Coaches want athletes that they can reposition as needed. if the coaches see her tearing it up at SS they know she can play OF too. True she will never play SS in college but you are at the camp to get a look by the HC, right? Head coaches dont spend much time watching the OFers.
 

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