Best Base for Lefty to play AFTER 1st base?

[Ken B]

Maybe she could work toward this:

 

[Rocketech1]

The most important thing at her age and experience level is that she needs to develop the skills to field and throw the ball well. If she is one of the best fielders on the team, they will find a place for her in the infield. Secondly, is she quick on her feet to cover bases and for back-up assignments? Third, does she understand and know the game well? I would work on her learning 1st and 2nd base very well and also outfield. As she gets older, outfield becomes very important. I would stay away from 3B and SS as a lefty, not realistic for her to play those two as she gets older. She also pitches, so she has many options. Don't forget to work on her fielding her position when in the circle. She will face lots of small ball, hard hit ground balls, choppers, and pop-ups and needs to be a good fielding pitcher to be effective.

 

[Sweet Lou]

While it's possible to play 2B, SS, 3B as a lefty you are at a decided disadvantage and better be one heck of an athlete if you are going to over come the inherent disadvantages.

Nothing wrong with working hard on 1B and OF in my humble opinion.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

At all the younger ages, it is common for folks to think that their DDs must play in the infield in order to be one of the "better players" on the team. Once you hit 12U, the outfield starts becoming important. Once you reach 14U and above, it is equally important. You can almost bet that as you rise in age level, you will see fewer and fewer lefties in the infield anywhere but 1B. The reason is simple: It is unfair to a team to have the left-handed girl take the extra split-second to turn and make a throw from anywhere else and it is unfair to the girl because she will never play 2B, SS or 3B at a high level because high-level coaches simply don't do that.

Let her learn 1B and the outfield if she doesn't like playing catcher.

The best softball player I've ever seen live (and one many consider to be perhaps the best ever) is Laura Berg. She's left handed, and she played CF. The current MVP of the women's pro league here in the US is Caitlin Lowe. While she throws right-handed, she hits left and plays .... you guessed it .... CF. If the last two consensus best players in the US are outfielders, I see nothing wrong with anyone's DD wanting to play there. She may even have an advantage over others who willfully stick to playing the infield (because of that 8U/10U stigma) even though their skillset suggests perhaps an outfield spot would be better for them.

Case in point: My current first-year 12U team has two girls on it who are supremely gifted tool-wise to be outfielders. One is tall, long, runs like a gazelle, gets the best break on a fly ball coming off the bat of any girl I've ever seen and has the range of Willie Mays. She also has an absolute cannon for an arm and regularly throws waist-high bullets from CF to 3B and home plate. She came from a rec league in a nearby town and when I asked her at tryouts what position she normally plays, she said, "First base." I shook my head and her mother asked me what was wrong. I told her that there was no other position on the field I could think of where her DD's talents could possibly be more wasted than first base.

The second girl has lightning-quick hands, is maybe even faster than a gazelle, has an even stronger arm than the girl above and has a penchant for running full speed and catching balls hit in the gap. She came to me from a different town's rec league and had played SS all her career. She is now my starting right fielder.

Both these gifted girls had never set foot in the outfield and are having to play catch-up to get up to speed. It is just a shame no one had ever told them what their talents were suited for simply because it is "uncool" to play in the outfield.

 

[chinamigarden]

My dd is a lefty and played quite a bit of ss the last 2 summers believe it or not if she has quick feet and a strong arm it's doable. My dd plays 16u. 1st base is her best infield position

 

[chinamigarden]

At all the younger ages, it is common for folks to think that their DDs must play in the infield in order to be one of the "better players" on the team. Once you hit 12U, the outfield starts becoming important. Once you reach 14U and above, it is equally important. You can almost bet that as you rise in age level, you will see fewer and fewer lefties in the infield anywhere but 1B. The reason is simple: It is unfair to a team to have the left-handed girl take the extra split-second to turn and make a throw from anywhere else and it is unfair to the girl because she will never play 2B, SS or 3B at a high level because high-level coaches simply don't do that.

Let her learn 1B and the outfield if she doesn't like playing catcher.

The best softball player I've ever seen live (and one many consider to be perhaps the best ever) is Laura Berg. She's left handed, and she played CF. The current MVP of the women's pro league here in the US is Caitlin Lowe. While she throws right-handed, she hits left and plays .... you guessed it .... CF. If the last two consensus best players in the US are outfielders, I see nothing wrong with anyone's DD wanting to play there. She may even have an advantage over others who willfully stick to playing the infield (because of that 8U/10U stigma) even though their skillset suggests perhaps an outfield spot would be better for them.

Case in point: My current first-year 12U team has two girls on it who are supremely gifted tool-wise to be outfielders. One is tall, long, runs like a gazelle, gets the best break on a fly ball coming off the bat of any girl I've ever seen and has the range of Willie Mays. She also has an absolute cannon for an arm and regularly throws waist-high bullets from CF to 3B and home plate. She came from a rec league in a nearby town and when I asked her at tryouts what position she normally plays, she said, "First base." I shook my head and her mother asked me what was wrong. I told her that there was no other position on the field I could think of where her DD's talents could possibly be more wasted than first base.

The second girl has lightning-quick hands, is maybe even faster than a gazelle, has an even stronger arm than the girl above and has a penchant for running full speed and catching balls hit in the gap. She came to me from a different town's rec league and had played SS all her career. She is now my starting right fielder.

Both these gifted girls had never set foot in the outfield and are having to play catch-up to get up to speed. It is just a shame no one had ever told them what their talents were suited for simply because it is "uncool" to play in the outfield.

If she is better at as then the RH players trying out at ss then it is unfair to her to not play her there. As to it hampering her advancement I give you this. If a college coach sees a lefty playing flawless defense it will get their attention. Will they keep her at as for college I doubt it buy it will attract positive attention

 

[chinamigarden]

And btw there was a left handed 2nd baseman playing in the WCWS about 5 years ago

 

[Little Angels Softball]

And btw there was a left handed 2nd baseman playing in the WCWS about 5 years ago

Precisely my point. There was one, five years ago, yet lefties represent about 10% of the population......

How many LH outfielders and 1Bs were there this year? A dozen? More?

My point is, if you play competitively, there will almost always be a right-handed player that is as good or better at the other three infield positions. If there isn't, the team isn't as competitive as it could be. That is not said as a knock on left-handers, it's just a rotten fact of physiology .... and physics.

If she wants to play in the infield, there is plenty of learning and work to be done trying to become an excellent 1B player. Plenty. I say, embrace it and practice and work to be the best darn 1B anybody ever saw and learn the outfield if she has some extraordinary athletic ability.

 

[chinamigarden]

Precisely my point. There was one, five years ago, yet lefties represent about 10% of the population......

How many LH outfielders and 1Bs were there this year? A dozen? More?

My point is, if you play competitively, there will almost always be a right-handed player that is as good or better at the other three infield positions. If there isn't, the team isn't as competitive as it could be. That is not said as a knock on left-handers, it's just a rotten fact of physiology .... and physics.

If she wants to play in the infield, there is plenty of learning and work to be done trying to become an excellent 1B player. Plenty. I say, embrace it and practice and work to be the best darn 1B anybody ever saw and learn the outfield if she has some extraordinary athletic ability.

it only takes 1 if you are the 1. Give them all a chance. If they win out over the RH
Players then great if they don't the slot them in at 1st. I've been around long enough to remember when lefties were discouraged from catching. Now it's not uncommon.

 

[GatorGirl]

Would be awesome if she could team up with another left handed pitcher and they just switch off first base since they can only pitch 3 innings each!

I think we will just focus on learning all the bases and nudge her towards first and the importance of outfield. She likes pitching because it has a lot of action and I may be able to talk up first base as well as being an action spot.

I think the realization is for her that if you aren't pitching, it might be hard to do infield when you aren't pitching. I would think that a competitive team would select all top players for each position, not a person to be a back-up first baseman while DD is pitching?? Not sure if that makes sense. Oh well, thinking too far ahead I guess.

Thanks for the input--just wish there was a consensus of sorts to follow. At her age though I think Rocketech has the best point.

Thanks so much!

-GG