Quitting pitching but still playing perspectives

[4Martini]

I’m curious about kids who quit pitching but kept playing and how that transition went. You see the amount of kids pitching taper off and I’d love to hear about those kids in new positions.

 

[joe720]

Have to really love pitching to stick with it. My DD stopped around 13. Plays CF mostly but will play anywhere on the field and hold her own. She's happier now than she used to be for sure, being a pitcher is the most stressful position in the game. Heading off to play in college next year.

 

[Strike2]

It's only a problem if the kid hasn't ever practiced/played another position. Unless pitching is the only thing they do well, being a pitcher only is an incredible disservice to your kid's development. In DD's case, it was a major time expense for not much return. More effort now could be spent on fielding and hitting. Already a good IF, she learned to play OF, which paid off big time.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I’m curious about kids who quit pitching but kept playing and how that transition went. You see the amount of kids pitching taper off and I’d love to hear about those kids in new positions.

I think your better players can and will do this. “Being a pitcher” often gets ingrained into identity perception, and too many kids cannot let that go. Add into that our natural human fear of change …

It takes a special kind of player to say, “Yeah, I can better help the team in another role.”

 

[4Martini]

It's only a problem if the kid hasn't ever practiced/played another position. Unless pitching is the only thing they do well, being a pitcher only is an incredible disservice to your kid's development. In DD's case, it was a major time expense for not much return. More effort now could be spent on fielding and hitting. Already a good IF, she learned to play OF, which paid off big time.

She almost never sits - but her pitching innings have been dropping- so she has been playing OF more and more. She even woke up this morning and took the dog running -after admitting running was her favorite part of the game- she’s a beast on the bases and a good hitter. Sliding under a tag brings her pure joy.

 

[Vertigo]

Not my kid, but a kid who played on my DD’s TB team. She pitched occasionally in HS and for our TB team (and was good!) but knew her best shot at D1 was as an OF. She was /is a beast of an OF. I still think she could have gone D1 as a pitcher if that was her only focus but I think she enjoyed hitting too much and didn’t want to become a PO.

 

[DryHeat]

I have 2 DDs, both in that situation. I wish one of them would have been a catcher... ?

DD1: After freshman year in HS ball started to see her batting/fielding skill would take her places her pitching would not without a ton of work. Moreso, wanted to hit, run, and be in the lineup every day. That took priority over pitching. She still pitched TB and HS for a while as needed, but didn't work on it. Time at P trailed off. Played OF, SS, 3B, P for HS (not much P as a senior on a very good team) and mostly OF and a bit of 3B/SS for TB ( top 10 national team). Heading off to a D1 school in the fall to play in the field with no regrets about not pitching.

DD2: Similar mindset. Enjoys pitching but doesnt want to work at it like you need to to do it at a higher level. Pitched for JV and had fun but really wont pitch for TB any more except for emergency circumstances. Focusing on MI and OF and batting.

Both DDs hit and were good in the field before these decisions, so it wasn't really a transition to play a position.

 

[HunterMO]

DD pitched during 10u C, 12u C, and 14u B. In-between 12u and 14u was when I started to see a change from wanting to pitch to it no longer being worth the work. She was a good pitcher.....when she put in the work. And it was evident when she didn't put in the work. Funny thing was she never wanted to be a starter. Her preference was always to come in as relief. Whether the game was up or down, she much preferred coming into a situation that wasn't created by her. If she needed to protect a lead, great. If a coach needed her to get quick outs to try and get back in the game, great. To her, it simplified the job.

Ultimately, the want was to put in the work around infield and hitting. She plays 3B (travel) and 1B/2B (school) when not pitching. And she wanted to excel at those positions along with her hitting. As a result, the extra time needed to even just be proficient wasn't worth it anymore.

Being that it was her decision and not really a team/coach decision....I think it was easier for her to transition out of pitching. And honestly a load off her shoulders. Does she still like to pitch a few fastballs at Dad when we're out playing catch? Sure, but she has zero interest getting back into the circle for a game.

 

[mmeece]

My dd was forced out of pitching after an injury and surgery at 15-16 yo. She just wasn't able to get a feel for her hand position and spin after an ulnar nerve surgery. Her greatest talent was clearly as a pitcher, and she was dominant at times. She always enjoyed and worked on every aspect of the game, so she just put in the work to become a better hitter and fielder. She earned a scholarship as a position player, but she always missed pitching.

 

[CoachJD]

I think your better players can and will do this. “Being a pitcher” often gets ingrained into identity perception, and too many kids cannot let that go. Add into that our natural human fear of change …

I am really struggling with one of my girls because of this right now. She's always been our best pitcher. For reasons nobody can fully explain, she just kind of lost it a year ago (end of sophomore year). She probably wasn't going to pitch in college without big improvements, but this year she ended the season as our #3 pitcher.

She's really struggled with confidence issues. She's our best overall player and can play any position on the field. She's our best hitter. She can play in college based on everything else she does, but she sees herself as a pitcher. It's killing her that she's not only struggled, but also now is really running out of time to be a college pitcher.

My hope is she can regain her old form going into her senior year. That's not good enough to pitch in college, but it is good enough for her to pitch successfully for us. It will help her have fun playing again.