What is it about playing the outfield that so many young players, and often their parents, see as a demotion?
Great teams have great players in all nine positions. How can we change this misconception?
Coaches
You are part of the problem! I’m not sure you mean to be, but you are. As the head coach of the team, where do you invest your time at practice? Most of the time, the head coach wants to be the ringleader of the infield. And usually, has an assistant coach work with the outfielders.
I don’t care if you have Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey Jr and Babe Ruth. as your assistant coaches, if you as the head coach don’t spend time with the outfield, they think of themselves as second class citizens. Why? Because the person in charge doesn’t care enough about them to invest time in them in practice.
Parents
Remember there are three outfield positions to fill and only one shortstop, or catcher or pitcher. Your kid increases their chance to play by 300% by playing in the outfield. And if you are excited about your kid being the right fielder instead of angry that they are not the shortstop, everyone will be happier!
Players
Watch SportsCenter any night during the major league season and count how many great outfield plays they show. Diving catches, robbing a home run, or throwing out a runner at the plate are way more exciting than fielding a ground ball and throwing it to first. I’m just saying…
No team can become great without great outfielders. Embrace the challenge of playing the outfield to the best of your ability and you can count on helping your team win a bunch of games, and get a bunch of accolades along the way.
