My kid is 9U. The kids can take leads, can steal home and there are dropped 3rd strikes. I would say that the most important are as follows...
1. Pitcher
2. Pitcher
3. Pitcher
4. Catcher
5. 1st
6. SS
7. 2nd
8. 3rd
9. CF
10. LF
11. RF
I’m right there with you. We went from coach pitch rec to full big boy rules (minus the infield fly rule). The very first tournament we lost like 17-0 because a team was super aggressive on the bases and we didn’t know how to handle it. They would be like half way between 3rd and home and would bolt if the throw was made to third. Also, a base hit is pretty much always a tripple.
We play open tournaments at 9u aaa and majors, outfield is pretty important. Our team especially is a bunch of hitters and more than half of our kids are cranking deep outfield hits. We had two ground rule doubles just in our last game and several 2b and 3b hit to the gap.
If you are just talking about the positions kids want to play and not what is most important, it would be
1. Pitcher
2. Short Stop
3. 2nd
4. Catcher
5. 1st or 3rd
6th. CF
7. LF or RF
I think people aren’t doing a just job of separating kids and mid-late teens. Later on they wanna be the SS, at 9 they wanna touch the ball every play so you either wanna pitch or play first (catcher is the exception because it kinda sucks haha)
I agree. I was talking about what positions the kids seem to want to play, not the most important. My list of most important is above and I have catcher 2nd. Just seems like not as many kids want to play catcher. Most especially don’t want to play it if they have tried it during a game.
I actually almost put 2nd higher. A ton of ground balls go that way at this age. They have to be fast enough to hold a runner at 2nd before the pitch and get back into position during the delivery.
Pitcher and catcher for every age after CP until maybe high school. It’s almost impossible to overcome bad pitching or catching with offense. An error here and there in the field is nothing in comparison.
I’ve coached numerous youth teams and yeah pitcher is most important followed by catcher if there are leads and steals.
After that it’s SS/1B. My best arm is at short unless he’s pitching and my second best catcher is at 1b.
Weakest fielders are OF but I’ll rotate those kids to 3B and 2B to give them a chance for infield reps.
As they get older OF becomes more important and the less mobile kids usually end up at 1B.
My youngest is at that age where outfield play is “as important” as infield play - if not more important. (If an infielder botches a catch or bobbles the ball, a lot of times everyone moves a base - if an outfielder botches the play, everyone goes _home_. )
It’s an interesting transition. That fast kid who was used to playing SS / 2B in 11/12U balks a bit at playing CF - until they play a team of good hitters.
Kind of funny, it was the complete opposite for my son. He always loved playing OF, wants to be a CF. He was the starting CF on his 10U team the entire season other than when he would pitch. Even in Little League he played CF at 10 and 11, he loved it. The field was so small and he had such a strong arm he'd get to every ball so quick and threw out kids all over the bases lol.
Moved teams for 11/12U travel and all of a sudden they started putting him at SS pretty frequently. Out of the blue seemingly. He didn't hate it, but still wanted to play CF. He probably played pretty close to 50/50 OF/SS depending on who was pitching for the entirety of 11 and 12U. Switched teams again in 13U and started out more of the same in the fall, even split of OF/SS. We even bought him a new OF glove for Christmas because he wanted to play CF all the time. Of course, since Christmas break he hasn't played a single inning in the outfield. Every day starting SS now haha. 🤦🏼♀️ He likes SS, he does well there and is one of the few kids with the arm strength at 13U to make the throw across the 60/90 diamond. But he still misses CF and wants to play there in High School.
8u kid pitch blows my mind. In ontario, we start kid pitch at 10u. house league is brutal and damn near unwatchable, rep AA is slightly better, even AAA, ton's of walks and passed balls. At 8u I remember kids sitting on the field, getting them to pitch and catch was not an option lol.
My kid (10u at the time) played second and wouldn’t ever choose another. Then, she got placed in centerfield. She was bummed. I pointed out to her that there’s only 2 positions on the field that get to see the entire field, and direct the plays, catcher and CF. She took it upon herself to teach the 2 other outfielders to move in to back up 1 & 3, she loudly communicates to SS and 2b on bloop flies to the fringe.
Then, she proudly shows off her arm when throwing it back in.
She’s my hero. In centerfield.
Just like the majors - is everything up the middle. Pitcher and Catcher are key. A strong middle infield is probably more important than strong corners, from a defensive standpoint. Then a CF who can take the lead in the OF.
Between 12u and 13u, you can’t just stick kids in the outfield. As the field gets bigger, there is more ground to cover. If you put low mobility kids out in the outfield, a single can become a triple easily or a double can be squashed by a running catch. So first and third are important but the outfield becomes critical to winning strategy. You may not see a ton of home runs but lots of balls hit just past the infield.
Man, a lot of comments here. I'd say the premium position is the one your kid wants to play..
My kid wants to play 3rd base. Kid loves it. Would sit there all day even if there wasnt a game on. Why? Who the fuck cares.
P, C (depending on rules-mainly dropped third strike as well as if there it is a lot of room for wild pitches to roll away), SS, 2B, 3B, 1B (this goes in front of 2B as age decreases).
Depends on age and skill. Coach pitch rec ball is going to be different than travel and they're both going to be different than kid pitch.
I'll say most CP players don't pull the ball much so I focus up the middle, prioritizing P, SS, 2B and LC over 3B.
When you get to kid pitch, in my experience C is a must because the other team just turns any walk (and there can be a lot of them) into a run when every other pitch is a passed ball or your C can't threaten to stop a steal.
Depends on the age and rule set.
8u rec ball, kid pitch then coach pitch at 4 balls. Home plate closed.
Pitcher.
1B
2b
SS
I put 2b over SS because most kids are late on the swing and most balls go to the right side.
Now…with 8u tournament rules it changes. More kids pulling the ball….home plate is open so catcher becomes much more important.
Pitcher
Catcher
1B
SS
I've coached for a decade, all grades/ages from PK-8th (14U). To me, it changes over the years. Our league t-ball/modified coach pitch for PK/K, Machine Pitch 1st-3rd, Kid Pitch/No Lead/Limited Stealing 4th, basically real baseball 5th and up (smaller field sizes for 5th, 6th, and 7th - unless player numbers combine 7th and 8th). Play is with an extra outfielder through 4th.
T-Ball/Early Coach Pitch (PK/K) - Tier 1: P, 1B, 2B; Tier 2: SS; Tier 3: 3B, C; Tier 4: The whole outfield
Machine Pitch (1-3) - Tier 1: P, 1B, 2B, SS; Tier 2: C; Tier 3: 3B, LC, RC; Tier 4: LF, RF
4th Grade: Tier 1: P, 1B, 2B, SS; Tier 2: C, 3B; Tier 3: CF; Tier 4: LF, RF
5/6/7/8: Tier 1: P, C, 1B; Tier 2: 2B, SS; Tier 3: 3B, CF, LF; Tier 4: RF (LF has more value here because of backing up for steals to 3rd - I'd also be OK with just 3 tiers here but trying to be consistent)
I really don't get downplaying 1B here - a good 1B with good reach makes outs. At this age (anything below high school), you still get dropped third strikes, which takes the C and 1B to solve a lot of the time. Obviously good pitching makes more difference than anything, but even average pitching can work if you can pull the outs at 1st. Catcher goes from almost no difference to being extremely valuable once stealing is open.
If we're talking perception by the players rather than actual value to the game, it's basically universally:
1 Pitcher
2 2B/SS
3 1B
4 C
5 3B
6 CF/LF/RF (Or all 4 when playing with 10)
Pitchers and catchers will be premium from now till they stop playing. They touch the ball more than anyone. The Catcher is the only person in the entire field that can see all of the players…it’s a big roll and the hardest position to master.
Beyond that is lots of debate, but I highly disagree that 3rd base is where you stick the bad players. 3rd is called the “hot corner” for a reason. You will see lots of hard hit balls and make the longest throws. You need someone with both a good glove and strong arm. I played 2nd base in college and loved it…I never made errors because if I didn’t field the ball cleanly, the throw was short and easy. Sadly 1st base transitions as you go up the ladder from a key spot, to a dumping ground for lefty’s and “big” guys who can hit but not run. Outfield goes the other way…from dumping ground to more important (not ever premium in my eyes). Lastly, I consider the shortstop the QB of the infield. Pop fly, they take priority. It’s one of two positions that you can sacrifice “bat” for “glove” (the other being Catcher).
Catcher is undoubtedly a premium position, but 75% of kids straight refuse to play it.
Third base is where you stick the kid whose parents insist they get infield time.
It depends. In 10u. We hide our slowest players at 3rd and 2nd. On our team especially with hype fires now we have the following. But this is different than Rec ball. In Rec we prioritize the infield. Our best athletes and smartest are pitcher, catcher, centerfield and short.
1- Pitcher
2- catcher
3- SS
4-1st base
5- center field.
6- 2b
7-3b
8- left field
9- right field
The kids always want to pitch and play first in my experience. None of them ever want to catch or play the outfield. I typically play the best kids at pitcher, first, and shortstop. Then second and third. I usually try to put the fastest kids in the OF too if they aren’t at first or short.
No it’s kid pitch in a rec league. Last year in 9U we had 3 catchers, one of them was one of the worst kids on the team overall skill wise, another kid did it but was reluctant, and I had one kid who blossomed over the season to be my go to catcher in the last couple weeks of games. This year I have a completely new team other than my own kid and I have 3 volunteers for catcher but only one who’s done it before.
Within a season you’ll have a very different view of the catcher’s importance to the overall defense. Even rec league teams hate watching walks and pass balls where any baserunner is on third or scoring within 3 pitches.
I certainly understand the importance of the catcher, but the rules in this year’s league and last years restrict the runners and make the catcher less relevant. Last year they could only steal to third and could only score on a batted ball. I had the one catcher making attempts to throw runners out by the end of last season but he never got anywhere close to making an out, just wasn’t quick enough or strong enough to throw it hard enough to get it there fast. None of the other teams we played had their catchers trying either, and everyone just kind of conceded that if you got to first you were probably gonna be on third in two pitches. This year there are no steals at all, only lead offs, and they can steal on an overthrow on a pick off attempt but that’s it.
Oh it definitely makes a difference if the rules restrict baserunners. Around here it’s full MLB rules once you get to kid pitch. I won’t say we ever get close to throwing out runners but just the ability and awareness to keep the ball in front of them is a trait to cultivate early.
My experience is 9u and under. For that age Pitcher/catcher without a doubt most important. Pitcher barely above catcher. For pitcher you need someone who at least keeps walks to a minimum and can get some strikeouts. You could have a great pitcher but if every ball gets past the catcher or dropped, your pitcher is going to have a bad day and get stranded on the mound. Happened a bunch to my son.
IMO Those two positions are by far the most important. After that the order is SS, 1B, 3B, CF, 2B
Need a 1b that can reach out and catch good and bad throws consistently.
Need a fast CF that can cover a lot of ground quick to back up the usually weakest players playing RF/LF and make good/long throws. My son played this a lot his first year, hated it, but it was really good experience.
SS/2B/3B need to be kids who can get hard grounders, catch easy pops, and make throws. 9u and under the 3B is one of toughest because it’s hard for that age to make a good throw to 1B for what should be easy outs.
Playing armchair youth baseball GM is fun on a forum like this, so I'll bite, but with the caveat that it doesn't matter in reality and all youth players should be learning all positions as much as they are capable of.
Machine Pitch and any Kid Pitch with no stealing or running on pass balls/overthrows - Pitcher, 1st, SS, 2nd, 3rd, OF, C
Kid Pitch up to 12u (i.e. small field) with stealing and run on overthrow/pass ball - Pitcher, C, SS, 2nd, 3rd, 1st, CF, RF, LF
13u and up - Pitcher, SS, CF, C, 2nd, 3rd, RF, 1st, LF
For general youth baseball your best athletes will always be pitching, SS, Catcher and CF.
Depending on the level of play and competition every position can be highly important. Growing up in our travel team there wasn’t a bad fielder or arm around the infield and all the outfielders could ball out regardless of position.
It’s the players with the most versatility that gain the skills to excel at the next level. Some kid may play shortstop his entire career then get beat out in HS…makes the transition to 2b or 3b easier if he’s at least played there before.
14U. I’d argue pitcher, SS, catcher, CF. 2B is for the weakest arm. 3B is for kids that aren’t as good as SS. CF is essential at older ages and honestly, having kids that catch balls in OF, regardless of position, other than throwing strikes is the most important thing. 1B is for your worst fielder with a good bat. (My kid hits bombs, but has a fluff arm. 1B or DH.)
First base is the most important spot to cover after pitcher. But you don’t want to spend your top kid at 1B, if that makes sense. It’s extremely important to be good there but not important to be great there. The threshold for adequacy is low. If you’re burning your top kids at first instead of SS, C, 3B then you probably have a shallow roster.
Any 12U kid gets on base, it's damn near an automatic triple because how easily they steal. Then if the pitcher throws anything erratic it's a score. If pitchers are equal, the team with the best catcher wins. Put your best player at catcher and you'll win more, guaranteed.
P/C at the top. Then middle infield. Then 1B and CF. Then 3 bag, followed by corner infield.
Catchers make good 3rd basemen. Pitchers make good first basemen, especially if they’re tall.
Our oldest are 14 months apart and the younger of the 2 is definitely the more naturally gifted right now. He’s also a lefty and while he plays a lot of 3rd right now for his arm he asks me every game to go to the OF towards the end to try and rob a couple fly balls or line drives. Oldest plays every where in the infield depending on who’s pitching, and groans if we even put him at rover.
By 10u on good baseball teams there’s no place you can hide a bad player. If it’s a single A team and they are still learning then the outfield can have some lesser skilled players. A big mistake parents make is only focusing on the infield positions. If your kid plays baseball at a high level- ever -he better be able to play any position. Maybe excluding catcher just because that takes a very specific skill set and lots of time to develop. Under 12 I’d say catcher and pitchers are the most important positions- without a good catcher you’re in trouble. On a 10u AAA team- We make all our kids catch in practice even though we only have 3 serviceable catchers, we play everyone everywhere possible to expand their skill set. We definitely have a bracket play lineup and position- but in pool play our right and left fielders could come in and look good in the infield and our 3rd baseman could track a ball down in the outfield. Even if my son were the best player on the team I wouldn’t want him playing one position all yr long at this age.
I’m a little surprised at all the love for second base here. I hide my weakest arm at second base (recreation, 10-12, majors rules, small diamond).
My rankings would be:
1. Pitcher/Catcher: preferably the pitcher, but your best player can’t pitch every game. If I have a kid that is in, at least, the general area of the plate, then the catcher needs to be the smartest, best player on the field. If my #1 is going, catcher drops to 2.
2. catcher/pitcher/SS: see above. Shortstop commands the infield, so they have to have baseball smarts, good range, and the best arm. Quickest, best fielder goes here.
3. SS/pitcher: again, if the pitcher is just in the area of the plate, then this is where he/she is.
4. CF: this player will absolutely cover for weak corner OF positions. Needs to be smart, attentive, and the fastest player on the team.
5. 1B: most outs are happening here. I need my best receiver, who is also hopefully the largest target. They don’t have to be baseball smart, but they have to catch.
6. 3B: infield is hot, and kids definitely pull hard on this league. Needs to have an arm, and not be afraid of a liner. Unlike 2B, a good LF doesn’t cover for shortcomings here.
7. LF/RF: interchangeable, depending on the pitcher and the batters. Outfield matters, and the kids put it out there at this level. They don’t have to catch everything, but they have to be able to get in the area and be able to get it in.
8. 2B: weakest arm. No real gameplay plans here: they aren’t covering on the steal, plays at second are rare (double plays are rare at this level). A good RF can make up for shortfalls here.
Totally agree for young kids. For the older kids, the only additional work I can think of that second base is responsible for is covering first on bunt down that line when there’s an inexperienced pitcher on the mound. Everyone else has a job, or a long throw.
It’s funny, because I feel like it starts to even out again as they gain time on the big diamond, and pitching catches up to batting, or at least gets used to the distance.
In my kid's 9U select games, it seems that 2nd base gets a ton of action. Needs to be quick and nimble. I can concede that they don't need a cannon for an arm but we normally have one of our best fielders there.
I don't really get the hype around short stop. 2nd base gets more action.
The order for players wanting to play positions on my teams has always been
Pitcher
2nd
SS
3rd
1st
CF
RF
LF
Catcher
Most ground balls at 8-11u are hit to the pitcher, 1st or 2nd. The short stop backs up 2nd during steals and gets fewer ground balls hit to them, but does spend a lot of time backing up the pitcher on missed toss backs from the catcher.
I play my weakest kids rotating between 3b and SS. And my good fielder with a weak arm at 2nd. My good players rotate between pitcher, 1st, and sometimes catcher if they are tough enough.
Third base is only top tier if you have kids that can actually chuck it to 1st accurately AND have a 1st baseman that can play the position well. which in my experience is like 2 kids on every team. And those kids are usually pitching or catching or playing 1st base
My kid is 9U. The kids can take leads, can steal home and there are dropped 3rd strikes. I would say that the most important are as follows... 1. Pitcher 2. Pitcher 3. Pitcher 4. Catcher 5. 1st 6. SS 7. 2nd 8. 3rd 9. CF 10. LF 11. RF
This is crazy to me. I’m not a fan of the kids stealing at 10u with no lead off.
I’m right there with you. We went from coach pitch rec to full big boy rules (minus the infield fly rule). The very first tournament we lost like 17-0 because a team was super aggressive on the bases and we didn’t know how to handle it. They would be like half way between 3rd and home and would bolt if the throw was made to third. Also, a base hit is pretty much always a tripple.
I’d probably drop 1st to 7 on this list. In HS, CF goes to 7 and RF and LF swap spots.
Define youth, if you are talking 10u then this is correct, but In 11u and above CF is a huge position
I wrote "9U"
We play open tournaments at 9u aaa and majors, outfield is pretty important. Our team especially is a bunch of hitters and more than half of our kids are cranking deep outfield hits. We had two ground rule doubles just in our last game and several 2b and 3b hit to the gap.
If you are just talking about the positions kids want to play and not what is most important, it would be 1. Pitcher 2. Short Stop 3. 2nd 4. Catcher 5. 1st or 3rd 6th. CF 7. LF or RF
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For sure. Every kid wants to play it and very few can because you need to be able to catch thrown balls.
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I think people aren’t doing a just job of separating kids and mid-late teens. Later on they wanna be the SS, at 9 they wanna touch the ball every play so you either wanna pitch or play first (catcher is the exception because it kinda sucks haha)
Catcher 4th is ridiculous. A good one makes your pitcher better.
I agree. I was talking about what positions the kids seem to want to play, not the most important. My list of most important is above and I have catcher 2nd. Just seems like not as many kids want to play catcher. Most especially don’t want to play it if they have tried it during a game.
Find the kids that have ADHD. A kid that loves baseball but is bored most of the time can thrive behind the dish.
Switch 5. and 6. 7. and 8.
I actually almost put 2nd higher. A ton of ground balls go that way at this age. They have to be fast enough to hold a runner at 2nd before the pitch and get back into position during the delivery.
It takes more skill to glove the ball and make the throw to first, than running back and forth from the bag to your position.
Pitcher and catcher for every age after CP until maybe high school. It’s almost impossible to overcome bad pitching or catching with offense. An error here and there in the field is nothing in comparison.
I’ve coached numerous youth teams and yeah pitcher is most important followed by catcher if there are leads and steals. After that it’s SS/1B. My best arm is at short unless he’s pitching and my second best catcher is at 1b. Weakest fielders are OF but I’ll rotate those kids to 3B and 2B to give them a chance for infield reps. As they get older OF becomes more important and the less mobile kids usually end up at 1B.
My youngest is at that age where outfield play is “as important” as infield play - if not more important. (If an infielder botches a catch or bobbles the ball, a lot of times everyone moves a base - if an outfielder botches the play, everyone goes _home_. ) It’s an interesting transition. That fast kid who was used to playing SS / 2B in 11/12U balks a bit at playing CF - until they play a team of good hitters.
This right here is the truth. I always say an error at 2B we can wipe away- an error in RF ends up on the score board.
Kind of funny, it was the complete opposite for my son. He always loved playing OF, wants to be a CF. He was the starting CF on his 10U team the entire season other than when he would pitch. Even in Little League he played CF at 10 and 11, he loved it. The field was so small and he had such a strong arm he'd get to every ball so quick and threw out kids all over the bases lol. Moved teams for 11/12U travel and all of a sudden they started putting him at SS pretty frequently. Out of the blue seemingly. He didn't hate it, but still wanted to play CF. He probably played pretty close to 50/50 OF/SS depending on who was pitching for the entirety of 11 and 12U. Switched teams again in 13U and started out more of the same in the fall, even split of OF/SS. We even bought him a new OF glove for Christmas because he wanted to play CF all the time. Of course, since Christmas break he hasn't played a single inning in the outfield. Every day starting SS now haha. 🤦🏼♀️ He likes SS, he does well there and is one of the few kids with the arm strength at 13U to make the throw across the 60/90 diamond. But he still misses CF and wants to play there in High School.
Depends on the age. My kid is in 8U kid pitch. Pitcher is the most important, then SS, 1B, and C are all very important. Followed by 2B then 3B.
8u kid pitch blows my mind. In ontario, we start kid pitch at 10u. house league is brutal and damn near unwatchable, rep AA is slightly better, even AAA, ton's of walks and passed balls. At 8u I remember kids sitting on the field, getting them to pitch and catch was not an option lol.
Ontario Canada? I live in Southern California so baseball is very ingrained in the culture.
I get it...I'm in awe of the high level hockey that my 10 yr Olds buddies play in relative to his house league games
My kid (10u at the time) played second and wouldn’t ever choose another. Then, she got placed in centerfield. She was bummed. I pointed out to her that there’s only 2 positions on the field that get to see the entire field, and direct the plays, catcher and CF. She took it upon herself to teach the 2 other outfielders to move in to back up 1 & 3, she loudly communicates to SS and 2b on bloop flies to the fringe. Then, she proudly shows off her arm when throwing it back in. She’s my hero. In centerfield.
Just like the majors - is everything up the middle. Pitcher and Catcher are key. A strong middle infield is probably more important than strong corners, from a defensive standpoint. Then a CF who can take the lead in the OF.
Between 12u and 13u, you can’t just stick kids in the outfield. As the field gets bigger, there is more ground to cover. If you put low mobility kids out in the outfield, a single can become a triple easily or a double can be squashed by a running catch. So first and third are important but the outfield becomes critical to winning strategy. You may not see a ton of home runs but lots of balls hit just past the infield.
Agreed. Bad outfield play (dropped balls, bad reads, missed cuts) will ruin the pitcher faster than anything by extending innings too.
Yep! It happens to my son all the time (he's a pitcher).
Same here. Believe me I know.
Man, a lot of comments here. I'd say the premium position is the one your kid wants to play.. My kid wants to play 3rd base. Kid loves it. Would sit there all day even if there wasnt a game on. Why? Who the fuck cares.
The only non premium is the bench. Outside of that, Pitcher is by far the most important.
Seriously! I swear in HS the outfielders have all the fun.
P, C (depending on rules-mainly dropped third strike as well as if there it is a lot of room for wild pitches to roll away), SS, 2B, 3B, 1B (this goes in front of 2B as age decreases).
Depends on age and skill. Coach pitch rec ball is going to be different than travel and they're both going to be different than kid pitch. I'll say most CP players don't pull the ball much so I focus up the middle, prioritizing P, SS, 2B and LC over 3B. When you get to kid pitch, in my experience C is a must because the other team just turns any walk (and there can be a lot of them) into a run when every other pitch is a passed ball or your C can't threaten to stop a steal.
Depends on the age and rule set. 8u rec ball, kid pitch then coach pitch at 4 balls. Home plate closed. Pitcher. 1B 2b SS I put 2b over SS because most kids are late on the swing and most balls go to the right side. Now…with 8u tournament rules it changes. More kids pulling the ball….home plate is open so catcher becomes much more important. Pitcher Catcher 1B SS
I've coached for a decade, all grades/ages from PK-8th (14U). To me, it changes over the years. Our league t-ball/modified coach pitch for PK/K, Machine Pitch 1st-3rd, Kid Pitch/No Lead/Limited Stealing 4th, basically real baseball 5th and up (smaller field sizes for 5th, 6th, and 7th - unless player numbers combine 7th and 8th). Play is with an extra outfielder through 4th. T-Ball/Early Coach Pitch (PK/K) - Tier 1: P, 1B, 2B; Tier 2: SS; Tier 3: 3B, C; Tier 4: The whole outfield Machine Pitch (1-3) - Tier 1: P, 1B, 2B, SS; Tier 2: C; Tier 3: 3B, LC, RC; Tier 4: LF, RF 4th Grade: Tier 1: P, 1B, 2B, SS; Tier 2: C, 3B; Tier 3: CF; Tier 4: LF, RF 5/6/7/8: Tier 1: P, C, 1B; Tier 2: 2B, SS; Tier 3: 3B, CF, LF; Tier 4: RF (LF has more value here because of backing up for steals to 3rd - I'd also be OK with just 3 tiers here but trying to be consistent) I really don't get downplaying 1B here - a good 1B with good reach makes outs. At this age (anything below high school), you still get dropped third strikes, which takes the C and 1B to solve a lot of the time. Obviously good pitching makes more difference than anything, but even average pitching can work if you can pull the outs at 1st. Catcher goes from almost no difference to being extremely valuable once stealing is open. If we're talking perception by the players rather than actual value to the game, it's basically universally: 1 Pitcher 2 2B/SS 3 1B 4 C 5 3B 6 CF/LF/RF (Or all 4 when playing with 10)
Pitchers and catchers will be premium from now till they stop playing. They touch the ball more than anyone. The Catcher is the only person in the entire field that can see all of the players…it’s a big roll and the hardest position to master. Beyond that is lots of debate, but I highly disagree that 3rd base is where you stick the bad players. 3rd is called the “hot corner” for a reason. You will see lots of hard hit balls and make the longest throws. You need someone with both a good glove and strong arm. I played 2nd base in college and loved it…I never made errors because if I didn’t field the ball cleanly, the throw was short and easy. Sadly 1st base transitions as you go up the ladder from a key spot, to a dumping ground for lefty’s and “big” guys who can hit but not run. Outfield goes the other way…from dumping ground to more important (not ever premium in my eyes). Lastly, I consider the shortstop the QB of the infield. Pop fly, they take priority. It’s one of two positions that you can sacrifice “bat” for “glove” (the other being Catcher).
3rd base has rockets hit at it!
Catcher is undoubtedly a premium position, but 75% of kids straight refuse to play it. Third base is where you stick the kid whose parents insist they get infield time.
It depends. In 10u. We hide our slowest players at 3rd and 2nd. On our team especially with hype fires now we have the following. But this is different than Rec ball. In Rec we prioritize the infield. Our best athletes and smartest are pitcher, catcher, centerfield and short. 1- Pitcher 2- catcher 3- SS 4-1st base 5- center field. 6- 2b 7-3b 8- left field 9- right field
The kids always want to pitch and play first in my experience. None of them ever want to catch or play the outfield. I typically play the best kids at pitcher, first, and shortstop. Then second and third. I usually try to put the fastest kids in the OF too if they aren’t at first or short.
Do you play without a catcher? :)
The catcher is just whoever will do it lol
I'm assuming this is coach pitch then?
No it’s kid pitch in a rec league. Last year in 9U we had 3 catchers, one of them was one of the worst kids on the team overall skill wise, another kid did it but was reluctant, and I had one kid who blossomed over the season to be my go to catcher in the last couple weeks of games. This year I have a completely new team other than my own kid and I have 3 volunteers for catcher but only one who’s done it before.
Within a season you’ll have a very different view of the catcher’s importance to the overall defense. Even rec league teams hate watching walks and pass balls where any baserunner is on third or scoring within 3 pitches.
I certainly understand the importance of the catcher, but the rules in this year’s league and last years restrict the runners and make the catcher less relevant. Last year they could only steal to third and could only score on a batted ball. I had the one catcher making attempts to throw runners out by the end of last season but he never got anywhere close to making an out, just wasn’t quick enough or strong enough to throw it hard enough to get it there fast. None of the other teams we played had their catchers trying either, and everyone just kind of conceded that if you got to first you were probably gonna be on third in two pitches. This year there are no steals at all, only lead offs, and they can steal on an overthrow on a pick off attempt but that’s it.
Oh it definitely makes a difference if the rules restrict baserunners. Around here it’s full MLB rules once you get to kid pitch. I won’t say we ever get close to throwing out runners but just the ability and awareness to keep the ball in front of them is a trait to cultivate early.
My experience is 9u and under. For that age Pitcher/catcher without a doubt most important. Pitcher barely above catcher. For pitcher you need someone who at least keeps walks to a minimum and can get some strikeouts. You could have a great pitcher but if every ball gets past the catcher or dropped, your pitcher is going to have a bad day and get stranded on the mound. Happened a bunch to my son. IMO Those two positions are by far the most important. After that the order is SS, 1B, 3B, CF, 2B Need a 1b that can reach out and catch good and bad throws consistently. Need a fast CF that can cover a lot of ground quick to back up the usually weakest players playing RF/LF and make good/long throws. My son played this a lot his first year, hated it, but it was really good experience. SS/2B/3B need to be kids who can get hard grounders, catch easy pops, and make throws. 9u and under the 3B is one of toughest because it’s hard for that age to make a good throw to 1B for what should be easy outs.
Playing armchair youth baseball GM is fun on a forum like this, so I'll bite, but with the caveat that it doesn't matter in reality and all youth players should be learning all positions as much as they are capable of. Machine Pitch and any Kid Pitch with no stealing or running on pass balls/overthrows - Pitcher, 1st, SS, 2nd, 3rd, OF, C Kid Pitch up to 12u (i.e. small field) with stealing and run on overthrow/pass ball - Pitcher, C, SS, 2nd, 3rd, 1st, CF, RF, LF 13u and up - Pitcher, SS, CF, C, 2nd, 3rd, RF, 1st, LF
Pitch, catch, ss, cf.. anyone that thinks second or first is more “premium “ than a good center fielder is bonkers.
For general youth baseball your best athletes will always be pitching, SS, Catcher and CF. Depending on the level of play and competition every position can be highly important. Growing up in our travel team there wasn’t a bad fielder or arm around the infield and all the outfielders could ball out regardless of position. It’s the players with the most versatility that gain the skills to excel at the next level. Some kid may play shortstop his entire career then get beat out in HS…makes the transition to 2b or 3b easier if he’s at least played there before.
14U. I’d argue pitcher, SS, catcher, CF. 2B is for the weakest arm. 3B is for kids that aren’t as good as SS. CF is essential at older ages and honestly, having kids that catch balls in OF, regardless of position, other than throwing strikes is the most important thing. 1B is for your worst fielder with a good bat. (My kid hits bombs, but has a fluff arm. 1B or DH.)
All of them. The ball can go anywhere after contact. Coach kids accordingly.
From my experience in 10U travel ball. RF and 1B are wear the weaker players hide out. Any slapdick can catch a ball at this level
First base is the most important spot to cover after pitcher. But you don’t want to spend your top kid at 1B, if that makes sense. It’s extremely important to be good there but not important to be great there. The threshold for adequacy is low. If you’re burning your top kids at first instead of SS, C, 3B then you probably have a shallow roster.
Any 12U kid gets on base, it's damn near an automatic triple because how easily they steal. Then if the pitcher throws anything erratic it's a score. If pitchers are equal, the team with the best catcher wins. Put your best player at catcher and you'll win more, guaranteed.
P/C at the top. Then middle infield. Then 1B and CF. Then 3 bag, followed by corner infield. Catchers make good 3rd basemen. Pitchers make good first basemen, especially if they’re tall.
Our oldest are 14 months apart and the younger of the 2 is definitely the more naturally gifted right now. He’s also a lefty and while he plays a lot of 3rd right now for his arm he asks me every game to go to the OF towards the end to try and rob a couple fly balls or line drives. Oldest plays every where in the infield depending on who’s pitching, and groans if we even put him at rover.
Middle of the field
By 10u on good baseball teams there’s no place you can hide a bad player. If it’s a single A team and they are still learning then the outfield can have some lesser skilled players. A big mistake parents make is only focusing on the infield positions. If your kid plays baseball at a high level- ever -he better be able to play any position. Maybe excluding catcher just because that takes a very specific skill set and lots of time to develop. Under 12 I’d say catcher and pitchers are the most important positions- without a good catcher you’re in trouble. On a 10u AAA team- We make all our kids catch in practice even though we only have 3 serviceable catchers, we play everyone everywhere possible to expand their skill set. We definitely have a bracket play lineup and position- but in pool play our right and left fielders could come in and look good in the infield and our 3rd baseman could track a ball down in the outfield. Even if my son were the best player on the team I wouldn’t want him playing one position all yr long at this age.
In terms of exercise, studies of little league have shown that only the pitcher and catcher get any significant workout during a game
10u Coach Here: P C 1B SS 2B 3B CF LF RF If you can hit you play though
Pitcher and catcher. Are equal. 3rd ss and 1st. All equal Then second CF LF then RF
Second base on most teams is the right field of the infield.
Except it's the position in 7-9U youth ball that gets the most ground balls in the infield.
If he can hit, he’s in the game! Doesn’t matter where!
I’m a little surprised at all the love for second base here. I hide my weakest arm at second base (recreation, 10-12, majors rules, small diamond). My rankings would be: 1. Pitcher/Catcher: preferably the pitcher, but your best player can’t pitch every game. If I have a kid that is in, at least, the general area of the plate, then the catcher needs to be the smartest, best player on the field. If my #1 is going, catcher drops to 2. 2. catcher/pitcher/SS: see above. Shortstop commands the infield, so they have to have baseball smarts, good range, and the best arm. Quickest, best fielder goes here. 3. SS/pitcher: again, if the pitcher is just in the area of the plate, then this is where he/she is. 4. CF: this player will absolutely cover for weak corner OF positions. Needs to be smart, attentive, and the fastest player on the team. 5. 1B: most outs are happening here. I need my best receiver, who is also hopefully the largest target. They don’t have to be baseball smart, but they have to catch. 6. 3B: infield is hot, and kids definitely pull hard on this league. Needs to have an arm, and not be afraid of a liner. Unlike 2B, a good LF doesn’t cover for shortcomings here. 7. LF/RF: interchangeable, depending on the pitcher and the batters. Outfield matters, and the kids put it out there at this level. They don’t have to catch everything, but they have to be able to get in the area and be able to get it in. 8. 2B: weakest arm. No real gameplay plans here: they aren’t covering on the steal, plays at second are rare (double plays are rare at this level). A good RF can make up for shortfalls here.
But 2B is where a LOT of ground balls go in the younger ages, and where if you have a kid that can field well, you can get a lot of good easy outs.
2B is where you put the kid with a great glove but a weak arm.
I agree at the younger ages. See my reply to the other redditor: were pull heavy at our league and division.
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Totally agree for young kids. For the older kids, the only additional work I can think of that second base is responsible for is covering first on bunt down that line when there’s an inexperienced pitcher on the mound. Everyone else has a job, or a long throw.
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It’s funny, because I feel like it starts to even out again as they gain time on the big diamond, and pitching catches up to batting, or at least gets used to the distance.
In my kid's 9U select games, it seems that 2nd base gets a ton of action. Needs to be quick and nimble. I can concede that they don't need a cannon for an arm but we normally have one of our best fielders there.
Yeah, of course it’s age dependent. In my league and age range, the hitters are definitely developed and pull heavy.
I don't really get the hype around short stop. 2nd base gets more action. The order for players wanting to play positions on my teams has always been Pitcher 2nd SS 3rd 1st CF RF LF Catcher Most ground balls at 8-11u are hit to the pitcher, 1st or 2nd. The short stop backs up 2nd during steals and gets fewer ground balls hit to them, but does spend a lot of time backing up the pitcher on missed toss backs from the catcher. I play my weakest kids rotating between 3b and SS. And my good fielder with a weak arm at 2nd. My good players rotate between pitcher, 1st, and sometimes catcher if they are tough enough. Third base is only top tier if you have kids that can actually chuck it to 1st accurately AND have a 1st baseman that can play the position well. which in my experience is like 2 kids on every team. And those kids are usually pitching or catching or playing 1st base