Baseball - 10 year old - too late to start?
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Anonymous
| See if you can get a teen boy from the neighborhood to come by a few times before the season starts and just work on some throwing/catching/batting with him. (There are winter clinics he could do too, but I don't think that's necessary.) A teen boy that could give him some pointers in your backyard would probably help him get started, though. |
Anonymous
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When does he turn 11? If he turns 11 anytime before next Sept 1, then he will be considered league age 11 this spring even if he doesn't turn 11 until the summer.
What rec league will he play in? Little league, pony, cal Ripken, etc. they have different rules for playing down and different age divisions. |
Anonymous
| Not too late at all. |
Anonymous
| My husband was a D1 baseball player and I just asked him and he said not too late at all. If he is athletic, he will do just fine. Spring he will need to try out to figure out if he will be in AAA or majors in little league. Over the winter, go to an indoor facility and have him get some coaching lessons on batting and catching. The batting is harder than it looks as he need to figure out the various pitches coming at him. Also have him watch a lot of baseball to understand the game. If he really wants to play baseball you should also look into a travel team but maybe that is for next year. That will get him more reps and is just a better experience for a serious player. Our kids now play and I am now an official baseball mom. I think the kids drawn to baseball are just terrifc. There is a lot to love about the sport. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| If he can catch and throw the ball, he will be fine. You can work on that during the winter. Even just him tossing the ball into the air and catching it helps. Have him watch baseball games (college or pros) to get some situational awareness. Agree with the PPs about plenty of “older” newcomers with the Nats win. |
Anonymous
| The president of our little league has told me that lots of kids play for the first time at 10-12. |
Anonymous
| Not too late- but the more he can do over the winter the better. Take him to a batting cage or better yet- get lessons. Get outside and play catch a lot (hit the little league field on nice days- practice throwing from base to base, grounders, pop ups). Definitely make sure he understand the rules of baseball (games on tv should tell him most of what he need to know- my kids like watching the little league World Series games- the old ones are our YouTube). If you aren’t athletic- you might consider hiring a teenage player to do the above. I saw someone post a request on our nextdoor (neighborhood) website seeking this and thought it was a great idea. They could work on all aspects of the game together and your DS would think it was pretty cool, I’m guessing. |
Anonymous
| It's not too late but prepare him for lots of standing around and doing nothing. Kit pitch at that age makes the whole thing a snooze fest. |
Anonymous
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I agree with the previous posts- not too late!
One thing I would do is research what “levels” there are in your local rec league. In my kids’ little league a 10yo could play Majors/AAA kid pitch/AA kid pitch. Depending on their skill level. Most 10yo’s would be put in AAA regardless of skill level unless the parents say otherwise (or they make majors). For a new player the parents would be able to request he play down a level to AA kid pitch. There are usually several 10yos who do. As the season approaches you may want to ask the league for guidance (also a parent whose kid plays would be a good resource). My son had a friend who last year (at 10) played his first season. He played down in AA kid pitch and was actually one of the best kids on the team- really built his confidence. This year, he played fall baseball at the right age group (AAA) and did well. |
Anonymous
| Never too late. Just know that it’s easier to start in the fall. Spring is the competitive season and the best players return to little league from travel ball in the hopes of making the summer all star teams. These kids have been playing year round at a high level for several years and are really, really good, particularly in NOVA. So definitely manage your kids expectations and just try to have fun. With the right attitude he will have great memories and new friends. |
Anonymous
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My son played varsity baseball his senior year of high school on a winning team with multiple D1 recruits. He'd never played before. (He is a good athlete and was a recruit for a totally unrelated sport - ice hockey).
Point being: it's never too late. Certainly not at 10. |
Anonymous
Multiple D1 baseball recruits? Which high school? |
Anonymous
| No way is 10 too late!! |
Anonymous
Absolutely not!...BUT...it's critical that you get him proper coaching so that he can learn how to hit and throw correctly. Sadly, it's really hard to unlearn bad mechanics even when you're 12. Baseball's an incredibly difficult sport to pick up, so hopefully, your son can handle failure. That said, if you have positive coaches and a good team environment, hopefully your son will learn to love the game. Good luck!!!!!!! |
Anonymous
Also curious, that is SO rare. Are you sure it was D1? |