More From Brad Mumma:

“I love this. You need to be versatile. Often the best players on any level are players up the middle. When you go to higher levels you need the versatility of being able to play elsewhere. If you are a stud SS and you make varsity as a sophomore in HS, but your team has a great senior SS you might need to play 2nd or 3rd or even left or right. I recommend all the coaches do this, even on the travel program that I train”.

This is 100% correct and it was going to be a topic I was going to write about later but Brad has forced my hand.  At Grand Rapids Community College in 1999 as a freshman I thought I was going to play shortstop, problem was there were 10 other recruits who thought the same thing.  Not because Coach Wabeke lied to us, as a matter of fact he was very honest and said up front, “you are going to have to battle to win the job”.  Honesty is all you can ask for out of a coach when it comes to playing time or perceived amount of playing time.  Why was I going to have to battle I thought, I am a good player, but a kid named Snip from Jenison, MI was a good player, in fact he was an all-state shortstop.  Denny Sian from Midland, MI was also a good shortstop and another all-state player, along with Gamin Teague from Canada and a kid from Okemos, MI.  All five of us were freshman and all five of us were shortstops, how were we all going to fit on the field?  The same way the rest of the shortstops did, find a new position.  GRCC recruited up the middle, meaning they wanted catchers, pitchers, shortstops, second baseman, and centerfielders.  What they usually brought in was numerous shortstops.  Why because they are the best athlete or best player on their team in high school so they are probably versatile.  My freshman year at GRCC we had high school shortstops at all nine positions, and the pitcher was even allowed to catch fly balls.  Point being, if you want to extend your career or help kids when they are younger, move around, play every position because you never know when you may find a new spot on the field but when that day comes you better be prepared.

Example 1: LSU had an All-American shortstop as a freshman that they moved to second base his sophomore year because they brought in a freshman who was apparently better.  The kid who got moved is now in the Cubs organization as a 2nd round pick, proving even more so that being versatile can only help.

Example 2: On the big league level look at guys like A-Rod, Dustin Pedroia, and Craig Biggio.  A-Rod moved to third after joining the Yankess and Dustin Pedroia who was an All-American shortstop in college found himself on the other side of the bag in Boston.  Biggio in my mind is the ultimate player and the best example of being versatile.  Biggio started his career as catcher in the big leagues in 1989.  He was an All-Star selection in 1991 and the next season he was moved to second base and was selected to another All-Star game.  Later in his career Biggio made the move to center field, he did all of this without complaining, he just wanted to play and the ability for him to move around the field help give his team a better chance to win.