In my opinion he should stay a lefty especially if he may want to pitch someday lefties are far and few between. However he needs to stay comfortable with his self and what feels right to him. And who says he can't play an infield position as a lefty. My daughter was a lefty and her tee-ball coach got her throwing right handed and now I wish he never did that she is still left-handed for everything else so.

From a Coaching view point,I would have him try pitching,maybe get him lessons. My son has been a pitcher since he was 7yrs. old and is now 12yr. He's going into his 4th season of travel Ball and I'm in the same boat as you(Almost)! My son is left handed BUT he has always Bat/Throw Right. He can bat almost as well Left as Right and he batted 700's this season. I am trying to get him to pitch Left,but not pushing. Some times I'll tell him,"Lets throw Left today and see what we can do". Some times that works and then not. From a parents point all I can say is,steer,don't push. Remember,in Baseball lefties can be a very good tool!

Being left handed is an advantage in baseball, in the general pop. the percentage of left handers is between 10 and 13 percent, in the major leagues that percentage is 18 to 22 percent almost doubled. So being left is an advantage when it comes to baseball.

Just from my perspective, you should never push a child into something that is not natural. From my experience, an eight year old has enough to learn about the game than trying to pick up switch hitting or fielding technques. If you really want to help him, teach him to be a master his advantages and tackle his challenges. There are no rules that a lefty can't play any certain position. If he were on my team, I'd find out where he plays best and keep him there for the season.

Left handed thrower is a gift...there are players and parents would love for their kid to be left handed. Get the kid some pitching help and teach him the correct way to do things from that left side.....never know that left arm might be your retirement one day!!!!!!

i am a kid and i know a few kids that have dropped out of my leagues and my travel team because they were pushed to hard. yet i know a few dads when there kid was real young taught them how to throw with both hands and hit both sides. if a kid is really motivated and wont give it up then it'll be ok. right now i know 5 people like this. and they practice on every side each day. i even have been trying to throw lefty even though ive thrown righty for all my life but thats me and if you think your son can do it then go for it.

I agree with just about everything above. Please explain to your child that all 9 positions on the baseball diamond are important, not just the infield positions. As a 9U travel/tournament ball manager, I run into this "I want to play the infield" business all the time. At 8 years old, the kids think the good kids play the infield and the "bad" kids play outfield based on their rec and Little League experience. When you get to more advanced levels of play (9U travel for instance) this nonsense is proven to be exactly that. Changing your throwing arm for the benefit of a position seems a bit trivial to me. I would think long and hard about throwing with the other arm just to get some time at shortstop or third. Instead of taking on something as tough as learning to throw with the "off" arm, I would have him take on travel ball and concentrate on becoming the best lefty on the field!

If you look at the higher levels of the game, there are a lot of switch-hitters but no switch throwers. A lefty will be limited to outfield, first base, and pitcher, but since they are more rare, there is a better chance to advance.

If you choose to be a right-hander now, you face way more competition when you move up so you will have to really stand out.

If you stay lefty, you will be more in demand.

I will use myself as an example - if I were lefty with my stuff and my path through baseball, I'd likely be a millionaire big leaguer. Right handed, I was able to spend 3 weeks in the big leagues and 16 years in the minors.

No regrets nor would I trade that time, but it's just the reality of supply and demand.

Hope that helps,

Pat