This is a topic that we have touched upon both the past and present, as the common narrative regarding sport specialization is probably a bit misleading in terms of what evidence is presented against specialization. The issue at hand is that better athletes play a wider variety of sports because they are better athletes. Thus, there is a correlation between multi-sport athletes and higher performance outcomes without there necessarily being much evidence of causation.

With that in mind, more robust research looking into the pros and cons of early specialization have found it to be relatively unnecessary to improving sports performance in the long term. 

In fact, early specialization has been repeatedly linked to increased injury and burnouts rates in youth athletes. This is generally speculated to be caused by outcome oriented, for profit youth training programs that increase pressures on youth athletes to compete with their peers at a high level and at an extremely young age. In turn, it has been speculated that athletes who specialize early will silo themselves into static, similar movement patterns, which cause inflexibility in coordination and make them more susceptible to highly specific injuries.   

In our opinion, the debate regarding the merits and drawbacks of specialization is much more parsimonious than the typical opinions of most individuals. Specialization is not a guaranteed pathway to high rates of injury or burnout if training economy is managed properly, nor is it a guarantor of better performance outcomes as well. As a result, we need to consider who is driving the specialization—the parent/coach or the athlete, whether we are taking adequate time off given the athlete’s talent level and physical maturity, and whether the athlete is showing any signs of burnout or fatigue?

We should probably look to delay specialization if possible; however, if your athlete only wants to play baseball year-round, we should work around that constraint as best as we can. Make sure to limit rotation and overhead throwing when your athlete is not playing baseball, as throwing during the off-season does not count as time off. Training in the weight room and incorporating different movement patterns in the gym will be important to work against the highly repetitive and rigid movements of baseball. Most importantly, educate your athlete on the potential benefits of playing a different sport and taking a break from the sport he/she loves and let them make the decision as to what they want to do.

For a good set of recommendations regarding when to specialize, we recommend clicking on this link here generated by the USA Baseball Long-Term Development Plan. You can always email support@drivelinebaseball.com or reach us at 425-523-4030 if you have more specific questions regarding programming.