[cmccuist]

Rick, I remember coaching my son all the way from T-ball to when he shut it down at age 12. And at age 7 there isn't that great a difference between the top players and the ones who are just there because the dad had his pro dreams crushed by injury or whatever.

And what is key here is to NEVER judge a kid's potential too quickly. I remember I had one kid who was bigger than the others, but not gifted with great coordination. Well, I stuck him at 3rd (he had a nice arm) and he killed it over there. He ended up being a pretty good hitter as well. At the end of the season, his mother came up to me and told me how when the season started, she was going to tell me what a poor athlete he was and that she didn't expect much and thought he would play just one year and then quit. That kid later went on to play until he was 12 and had a blast in little league.

You should do just like you're doing and let the "lesser" athletes play SS and bat lead-off and clean-up, but emphasize what a great opportunity this is to be put in this position. Let them rise to the occasion. Put them in a position to succeed! They will surprise you and probably themselves in the bargain.