SPEED

I suppose natural ability is a big factor, but you can improve baserunning speed a great deal with practice. Many kids run on their heels, are too upright, don't have good arm position and action, or simply have not run enough to develop their legs and coordination. Teach him good spinting form, and then get him to run lots of sprints. If you race him yourself (with a handicap, if you're fast), and keep it fun, he won't mind the practice. My kid also likes to race against the stop watch. By the way, each time kids go through a growth spurt, they need to work extra hard on the running.