MidloDad, there have been several informational threads on the summer leagues recently. Under the 'Find' tab, type in 'collegiate summer leagues' and you'll see them.
Make sure to UN-check 'search this forum only'
"I would be lost without baseball. I don't think I could stand being away from it as long as I was alive." Roberto Clemente #21
Posts: 2755 | Location: Neither Here Nor There | Registered: November 26, 2003
PG Crosschecker just did their top player list for each College Summer league and and I noticed if you click on the league link they rate each league on a scale of 1 to 4. (1 being best)
"Watchin my boys play baseball is another day in paradise"
Posts: 894 | Location: East Coast | Registered: August 15, 2005
I wouldn't worry to much about the choices, as the summer team your son will play in is generally decided by his college coach. His coach may give him one or two options.
Posts: 527 | Location: California | Registered: August 04, 2003
Hi Midlo Dad, frankly the collegiate leagues, in my opinion, are becoming very competitive with the talent levels pretty much leveling out all across the country. The old thought is that the Cape league has the most talent top to bottom and this is where the majority of the scouts go to check on "top" prospects. However, colleges are sending their players all over the country now including Alaska and Hawaii and the top teams are pretty much competitve with top teams from all over.
Example, Vienna,Va of the Clark Griffith league was "ranked" #1 in mid-July and they decided to play an exhibition double header with Waynesboro and Luray of the Valley League. They lost both games-first was close in extra innings, but the second game they were trounced. They played in the ABC World Series in Wichita,Ks and picked up the top hitter in the Valley League to join them(Tyler Townsend) and they finshed 9th out of 44 teams. I was at the tournament and saw most of the teams play. The Jayhawk league was well represented as well as the Alaskan league. This summer I also saw a number of teams from the Valley and the Florida Collegiate leagues as well. All the top teams could compete in any league in the country. I think once you get past the top 3-4 teams in the leagues the talent starts to dwindle and this is where the Cape may have the upper hand. Honestly, the most important things to look for are playing time and a good host family. Baseball is baseball, if you're not playing it doesn't make any difference how good the league is.
Posts: 956 | Location: Orlando | Registered: August 25, 2003
Originally posted by Midlo Dad: My friend's son has been given 3 choices, hence the question.
JD, thanks, I thought I'd seen something somewhere at one time but when I went back through the BA and PGX web sites I couldn't find it.
Unfortunately PGX is down right now for some reason, but I'll check again tomorrow.
JMO, but I would chose a league that the player and parents feel are a good fit for the player. Although some don't feel it's necessary, we enjoyed having our son housed with a host family, some teams do not offer that option. We also liked that the team son was on preferred that you have a part time job (easy) and curfew. A player heading into his junior year (that has a choice) seriously wanting to play at the next level should chose the league that is the most competitive from top to bottom. Some leagues "stack" teams, that is why you will find maybe 3-4, as Moc states, that will dominate.
Playing time is important for players that have not had a lot of playing time, pitchers should be careful if they have put in significant time and that their pitching coaches give limits and that they are followed.
JMO.
Forget the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey instead...anonymous
Posts: 12757 | Location: South Florida | Registered: July 28, 2003
Group 1 (top): Cape Cod was the only league in this grouping.
Group 2 (next to top): 8 leagues including Alaska, California, Coastal Plain, Great Lakes, New England, Northwoods, Texas, Valley and West Coast. (Note that these are in alphabetical order, so no info is provided as to how to rank among these 8.)
Group 3: 8 leagues including Atlantic, Ripken, Central Illinois, Clark Griffith, Florida, Jayhawk, MINK, and New York.
Group 4: 4 leagues including Great South, Hawaii, Mountain, and Southern.
Two leagues, Kitty and Sierra, were not ranked. Not sure why but I'm guessing that makes them "Group 5".
At the risk of answering my own question, maybe this will help others as well.
Posts: 3164 | Location: Virginia | Registered: February 01, 2006
Originally posted by Midlo Dad: My friend's son has been given 3 choices, hence the question.
JD, thanks, I thought I'd seen something somewhere at one time but when I went back through the BA and PGX web sites I couldn't find it.
Unfortunately PGX is down right now for some reason, but I'll check again tomorrow.
If given a choice by the coach it will generally be for teams that teamates may have played on in previous summers. The best approach is to ask the teamates what they thought of the team from the previous year i.e. did they like the coaches the facitlites, playing opportunities, the living situation, was the pitching in the league good.... You don't want to end up in a situation that your son won't enjoy even if its the best league......
Posts: 527 | Location: California | Registered: August 04, 2003
I think the biggest thing is finding a league that FITS the player. Certainly, a D1 player from a major school will have his choice, while players from D2/D3 schools may want to really check the rosters, see how many small school players are on the teams, and how many of those guys actually get substantial playing time.
********************************************** Baseball players don't make excuses...they make adjustments.
Posts: 3966 | Location: Lynchburg, VA | Registered: January 15, 2003
My son has played in two of the better known leagues the last 2 summers. The first year he had a great experience, last summer, it stunk!
Not all teams and leagues are the same. My advice to parents that are funding your son, do your due dilligence. Learn about the league and the team.
His first summer, great experience, first rate baseball, affordable. Last summer, expensive, marginal baseball, dishonest organization, so-so league.
College coaches don't always know the in's and out's of each placement. If your son wants to go, someone ought to do a certain level of due dilligence.
A good article and very accurate on the Northwoods from what I have heard. A good friend of my son played in the Northwoods (actually lead that league in batting average this summer) and from what he told me, this article describes it very well. Pretty much like the minors without pay. Of course, less talent that the minors but very competitive for collegiate players. Long bus rides, stays in hotels/motels, long boring periods and so on.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by ILVBB: College coaches don't always know the in's and out's of each placement. If your son wants to go, someone ought to do a certain level of due dilligence.[QUOTE]
A very true statement about placement. My son was placed early last Fall by his coach in what ended up being a great placement for him. However, I spent months worrying about it because a couple of friends of his had been placed previously - by their dads and one other coach - and their experience was very poor with big rosters, limited playing time, revolving rosters, and one league that even folded. If you're paying, do as much as you can, as early as you can to get information.
Posts: 313 | Location: Charlotte, NC, USA | Registered: June 27, 2003
As a newbie with a college freshman who will be placed by his school, what can I expect cost-wise next summer(fees, travel costs, room, board, etc.)? Does this vary from league to league?
Posts: 2791 | Location: San Antonio, TX | Registered: April 11, 2006
As a newbie with a college freshman who will be placed by his school, what can I expect cost-wise next summer(fees, travel costs, room, board, etc.)? Does this vary from league to league?
Have no idea how they all are but my son played at the Cape and the cost was minimal. Travel to and from the Cape was paid for (not sure if the college or the Cape paid that), He had host family @ $50.00 per week (some didn't charge - his did). Meals were the biggest expense even though the host family provided a lot of food, the players they usually bypassed the host family for eating out. The Cape also provided part-time jobs for the players. Mine worked weighing chickens in the meat dept. of the "Star Market". He wasn't given a choice where to play.
Posts: 5234 | Location: Spring Creek (Jackson),Tennessee | Registered: December 26, 2002
Originally posted by Infield08: As a newbie with a college freshman who will be placed by his school, what can I expect cost-wise next summer(fees, travel costs, room, board, etc.)? Does this vary from league to league?
It varys from league to league and sometimes from team to team inside the league. My son was a FR playing in the Great Lakes this past summer. His coach placed him and did not give him any other options. His team put him, with three other roomies, up in an apartment for the summer at no cost other than a deposit. They also provided all transportation to and from games but did not provide transportation to the home teams location from his home state. They provided a meal card good for one meal per day (with a $ limit) at a restuarant close to the apartments plus generally provided meals after home games. They also provided all meals on the road. They provided the bats, and uniforms. The players provided any other equipment.
Other members of his college team were placed in other leagues (Coastal Plains, Hawaii, Southern Collegiate), plus a close friend of his was in the Northwoods. Each one was a little different in what it cost.
Posts: 313 | Location: Charlotte, NC, USA | Registered: June 27, 2003
My son's cape expenses were about the same as Fungo's, he got mileage for driving though I think if you fly it's paid for by the league. The 50 dollars required a week by the player to give to the host family was earned by picking up rocks and raking the field, along with being a camp counselor (they all have camps for a few weeks. Food was always left in the fridge for him (he had his own shelf) by the host family but he did eat meals after the game out if it wasn't too late returning. The jobs are basically easy and son liked that it prevented him from sleeping in each day as to not lose his college schedule of early classes. He also liked that he had the same bed to return home to every night after traveling so much on the road in college for two years. I think that traveling and staying on teh road, is a good experience for those that don't make the travel team their first year in college. Essentially is it one huge scouting summer day in and day out. Yes, you most likely will find better facilities than on the cape, there is no glitz imn that regard, it is what it is, but that is not the purpose. The purpose is to play against and with the best players in the country, so if that is one of the choices, go for it. It is especially a great opportunity for those that are asked their first year in college as a large portion of the players are those going into their draft year. You get a chance to watch many future ML players and figure out how you are going to be much better than them. I understand many young players returning back from the cape come back a whole lot more focused than when they left, knowing they have 2 years to improve for draft possibility.
Besides, you get to spend the entire summer with hard core Red Sox fans!
Forget the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey instead...anonymous
Posts: 12757 | Location: South Florida | Registered: July 28, 2003
The cost varies by league and to a degree team to team. The better financed and established leagues appear to have an edge from a cost prospective.
My son played in the Great Lakes League after his freshman year. We paid a player fee of $150 and an airplane ticket to and from Ohio. The team provided housing (college dorm), one meal a day, workout facilities, laundry for baseball uni's and such and transportation to and from every game. My only cost was for either breakfast or lunch (usually lunch as the boys generally slept every day till noon). Very few if any kids had jobs, frankly the cost was so low.
Games were all 9 inning games, they were well attended and scouts were present more often then not.
This past summer he played in the Atlantic league. The player fee was $300. We paid airfare to and from Philly. My son lived with a host family (saints in my book). They generally fed him a meal if he was home. When he had a game or traveled to a game, he had to fend for himself (the team didn't supply a meal). The team provided nothing. He had to supply his own transportation to and from games (generally he car pooled, although he had to catch a cab once that cost $85). They had to go into NYC to play a series at St. John's, he said tolls alone was more than $25 which he split with 2 other players. The team webcast their games, but the cost was $25 per game so we seldom heard them play (the prior year webcasts were free). If my son wanted to work out he would have had to join a local gym as the team had not made arrangements for any kind of workout facilities. The team provided wood bats, however, my son said that they were so cheep that they all were broken by the second week of the season and kids had to buy there own bats. The team ran a camp for local kids, some of the players earned a few dollars (not all kids were invited to coach - preferance was given to kids from local universities or those that grew up in the area). The cost this past summer was a little more than 3 times the cost of his first summer.
Games this last summer were not very well attended. My son indicated that the standard crowd at home was 25, attendance was better with other teams. They did get to play in the brand new AAA stadium and that game was well attended. With the exception of scout day he said that games were seldom scouted. Also, in the Atlantic league nearly 40% of their games are 7 inning double headers. I don't know why this is but it clearly reduced the amount of innings played (and the amount of playing time for many).
The better leagues appear to have more resources and as a result the cost to the family is less. What I have learned is that you can not assume anything and that if you don't ask the important questions before your son signs his contract, you may end up having to foot the bill for costs that you clearly hadn't anticipated.
