@PABaseball posted:I mean if your son tells them I want to play in the Cape they don't just snap their fingers and make it happen. For the more prestigious leagues anyone will have to earn it. Coach isn't going to place him in a league where he doesn't belong - it would destroy his credibility. So yes, it is at their discretion, they are the ones who coordinate it.
Many coaches have relationships with teams. The programs mine are part of may have sent 5 to the Cape every year but they typically had 3 slots for one team and 2 for another. They usually have a pretty good idea of where the returning players will be for the upcoming summer. The freshmen are more likely to fill the voids based on their fall. If they really do well in the spring they're more likely to backfill dropouts in the higher profile leagues
Definitely agree with you about a coach's discretion and needing to protect their credibility. I think the coaches initially responded this way because son asked them at a time when they were probably too busy. Fall season was still under way. They have since spoken with him and said they'd absolutely help him out and to just send them a list of who to contact. Son isn't trying to go Cape. It's a league he's observed quite a bit and feels is at the appropriate level where he'd get a good balance of development and playing time.