Wow, a very interesting thread. As many know, I am the President of a summer league team and a lot of the comments above are spot on, and some not so much. Typically, and there's no pattern that fits every team, coaches try early on to get everyone plenty of PT, and then let the "cream rise" (the exact expression my sons heard when they played in the league) as the season goes on. If you can hit, they will find a spot, and if you can throw strikes and get outs, you can marry the GM's daughter. It also takes 25-45 at bats to get used to playing with wood. Some hitters adjust lightening fast, others can take quite a while. (Lots of guys have hit with wood in BP, but haven't hit facing 90-94 mph.) It is hard to be the parent of an athlete, a fact well-known to all. You adore your kid of course and want the best for them, and if it doesn't look like he is getting a fair shake, it hurts...and your spouse is probably in your ear about it frequently. I have heard discussions where a player is kept because a team doesn't want to tick off his college coach, so if it is a close call, the kid from Clemson will get a fairer shake than a kid from Podunk University (and I apologize if there is such a place), but ultimately it's about performance. College coaches do get calls, and make calls, and when a kid is hitting .120 after 45 at bats, not many college coaches fuss at the summer team about PT. We received a call from a college coach after one pitcher's horrible evening telling us to send him home-which we didn't and wouldn't do as we want him to get a chance to right his ship. We currently have a guy hitting well below the Ryan Flaherty line (Orioles fans will get it), our season is off to a lousy start, the kid is clearly over-matched..yet we probably exchanged 50 test messages internally about whether we release him and upgrade or stick with him. When we had a prospect that was a clear upgrade, the parent in me was a stronger influence than the team president, and we maintained status quo. The Cape is different from any other league-they cut, release, etc. on a dime, and lots of guys have gone up and then are released before ever taking the field. Some pitchers that are released hang around hopeful they will get picked up, making it a "Cape or nothing" summer. The best and most honest answer that I can give to all of the baseball moms and dads, and I was one for many years......"It's complicated". Pray for your kids, be supportive, be as positive as possible-that's all a parent can really do.