@Dadof3 posted:So I’m watching college ball on tv, got me thinking. What separates, d1, d2 and d3 players? Is it who they played for on their summer teams (who has the connections and who doesn’t)? Is it all things equal but one runs a 6.6 and one runs a 7.0? Is it one can hit 95 and the other ones can only hit 90? Is there such a thing as a “bad” college player?
The OP phrased the question this way. I think most would answer, it's skills, numbers, baseball ability. Travel coaches don't recommend players who don't meet the requirements of a college, because they would destroy their credibility. Travel coaches/organizations DO recruit players with D1 skills, who they can recommend to those schools, then they can claim a part in their success. So if it looks like certain organizations get their players to top schools, that's because the organization recruited good players to their travel teams.
Having said that, especially for hitters, it makes a difference who you play against. Top organizations play in tournaments against each other, hitters face good pitching, which makes it easier for college coaches to evaluate them.
Each level has different sub-levels, as Francis7 said. Each team has a different number of players, from 35 at D1 to 50+ at some D2s and D3s. On some teams, there's quite a difference between those who get playing time and bench players - again due to skills, experience against good teams, how hard they work at it in college, etc.