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Reply to "College Summer Leagues-The Times They Are a Changing"

"4.  Summer ball is great for getting reps in, but don't expect any development.  You are on your own for that."

There are so many aspects to this thread that do not work for me, based on our son's experience.

Admittedly, our son had very, very good experiences, especially the 2nd Summer when his college coach placed him in Newport in the NECBL.  IMO, Newport is one of the very, very best of all Summer league teams and franchises.  The team receives amazing local support, play on a truly legendary field (oldest in the US with a flagpole in center and a restaurant/bar on the right field foul line and both dugouts on the same side of the field,) and get amazing treatment from the GM.  Lobsters on Newport Bay during a sail is one example.

Do players get development? They sure did in Newport.  Being able to prove you can hit and hit well and with authority, with wood, against many of the top D1 college pitchers from across the nation is one aspect. Doing it over  a Summer schedule which mirrors MILB both in terms of travel and playing demands is another. As a D3 kid, our son played along side position players from Georgia, Clemson, Boston College, Vanderbilt, University of Washington, and other similar programs.  Becoming both an All Star and being the 2nd leading hitter in the league set our son up for a spectacular senior year of college ball and eventually to be drafted.  The process confirmed how many scouts saw son that Summer and how he was a different player when he walked onto the college field to start his senior year, one which resulted in him being in the small group of D3 guys who get drafted..

One aspect which is surprising in this thread: from the time our son's college coach started recruiting him, the value of a wood bat Summer league experience was on the table, by the coach. However, it was not just baseball.  The college coach wanted baseball to expand our son's horizons and experiences into the East and New England. It was both  exposure and learning experiences well beyond baseball.  Our son would be the first to admit those Summers in New England were major development experiences, on and off the field!

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