Just a few tidbits derived from my nonpaying job as a summer league GM:
1. Most leagues either charge a fee or will be charging a fee. I dislike player fees but it was approved for our league (Valley) in 2015 to charge a $200 fee. It's purely a financial survival issue for most teams in the NACSB.
2. Leagues with for-profit owners run them as a business, which they are, and they play a LOT of games. By year end some of those teams list more than 30 pitchers that have thrown. 70+ games is not unusual.
3. "Ranking" leagues is always debatable and often purely arbitrary. MLB scouts talk to us, tell us they like our league a lot, and we see them at games. Not as often as 10 years ago but the world of scouting has changed. If the MLB scouts are coming, your league has talent.
4. Your biggest venues and stadiums are more likely for profit teams, but not always .Our league has several teams in towns with populations in the 2500-5000 range so you won't see crowds of 2,000 but fans get really attached really quickly to their players and these guys get treated wonderfully all summer long. (our town population is around 6,000 and we run somewhere in the 300-400 range, with 600+ in playoffs).
5. Go to a league where you will play. Nobody learns by sitting. When we recruit, we look at stats from previous summers and a good year in a "lesser" league can attract a better offer the next year.
6. Freshman position players are hard to place if not at a well-known school. Pitchers are easier-93 is 93 everywhere. Two of our drafted players last year were D-3 pitchers.
7. By summer's end, all of these guys are ready to go home. We're in playoffs right now and our season will end within a week or so. Our guys say the right things to the press...but they will be very glad to get home for 2-3 weeks before starting school again. Summer moms and dads are wonderful and relationships can last a lifetime with hosts...but momma's home cooking and loving is hard to top.