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Reply to "The importance of summer ball for college position players as related to the draft"

Good comments above.  My first rodeo the past summer with incoming College Sophomore.  He had a Temp Contract with a top league and all the Full Contract guys showed up.   Two games in two weeks, with 6 ABs.  Son knew the deal, he liked his experience, liked the true work commitment with his teammates, he liked the HC, the HC really liked him.....But, due to the commitment with Full Contract players he wasn't going to see the field much so Temp Contract lapsed.  It took him a few weeks to find a spot with a lesser league (rosters full, no injuries).  Over a 3 week period with the new team he's picked up 20 ABs (crowded line up with IF's), and I have ZERO clue why this Coach was willing to bring him on board.  It was a nice offering but the team doesn't have a true need for another IF.  When you're fine tuning a swing, you need a lot of reps to get your timing down for an actual game.

If we had to do this summer all over again I'd be stressing to son that he needed his college coach's help to find a league where he'll be a Full Contract guy with an understanding of how the summer HC will rotate his IF's.  Also, given the Temp Contract ending, I would have urged my son to stay home, rest, refine the swing nearby, work out, chill, hang with friends and re-approach with a vengeance in the Fall with a Now Clear Head and Rested Body.

The Temp Contract HC "apparently" really liked my son and assured him he'd be a Full Contract guy next summer.  So not necessarily a negative ending.  Stay tuned...

Perspective: Son is a D3 position player at a HA.  The Temp Contract was with the Coastal Plains League.  We also learned regardless if you could have played D1 at BS State U but opted for a stronger academic route which was D3, you are a D3 player not D2, not D1.  The Coaches of the summer leagues use that as a filter if they haven't seen you, or you weren't a conf player of the year type of guy.  Unless they saw that D3 player play and swing the bat against good pitching they're not likely to sign the D3 to a Full Contract. Had son hit balls consistently off the fence they may have converted him to Full.  But again, there's a commitment to the Full Contract players; their College Coaches can be a pipeline of players to that summer league - they expect their players to be playing. 

No complaints, more lessons learned... I spoke with son last night, he's brain dead and wanting to be home to rest.  He hasn't been home more than a week or so since Jan 10, 2019.

(Slightly off course from OP, apologies in advance.  BUT related to summer ball for college position players:  Careful  of #TEMP CONTRACTS ....)

Last edited by Gov
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