Does anyone know what is involved with getting a collegiate player into the Cape Cod league for summer? I know it is the most prestigious and scouted summer league in the country, but not everyone gets on a team. Does your college coach have to lobby for you, is it based on stats/accolades, recommendations, etc?
How hard is it to make it to this summer league and what does that involve?
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Does anyone know what is involved with getting a collegiate player into the Cape Cod league for summer? I know it is the most prestigious and scouted summer league in the country, but not everyone gets on a team. Does your college coach have to lobby for you, is it based on stats/accolades, recommendations, etc?
How hard is it to make it to this summer league and what does that involve?
Your coach generally has to know someone, or you get a recommendation from a scout. It's less about your stats and more about projectability for pro ball. It is the toughest league to be recommended for, so it's pretty hard. That being said, some coaches have more pull in getting guys on teams than others, so it is what it is.
Schools in major D1 conferences get the first crack at roster spots.
My suggestion to you would be to look at rosters and which program they play for. It gives you an idea of the talent and where it comes from. Note that many are going into their 2nd or 3rd college year.
Most come from coaching staff recommendations.
Since you have given no info on the division you playfor, its hard to give advice.
Having only been a spectator watching from my beach chair on the grassy hills surrounding many Cape League ballparks over some 40 summers my understanding of the inner workings (ie. how one gets on a roster) is limited. However, my dog "Scout" (yes, dogs can watch too) and I have arrived at a few conclusions:
1. Being a rising college soph or junior MLB projectable STUD helps
2. Being from one of the Power Conference schools who supply said STUDS also helps. You will notice many D-1 programs send guys to the same Cape team every summer. Usually a college coach knows and trusts a particular Cape League coach, say a PC, who the college coach can send his player to for well managed summer reps and exposure. Paramount to the college coach doing the sending is being able to trust the Cape coach, whom he is entrusting his "Friday night guy" with for summer, to come back to campus in the fall healthy and having learned a thing or two from the night in and night out grind of a summer of ball on the Cape. So if a college coach has a good experience with the coaches in say Cotuit, or Orleans, or Chatham, he will most likely send his players again to same team next summer. This is not written in stone but there are tendencies and, as TPM alludes, you can see these tendencies by looking at the summer rosters.
3. There is a bit of a "wild card" factor to the Cape League however. I have seen many players over the years who are NOT from the Power Conferences and many from D-2 and D-3 (usually pitchers) who have made it to "the last best league." Carter Capps (RHP, Miami Marlins) played for D-2 Mount Olive and had a breakout summer on the Cape and I remember an LHP from D-3 Williams College, Harry Marino who put on the Chatham pinstripes in the summer of 2011. Marino later signed with the Diamondbacks as a free agent out of D-3 Williams.
4. There's even a "back door" for Cape League coaches to usher in guys who don't fit the normal STUD profile and this gets used often, usually in the first few weeks of the Cape League season. For example, the CWS does not conclude until late June. There are several teams competing in Omaha and regionals every year who obviously have guys scheduled to play on the Cape that summer. Well, the Cape League season begins around June 10 every summer with games nearly every night. So a Cape League coach who had his roster all set (rosters are usually set by end of fall ball for the NEXT summer) suddenly come June 10 is missing 3-7 guys? Guys who are still playing in CWS or even guys who got injured and suddenly are "no shows" as of opening day???
Cape coach now gets on phone and beats the bushes to find the best available talent, that can get to the Cape as soon as possible. Like, "Can you be here tonight?" kind of situation. In this scenario it certainly helps to be from east of the Mississippi when said call is received, and preferably in New England or Long Island at worst. Often these "temp jobs" are for only a few days and terms are agreed to with a temporary contract not the full summer contract the STUDS get.
But for some it is the chance of a life time to play in a league, whose pedigree they do not fit, even if for only 8-days. And they can forever say, "I played on the Cape in college." And anyone who knows college baseball will understand what that means.
Awesome job #1!
"Awesome," indeed!
Mirroring the organizational structure of their professional brethren, each Cape League team has a General Manager, who is responsible for the "front office," and a Manager, who functions as the team's Head Coach on the field.
One of the General Manager's principal responsibilities is to network closely with college coaches and professional baseball scouts/officials to create a "pipeline" of information about and access to the country's best players. In the course of doing so, it's natural that trusted relationships form among the various General Managers and their network's sources. This, more than anything else, accounts for the recurrence of certain college teams' players on a particular Cape League team's roster year-in and year-out.
As part of his effort to maintain his extensive network, Chatham's longtime General Manager, Charlie Thoms, used to make an annual trip to the schools with whom he was closest during Fall Baseball. He'd pick the brain of each team's coach, trying to learn not only about their players; but of other teams' players, as well.
Great thread. Thanks all.
Thanks everyone! Son was notified by college coach already that he would be playing in the Cape next summer, just did not know how difficult that is or what strings/or people they needed to pull or know.
Will be a loooonngg year, with college and full summer in CCL. Will see what he is made of I suppose.
Thanks.
Does it cost a player to play in the League? Fees to play, housing, etc.?
It may depend to some extent upon the team. In our case in Chatham, players paid a nominal fee to their host families for room and board. Meanwhile, their transportation to and from the Cape was paid. It was said that the small fee paid to the host families was required to prevent a violation with NCAA rules.
Accommodations with the host families tended to be great, and a cookout was held for the team after virtually every home game. Summer jobs that were flexible enough to allow for team obligations were offered, but it seemed that few worked; except at the periodic camps that the team put on for area kids.
Like a few others, my son raised a few extra dollars by offering private lessons a few mornings a week. One of the numerous nice things about playing on the Cape is that the greatest distance between the two most distant towns is about 50 miles. As a result, away games never lead to overnight stays. They always return to their host family's residence to sleep.
Like a few others, my son raised a few extra dollars by offering private lessons a few mornings a week.
not to nitpick but... that right there, in an dof itself is a NCAA violation. lol.
Like a few others, my son raised a few extra dollars by offering private lessons a few mornings a week.
not to nitpick but... that right there, in an dof itself is a NCAA violation. lol.
why is that a violation? isn't that like any other job a player can do?
Like a few others, my son raised a few extra dollars by offering private lessons a few mornings a week.
not to nitpick but... that right there, in an dof itself is a NCAA violation. lol.
No it is not. What is in violation is getting paid to play. Then one loses their amatuer status.
DK played for Falmouth and he had to work. Pitchers had nominal meaningless jobs and worked camp. Out of that paycheck was taken 50 a week for room and board. His host family was awesome and we still remain in contact with them on facebook. It was a great experience and all star players get a trip to Fenway and on the field with players.
There is something real special and magical playing on the cape.
http://www.athleticscholarship...s-new-ncaa-rules.htm
Many people do not know that NCAA rules allow student-athletes to make money teaching private lessons. It is one of the few ways the NCAA allows student-athletes to profit off their athletic ability without harming their eligibility. But private lessons have a number of restrictions, including:
Ted
Like a few others, my son raised a few extra dollars by offering private lessons a few mornings a week.
not to nitpick but... that right there, in an dof itself is a NCAA violation. lol.
No it is not. What is in violation is getting paid to play. Then one loses their amatuer status.
DK played for Falmouth and he had to work. Pitchers had nominal meaningless jobs and worked camp. Out of that paycheck was taken 50 a week for room and board. His host family was awesome and we still remain in contact with them on facebook. It was a great experience and all star players get a trip to Fenway and on the field with players.
There is something real special and magical playing on the cape.
That describe's my son's experience when with the Cotuit Kettleers. And his trip to Fenway was a highlight of his experience at the Cape. He loved the whole Cape experience.
And I might point out too that one of the things he found very valuable compared to other leagues he had been in, they had verily regular time off to recharge and great coaching to help on the developmental side. He not only had a lot of fun playing there, he got coaching the help him be better by the end of the summer. And from what I could tell, this wasn't a unique team kind of experience either.
http://www.athleticscholarship...s-new-ncaa-rules.htm
Many people do not know that NCAA rules allow student-athletes to make money teaching private lessons. It is one of the few ways the NCAA allows student-athletes to profit off their athletic ability without harming their eligibility. But private lessons have a number of restrictions, including:
Ted
We actually had this come up a while back, with a parent asking if it were ok for son to give lessons. She reported back from NCAA it was not in violation.
Thank you for your input.
One of the many things I like about this website is that if someone is absolutely mistaken about something, it tends to get cleared up pretty quickly; and, thankfully, accuracy is valued over sideline myths and guesswork.
One of the many things I like about this website is that if someone is absolutely mistaken about something, it tends to get cleared up pretty quickly; and, thankfully, accuracy is valued over sideline myths and guesswork.
Got your back, as well as the coach!
Like a few others, my son raised a few extra dollars by offering private lessons a few mornings a week.
not to nitpick but... that right there, in an dof itself is a NCAA violation. lol.
No it is not. What is in violation is getting paid to play. Then one loses their amatuer status.
DK played for Falmouth and he had to work. Pitchers had nominal meaningless jobs and worked camp. Out of that paycheck was taken 50 a week for room and board. His host family was awesome and we still remain in contact with them on facebook. It was a great experience and all star players get a trip to Fenway and on the field with players.
There is something real special and magical playing on the cape.
Just had a kid I coach get back from playing fore Falmouth and he loved it.
They actually all go to Fenway no for a "scout day" for BP, etc. I imagine the all-star game still happens there, too. Can't see changing that.
I got to get up there next summer and watch a little.
