Collegiate Summer League Fees Question

Son played in Cal Ripken last year and it was $300. Will be playing in Valley this year.

Son played in Canada $0, Jayhawk $0, and new Expedition league (South Dakota) $0.  Only had to pay for workout T-shirts (3) and shorts (2 or 1) for each team.  Host families at all 3 were extremely nice and helpful. 

Mine is going to Northwoods. $300 so far, but I'm new at this so I don't know if there's additional bills coming.

Son played in West Coast League (WCL) and it was $0.  Had home stay assigned.  Only money he needed was for meals on non-game days, incidentals, and fun money.  That being said, I would think his school payed for whatever was required.  Can't see all those players just playing for free.

Trust In Him posted:

Son played in West Coast League (WCL) and it was $0.  Had home stay assigned.  Only money he needed was for meals on non-game days, incidentals, and fun money.  That being said, I would think his school payed for whatever was required.  Can't see all those players just playing for free.

I just noted that my daughter gets paid for her summer jobs. I have to pay for my son to get one. 

My memory says the Futures League in New England was $600, but that was a couple years ago.  We paid something for Cape Cod as well, can't remember exactly what it was.

I always thought they had to pay or it ran afoul of the NCAA.  Maybe that's not true.

Wish I could help but My info is outdated. But you can take it for what it is worth. 

Great Lakes, for the Settlers. $300 Back then I believe that there was not a set value across the league. Each team charges what they felt appropriate to keep the doors open. I believe one team was Free, however they had a lot of commercial support.

Cal Ripken $300 for the team.  I thought things were well organized.

Cape Cod $85 a week for housing.  There were also club house dues for the players on my son's team.  Not sure if that is the norm for all teams.  The players were provided $250 for travel cost.  Most meals were provided by the host family or the team so in the end it is somewhat of a break even cost.  The opportunity is invaluable for exposure.  League is very well organized.

Cost are a fraction of what Summer Showcase baseball cost prior to College.

Hamptons League 2015:  around ~$500 in 2015, but we were refunded around ~80% since son didn't wind up on the team  (hip surgeries).  Host family provided. 

Northwoods League 2016:  $250, basically for uniform.  Host family provided.  Meals provided after games, which were almost every night.  Free food and ice cream at Dairy Queen (a sponsor) any time.  We provided son with some gas/food money each month.  I believe there was free use of workout facilities. There was a charge for tickets, but son put us on guest pass lists. 

Cape Cod League 2107:  weekly fee for host family paid to team/league (I thought the contract said $125 a week, but I can't find it at the moment).  Travel to and from Cape Cod would have been reimbursed up to a limit at the end of the season if you played all season.  I understand games are free for spectators.  Son didn't play (drafted).   

Off topic question: How do these teams typically travel? On your own? Car pool? Team vans/bus? Noticed that fields for New England Futures league are not close to one another. 

Son played Futures a few years ago.  There was a team bus.

BishopLeftiesDad posted:

Wish I could help but My info is outdated. But you can take it for what it is worth. 

Great Lakes, for the Settlers. $300 Back then I believe that there was not a set value across the league. Each team charges what they felt appropriate to keep the doors open. I believe one team was Free, however they had a lot of commercial support.

 

Son was also $300 in the Great Lakes league.  He lived at home, but host families are provided if needed.  Team picked up food tab for away games....and usually fed them after home games if they wanted to hang around.   His team (and I think all of the others) traveled on a bus.  Longest trip was 4 hours one way.  They usually drove back each night, but did spend 2 nights in hotels for road trips to the two furthest teams.  His team was essentially in the center of the league geographically....some of the other teams spent more nights in hotels due to longer trips....so not sure if their costs were higher

2018 is going to the Cotuit Kettleers next June.  Host family ... have not heard of a cost ....yet.

Valley Baseball League - There is a $200 League Registration Fee payable to the team to which the player has contracted.

http://www.valleyleaguebasebal...y-5/player-inquiries

BaseballinCT posted:

Off topic question: How do these teams typically travel? On your own? Car pool? Team vans/bus? Noticed that fields for New England Futures league are not close to one another. 

Northwoods League (Lacrosse) rented a team bus for all away games.  

Transportation answer for Valley League: Most teams rent or own buses, and 2-3 rent extended vans.   Several teams are located within 10-15 miles to other league teams, and occasionally players are allowed to drive, where driving from the host family home to the game site is a shorter trip than driving from the home into town to catch the bus.

Cape fees last year in 2017 were $800 for housing. I have the questionnaire and contract if interested.

At the Cape is any of it prorated. I know they bring in temporary help early in the season while they are waiting for some of the players to finish up in the CWS.

hokieone posted:

Transportation answer for Valley League: Most teams rent or own buses, and 2-3 rent extended vans.   Several teams are located within 10-15 miles to other league teams, and occasionally players are allowed to drive, where driving from the host family home to the game site is a shorter trip than driving from the home into town to catch the bus.

My son lived at home in the Great Lakes league....he was 25-30 miles north of the town where his team was located.  2 other players lived at home also.  They would drives themselves if they wanted to.....just to save driving 30 miles out of their way twice to catch the bus.....plus they said it smelled better than the bus after a July game in 85 degree heat

Son just got his contract today from Mat-su Miners in the Alaska League. He's supposed to send me a copy later today. Anyone have Alaska experience to share?

Son played last summer with the Jamestown Jammers of the PG League. Strangely, they won the championship and then announced they wouldn't be fielding a team for 2019. The only cost was $600 for a dorm room at the local JC. The dorms were approximately 100 yards from the field. Travel was hell, though. Bus. Most 3-8 hours away. 

roothog66 posted:

Son just got his contract today from Mat-su Miners in the Alaska League. He's supposed to send me a copy later today. Anyone have Alaska experience to share?

Hmmm... not far from the epicenter of last week's ...  never mind 

cabbagedad posted:

roothog66 posted:

Son just got his contract today from Mat-su Miners in the Alaska League. He's supposed to send me a copy later today. Anyone have Alaska experience to share?

Hmmm... not far from the epicenter of last week's ...  never mind 

Hah! Yeah. Definitely a topic around our house.

BishopLeftiesDad posted:

At the Cape is any of it prorated. I know they bring in temporary help early in the season while they are waiting for some of the players to finish up in the CWS.

Yes.  I believe that is why you pay the team/league weekly for the host family.  Not sure about prorating the summer league fee....my son told me to hold off paying anything until after the draft.  

Don't know about Costs, but we are fine in the Mat-Su Valley. Haven't heard much about the Anchorage Bucs field. I know the GM and he hasn't said anything about not being able to go this summer.

It was mostly road damage and some buildings as expected in a 7.0..... 

keewart posted:

BishopLeftiesDad posted:

At the Cape is any of it prorated. I know they bring in temporary help early in the season while they are waiting for some of the players to finish up in the CWS.

Yes.  I believe that is why you pay the team/league weekly for the host family.  Not sure about prorating the summer league fee....my son told me to hold off paying anything until after the draft.  

Thanks Keewart.

Saw my son's contract last night for Matsu. There is a $300 fee paid to the club. However, they place all players with host families and they pay for round trip airfare for the season.

roothog66 posted:

Saw my son's contract last night for Matsu. There is a $300 fee paid to the club. However, they place all players with host families and they pay for round trip airfare for the season.

Wow, that's not a bad deal to get to see a place most kids will never get to.  Round trip air paid....impressive.  

Buckeye 2015 posted:

roothog66 posted:

Saw my son's contract last night for Matsu. There is a $300 fee paid to the club. However, they place all players with host families and they pay for round trip airfare for the season.

Wow, that's not a bad deal to get to see a place most kids will never get to.  Round trip air paid....impressive.  

Yeah, surprised me. 

2018 is playing for the Kettleers.... his brother who attends Tufts in Boston has a girlfriend .  Her parents have a house at cape cod about 1/2 mile from the field.  They said 2018 can use it.  Not sure how that works with the coach. 

BrownIndian posted:

Son played in Cal Ripken last year and it was $300. Will be playing in Valley this year.

Exactly,  son received received contract for 2020 season and a 300.00 fee is required.  Great thread!!! 

My son played in the Valley in 2018 and the Coastal Plain this past year.  I don't remember paying any fees.  Maybe his school paid them?

BrownIndian posted:

Son played in Cal Ripken last year and it was $300. Will be playing in Valley this year.

I just looked at the Ripken league website and was surprised to see that it's been down to 6 teams for a few years. I remember a year with 12 teams when my son was in high school. Anyone know if that's a trend with summer collegiate leagues?

The numbers of total players playing is not down but there are new leagues popping up which has hurt some.  I think the Ripken league has been hurt by some attendance numbers that didn't pan out like owners thought they would so the numbers are reduced.  Some thought they would get better players than they were able to get.  The leagues/schools connections are pretty set in the upper D1's so it is hard to break that cycle.  My son was given two choices that his school connects with for freshmen.  One in Coastal and one in California.  It is pretty much that way with most D1's.  They have their teams and stick to those because they trust each other.

Ripken League had several issues. Loudon Riverdogs owner moved to North Carolina, The Rockville Express field was turned into a soccer field. When they got a new field the Gaithersburg Giants blocked them from re-entering the league due to the closeness of the two fields (i.e. Rockville was playing in Gaithersburg Territory). The speculation with the Baltimore Redbirds is that they were primarily sponsored by a large Baltimore Company that is having accounting issues.  Not sure what happened to the Baltimore Dodgers. The League was still ranked the number 5 according to Summerbaseballregister.com despite losing 4 teams between 2018 and 2019.  

Question about league placement:

Player is currently a freshman at a small D2 in the southeast.

He's a 6'3" 200 LHP who throws low-mid 80s from a sidearm arm slot.

He had a really good fall season, and should get a chance for a decent amount of innings in the spring.

He talked to his coaches about summer ball in their exit meetings, and they said they could help place him in on a team in one of the local leagues. This is an established league, but it isn't usually referred to when listing the highly-rated summer leagues.

The upside is that he could spend more time at home or with other family who live close to that team.

The question is would it maybe be better for his long-term development to play in one of the stronger leagues, and get the experience of staying with a host family.

Can an unproven D2 freshman pitcher even get any interest from the higher-rated leagues?

Is it common for players set up their own connections to summer teams, or should he just let his coaches do the placement?

Coaches have connections.  There are very few who can get a gig on their own unless they are a stud.  It also depends on speed as LHP and how many innings he throws this spring.  My sons commitment is dependent on his innings this spring.  He is a 2way player so his summer placement was also a 2 way commitment.  If he throws X number of innings this spring, he will only hit this summer.  If not, he will X number of innings this summer and hit. 

My middle son had 16 innings he could throw his freshman summer.  The team held him through the entire summer throwing 1 or less innings a week hoping they would make the playoffs and use him in the playoffs.  They lost the next to last game which put them out of the playoffs so he pitched the entire last game.  A total waste of a summer.  They would not let him leave and come back.  I do not understand the management of teams like this.  If you are going to bring kids in, use them not abuse the kid.  If you don't want them but once a week, then tell them what game and let them go home the other part of the week.  They talk about the growing experience but it is more of a frustrating experience at times.  I know this is how it works but not a good system. 

T_Thomas posted:

Question about league placement: 

Lots of things in play here.

If he's a weekly starter in the spring, he may need the summer to recuperate and focus on recovery training.

If he pitches less than a starter in the spring, but still logs a decent number of innings, he (and his pitching coach) will probably want to limit his innings in the summer (reliever).

I doubt he'll have a shot at a higher rated league unless he has a stand-out spring, and one of those teams is looking for pitchers late (end of college season).

I think not playing summer ball at all is becoming more common, especially with pitchers. Guys may want to focus on targeted training, mechanical adjustments, pitch design, etc.

Finding your own summer team is more common at the lower levels. A kid may have family or friends near a league that his college coach isn't connected with, and can work something out in that way. Most coaches want to know that the summer team isn't going to overuse their kids, and that only comes from experience and trust.

T Thomas, yes, on occasion, players will find their own spots.  But that typically does not happen with the higher rated leagues.  Although, it may help if you clarified your idea of higher rated leagues.  

You said the school can assign your son to a local league that is established.  Being close to home one more summer and not having to worry about issues of a lesser established league sounds pretty darn appealing to me for a low-mid 80's LHP freshman.  I think I'd be inclined to take that path.  He has two future summers, hopefully, to explore the top leagues.

For a LHP, there will likely be plenty of opportunities.  College summer teams are always scrambling for P's.  But at this time... ??  Also, be aware that if he has a great spring and a lot of IP, the school may want him to shut down or put an innings limit on him for summer, as Pitchingfan described.  That is normal.

PS - looks like i was typing same time as Mid... yeah, what he said too 

Thanks.  He's probably not a starter for them. He expects to be a middle relief situational guy this spring, so probably not too many cumulative innings.  By other leagues, I'm thinking something like Valley League or Coastal Plains League.

T_Thomas posted:

Thanks.  He's probably not a starter for them. He expects to be a middle relief situational guy this spring, so probably not too many cumulative innings.  By other leagues, I'm thinking something like Valley League or Coastal Plains League.

OK.  So, he may be able to find a spot in the Valley but without a college coach recommendation and/or connection, and without proven college innings yet, I'd be a bit reluctant to go that route.  Most P's there have that backing and therefore will likely get something close to what any innings assurances are agreed upon (barring early poor performance).  

They will be scrambling for arms just prior to season when the "shuffle" happens.  There will be some backing out due to spring innings, injury, tired arms, internship opportunities, etc.  Depending on whatever other commitments he has made and how strong his spring is, he can re-evaluate then.  

T_Thomas posted:

Question about league placement:

As an unproven Freshman pitcher, my son jumped at the opportunity to play in the Valley League when it was presented. I think all of his teammates stayed and played within their local areas.

He took his lumps down there, but he grew up a lot. There was some other stuff that he had to put up with down there which made his summer difficult. I don't think he regrets the experience, but when I ask him if he's willing to go back, he says let's wait and see how this spring goes. I don't think he is willing to get beat up all summer again. He wants to feel confident that he will be a contributor.

Bottom line - I think any summer work is good work even if it's lower level where your boy will probably get more innings.  He should talk to his college coach and see what he says.

If an offer comes that's great but he should be mentally tough enough to deal with all the baggage - being far from home, all alone, a host family or team situation that might not be ideal, etc. On the other hand, it's a great chance for a young man to spread his wings a bit and see the next level if he's ready.

Thanks for all the replies. 

It's always great to get insight from those who've been there first hand.

The Cal Ripken League is a nice avenue for rising Sophomores.  The travel is significantly less 
(for the most part) than some other leagues (they usually travel before the rush hour and end games after).  Cost was <>$300, they usually have host families for players.

What are your thoughts on a summer league for an incoming freshman?  The ACBL has been suggested by his future college coach. He is also thinking about playing in a local adult baseball league. He's done with travel ball, doesn't want to do that, but wants to stay sharp. Input welcome.

Kimb27 posted:

What are your thoughts on a summer league for an incoming freshman?  The ACBL has been suggested by his future college coach. He is also thinking about playing in a local adult baseball league. He's done with travel ball, doesn't want to do that, but wants to stay sharp. Input welcome.

Many of the top established leagues don't take incoming freshmen.  Even the ACBL only shows about 3 per team.  Your son may want to look at the rosters and see who they were last year and what colleges they are going to now.  Looks like it is only 6-8 colleges so there are probably pipeline connections.  Will the future coach get him a spot? 

A few other things...  you can search threads on this site for something like "college freshman year" and "collegiate summer baseball" for several other opinions on the topic.   It is often recommended for the player to show up in the fall in the best shape in his life and ready to compete for a college roster spot.  So, for some, that is more training than playing, for others it is the opposite.  Whether the player is a P or position player and how beat up their bodies and arms are after the last HS spring factor in as well.  If a position player, I think it is important that he try to play at least some competitive ball toward end of summer so he will come in ready to compete.  

Also keep in mind, this may be the last summer your son is able to stay at or close to home ever 

Kimb27 posted:

What are your thoughts on a summer league for an incoming freshman?  The ACBL has been suggested by his future college coach. He is also thinking about playing in a local adult baseball league. He's done with travel ball, doesn't want to do that, but wants to stay sharp. Input welcome.

We have a strong Legion organization in our area and my son really enjoyed his last summer before college having fun playing with his friends. I would encourage your player to get his reps in but try to focus on having fun. From here on out baseball will be like a job. A local adult league is a good idea if he thinks he'll enjoy it.

Kimb27 posted:

What are your thoughts on a summer league for an incoming freshman?  The ACBL has been suggested by his future college coach. He is also thinking about playing in a local adult baseball league. He's done with travel ball, doesn't want to do that, but wants to stay sharp. Input welcome.

Pros: ACBL plays around 35 games, so not a daily grind like many summer leagues. He will face NCAA (all divisions) and juco pitching. Will probably prepare him mentally for the fall.

Cons: Lots of time driving that could be spent in the gym. No guarantee of playing time/ABs. Schedule might interfere with summer employment (more so than men's league). Probably won't know anyone.

Can he live at home while playing in the ACBL? If so, would that be limited to specific teams due to travel time?

I see one player from your son's future school played in the league last summer. If son has made connections with players from future school, he could inquire about that kid's experience.

Any HS Senior preparing to play college ball would benefit from seeing/chatting/playing college level baseball.

There is a rude awakening for Freshmen players. What worked in HS doesn’t translate when playing with guys 3 years older.

Only in America do we focus on Age; That’s part of the reason that our ranks in the MLB are depleting.

Playing at the appropriate development level for future activity should be the norm.

I have HS Sr Pitchers playing with College players and HS Jrs and Sophs platooning as BB and Bull Pen catchers at the Summer College level.

Why do we dumb down our young men when others are pushing/challenging player development.

The College Dugout is an excellent training opportunity and provides the intelligence needed prior to stepping on campus.

mommy and Daddy have done their job; Let him learn from those who are already there.

just saying!!!!!!

NECBL is $250. Looks like it used to be $0, but recently increased to include a fee.

The Valley League fee is now $300, and hardship waivers are allowed. The league will now allow 2 rising frosh players if they are certifiable pro prospects, i.e., locks to get drafted. The details on the certifying are still being determined, but for example, we have a kid committed to a SEC school that they feel will be drafted somewhere around 20th round and will likely not sign; I suspect he will be approved but don't know yet.    With MLB reducing the size of the minor leagues, there is a feeling that long-term, college baseball will become the training ground just as NCAA college football serves as a minor league for the NFL.   There will always be minor leagues but the number of teams may contract greatly as time goes on, so summer wooden bat leagues will become more important....and they are a lot cheaper for the MLB, which is always about the money. It's a business.