Ask and ye shall receive! Got great answers to any questions about summer ball I could ever ask. Lots of food for thought. Thank you.
It's been interesting to see son's summer ball team grow, change, and come together. As the end of their season looms they seem to be enjoying it to the fullest. It's great to see the friendships that have formed. Son asked if he could drive to Texas with one of the boys from there(no, I don't think so- we'd like to see you a little before school starts). I can see huge growth and maturity from son. He's had a great experience with an incredible host family. I can't imagine missing this experience and am thankful for all the hard work and hours all these volunteers put in.
Best of all, he's already thinking ahead to next summer and looking forward to it.
Fanofgame and anyone else,
I hope that no one takes this personally, but I noticed that fan mentioned that as a family they were not enjoying the summer experience.
JMO, but the summer baseball travel experience should belong to the player, honestly, past HS is where I would draw the line on long distance traveling with son. You either do it on your own, if you can't, stay home, work, go to a class. A huge part of the college summer experience should not be a trip with mom and dad and family. If your son is gaining experience and enjoying his playing time, that is what is important. But it should be on his own, especially if your sona want to play away from home someday.
I realize that not all players have opportunities, but somewhere we have to decide what is best for the player and if the extra expenses for the family is worth the return of the playing experience.
JMO.
I hope that no one takes this personally, but I noticed that fan mentioned that as a family they were not enjoying the summer experience.
JMO, but the summer baseball travel experience should belong to the player, honestly, past HS is where I would draw the line on long distance traveling with son. You either do it on your own, if you can't, stay home, work, go to a class. A huge part of the college summer experience should not be a trip with mom and dad and family. If your son is gaining experience and enjoying his playing time, that is what is important. But it should be on his own, especially if your sona want to play away from home someday.
I realize that not all players have opportunities, but somewhere we have to decide what is best for the player and if the extra expenses for the family is worth the return of the playing experience.
JMO.
I guess I msiunderstood the original post. I thought Cabbwas asking what the families thought of summer ball.So I removed my original post.
I have been on two long trips tp watch our son play , but we stay in our own hotel and drive ourselves.I realy like to watch my son play and will for as long as i can ad as much as I can. he is at home this summer, so not living with a host family.
As far as experince I guess he will have to answer. I am glad many of your sons have had great summers and have grown from it thats awesome. Sounds like they will all adjust to the PROS greratly and they are all incredible young men.
Hard to answer a question posed to me about my son.I have my own feelings and he has his.
I have been on two long trips tp watch our son play , but we stay in our own hotel and drive ourselves.I realy like to watch my son play and will for as long as i can ad as much as I can. he is at home this summer, so not living with a host family.
As far as experince I guess he will have to answer. I am glad many of your sons have had great summers and have grown from it thats awesome. Sounds like they will all adjust to the PROS greratly and they are all incredible young men.
Hard to answer a question posed to me about my son.I have my own feelings and he has his.
Fan,
I saw your response, I apologize for misunderstanding.
Not sure why you took out your original post on your feelings about too much, I agree sometimes it can become too much.
I was just expanding on OB44's great post, and not sure if it is understood and should be that every experience someone is lookiong for something different. I do beleive in many cases, summer baseball falls short of expectations, for players and parents, so lots of homework should be done in advance. Heck, we know players that left the cape because they were not enjoying the experience and a bit below their expectations. Nothing wrong with playing on a HS or rec league community field, our son did it at the cape. I am talking you got to go out and clean and rake the field everyday as a player. I don't even remember infield or batting practice to tell you the truth, this is something players go out and do on their own, which is a lot of what summer ball is about, self motivation. That's why, for those wishing to move forward they need to learn that most work IS done on your own. No one is there holding your hand, unlike HS or college. That was something son learned in summer league, just like in pro ball, no one makes you do anything but show up for a game.
I saw your response, I apologize for misunderstanding.
Not sure why you took out your original post on your feelings about too much, I agree sometimes it can become too much.
I was just expanding on OB44's great post, and not sure if it is understood and should be that every experience someone is lookiong for something different. I do beleive in many cases, summer baseball falls short of expectations, for players and parents, so lots of homework should be done in advance. Heck, we know players that left the cape because they were not enjoying the experience and a bit below their expectations. Nothing wrong with playing on a HS or rec league community field, our son did it at the cape. I am talking you got to go out and clean and rake the field everyday as a player. I don't even remember infield or batting practice to tell you the truth, this is something players go out and do on their own, which is a lot of what summer ball is about, self motivation. That's why, for those wishing to move forward they need to learn that most work IS done on your own. No one is there holding your hand, unlike HS or college. That was something son learned in summer league, just like in pro ball, no one makes you do anything but show up for a game.
Tremendous post OB44. Very insightful for players and parents alike. One question...
Your top 2-3? Cade Cod, Northwoods, others???
quote:Know your league: There is a great variation in summer leagues. Yes, there are leagues that you just don’t miss. You get an offer for the top 2-3 leagues you simply go. The top leagues are the “major leagues” of Summer ball.
Your top 2-3? Cade Cod, Northwoods, others???
It seems to me from all the responses that college summer ball can vary greatly. I love hearing all the responses because all the experiences are so different. As with anything, I think it's a good idea to do a little research before you commit. There are so many summer leagues across the US (and Canada) that hearing from different posters is very helpful for making decisions for next year.
I realize the college coaches are the ones placing the players but I assume the kids have some say in their placement? Personally I think these boys have it made. If they love playing baseball, what's not to love about playing almost everyday? And getting to work-out and hang out with friends.
I realize the college coaches are the ones placing the players but I assume the kids have some say in their placement? Personally I think these boys have it made. If they love playing baseball, what's not to love about playing almost everyday? And getting to work-out and hang out with friends.
TPM,
I removed the post because I answered for my son.I think season is too long and too much traveling as we only have 10 home games at a HS field.its a beginning team and just a bunch of young guys, a few D1, but mostly JC players so its been good as they are def. playing up against 22-23 year old guys.All of the baseball is ok,just its almost the end and I know my son is ready for a break.its his first summer of it and he has been working out at gym 5 days a week as well as trying to play and I feel he is tired.
I think that sometimes we interpret what we think the experience is and should be for our kids.We see that they are growing and being challenged etc. Thats all great stuff.All life experiences, for me as a parent I would like to see my son just be able to hang out and go camping for a few days, go to the beach and just have down time.he may not say thats what he needs,he loves baseball, I as a parent want him to have other experiences that are not just baseball related.Summer should be about some free time as well. we all need time to relax and not think about performance etc.
I removed the post because I answered for my son.I think season is too long and too much traveling as we only have 10 home games at a HS field.its a beginning team and just a bunch of young guys, a few D1, but mostly JC players so its been good as they are def. playing up against 22-23 year old guys.All of the baseball is ok,just its almost the end and I know my son is ready for a break.its his first summer of it and he has been working out at gym 5 days a week as well as trying to play and I feel he is tired.
I think that sometimes we interpret what we think the experience is and should be for our kids.We see that they are growing and being challenged etc. Thats all great stuff.All life experiences, for me as a parent I would like to see my son just be able to hang out and go camping for a few days, go to the beach and just have down time.he may not say thats what he needs,he loves baseball, I as a parent want him to have other experiences that are not just baseball related.Summer should be about some free time as well. we all need time to relax and not think about performance etc.
If you are able to do research about the summer league your son is headed to that is great. If your son is able to put in his two cents about where he is headed with his coach, great.
But, say your son doesn't get his final assignment until right after the collegiate season ends...how much research can you do - will it have any affect on where he goes?
What if his assignment changes (more than once)???
My son was assigned to the Northwoods League in the fall of his freshman year at his college. The coach that assigned him there, left the program at winter break. Guess what, coach that took over summer placement duties yanked him from there and put him in the NECBL last minute. Son really had no say in the matter. No one asked him if he could afford the plane ticket (no, the team did not pay) plus it was pricey (last minute $$$$$).
As I heard it from my son it went mostly like this:
Oh, we decided to move you to New England, you need to be there by such and such a date.
There was no discussion with us as parents or with him.
We had been planning a vacation up to the Northwoods, thank goodness we had not purchased our flights and hotels......only because my husband's work travel was getting complicated.
I was not real thrilled with where he went, but you know what? It was good for him, he had to handle a lot that summer and we were 2,000 miles away. Lots of things went wrong - and he figured out how to deal (with a few phone calls
I do not know whether my son will be moving on after college - he intends to take it as far as he can playing ball, and we support him in that. It's a tiny little window.
My point is, It is just a bunch of baseball. It is what he( your son/player) will make of it, much like FO said. The true growth and life experience is not in the baseball, it is what the experience brings.
Oh yes, some teams have big crowds, supportive communities, winning traditions!! Yipee! That is so appealing and fun. But what if your son is with a start up team, what does he do with that experience? FOG stated that there was no practice, or infield warm ups, etc with her sons team. Guess what? No one will stop the guys from getting together and hitting the cages, or taking some infield practice - the guys just have to do it----themselves, on their own, in their off time.
We don't all have shiny buses and wonderful host families that are friends for life. This is the reality that FO spoke of, the guys are supposed to be figuring things out for themselves, in school, in life, and in baseball.
If in fact your first summer of collegiate baseball is dissattisfactory to your son in some way, encourge him to speak up about it. If he does have the luxury of requesting where he might be placed, by all means, speak up, give it a whirl!
There are lots of reasons why coaches place players where they do.
I honestly do not think a player will forget how to play ball for six or eight weeks. What is the big deal if he wants to do some fun things in the summer - or has some family obligations, etc. Work outs suited to your position, aerobic training and proper diet will set you up well for the fall. However, that is only if you played a lot last season. If you did not, you need to play baseball - get your reps, if you don't get enough, do it on your own. I know of a couple starting players on son's team that went to Europe , did internships, etc. -- coaches were in agreement.
My younger son, tagging along on an invite with older son to attend and watch a game of older sons future collegiate team:
The game was an away game at a private college with a brand spanking new ball field - really spiffy!!
After the game ended, we waited around to talk with recruiting coach --- younger son looks out on the field and sees the home team grooming the field, he says "YOU MEAN YOU STILL HAVE TO DO ALL THAT IN COLLEGE?!!!".
Yes son, and beyond...
But, say your son doesn't get his final assignment until right after the collegiate season ends...how much research can you do - will it have any affect on where he goes?
What if his assignment changes (more than once)???
My son was assigned to the Northwoods League in the fall of his freshman year at his college. The coach that assigned him there, left the program at winter break. Guess what, coach that took over summer placement duties yanked him from there and put him in the NECBL last minute. Son really had no say in the matter. No one asked him if he could afford the plane ticket (no, the team did not pay) plus it was pricey (last minute $$$$$).
As I heard it from my son it went mostly like this:
Oh, we decided to move you to New England, you need to be there by such and such a date.
There was no discussion with us as parents or with him.
We had been planning a vacation up to the Northwoods, thank goodness we had not purchased our flights and hotels......only because my husband's work travel was getting complicated.
I was not real thrilled with where he went, but you know what? It was good for him, he had to handle a lot that summer and we were 2,000 miles away. Lots of things went wrong - and he figured out how to deal (with a few phone calls
I do not know whether my son will be moving on after college - he intends to take it as far as he can playing ball, and we support him in that. It's a tiny little window.
My point is, It is just a bunch of baseball. It is what he( your son/player) will make of it, much like FO said. The true growth and life experience is not in the baseball, it is what the experience brings.
Oh yes, some teams have big crowds, supportive communities, winning traditions!! Yipee! That is so appealing and fun. But what if your son is with a start up team, what does he do with that experience? FOG stated that there was no practice, or infield warm ups, etc with her sons team. Guess what? No one will stop the guys from getting together and hitting the cages, or taking some infield practice - the guys just have to do it----themselves, on their own, in their off time.
We don't all have shiny buses and wonderful host families that are friends for life. This is the reality that FO spoke of, the guys are supposed to be figuring things out for themselves, in school, in life, and in baseball.
If in fact your first summer of collegiate baseball is dissattisfactory to your son in some way, encourge him to speak up about it. If he does have the luxury of requesting where he might be placed, by all means, speak up, give it a whirl!
There are lots of reasons why coaches place players where they do.
I honestly do not think a player will forget how to play ball for six or eight weeks. What is the big deal if he wants to do some fun things in the summer - or has some family obligations, etc. Work outs suited to your position, aerobic training and proper diet will set you up well for the fall. However, that is only if you played a lot last season. If you did not, you need to play baseball - get your reps, if you don't get enough, do it on your own. I know of a couple starting players on son's team that went to Europe , did internships, etc. -- coaches were in agreement.
My younger son, tagging along on an invite with older son to attend and watch a game of older sons future collegiate team:
The game was an away game at a private college with a brand spanking new ball field - really spiffy!!
After the game ended, we waited around to talk with recruiting coach --- younger son looks out on the field and sees the home team grooming the field, he says "YOU MEAN YOU STILL HAVE TO DO ALL THAT IN COLLEGE?!!!".
Yes son, and beyond...
Getting back to the original post, it's important for each player to understand what is expected, about the league or travel team he will play in, which would be playing time and expenses, team practice, working out, etc. Even in the best leagues you don't get that. As stated before, in summer ball, even in the top leagues, some things are not mandatory, you make what you do from your own indiviual experience. Even within the leagues, each team is different. For example, the team my son played for, day work was preferred unless you had classes to take. The do this so the players don't have too much down time to get in trouble. Host families go through a long interview process. That was an important factor for us.
There is a hitch for every place you go, as we found out too. Ask questions.
FWIW, I will never recommend a pitcher who has logged a lot of innings freshman year to play summer ball. No matter where it is, these experiences take a toll. The only reason son went was because his innings were only at a bit over 50 the following year, coach kept it down on purpose so he could go off and play summer before his junior year.
Most coaches are good at assigning their players to those they trust and those they have positive experience with, others don't, ask questions.
For those who come here asking when summer ball assignments are given out, important to understand that it may NOT be in your players best interest to go, as FO has suggested, the coach will decide what is best for your player. If the coach your son plays for does not assign to summer leagues, more than likely there are reasons.
I think that most get caught up in that this is something that a player MUST do, not true.
There is a hitch for every place you go, as we found out too. Ask questions.
FWIW, I will never recommend a pitcher who has logged a lot of innings freshman year to play summer ball. No matter where it is, these experiences take a toll. The only reason son went was because his innings were only at a bit over 50 the following year, coach kept it down on purpose so he could go off and play summer before his junior year.
Most coaches are good at assigning their players to those they trust and those they have positive experience with, others don't, ask questions.
For those who come here asking when summer ball assignments are given out, important to understand that it may NOT be in your players best interest to go, as FO has suggested, the coach will decide what is best for your player. If the coach your son plays for does not assign to summer leagues, more than likely there are reasons.
I think that most get caught up in that this is something that a player MUST do, not true.
Changed my life!
Many centuries ago, as a Freshman at Michigan State University, while packing to return home to Adrian
and the local twilight league, I received a phone call from the MSU baseball coach to report to Chamberlain, South Dakota.
This was the 1st year of the Basin League. My 1st question was how to I get to South Dakota and when is the 1st game.
The Coach said "take the train" and your bat [wood]
and 1b mitt [also wood] "bad hands'.
It was a "turning" point, I played against 50 future ML players, including Bob Gibson. Learned how to play and promote baseball. My summer job was to paint the railroad bridge over the Missouri River.
Now, I look back after 40 trips to Australia, Japan, Korea and China and remember that train ride to "everywhere"
Bob Williams
Many centuries ago, as a Freshman at Michigan State University, while packing to return home to Adrian
and the local twilight league, I received a phone call from the MSU baseball coach to report to Chamberlain, South Dakota.
This was the 1st year of the Basin League. My 1st question was how to I get to South Dakota and when is the 1st game.
The Coach said "take the train" and your bat [wood]
and 1b mitt [also wood] "bad hands'.
It was a "turning" point, I played against 50 future ML players, including Bob Gibson. Learned how to play and promote baseball. My summer job was to paint the railroad bridge over the Missouri River.
Now, I look back after 40 trips to Australia, Japan, Korea and China and remember that train ride to "everywhere"
Bob Williams
From being around here for awhile before my son went to college it was apparent to us that Collegiate Summer Baseball was a necessary stepping stone in the development of my sons skillsets.
When we eventually settled on where my son would attend college part of those discussions with the program that my son ultimately chose were "will you make him change his swing" and "can you get him into a summer ball program"?
Unfortunately for my son, he was required to change his swing, and although we were led to believe that coach would find him a summer home, that was not to be either. Perhaps he had less influence then advertised as a JUCO coach. However that was not indicated to us before signing.
As a dad who was concerned I guess I did what many dads do not do (or do not have to do). I put together a brief bio of my son and e-mailed every Summer ball coach on the east coast, from the cape through the southern league (I skipped the Florida League).
I did this towards the end of the baseball season, when most summer rosters are already decided. I received 2 positive responses out of 50 or so.
It took some work but I found a coach that needed a MIF due to a late season injury.
I only relate this because if you believe your guy needs to play and can compete, you may want to be proactive. My son is not a nationally recognized power player destined for the top 4 rounds in the draft and consequently required some efforts to get him showcased and make sure college programs learned who he was. This worked well for my son.
A similar approach to help him find a quality summer ball program also required some proactive efforts on my part. I don't apologize for "circumventing the system" and all his coaches have also been very happy that we were persistent as well.
When we eventually settled on where my son would attend college part of those discussions with the program that my son ultimately chose were "will you make him change his swing" and "can you get him into a summer ball program"?
Unfortunately for my son, he was required to change his swing, and although we were led to believe that coach would find him a summer home, that was not to be either. Perhaps he had less influence then advertised as a JUCO coach. However that was not indicated to us before signing.
As a dad who was concerned I guess I did what many dads do not do (or do not have to do). I put together a brief bio of my son and e-mailed every Summer ball coach on the east coast, from the cape through the southern league (I skipped the Florida League).
I did this towards the end of the baseball season, when most summer rosters are already decided. I received 2 positive responses out of 50 or so.
It took some work but I found a coach that needed a MIF due to a late season injury.
I only relate this because if you believe your guy needs to play and can compete, you may want to be proactive. My son is not a nationally recognized power player destined for the top 4 rounds in the draft and consequently required some efforts to get him showcased and make sure college programs learned who he was. This worked well for my son.
A similar approach to help him find a quality summer ball program also required some proactive efforts on my part. I don't apologize for "circumventing the system" and all his coaches have also been very happy that we were persistent as well.
If you have a son who hasn't played in a summer collegiate league yet, go back and read 44's post. Then read it again. He nailed it.
It's as much of a life experience as a baseball one, and over the course of those 50-odd games, there are going to be real highs and lows. The grind can be tough for 19-and-20-year-old kids, but they're all in it together, from the bus rides to the 3 a.m. nights to the 0-for-4's to the seemingly endless runs of fast-food and all-you-can-stomach buffets. There's nothing like a bus breakdown after an extra-inning away game that was rain-delayed to test how much your son really loves to play baseball. All that on top of trying to get some sleep and still find time to work out a few times each week.
Mine is getting his first experience this summer, and it's been a tale of two seasons for him in terms of success (first half good, second half not so much). But I'm interested to see how he translates it into his fall season back at school. I'm hoping the positives will far outweigh the negatives. He tells me that he has really enjoyed everything about it except for the six-and-seven hour round-trip bus rides.
Every player is different, but if your son has the opportunity to go play, he should try it. Then he can decide for himself if it's worthwhile.
It's as much of a life experience as a baseball one, and over the course of those 50-odd games, there are going to be real highs and lows. The grind can be tough for 19-and-20-year-old kids, but they're all in it together, from the bus rides to the 3 a.m. nights to the 0-for-4's to the seemingly endless runs of fast-food and all-you-can-stomach buffets. There's nothing like a bus breakdown after an extra-inning away game that was rain-delayed to test how much your son really loves to play baseball. All that on top of trying to get some sleep and still find time to work out a few times each week.
Mine is getting his first experience this summer, and it's been a tale of two seasons for him in terms of success (first half good, second half not so much). But I'm interested to see how he translates it into his fall season back at school. I'm hoping the positives will far outweigh the negatives. He tells me that he has really enjoyed everything about it except for the six-and-seven hour round-trip bus rides.
Every player is different, but if your son has the opportunity to go play, he should try it. Then he can decide for himself if it's worthwhile.