Crusty
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As some of you may know, Alyce and I bought a collegiate summer league baseball team (Onondaga Flames) and we just finished our first season. We made the playoffs and then lost an 11th inning heartbreaker 3-2 in the first round one-and done We played 49 games in 61 days (one cancelled by rain) and had a blast – far more work than we had imagined, but a lot more fun also. I thought some of you might find our experience interesting.
Many sports fans, even baseball fans, are not aware of college summer league baseball. After the College World Series is over, most fans figure that’s the end of the college baseball scene until the fall. Nothing could be farther from the truth. During July and July (with playoffs the first week of August), thousands of the best college baseball players head to collegiate summer leagues throughout the country to gain valuable experience against high-level competition.
There are about 40 significant leagues in the US with an average of 8 to 10 teams in the country, each with 25 to 40 players on their rosters. That’s between 8,000 to 14,000 players! Leagues come in every size and form - from for-profits to non-profits to faith-based, these leagues provide a place for players to gain valuable experience, usually with wooden bats. Since these are virtually the only places where wooden bats are used anymore, the games attract MLB scouts who are grateful for the opportunity to judge players skills with major league equipment. Some league All-Star games find as many as 50 pro scouts in the stands.
Most leagues charge player fees of varying amounts and a few create revenue through sponsorships, advertising, gate and concession receipts. A few of the older larger leagues have big fan bases and are able to generate enough revenue to allow them to charge minimal ($250) player fees or none at all. These leagues include the Cape Cod League, Northwoods League, Coastal Plains League and the Alaska league. Most other leagues charge player fees from $600 to $2,500. A few faith-based teams charge $3,000 plus.
For background, it is useful to understand a couple of important points with respect to college baseball and the Major League Draft because it controls so much of what players do and where they go. Let’s start with the draft as that comes before college.
MLB Draft
The First Year Player Draft (so named because it initially allowed teams to draft a player who was on the roster of a team at a lower level and had just completed his first season in Organized Baseball) is now comprised of players who meet the following conditions:
College Baseball Scholarship Restrictions
On top of all the draft conditions, collegiate baseball operates under severe scholarship restrictions. We are all accustomed to college football (deemed a “head count” sport by the NCAA) with its 85 full-ride scholarships. Most are surprised to learn that baseball is deemed an “equivalency sport” by the NCAA and D-1 schools are limited to 11.7 baseball scholarships. No, that’s not typo – eleven and seven-tenths - if someone knows how the NCAA came up with that number, please let me know! Under NCAA rules, these 11.7 scholarships can be divided between a maximum of 27 players, with a minimum of a 25% scholarship. For these reasons, very few full rides are handed out in baseball. D2 schools are limited to 9 scholarships. D3 schools do not provide athletic scholarships.
Don’t think that just because it is a Division 2 School the competition isn’t very good. Most of the athletes at a D2 college can play DI somewhere, but choose D2 for a better scholarship package or because the school is a better fit. Many D1 athletes transfer to D2 schools every year, looking for more playing time and a better deal. The only real difference between D1 and D2 is how deep the talent pool goes and how coaches are able to offer financial aid.
Now back to summer ball.
College coaches control virtually everything in summer ball. With many coaches, playing summer ball is mandatory as they don’t want their best athletes siting around all summer getting out-of-shape. They tell players which leagues they can play in and sometimes, even which teams. They control pitch counts and inning starts for pitchers and can shut them down at any time. They even tell us what positions they want their players to play. If they are converting a catcher to the outfield, or maybe first base, they use summer ball to break them in and find out if they can handle it.
When recruiting a roster, teams start the day after the season ends. We’ll talk about that in Part II.
Many sports fans, even baseball fans, are not aware of college summer league baseball. After the College World Series is over, most fans figure that’s the end of the college baseball scene until the fall. Nothing could be farther from the truth. During July and July (with playoffs the first week of August), thousands of the best college baseball players head to collegiate summer leagues throughout the country to gain valuable experience against high-level competition.
There are about 40 significant leagues in the US with an average of 8 to 10 teams in the country, each with 25 to 40 players on their rosters. That’s between 8,000 to 14,000 players! Leagues come in every size and form - from for-profits to non-profits to faith-based, these leagues provide a place for players to gain valuable experience, usually with wooden bats. Since these are virtually the only places where wooden bats are used anymore, the games attract MLB scouts who are grateful for the opportunity to judge players skills with major league equipment. Some league All-Star games find as many as 50 pro scouts in the stands.
Most leagues charge player fees of varying amounts and a few create revenue through sponsorships, advertising, gate and concession receipts. A few of the older larger leagues have big fan bases and are able to generate enough revenue to allow them to charge minimal ($250) player fees or none at all. These leagues include the Cape Cod League, Northwoods League, Coastal Plains League and the Alaska league. Most other leagues charge player fees from $600 to $2,500. A few faith-based teams charge $3,000 plus.
For background, it is useful to understand a couple of important points with respect to college baseball and the Major League Draft because it controls so much of what players do and where they go. Let’s start with the draft as that comes before college.
MLB Draft
The First Year Player Draft (so named because it initially allowed teams to draft a player who was on the roster of a team at a lower level and had just completed his first season in Organized Baseball) is now comprised of players who meet the following conditions:
- Be a resident of, or have attended an educational institution in, the United States, Canada, or a U.S. territory. Players from other countries are not subject to the draft, and can be signed by any team unless they have attended an educational institution in the areas listed above.
- Have never signed a major or minor league contract.
- High school players are eligible only after graduation, and if they have not attended college.
- Players at four-year colleges and universities are eligible three years after first enrolling in such an institution, or after their 21st birthdays (whichever occurs first).
- Junior and community college players are eligible to be drafted at any time.
College Baseball Scholarship Restrictions
On top of all the draft conditions, collegiate baseball operates under severe scholarship restrictions. We are all accustomed to college football (deemed a “head count” sport by the NCAA) with its 85 full-ride scholarships. Most are surprised to learn that baseball is deemed an “equivalency sport” by the NCAA and D-1 schools are limited to 11.7 baseball scholarships. No, that’s not typo – eleven and seven-tenths - if someone knows how the NCAA came up with that number, please let me know! Under NCAA rules, these 11.7 scholarships can be divided between a maximum of 27 players, with a minimum of a 25% scholarship. For these reasons, very few full rides are handed out in baseball. D2 schools are limited to 9 scholarships. D3 schools do not provide athletic scholarships.
Don’t think that just because it is a Division 2 School the competition isn’t very good. Most of the athletes at a D2 college can play DI somewhere, but choose D2 for a better scholarship package or because the school is a better fit. Many D1 athletes transfer to D2 schools every year, looking for more playing time and a better deal. The only real difference between D1 and D2 is how deep the talent pool goes and how coaches are able to offer financial aid.
Now back to summer ball.
College coaches control virtually everything in summer ball. With many coaches, playing summer ball is mandatory as they don’t want their best athletes siting around all summer getting out-of-shape. They tell players which leagues they can play in and sometimes, even which teams. They control pitch counts and inning starts for pitchers and can shut them down at any time. They even tell us what positions they want their players to play. If they are converting a catcher to the outfield, or maybe first base, they use summer ball to break them in and find out if they can handle it.
When recruiting a roster, teams start the day after the season ends. We’ll talk about that in Part II.
