Jun

27

Are International Players Part of the Future of Summer League Baseball?

Posted by Greg | Filed Under News | 

bucs80.jpgDavid Ely’s “Summer Stock” column this week for Baseball America strikes a chord with me. Summer stock takes a look around America’s top summer baseball leagues. David writes that there is an influx of young baseball players from Taiwan playing now in the Alaska Baseball League, which is often cited as a rival with the Cape as the top summer league. To be fair, they are different leagues playing by different rules.

But it is inarguable that Major League Baseball has become a global showcase of talent. Japanese, Latino, Korean, Canadian and Australian players are the norm on MLB rosters. Taiwan and China are not far behind. So why isn’t that international flavor finding its way into the premier summer baseball leagues?

According to Ely’s reporting, the head coach of Taiwan’s World Baseball Classic national team contacted U.S. summer colege leagues awhile back to ask if anyone would take his players. Alaska is not tied to the same NCAA rules that bind the Cape or other summer collegiate leagues. So the Taiwan coach contacted the Anchorage Bucs.

“Look, if you send me guys that arent’s good–they’re not gonna get to play. And it’s going to be a long summer,” said GM Dennis Mattingly.

But things worked out quite well and both Taiwanese players and American players learned from one another. The Bucs also play international teams from Korea and Japan. (Listen to our podcast with Bob Bavasi, founder of JapanBall.com for his perspective on this.)

Isn’t that kind of interaction perfect for college students, not to mention college baseball players? Doesn’t that kind of exchange prepare baseball players as well as college students for the global nature of our world?

The NCAA should encourage rather than discourage that sort of international exchange. And the Cape Cod Baseball League should request it rather than waiting while others embrace it.

Comments

3 Responses to “Are International Players Part of the Future of Summer League Baseball?”

  1. CapeMan on June 27th, 2007 2:05 pm

    If International players are recruited to and playing for NCAA sanctioned college baseball teams then you might see those players in the CCBL. Otherwise, the CCBL will not do anything on its’ own.

    My feeling is that if the CCBL went in that direction, college coaches would see that as spots being taken away from college players. As a result, more and more players would play elsewhere. Calling itself and being called by others “The Best Summer COLLEGIATE League in the Country” is something that they will not mess with. Again…if the NCAA gets involved with more international player..then the Cape will…if not…forget it.

  2. Dave B. on June 28th, 2007 9:43 am

    I fully agree with what CapeMan said. I realize you didn’t say whether you are personally for or against international players playing in the CCBL, but I agree with everything you said concerning the attitude of the college coaches, NCAA, CCBL, etc.
    If players from other countries attend college here, they would be given consideration to play in the Cape League. If they aren’t going to school here, why would we want to see them playing in, as you said… the best COLLEGIATE league ?
    College coaches would be justified to feel that spots for their players on the Cape would be taken away. I do not know a lot about international baseball, but I think it would also open up another can of worms with regard to eligibility. With the NCAA’s eligibility rules, the players we see on the Cape are meeting those eligibility guidelines. What eligibility rules do players from other countries follow ? Maybe they have strict standards also. Maybe it shouldn’t matter. I really don’t know enough about the international rules to say much more about that, but it could be an issue.
    I realize what I am saying could be misconstrued, so I do want to say that my feeligns are not based on prejudicial, or exclusionary reasons. It is simply that I feel that the players in the CCBL should be players who have college eligibility, as per today’s rules.
    This is an interesting topic and is one to keep an eye on. It should make for some interesting debate.

  3. CapeMan on June 28th, 2007 10:29 am

    Well said…quite simply, the CCBL prides itself on having a tight relationship with the NCAA and being the first choice for most coaches and players. Why would the CCBL risk tarnishing that relationship? If international players want to play in the CCBL, go to college at an NCAA sanctioned school. Otherwise, it is really a non-issue.

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