Strength in Numbers #141
Collegiate summer leagues have long served as fertile grounds for aspiring baseball players to hone their skills, gain invaluable exposure, and propel their careers to new heights.
With a rich history steeped in tradition, these leagues offer a platform for players to showcase their talents, develop their abilities, and compete against top-tier competition between players in different conferences and competitive levels.
However, recent trends have shed light on the evolving landscape of summer baseball, raising questions about its impact on player development, injury rates, and collegiate recruiting.
A Legacy of Development and Exposure
For decades, collegiate summer leagues have played an integral role in developing young baseball talent.
These leagues allow collegiate players to refine their skills, gain exposure to professional scouts, and compete alongside some of the nation’s most promising prospects.
For many players, the summer months represent a crucial period of growth and development, where they can test their abilities against elite competition and prepare for the rigors of the upcoming collegiate season.
Navigating the Landscape of Injury Rates
While collegiate summer leagues offer numerous benefits for player development, concerns have arisen regarding injury rates and player safety.
In recent years, there has been a growing apprehension among agents and players about the risk of injury associated with summer league participation.
This generalized fear has led some agents to withhold their clients’ participation in summer leagues, citing concerns about overuse, fatigue, and the potential for career-altering injuries.
Although pitching data is scarce, only one research article has been written on position player injuries referencing hamstring injuries, which can be seen here.
The Fall Season Conundrum
Compounding these concerns is an opposing view that pitchers get hurt in the fall due to a lack of summer league participation.
Without the adrenaline and competitive ramp-up experienced during the summer season, pitchers may struggle to acclimate to the abrupt intensity of fall workouts and scrimmages.
Moreover, the transition from the summer to fall season can be marked by a lack of attention to detail, including evaluating throwing arm strength and workload management over the summer when pitchers are working with their private coaches.
So what do you do? If you don’t know, the Prospect League has figured out a solution, and it follows our Player-First Approach.
We recently had a podcast with the league officials for the Prospect League, a summer collegiate league that has partnered with ArmCare.
When you listen to the podcast, you will quickly notice their expertise and how detailed they discuss the metrics and process.
They are a player development league, doing the right things and collaborating with colleges to further skill development. Players gain experience and are protected with our tech.
STEPS TO PROSPECT LEAGUE SUCCESS – THE PLAYER-LED APPROACH EXPLAINED:
- Monitoring—Prospect League players are monitored routinely, and actionable decisions are made regarding workload management and individualized training.
- Communication—Teams communicate with college coaches when they see an athlete showing signs of fatigue, strength imbalance, or weakness. They set the athlete on a course of recovery and rebound their throwing arm health and performance.
- Individualized Programming – Coaches and staff in the Prospect League, in collaboration with college coaches, put together a program to meet the needs of the players where they are and do not overwork or underwork their throwing arms.
- Evaluation—Coaches and staff reevaluate their approach to ensure that the right action is taken using a data-led approach to remediating throwing arm weakness, imbalance, fatigue, and recoverability.
For college coaches especially, we are leaving you with a few things to watch in detail as we dive deep into the Prospect League in our podcast this week:
We also have a quick hit to listen to how we talk about the Player-Led Approach in the new edition of our ArmCare Specialist Course, which is coming soon!
If you think that the risks outweigh the benefits of playing in the summer, consider the advantage of playing in a league focused on managing your workload and individualizing your training.
You’ll head to the fall with an arm that is primed and not on vacation. All you need to do is impress one scout in the crowd, and the rest is history.