The Significance of Playing Summer Baseball or Training

In this blog post I am going to be diving into and weighing the pros and cons of whether or not you should be playing summer ball or training instead. This will go over the short and long term advantages and disadvantages of both.

What Is the Problem?

Most high school and college coaches push for their athletes to play summer baseball, and a lot of the time those same athletes are wondering whether or not that is the best plan of action for themselves. The goals of players and coaches are usually vastly different. Most high school and college players faced with this dilemma are pursuing the goal of reaching the next level, whether that be college or professional baseball. On the other hand, coaches have a primary goal of winning games, which in turn helps them keep their jobs. Having their athletes playing summer baseball allows those athletes an abundance of extra reps to refine their skills in game-like environments with the abilities they currently possess.

Advantages of Summer Baseball

Playing summer baseball can be extremely beneficial, first and foremost. Summer baseball is a great time to compete and rack up innings to gain confidence and get experience facing adversity. It is also a great opportunity to face tougher competition than you might see in the spring. One of my favorite things about summer baseball was all the relationships I was able to form, and that is one of the many reasons why I feel baseball is such a special game. Now, one of the most talked about reasons why summer baseball is so advantageous is that you can and will be seen by college coaches or scouts. But this comes with a caveat that will be discussed later on in this post.

Advantages of Focused Training During the Summer

Although summer ball has its benefits, focused training throughout the summer has its place and it should be utilized more than it currently is. Focused training allows the athlete to truly develop the skills they may lack to perform at the level they desire. This focused training can allow the athlete to make huge gains as they develop strengths and improve upon their weaknesses. An important aspect of training in the summer is the use of advanced technologies to offer insight and facilitate targeted skill development.

Drawbacks of Playing Summer Baseball

While playing summer baseball has its benefits, there are a number of potential drawbacks. Summer baseball is extremely demanding, time and energy wise. Most of these athletes are playing almost daily and could be heading toward overuse injuries from lack of recovery, as well as just mental exhaustion from baseball. Especially in high school athletes, I feel it is important to allow time to take breaks and enjoy being a kid. Go on vacation with your family.

One of the advantages of playing summer baseball is exposure to college coaches and scouts. That is true for the most part, but it does not mean that is always a good thing. If you are not good enough to play at that level, it does not matter if those coaches or scouts see you, because you simply cannot compete at that level.

Limitations of Focused Training During the Summer

Training during the summer does limit the availability of playing in the summer, which leads to a lack of game-like experiences as well as diminished opportunities for building relationships and interactions. Not playing during the summer may mean that the next time you are in a game-like situation you do not perform as well because of the unfamiliarity of the environment.

One or the Other... or Both?

Truthfully, the context of your skill level and goals are what should guide your decision on whether or not you should be playing summer ball or training. We have looked at each separately. Why can you not do both? The simple answer is you can, and it can be extremely valuable for your playing career. The problem lies usually with the schedule of summer baseball and coaches are usually not all for limited participation. In an ideal world you could work on improving your abilities throughout the week and compete once a week, crushing two birds with one stone.

What Should I Do?

These are personal recommendations I would suggest to an athlete depending on their situation.

High School Athlete

**Athlete 1: Extremely advanced skill set, has the tools to play in college but is extremely raw (lacks command), threw a good amount of innings** -- Play Summer Baseball

**Athlete 2: Threw a good amount of innings but is still 4-5 mph away from playing at their desired competition level** -- Focus on Training

**Athlete 3: Did not throw many innings and lacks the stuff to play at their desired competition level** -- Focus on Training

College Athlete

**Athlete 1: You did not throw many innings but have average college stuff** -- Look at your overall goal. If it is to play pro ball, I lean toward Focusing on Training and developing. If your goal is to be a better college pitcher, I lean toward Playing Summer Baseball.

**Athlete 2: Above average stuff and did not throw many innings** -- Play Summer Baseball, but focus on the area that caused you not to throw many innings (most likely command).

**Athlete 3: Threw a lot of innings but have average college stuff** -- Focus on Training. You already have the competition piece down; developing better stuff may push you over the edge to becoming elite and getting to pro ball.

**Athlete 4: Below average stuff and did not throw many innings** -- Focus on Training. If you do not have the stuff to pitch currently and you do not develop it, what makes you think you are going to pitch the following year?

Conclusion

There are many pros and cons of playing summer baseball or focusing on training and it ultimately comes down to what is your current skill level and what are your aspirations.

My take is this: more than likely you are not good enough to get drafted or play professionally at your current abilities. If your dream is to be able to play ball, the first step is realizing where you are at and that you need to develop the skills necessary to reach your goal.

Good luck on your continued journey. I believe if you read this whole blog post you have the will and determination to become the best pitcher you can possibly be. Please feel free to leave a note if you have comments or questions. If you found this to be good, valuable information, I ask that you share it with someone else who may also feel that way.