Why so many MLB Stars start in Cape Cod

One in seven current MLB players get their start in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

For those unaware, the Cape Code Baseball League (also known as “The Cape”) is a collegiate summer baseball league that attracts the top college MLB prospects every summer. Stars like Frank Thomas, Carlton Fisk, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Varitek, Tim Lincecum and many, many more spent a summer in The Cape impressing hundreds of MLB scouts.

You may know The Cape from the 2001 movie Summer Catch starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jessica Beil, but the league has been around since 1885. Its slogan, “Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight,” couldn’t be anymore accurate.

But why has this particular league been so successful in identifying early MLB talent?

The Cape is seen as the best amateur summer league in the country by college coaches and professional baseball scouts. It is one of 11 summer leagues sanctioned by the NCAA attracting the cream of the crop from across the country.

The Cape had 292 alum play in the MLB during the 2015 season, like Evan Longoria, Buster Posey and Mark Teixeira, and as of October, 1,155 Cape League alum have played in the MLB.

The league is comprised of two divisions and 10 teams stretched across Cape Cod, with the longest travel for games being just less than an hour. College Sophomores and Juniors flock to the Massachusetts peninsula in hopes of impressing the many scouts that attend all 44 regular season games.

Legendary baseball writer Peter Gammons, who spent many summers vacationing on Cape Cod, often discusses the talent that springs from The Cape.

One of the more popular components of this prestigious league is that players stay with host families for the summer. Strangers open their homes to college baseball players often putting them to work during the day. These host families receive a very small stipend from the league, but for the most part, they open their homes completely voluntarily.

Boston Red Sox Manager John Farrell spent the summer of 1982 in The Cape with Hyannis, and recalls his host family experience.

“To me there wasn’t anything wrong with it. It was a roof, a place to sleep, to cook a meal on a hot plate,” Farrell said, via the Boston Globe. “It had a shower, it serves as a great memory of the Cape League. You can’t beat the experience. It’s a fantastic part of the country and you’re going to have great memories.”

Players often work jobs during the day, work out and run their respective team’s children’s baseball camps. Senior pitcher Joey Ravert of La Salle University spent the summer of 2015 playing in The Cape for the Orleans Firebirds and Harwich Mariners, and loved his daily routine.

“It was great. We would wake up and head to the field for early work then coach the young kids in the camps, who were a blast. Then we would head to the gym and get our workouts in,” Ravert said, via goexplorers.com. “On the rare off days we would head to the beach or play mini golf. As a young college student, you really couldn’t ask for a better set up while chasing a lifelong dream.”

Vacationers and locals alike often arrive at games, which are free of admission, hours early to claim their spots and set up lawn chairs. On any given night, there are upwards of 5,000 fans packed in bleachers and spread out on lawn blankets watching future MLB stars.

Another unique aspect about The Cape that attracts the top talent and top scouts is the fact that hitters use wood bats, unlike in their college experiences. The use of wood bats gives scouts a sense of how “true” a hitter is and how affective pitchers are. Christopher Price of Baseball by the Beach claims the switch to wood bats in the 1980’s is what really attracted scouts.

“It took it to a place where guys could really prove they could really play. It also made things much easier for scouts, to gauge a hitter’s ability,” Price wrote.

John Garner, the Director of Public Relations & Broadcasting for The Cape for more than 16 years, cites the location of the league for its popularity.

“The thing that stands out for CCBL is location and reputation: a chance to play summer baseball surrounded by beautiful beaches with longest road trip 45 minutes (Wareham to Orleans),” Garner stated.

The Cape represents every pulse of what baseball embodies. Under the lights, top quality baseball, the crack of the bat, sense of community and the jolts of laughter in the crowd portray the unique humbleness of such a production.

Strangers coming together to play 44 baseball games in three months form bonds that last a lifetime. Whenever MLB stars play at Fenway Park in Boston, their former host families often make the one hour trip to say hello and reminisce of the old times — time spent together long before the grandiose stadiums and million dollar contracts.

If you consider yourself a baseball fan or frequent Cape Cod, you must visit a Cape Cod Baseball League game. Its beautiful simplicity makes for the ideal summer night spent with family and friends.