STARKVILLE — If every MSU player comes back from their summer league assignment like Caleb Reed did, MSU coach John Cohen will have 12 players ready to have breakout seasons in 2012.
Sure, players run the risk of injury competing in summer leagues across the country, but the experience is valuable.
“It just continues the maturation process for these kids,” Cohen said. “You”re out of your comfort zone. You”re with a whole new group of guys and you got to improve yourself.”
Reed, an All-Southeastern Conference selection this season, furthered his development last summer by playing for San Luis Obispo in the California Collegiate League.
Reed had 14 relief appearances for SLO last summer, finishing with a 0.82 ERA in 22 innings. Reed, who had an ERA near 7 and a 1-7 record as a sophomore, made a drastic turnaround this season with a team-best 1.55 ERA in 64 innings, which were the second most on the team.
This summer, starting pitchers Nick Routt and Chris Stratton, along with rising sophomores C.T. Bradford and Daryl Norris, will pitch in the prestigious Cape Cod League.
“What Caleb Reed gained by pitching in California, I can”t explain to you,” Cohen said. “He”ll be the first one to tell you, just being out of your comfort zone in another region of the country having to prove yourself (is beneficial). Being around other kids from around the country saying you know what? I”m pretty good, I can compete with those guys. No matter where you are, you tend to put other guys on a pedestal.”
Reed, the team”s closer this season, won”t pitch for the next three or four weeks, Cohen said. However, he could be the fifth player to be placed in the Cape Cod League. The decision will be solely up to Reed.
Other MSU players who”ll participate in summer league ball are redshirt freshman Demarcus Henderson and sophomore-to-be Taylor Stark, both whom will compete in the New York Collegiate League.
Rising sophomore Adam Frazier, who started 18 games and hit .274 this season, will play for SLO in the CCL.
Redshirt freshmen Brayden Jones and Wes Rea and rising sophomore pitcher Evan Mitchell will play for the Danville (Ill.) Dans in the Prospect League.
MSU”s redshirt players have already started playing games with their respective teams.
Pitcher Victor Diaz and catcher Hunter Renfroe will compete for the Bethesda (Md.) Big Train in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League.
With the Bulldogs set to replace seven positional starters, the summer league season will be critical for second-year players like Bradford, Norris, Frazier and Mitchell, all of whom combined to start 113 games as freshmen.
“I”ve said this all along, I think our collectively, our group of freshmen this year probably has more talent than our seniors,” Cohen said. “What the seniors had was a lot more experience, and that”s why we went with a more senior dominant lineup down the stretch.
“Brayden arguably could have been a top-five hitter if we wouldn”t have redshirted him, but he was a third baseman. Daryl Norris, for the last three weeks of our drill work, was taking better swings than anyone on our ball club.”
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