The Coastal Plain League has announced a collaboration with MLB Baseball and USA Baseball to bring Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) events to players for the 2018 season.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the players in the CPL,” said Coastal Plain League COO/Commissioner Justin Sellers. “The Prospect Development Pipeline has already proven to be beneficial for prospective players that are invited, and we are excited to be a part of it. While our participation will start with our CPL Select Team and All-Star squads now; the ability to grow it will allow us to better assist with getting our players scouted and evaluated.”
The PDP was established as a collaborative program between MLB, and USA Baseball in an effort to establish an official identification process and player development pathway for amateur players. With events around the country each year, the PDP is able to uniformly track and create prospect watch lists in a much more efficient and accurate way than in the past. The exposure generated by these events brings scouts closer to athletes than ever before, allowing prospects to be input into the PDP database for future tracking ahead of the draft.
The PDP also delivers a unique development opportunity to all participating athletes by acting on its founding principle that players at all levels, from the amateur ranks to the big leagues, should aspire to reach their full potential. PDP events have been designed to provide the exposure and objective feedback required to enable players to be the best version of themselves.
Specific to the Coastal Plain League in 2018, the PDP will conduct activations prior to both the League’s CPL Select Team vs. USA Baseball Collegiate National Team game on June 26 in Cary, N.C., as well as the CPL All-Star Show July 8-9 in Lexington, S.C.
While scouts have always attended these events, the addition of PDP adds an even more advanced avenue for CPL players to showcase their talents as they continue their journey to professional baseball.
“We’re pleased to be offering this opportunity to CPL players,” said Rick Riccobono, USA Baseball’s Chief Development Officer. “We believe that the developmental feedback provided to athletes as part of the PDP experience can be a transformative tool in their maturation. We look forward to working closely with the CPL to optimize this collaboration.”
The CPL and PDP plan to hold more events in the future, with the 2019 season expected to have scheduled off-days in each region of the League to allow all players the opportunity to attend at least one PDP event throughout the summer.
About Coastal Plain League
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Heading into its 22nd season in 2018, the CPL features 16 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had over 1,450 alumni drafted and 114 alums – including 2017 ALCS MVP, 2017 World Series champion, 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander, as well as 2017 NLCS MVP Chris Taylor – make their Major League debut. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @CPLBaseball.