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Not long ago, American Legion baseball was the destination of choice for Montgomery County high school players looking to hone their skills during the hazy, hot and humid months of summer.

Over the past 10 years, the Montgomery Division could boast of current and former minor leaguers such as Casey Baron (Cissel Saxon Post 41), Gregg Davies (Damascus Post 171), Brian McKenna (Gaithersburg Post 295), Brian Conley (Gaithersburg Post 295) and Matt Sweeney (Gaithersburg Post 104).

Lately, however, American Legion baseball in Montgomery County, and across the state, has watched talented players go elsewhere for the summer. It has gotten to the point that two county programs — Bethesda Post 105 and Rockville Post 86 — have folded.

Post 105 has been unable to field a team for the past two summers. Post 86 closed shop in 2008, the same year Sandy Spring Post 68 came into existence. As of right now, the Montgomery Division consists of seven teams, one of which — Laurel Post 60 — actually draws all of its players from Howard County.

The number of American Legion posts with baseball teams has plummeted across the state in the last few years. Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City combined to form a five-team league that also includes Columbia Post 300 in Howard County. Anne Arundel, a hotbed for high school baseball, hosts just three Legion teams, with none directly serving historically strong Arundel and Old Mill high schools.

Of the 15 members of the 2010 All-Gazette baseball first team, just five are playing American Legion baseball.

Former Gazette Players of the Year and college standouts Corey Consuegra (Damascus Post 171), Mike Celenza (Gaithersburg Post 295) and Kevin Brady (Gaithersburg Post 104) are among the league's storied recent alumni. The 2010 Player of the Year, Jake Taylor, is competing for the Columbia Reds of the wood-bat Maryland Collegiate Baseball League.

So what has caused this decline in what was the place to be for aspiring baseball players?

Older may not be wiser

A handful of Montgomery County high school coaches believe American Legion baseball began to decline earlier this decade, when the age limit rose from 18 to 19, allowing more college players to return for a final summer season.

"Legion killed itself when they implemented the 19-year-old rule," Rockville High coach Farron Riggs said. "This made it a lot tougher for the younger kids to make teams, because coaches were keeping their college returners, even if they didn't go to school to play baseball. This in turn killed the pipeline."

The number of college players on Montgomery Division rosters this summer is somewhat down from previous years. Damascus Post 171, Laurel Post 60 and Wheaton Post 268 are relying largely, if not entirely, on high school talent. But Cissel Saxon Post 41, Gaithersburg Post 295 and Gaithersburg Post 104 have numerous key college freshmen on their squads.

"I think one thing that hurt them is when they changed the age eligibility and allowed college freshman to play," said Quince Orchard High coach Jason Gasaway, who has had scores of his players compete for Post 295 over the years. "It created a gap so that younger players had to find somewhere to play, which there aren't a lot of options at that age that is a high level of competition."

Choices, choices, choices

An influx of showcase teams has cropped up to fill the void Gasaway spoke about. Essentially all-star squads, they play in various tournaments up and down the east coast in the summer and fall. Players usually pay large fees to join, but college coaches flock to scout the tournaments, giving players a leg up in the recruiting process.

The Derek Hakopian Baseball Academy in Gaithersburg, Elite Baseball of Maryland in Columbia, and Diamond Skills Baseball in North Bethesda are a few notable examples of this phenomenon.

"Over the last several years, more and more options have become available for young people to play baseball," Blake High coach Steve Murfin said. "This is good for the game of baseball overall by giving players more opportunities. But it is not necessarily good for local baseball. ...

"Legion allowed players to play with teammates from their neighborhoods and compete against their top peers directly out of high school. Now, players will travel anywhere to get playing time. I know players in the Blake area who played on teams based out of Northern Virginia. It is all about exposure to college coaches and playing time."

"The showcase teams have definitely hurt Legion baseball," Post 104 manager Joe Stoltz said. "Baseball in general is in decline. The quality of MCBA and the number of teams is down. This may not be apparent until you look at the numbers of teams 10 years ago when you had two-year increments in each division."

Damascus High graduate Ryan McGuigan went the showcase route with Diamond Skills. He was spotted by scouts from West Virginia University, where he will play next year. Scholarship in hand, McGuigan, an All-Gazette first team selection, is now the starting shortstop for Post 171.

"You get a lot more looks at showcase because you get all those college coaches," said McGuigan, who played for Diamond Skills. "I don't think it's as talented, Legion baseball. You get a lot of good kids down in the showcase. But it's competitive here. The showcase games, it doesn't matter if you win or lose. It's just about you."

The area has also seen the rise of college-circuit wooden bat leagues, which have lured away some elite players, like Taylor.

The MCBL began in 2007, and the Gaithersburg Giants recruit many homegrown players to their ranks. The Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League brings in players from around the country but attracts some of the very best from Montgomery County, including All-Gazette first team pitcher Nick Riley, who will play for the Bethesda Big Train this summer.

Second-team All-Gazette pick George Smith of Good Counsel has joined Falcons teammate Taylor on the Columbia Reds. Smith resides in Mount Airy and would play for Mount Airy Post 191, the 2009 Maryland State American Legion Tournament and Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament champion.

Are there any solutions?

Under manager Rick Price, Gaithersburg Post 295 has been the winningest American Legion team in Montgomery County over the last decade. In an attempt to curtail the exodus to showcase teams Price organized a one-day Invitational Prospect Camp at the University of Maryland on June 21 to give Legion players the exposure some seek at showcase tournaments.

Price, who has won three state titles, declared the day a success. The event attracted 82 players and 10 college coaches were in attendance. Each player, who had to be nominated by his coach, paid a $20 entrance fee.

"In the Post 295 zone, we have all the players we wanted to play this summer, many of which played showcase last year," Price said. "The most frequent comment from the players and their parents [regarding showcase teams] is, ‘It's a waste of time and money.' ....

"Post 295 has over 100 alumni who have played college or professional baseball without ever attending a showcase. .... The legion team is where the players improve their game. We play more games in three weeks than high schools do in three months, and unlike the showcases, we practice if we're not playing."

Post 295, Gaithersburg Post 104 and Damascus Post 171 are also part of a strong junior league program helping to fill the void created by the addition of college freshmen. Those players participate in the three-division Potomac Junior American Legion league that includes teams from the Frederick area, Western Maryland and West Virginia.

"There was good interest in the area and it's good to get some of the younger players into this type of baseball scenario," Post 295 junior manager Steve Cononie said. "[The senior team] takes 75 percent of the players [from the younger team each year]. Some as young as 16 have moved up to the senior team."