Like Apprenticeship Programs or Artistic Pursuits: Minor League Baseball reporting 2017

Affiliation changes

DOUBLE-A
Arkansas goes from LAA to SEA
Jackson (TN) goes from SEA to ARI
Mobile goes from ARI to LAA

HIGH A
Carolina goes from ATL to MIL
Lancaster (CA) goes from HOU to COL
Modesto goes from COL to SEA

New teams
Buies Creek (NC) Astros (which will move to Fayetteville, NC in 2019) -- High-A HOU
Down East Wood Ducks (Kinston, NC) -- High-A TEX
Florida Fire Frogs (Kissimmee, FL) -- High-A ATL

Discontinued teams
Bakersfield, CA
High Desert, CA
Brevard County, FL

Name changes
Binghamton Mets become Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Jacksonville Suns become Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
New Orleans Zephyrs become New Orleans Baby Cakes

no word on whether the bowling green hot rods will change their name to the massacres for a one-day promotion

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*QL8GW9bYkdqQk2eByaK6Ig.png

for a price, the myrtle beach pelicans will let you fuck in their luxury suites, clubhouse or field

Erie goin' bigleague

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/03/minor-league-team-erie-seawolves-alternative-facts-night-game-tigers-affiliate

also San Rafael

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Alternative-Fact-Millions-expected-for-minor-11039547.php

@jakemkaplan
Former top prospect Jon Singleton, who will make $2 million this year, was assigned to begin the season back in Double A.

not reporting per se but holy shit loooooooooool

Eric Stephen‏ @truebluela 27m27 minutes ago
Among 2017 Pacific Coast Lg Hall of Fame inductees includes PCL historical society founder Dick Beverage, my new favorite name in baseball

lol i just came here to post that

i see Dick Beverage p much every year at the SABR convention, u filthy ppl

i would expect no less of you

is this the thread for asking how the Hank Azaria low-minors-announcer IFC sitcom is?

it's set in PA and the team is called the Frackers, so that's one good joke

Fort Myers Miracle
@MiracleBaseball
Miracle to Offer Half Priced Tickets to Anyone with a United Airlines Boarding Pass

yard goats opening night

I thought I saw this thred but couldn't find it. anyway:

http://www.milb.com/content/page.jsp?ymd=20170412&content_id=223859118&fext=.jsp&sid=t586&vkey

that's staten island 4 u

could be worse -- a lot of (mostly southern) teams are doing 'military heroes baseball cards' where they print up/give away cards featuring local armed forces members. the staten island version would presumably be cards of nyc cops

The Ballad of Mike Hessman

Name changes
Binghamton Mets become Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Jacksonville Suns become Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
New Orleans Zephyrs become New Orleans Baby Cakes

this is a nice trio of name changes

i'm afraid you are mistaken

perfect game on 88 pitches for double-a pensacola's tyler mahle

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2017_04_22_penaax_mobaax_1&t=g_box&sid=milb

first nine-inning perfect game in south atlantic league history on 85 pitches for augusta's domenic mazza. nine strikeouts, game score 103

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2017_04_25_augafx_lexafx_1&t=g_box&sid=milb

these are not common, even in the minors -- mahle's was the first in the southern league since 1970. idk what's going on

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C-1ucVUWsAE_tnJ.jpg

toledo mud hens' sgt peppers 50th anniversary uniforms

good thing VU & Nico anniversary was preseason

utah, man

https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/06/05/minor-league-baseball-ogden-raptors-sexist-hourglass-promotion

weak

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DBqHN8xXoAA2BjF.jpg

changes announced for 2019:

triple-a colorado springs (currently MIL) will move to san antonio
double-a san antonio (currently SD) will move to amarillo
short-season helena (currently MIL) will move to colorado springs

i suspect that the new san antonio team will eventually be TEX affiliated, round rock will switch from TEX to HOU, and the brewers will get stuck with something crappy like las vegas or fresno for triple-a

i liked the Colorado Springs park/ambience

throwback jurisprudence

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2017/06/26/u-s-court-of-appeals-affirms-ruling-that-the-minor-leagues-are-except-from-federal-antitrust-law/

san antonio is one of the most interesting stadium I have been in it's p amazing. it's backed up onto an AFB and there are a lot of sad USAF folx just out trying to enjoy their night. xp

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DDWbernXUAEYU1z.jpg:small

they should send one to Dusty

apparently the 'ligament' is removable

Effective immediately, the Replay America Tour shows scheduled at Minor League Baseball Stadiums including the show scheduled at Prince George's Stadium on Friday, August 4 have been canceled. Poor ticket sales across the entire Ballpark concert tour, was the determining reason for the cancellation. These shows featuring Billy Ocean, Taylor Dayne, Starship, the Motels and Naked Eyes were anticipated to bring thousands of people out to a ballpark environment for the enjoyment of throwback music favorites from the 1980's but just didn't generate the interest needed to support the costs.

http://i.imgur.com/v0aQt85.png

featuring a league-record 44 combined strikeouts

M's minor leaguers take $683 Uber to game
Four Mariners minor leaguers took a seven-hour Uber trip from Phoenix to Albuquerque, New Mexico, at a cost of $683 to make it to a game.

amusing action in Winnipeg (American Association) last Saturday night

It's the bottom of the 14th inning and the Kansas City T-Bones are completely out of pitchers, having already used their entire bullpen and then their centrefielder to get through a pair of innings. So they bring in starting pitcher Matt Sergey, who is coming off a 105-pitch performance in Fargo 48 hours earlier. As a result, the righty ends up using his left arm to throw — and promptly walks the first two Goldeyes batters he faces.

After a sacrifice bunt moves them over to second and third, Sergey is asked to intentionally walk Goldeyes hitter Mason Katz to set up a bases-loaded, one-out force play situation. But instead of just making a routine wide toss to his catcher, Sergey — we remind you, he's using his wrong arm to throw — sails one to the backstop.

Shawn Pleffner trots home with the game-winning run on a wild pitch intentional walk...

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/baseball/goldeyes/goldeyes-win-12-11-in-14-innings-one-of-craziest-games-ever-434749703.html

ICYMI, in pitching diversity news

http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2017/07/16/242525472/stacy-piagno-became-the-third-woman-to-get-a-win-since-the-1950s

Missoula Osprey to Retire Lyle Overbay's Number on July 28

Dodgers prospect Alex Verdugo hit a 385-foot homer at AAA tonight: 360 feet off the bat, 25 feet off Zach Borenstein's head. Holy Canseco. pic.twitter.com/2KzTtvcTpF

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 26, 2017

I'll be making my first visit to a Pawtucket game in 2 weeks.

dayton dragons outfielder jose siri extended his hitting streak to 36 games last night, breaking the midwest league record of 35.

the previous record-holder, tony toups of the 1977 waterloo indians, was there, which is kind of cool

Behold, the most GCL play ever. pic.twitter.com/DJ8aKcuv1Y

— Josh Norris (@jnorris427) August 10, 2017

aahahahahaha

the new york-penn league has selected 56 players to participate in its all-star game tuesday in troy, ny

exactly zero of them are from the staten island yankees, who have the best record in the league

not that i don't approve, but wtf

Columbus 5, Pawtucket 4

37-yo Eric Kratz catching for the Clippers.

They sing Sweet Caroline in Pah-tucket, but no Green Monster replica. (Greenville has one.)

padres infield prospect gabriel arias was added to the class a fort wayne tincaps roster on saturday

he is the first affiliated full-season-team player born in the year 2000

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DHxjzmkXYAAw38U.jpg

http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2017/08/21/249782410/photo-of-the-day-salem-keizer-volcanoes-take-photo-of-2017-solar-eclipse

360° video here, which is p. cool if you make it look up

reportage

https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2017/8/22/16184140/salem-keizer-volcanoes-total-solar-eclipse

The Salina Stockade lost again last night. They're now 16-71. Here's how they got their .184 winning percentage.https://t.co/LDSXM01c4t

— Ben Lindbergh (@BenLindbergh) August 23, 2017

Don't miss #AlternativeFacts Night at UPMC Park TONIGHT. First 1K get a 2016 SeaWolves championship ring.

Tix: https://t.co/DC1MpviqcJ pic.twitter.com/mq7D9e4Qil

— Erie SeaWolves (@erie_seawolves) August 25, 2017

lansing's nick sinay set a new midwest league record with his 38th hit-by-pitch . . . in just 73 games/265 plate appearances.

he also has drawn 27 walks, giving him the rare .219/.414/.265 line

http://deadspin.com/iowa-cubs-player-is-exceptionally-talented-at-being-a-w-1798628763

The New York Mets have announced that All-Star Pitcher Noah Syndergaard will continue his Major League Rehabiliation Assignment with the Brooklyn Cyclones on Thursday, September 7th when they take on the Staten Island Yankees in the 2017 season finale for the Cyclones. Game time is 6:00 PM with gates opening at 4:30 PM. The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a Cyclones Wall Calendar and there will be post-game fireworks.

The Cyclones are offering a special $15 ticket with all proceeds to benefit Hurricane Harvey Relief through MiLB Chariities.

the florida state and southern leagues have cancelled their championship series due to the approaching hurricane. a certain small segment of the population is unhappy that these leagues will have co-champions

this is something that appears to happen about once every ten years

brandon mccarthy gets the start tonight for rancho cucamonga in game 3 of its california league semifinal series

Tigers convert Lakeland headquarters to public shelter from Irma

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2017/09/10/tigers-convert-lakeland-headquarters-public-shelter-irma/105469504/

Tigertown’s clubhouses in Lakeland, Fla., already are filling with families that will use its windowless, concrete walls as protection against winds that could, even in central Florida’s interior, surpass 100 mph.

Refrigerated trucks are filled with 4-5 days of provisions necessary to feed families, staffers, players and, most of all, first-responders who will be charged with clean-up and safety after the storm’s greatest intensity arrives, according to best weather estimates, about 2:30 a.m. Monday.

The 84-acre Tigertown complex’s dormitories and cafeterias will be a local headquarters for emergency personnel in Lakeland and Polk County.

the durham bulls are yr triple-a national champions

Bill and Brian Doyle-Murray hit the road for TV

http://deadline.com/2017/11/bill-murray-brian-doyle-murray-extra-innings-facebook-watch-1202207024/

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOwzM6rW0AEere3.jpg

welcome to the atlantic league

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DQYE8DkUMAIYM0U.jpg:small

feisty green bee with a plaid cap

https://i.imgur.com/tE3q9sS.jpg

stay classy, pat o'conner

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2017/12/19/in-an-interview-minor-league-baseball-president-pat-oconner-diminishes-the-work-of-his-players

the potomac nationals, who have historically had the best/weirdest bobblehead giveaways in the minors, are having a fan vote to determine one of their 2018 bobbleheads

one of the options is Bobby Bo(nilla) holding a $1.19 million check Bobblehead

We're excited to announce LÜG Vodka - our collaboration with @AmericanFifth! #LugLife

⬇️ FULL STORY ⬇️ https://t.co/lTxhIyA24m pic.twitter.com/uFGjem0GR4

— Lansing Lugnuts (@LansingLugnuts) March 9, 2018

not enough for me to put Lansing on my unemployment road map

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/quantifying-the-effects-of-winning-in-the-minor-leagues-on-player-development

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/spending-bill-could-quash-minor-league-baseball-players-wage-claims/2018/03/18/d31cd76e-2b0a-11e8-8ad6-fbc50284fce8_story.html?utm_term=.947b4a41d948

@jazayerli
For the $6M annual pension owners are giving Bud Selig, they could have given every minor leaguer in baseball a raise of about $300 a month.

@jazayerli
$300 a month translates into maybe an extra $1.50 an hour. Which means that MLB could comply with federal minimum wage laws instead of lobbying Congress for a damn exemption, for little more than the cost of one man’s pension.

But they won’t.

30-some teams are doing marketing outreach by adopting hispanic/latin identities/uniforms for portions of the season and some of them are actually pretty decent

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*3JWrwE3u5iA_PCbJ8eHNWQ.png

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*TIwlE9TJM6BjHcYDb6no1A.png

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*n_cHuALRbPq-vrtrdP2jiw.png

probably gonna sell a bunch of caps

Congress passes bill depriving minor leaguers of minimum wage rights https://t.co/hNkzJ48Cuk

— HardballTalk (@HardballTalk) March 22, 2018

gross

https://theathletic.com/288633/2018/03/27/sarris-three-days-in-the-life-and-finances-of-a-minor-league-baseball-player (unlocked)

https://www.mlb.com/cut4/here-are-the-100-best-minor-league-player-names-heading-into-the-2018-season/c-270771028

BIG NEWS! 9x @NBA All-Star, former @WakeMBB star and Forsyth County native Chris Paul (@CP3) has become a part owner of our team!

MORE: https://t.co/egtDsy3tmo pic.twitter.com/Qn5v5X88jQ

— Winston-Salem Dash (@WSDashBaseball) April 10, 2018

not to be a total homer or anything but the 2018 memphis redbirds really one of the best AAA teams of all time? the 2017 version was already dominant, and they're even better this year. this year's model:

C Carson Kelly (either #1 or #2 catching prospect in baseball, good enough to start in MLB right now, blocked by Molina)
1B Luke Voit (AAAA, good enough to be on an MLB bench)
2B Max Schrock
3B Patrick Wisdom (not good enough to start in MLB, but a star in AAA and probably a good player in Japan in a year or two)
SS Wilfredo Tovar/Alex Mejia (eh)
OF Tyler O'Neill (all of these outfielders have a lot of talent. Garcia and Arozarena are good all-around players, O'Neill is one of those high K% guys with huge tree trunk arms, a new Randal Grichuk but probably better)
OF Jose Adolis Garcia
OF Randy Arozarena
also OF Oscar Mercado, who is good

SP Jack Flaherty (already good enough to be in any MLB rotation, may be an ace someday)
SP John Gant (could be a backend option right now in many MLB rotations, probably a #3 or #4 in a few years)
SP Dakota Hudson (flashes of brilliance, will be a major league something, either starter or reliever)
SP Austin Gomber (will probably be a MLB 6th or 7th inning kind of guy)
SP Daniel Poncedeleon (cool name, got drilled in the head and lived to tell about it and is cool)

with few exceptions, almost all of these guys will almost certainly be MLB regulars within the next few years, if not later this year.

It's not the high notes of the The Star-Spangled Banner that has Alishia Wolcott turning down a spot to sing at a Reno Aces baseball game this summer.

The 2016 University of Nevada, Reno graduate said no to her chance to sing the national anthem at Greater Nevada Field, the downtown Reno stadium where the Aces minor league baseball team plays, because she can't bring her gun.

Wolcott declined to sing or ever attend another baseball game in a letter to the team after learning of the stadium’s new policy in which everyone will be checked with hand-held metal detectors before entering the stadium.

what a patriot

The firing of Bryan Price--um, googling to see who he managed--led me to check in on my student Darren Shred for the first time in a while. He had the weirdest line last year. In 3.2 IP (Rookie League), he gave up no hits and no runs. He also walked six and struck out no one. He's also a perfect illustration of the old saw about every major leaguer having been Babe Ruth in high school--the best pitcher, hitter, and fielder on the team by a wide margin. As a hitter in grade 8, Darren was so far beyond everyone else it was ridiculous. In two years with Arizona, he has yet to bat. (Obviously a function of him being a pitcher, but I'm sure he'd get to the plate if he was noticeably better than anyone.)

I'm sure he'd get to the plate if he was noticeably better than anyone.

i doubt he has the opportunity to even demonstrate this -- every minor league has the DH (except in AA/AAA when two NL affiliates are playing each other and agree to have the pitchers hit). the reds have a legit two-way (potential) star -- hunter greene was the second overall pick last year and *wants* to do both (he's a shortstop) but is being made to concentrate on pitching this year, at least.

the rays have brendan mckay -- also a first-rounder last year -- and they're letting him play first and pitch, which is interesting. he went to college and is older than greene. he can really hit, but i'm not sure he has the power you'd want in a first baseman. what will they do if his hitting warrants a promotion (he's batting .389 in the first two weeks at low A) but his pitching doesn't?

solid starting pitching is so valuable -- i mean jeff samardzija has a career era+ of 97 and a 5 year/$90m contract -- that i think most teams are much more interested in that. maybe shohei can change things, idk

Yeah, I guess the two-way player is one out of a thousand. Implicit in what I was saying was that--partly due to inactivity, but mostly just due to how much better everyone else is, even in a Rookie League--Darren's probably not anything special as a hitter now anyway.

"Everyone" meaning the best hitters in the league, and also the caliber of pitching he'd face.

It's April 20th and the Buffalo Bisons have played only five games. https://t.co/uWoJfu0YMk pic.twitter.com/DVEqbHku88

— Minor League Stories (@MinorsTeamNames) April 20, 2018

Interesting talk now abt reverting to 154 game schedule, seems like a collective bargaining minefield but would alleviate these April problems, not to mention MLB future and the inevitability of August games postponed due to heat

Collegiate summer-league reporting

We are thrilled to introduce @robneyer as the new commissioner of the West Coast League. See the full release about the former ESPN and Fox Sports journalist joining the WCL. https://t.co/TTOBLQIiuG pic.twitter.com/nvtNB4hyAX

— West Coast League (@WCLBaseball) May 1, 2018

fitting even if SI has a minor-league railroad too

http://gothamist.com/2018/06/11/staten_island_pizza_rats.php

A few years ago, the Staten Island Yankees held a fan vote to decide upon a new name/identity for the organization. As things tend to go with online fan voting, the choices were pretty weird and amusing. But there could only be one ultimate winner: the Pizza Rats.

Apparently embarrassed by being associated with the most popular rat in NYC history, the team officials dragged their feet over changing the name, ultimately announcing that the team would stick with the "SI Yankees" moniker.

lol they weren't embarrassed -- the prissy yankees informed them that if they became the pizza rats, the team would take its affiliation elsewhere at the next opportunity. staten island figured that keeping the affiliation was more important than selling a shitload of merch, which may or may not be true (certainly not for the average non-nyc minor league team). they're finally now doing it as a special one-off thing so they can have it both ways

the yankees have a proud history of dignity and honor to uphold

https://i.imgur.com/os0VF0o.jpg

i'll take Babe's guzzling and "bellyache" over bald-eagle flyovers and the Steinbrenners

in his first professional game, tigers 10th-round pick BROCK DEATHERAGE hit three solo homers in the gulf coast league

Great Real Names imo

corpus christi hooks third baseman randy cesar has hits in 38 straight games (during which he is batting .386), the longest such streak in the 130-year history of the texas league

we need audio

The Spinners would like to release the following statement on an incident that occurred during the Canadian National Anthem prior to last night's ball game. pic.twitter.com/ZvxJmuGYSR

— Lowell Spinners (@LowellSpinners) July 2, 2018

mocking millennials in Montgomery

http://www.wsfa.com/story/38630010/biscuits-stir-the-pot-with-millennial-night-promotion

How Minor League Baseball players can begin unionizing
Minor League players unionizing isn’t impossible, but it won’t be easy, either.

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/7/12/17518102/minor-league-baseball-unions-mlb-garrett-broshuis-mlbpa

The Colorado Springs Sky Sox have unveiled their list of finalists for their new team name for 2019. Are you ready?

1. Happy Campers
2. Lamb Chops
3. Punchy Pikas
4. Throttle Jockeys
5. Rocky Mountain Oysters

— Josh Norris (@jnorris427) July 18, 2018

christ

you know sky sox, not every team name needs to be made up of two or more words

'pikas' would actually be okay by itself

guaranteed to be rocky mountain oysters tho

can't wait til the Cyclones are renamed the Coney Island Whitefish

We want your input on the new North Alabama MiLB team name! Should it be...
🔘 Army Ants
🔘 Comet Jockeys
🔘 GloWorms
🔘 Lunartics
🔘 Moon Possums
🔘 Puffy Head Bird Legs
🔘 Space Chimps
🔘 Space Sloths
🔘 ThunderSharks
🔘 Trash Pandas

Which is your favorite? Let us know below👇 pic.twitter.com/mMhDWQAtzB

— Brandiose (@Brandiose) July 26, 2018

will we ever reach the bottom

i'm not sure what i would pick if i actually had to choose. i guess...gloworms?

i would select puffy head bird legs or trash pandas because i am a minor league team name accelerationist

we'll never have good names again until all names are bad

kinda want to know why Trash Pandas gets a space and ThunderSharks doesn't

A couple BP guys did a Saberseminar presentation on improving minor-league culture, and when they got to diet, they just put up a slide of a dozen minor leaguers hailing Chipotle.

speakin' of trash

https://deadspin.com/angry-baseball-guy-brings-trash-can-onto-field-tells-u-1828166387

there we go

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/abracadabra-astudillo-pulls-off-hidden-ball-trick-for-rochester-red-wings/c-289520148

i hadn't considered this ramification of starting extra innings with a runner on second -- a team had a two-pitch inning the other day

PawSox Sign Letter of Intent to Build a Triple-A Ballpark in Worcester, Massachusetts

Hudson Valley Renegades 4, Brooklyn Cyclones 1. Got to see the visitors celebrate a division title on the field, and on Military Appreciation Night I tipped my cap when members of the Coast Guard were solicited. (I have never been in the Coast Guard.)

the "fans of northern alabama" have spoken

beginning in 2020, madison, al (just outside of huntsville) will be home to the Rocket City Trash Pandas

jfc

the eugene emeralds finished the regular season with the worst record (31-45, .408) in the eight-team northwest league, but made the playoffs through the magic of half-seasons and wild cards and tiebreakers

they proceed to win five straight playoff games, taking the championship on a walk-off balk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9QDLrFiV7Q

Durham advances to play Memphis for the AAA championship

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/joe-mccarthy-helps-durham-bulls-repeat-as-governors-cup-champions/c-294766842

affiliate shuffle has begun -- las vegas is now the a's triple-a team

triple-a shuffle is complete, and the nationals got stuck with fresno

This is a complete disaster for the #Nationals. While I tweeted yesterday that geography is usually overstated, it's not in this case. They will be 2,796 miles from Fresno, 3 time zone aways, and their new AAA affiliate has one of the smallest airports in AAA.

— Josh Suchon 🎤⚾️ (@Josh_Suchon) September 18, 2018

yikes...how..?

Dusty Baker's Revenge

the mets have been mostly stuck with shitty triple-a affiliates (new orleans, las vegas) since losing tidewater like 15 years ago -- i suspect this had something to do with the wilpons' crappy management -- so they straight-up purchased the syracuse team, which had been with the nationals, last year

after years of being bad locations, nashville and las vegas have new ballparks and are now desirable. someone was always going to get stuck with fresno -- which at least has a nice park -- but having it be with an east-coast team is rough

i don't really know how this stuff plays out -- it's very secretive and there are a lot of rules like all the affiliation deals are for the same money and you can't promise to hold a big-league exhibition game there, deals are for two or four years, no longer or shorter, etc. the pirates' triple-a club was in hawaii in the mid-80s, and the marlins had calgary in the early 2000s, but player movement is much more extreme these days. the nats are probably going to have to call up their emergency pitchers from double-a harrisburg instead just to get them there on time

this is something that is rarely discussed in MLB expansion talk -- every new team is going to need not only a big-league stadium and a spring training facility but also four or five new domestic farm clubs with professional-grade parks. that is not something that is done easily or quickly, and i'm not even sure where they'd go. the landscape is pretty saturated

http://✧✧✧.m✧✧✧.com/shared/images/logos/176x176/logo_88w_aaa_t✧✧✧@2✧.p✧✧

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DppvN0KUUAA_czt.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dr6HRwEUUAATgqK.jpg:small

Meet Traverse City's new Northwoods League baseball team -- the Traverse City Pit Spitters. I like it. A lot. pic.twitter.com/NAmVjnXwkt

— Tony Paul (@TonyPaul1984) January 29, 2019

pit spitters is dumb but like kinda fun dumb and those colors are gonna be nice

armadillo pod doodles or whatever tho that shit looks awful

Salem making history in broadcast booth
Cool, Newman to form baseball's first all-female radio team

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/salem-red-sox-making-history-in-broadcast-booth/c-304819734

PROMO HIGHLIGHT>> Florida Man Night - July 26 - Join us as we attempt to break a weird Florida law every inning! pic.twitter.com/hWVP4xXKdf

— Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (@JaxShrimp) March 6, 2019

https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/03/09/minor-league-baseball-head-sees-high-threat-of-scandal-due-to-paltry-pay-and-weak-safeguards

tbf, anyone dumb enough to bet on minor league baseball deserves what they get

https://theathletic.com/830452/2019/03/15/i-cant-afford-to-play-this-game-minor-leaguers-open-up-about-the-realities-of-their-pay-and-its-impact-on-their-lives

PawSox to host @RedSox-themed Engagement Party for @AROD & @JLo on April 12 https://t.co/ZPh7XTggT7

*Fans in Varitek or Bronson Arroyo jerseys get in free
* @BenAffleck has been invited to throw Ceremonial First Pitch
*Jennifers get in free (Yes... All "Jenny's from the block") pic.twitter.com/nR1tPJxIFY

— PawSox (@PawSox) March 20, 2019

I guess it will take more than 4 titles in 15 yrs to kill of this inferiority complex

https://portside.org/2019-04-04/opening-week-labor-solidarity-and-plight-minor-league-baseball-players

fucked up

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D56LpzHXsAEVOBO.jpg

wow that's good drainage. ground crew take a bow!

I been dere! when it was drier.

this is quite a box score

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2019_05_20_tacaaa_renaaa_1

Fresno's Memorial Day "tribute video" showed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez between images of Kim Jong-un and Fidel Castro while the voice of late former president Ronald Regan mentioned "enemies of freedom." https://t.co/ATXHDdGt4W

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) May 28, 2019

https://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article230893789.html

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D8JbA6BWsAIwKxN.jpg:small

that's a little too graphic for me, but they should make their gloves from udders

They should put little gloves on the udders

Tracked down my former student Darren Shred; he's playing for the Barrie Baycats of the International League right now (and listed as an infielder, not a pitcher).

http://pointstreak.com/baseball/player.html?playerid=1369992&seasonid=32194

Not good, I don't think--guessing he was released by the Reds' organization?

yeah, he was released back in october. i wonder if he had an injury that made pitching no longer a possibility?

Probably. He's run the gamut by now: third base when he with us, then a catcher, then a pitcher, back in the infield now.

I said International League--what I meant was Intercounty League. Fergie Jenkins played in it a couple of seasons after he retired, Rob Ducey too. I feel bad for him, but a stepping-stone to the majors it isn't.

http://s.nj.com/4ihsCqB

oof

red-ass nation

man i get that no hitters are cool and all but like the unwritten rule that you can't try to win a game where you're down 3-0 has to be in the top 5 stupidest unwritten rules. "these guys are doing really well, so you should stop trying to win the strategic way and just try to win the way that hasn't been working all day out of RESPECT"

people are still talking about this and apparently the hitter has gotten death threats

ain't that america

IT'S OUTTA HERE!!! Matt Davidson launches his 200th career professional home run to score 2 runs for Nashville. It's now 4-1 Nashville in the 5th. pic.twitter.com/DiKRPxhJri

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 16, 2019

The GJ Rockies are not considering changing their name and never have. We are owned by a group led by the Colorado Rockies and having a team on the west slope helps build their brand. Suggesting we would be called the GJ "Chubs" is offensive and a slang sexual term for erection.

— GrandJunctionRockies (@GJRockies) June 27, 2019

someone got rubbed the rong way

lol

wait that has got to be some kind of street team psy-ops, right?

why...would someone write that?

i wouldn't put it past some teams, but this one seems to legitimately have no sense of humor (or understanding of twitter)

https://deadspin.com/an-interview-with-the-man-who-enraged-a-minor-league-ba-1835915356

the real question is when will some other team take advantage by doing a chubs night

does Bald Knob, AR have an mlb affiliate?

no, but

http://www.khop.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1137/2016/04/Modesto-Nuts-300.jpg

attended my first Vancouver Canadians (short season A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays playing in the Northwest League) game of the season last night and left at the 7th inning stretch, missing all 5 of the Canadians runs - I had seen all 6 of the Hillsboro Hops' runs at least.

the dodgers have two teams in the arizona rookie league this summer: Team Mota and Team Lasorda

it’s a metsaphor

The fireworks for the St. Lucie Mets did not go well tonight at First Data Field. They set a fire outside the stadium.

Photos from Shannon Cullen pic.twitter.com/KaALifPeki

— Michael Mayer (@mikemayerMMO) July 5, 2019

ablazin'

gavin lux is a 21yo shortstop in the dodgers system; he was promoted to triple-a oklahoma city three weeks ago. these are the results of his first 15 games:

3-for-4, 2B
1-for-2, 2B
4-for-6, HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI
1-for-5, 2B, RBI
1-for-3
4-for-6, RBI
1-for-3, 3B
2-for-4, 2B, 4 RBI
2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI
1-for-3, 3B
2-for-4, HR, RBI
1-for-3, HR, RBI
4-for-5, HR, 2 RBI
2-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI
4-for-5, HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI

33-for-62 (.524), 7 HR, 2 3B, 9 2B, 21 RBI, 24 R, 12 K, 7 BB

i mean yes the ball is juiced and the PCL is a hitters league, but jfc

sweet name, too

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_2l7zjWsAACL7M.jpg

i, i...

ayiyi

Because of travel difficulties, the Nats have all but abandoned Fresno as a legitimate place to keep fringe major league players whom they could need on short notice https://t.co/smoGYO8Z3B

— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) August 6, 2019

lol, no shit...?

sadly, these guys aren't available either:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Islanders

!!!

Major league affiliations
Previous

...

Washington Senators (1965–1967)

...

i don't know if being in double-a when they should otherwise be in triple-a affects players' salaries. maybe if they're on the 40-man it doesn't matter?

https://i.imgur.com/WOANMjF.jpg

what is even the point

Fan dies during taco-eating contest at Fresno Grizzlies baseball game https://t.co/7G1GqkkYfN

— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) August 14, 2019

i guess he died doing what he loved

still a grisly end

if you're going to die in a taco-eating contest, it would be nice to at least do it in the privacy of one's own bathtub

Harvey in Vegas

https://nypost.com/2019/08/18/matt-harvey-was-really-nervous-for-his-minor-league-start/

https://i.imgur.com/MgdHshb.jpg

morbs might need one of these jerseys

we have a Game 141 today: scranton/wilkes-barre (NYY) and syracuse (NYM) are playing a one-game tiebreaker for the international league north title

mets are up 6-0 in the third with ervin santana on the mound

https://i.imgur.com/JM5LfgO.png

pretty crazy game tbh

#fuckthemercyrule

scranton won, 14-13. erstwhile brewers playoff hero erik kratz delivered the go-ahead two-run double in the eighth

wow awesome.

Brooklyn Cyclones one win away from NY Penn League flag, and i am pondering whether to invest in $5 tickets tonight or (if nec) tom'w

Travis Sawchik: are minor leagues necessary?

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/do-we-even-need-minor-league-baseball/

from a certain standpoint this is otm. certainly juan soto and casey mize don't need minor league baseball. and triple-a has never really been necessary -- it's more of a holding pen for the older replacement-level guys you need when someone gets hurt. the sheer number of transactions shifting players where they're needed seems to be rising all the time.

but i doubt that decreasing the footprint of the game is likely to have a good impact on its popularity. fewer (public) teams would present fewer opportunities, probably fewer draft rounds, and less of a reason for people to even try playing pro baseball. future kyler murrays aren't going to be any more attracted by spending development time in eternal spring training than they are by spending it in the minors.

also, minor league baseball draws 40m people a year; for reference, the nba and nhl draw in the low 20s. obviously the revenues are much smaller, but there's still money to be made as long as you can pay the players nothing and con municipalities into building ballparks.

most of that money goes to the minor league team owners, though, only a few of which are the MLB teams, and there's nothing MLB owners hate more than money they don't get a cut of. anyway the current Professional Baseball Agreement between MLB and the minors runs through 2020; could be interesting to see what happens then

https://deadspin.com/maybe-you-just-like-watching-baseball-games-1838013774

i think there's a difference between "they're not necessary" and "it's a good idea to have them in some form"

Sometimes baseball provides its own soundtrack. Here is the final out of the 2019 NYPL Championship Series, as heard if you were with us in park. Speakers on.... pic.twitter.com/7LxKtwSkR0

— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) September 11, 2019

ever wanted to be a league president?

https://www.teamworkonline.com/baseball-jobs/northwestleague/northwest-league/administration-general-management/northwest-league-president-1964379

5 balls, 2 strikes, walls are made of glue, 460 feet away except for one HR circle (also covered with glue) that's in the middle of center field, only weird or funny players allowed, no water or refreshments allowed for anyone in the stadium

oh, and anyone who plays in the league gets a MLB contract with the yankees stipulating that they must appear in at least five games

Two of Independent Professional Baseball’s oldest and most established Leagues are pleased to announce that they will join forces. Beginning with the 2020 season, five former members of the Can-Am League will merge into the Frontier League.

Members of the Frontier League and the new teams from the Can-Am League will make up the 14-team circuit. The New Jersey Jackals, Quebec Capitales, Rockland Boulders, Sussex County Miners and Trois-Rivieres Aigles will play in the Can-Am Division. The Washington Wild Things and Lake Erie Crushers will join the Division as well. The seven remaining teams, the Evansville Otters, Florence Freedom, Gateway Grizzlies, Joliet Slammers, Schaumburg Boomers, Southern Illinois Miners and the Windy City ThunderBolts, will compete in the Midwestern Division.

http://frontierleague.com/2019/10/16/frontier-league-can-am-league-to-join-forces

wau. this would completely change minor league baseball, which has been in a reasonably steady state for 60 years

An MLB proposal to Minor League Baseball would eliminate 42 minor league teams, reorganize the minors geographically and move the draft back to August@jjcoop36 has the full story https://t.co/2m2EbccoXS

— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) October 18, 2019

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/2019/11/18/15466/mlbs-minor-league-hit-list-would-kill-42-teams-that-cities-spent-hundreds-of-millions-on-stadiums-for

nice little antitrust exemption you got there

In a response to MLB's MiLB proposal, 105 US Representatives sent a letter today to Commissioner Rob Manfred and all 30 MLB teams. pic.twitter.com/GSStK8NTwg

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) November 19, 2019

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EJ2IBmkWwAAhE2b?format=jpg&name=small

we can all be legends

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EKQiDFIWoAEYa2X?format=jpg&name=small

apparently the most notable thing about worcester, massachusetts is that the smiley face was designed there

fact: the smiley face was invented when forrest gump washed mud off his face on a blank t-shirt while he was running across america because he didn't know how else to confront the pain of losing jenny once again

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EK4GPcDXsAACkCM?format=jpg&name=small

Get your tickets now to see Cole's inevitable rehab appearance with the @TrentonThunder in the 2020 Eastern League Playoffs 😂 https://t.co/NVLAwxWw4P

— New Hampshire Fisher Cats (@FisherCats) December 11, 2019

fuckin ouch

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-12/skelton-bernie-sanders-minor-league-baseball-california

...Sanders, who grew up a Dodgers fan in Brooklyn before the team moved to Los Angeles, was the mayor of Burlington, Vt., in 1984 when the town landed the Vermont Lake Monsters. Now they’re on the MLB strike list. The senator is on a crusade about it and has more than 100 members of Congress with him, including Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), the House minority leader.

That’s a unique political alliance between a self-described democratic socialist and an unwavering supporter of President Trump.

In Burlington, Sanders told Shaikin, “What I saw with my own eyes is what minor league baseball does to a community. It is especially gratifying to see kids go out to the ballgames, families able to afford the relatively low price of tickets, and kids get autographs from players. There’s just a huge amount of excitement and community spirit….

“Major league owners have got to understand that this is not just a profit-making business. This is something that millions and millions of people, and kids, think about, pay attention to and feel strongly about.”

saw someone claiming that the dodgers leaving brooklyn was the foundational event of bernie's politics lol

meanwhile, #beef

MLB deputy commish Halem offers detailed look — photos, internal MiLB email — into MLB’s beef with minors. Says 42-team hit list is inaccurate.
The owners: ‘The problem with them, there is what they say publicly, and what they say privately is different.’https://t.co/Yrc1ofcihM

— Michael Silverman (@MikeSilvermanBB) December 11, 2019

https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2019/12/14/major-league-baseball-threatens-to-walk-away-from-minor-league-baseball-entirely/

I can’t even understand how baseball would work without a minor league system.

i think manfred's saying mlb clubs would... like... sell their current teams and buy up a few unaffiliated feeder teams? or something?

manfred's background is in labor relations, and he seems to be treating MiLB like a union he's trying to break

i imagine the atlantic league and american association would be thrilled to get affiliated players, then there are the current minor league teams that big league clubs outright own, plus they could run more games out of the spring complexes. and once MiLB is broken, they can pick off the more desirable current minor league teams (durham, columbus, etc) and offer them a shittier deal

god knows the us government loves breaking unions, but the fallout from this would affect so many districts that i think congress might actually do something about it

the money involved in all this is minuscule for a $10b/year industry, but the story of modern america is that the extremely wealthy would rather watch society burn than part with any money at all, so

look out, Worcester

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/2020/01/13/15657/worcester-adds-20m-more-in-tax-money-to-baseball-stadium-because-it-forgot-how-gravity-works/

(pick a glitzy new 2020 thread title, mook)

Last Friday, Jake Seiner and Ben Walker of the Associated Press reported that Major League Baseball has opted to raise minor league player pay to, at minimum, $4,800 dollars a year. As usual, the change was announced unilaterally: minor league players are not unionized and cannot help but accept this compensation. Specifically, MLB decided to set minimum pay levels (not including spring training, which is unpaid, and not starting until the 2021 season) at:

$400/week ($4,800 for a three-month season) for Rookie or short-season (up from $290/$3,480)
$500/week ($10,000 for a five-month season) for Class A (up from $290/$5,800)
$600/week ($12,000 for a five-month season) for Double-A (up from $350/$7,000)
$700/week ($14,000 for a five-month season) for Triple-A (up from $502/$10,040)

Assuming that players work an eight-hour workday five days a week (which is an assumption you’d make only if you both knew nothing about how long minor leaguers work and also were feeling extremely generous towards the league), the new pay scale works out to an hourly minimum wage of $10, $12.50, $15, and $17.50, respectively. Assuming even 50 hours a week puts everybody below $15 an hour; 60 hours a week puts everyone below $12. And all of the scenarios assume either that players are independently wealthy or that they’ll fit their year-round conditioning and training in around finding some other way to make money seven or nine months out of the year.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/minor-leaguers-to-be-paid-more-not-enough/

only the truly desperate or insane need apply

in no way do I mean this in approval of this terrible system... but honestly I'd be a much happier person right now if I was playing minor league baseball for $10/hr

the fact that it won't start until next season makes it look expressly like 'look what we can do if we save money by contracting a quarter of the minors'

good three part fangraphage on that from last week btw:
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/untangling-a-minor-league-mess-part-i
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/untangling-a-minor-league-mess-part-ii
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/untangling-a-minor-league-mess-part-iii

i think this could inspire a new 2020 thread title mook

I suppose this is on-brand given the low player salaries: Minor League Baseball announced a sponsorship deal making Stauffer's the "official frozen prepared meals" of MiLB.

— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) February 24, 2020

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-season-without-baseball-could-be-crushing-blow-for-minor-leagues-11586430020?mod=djemMTIPOFF_h

welp

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/sources-milb-ready-to-agree-to-significant-reduction-in-teams

Started to feel inevitable

A's told minor leaguers they've decided to end their $400/week stipend on May 31, with five days' notice. The part that says "your UPC remains in place" means "we won't pay you, but you do not have the right to be a free agent." Interesting this was sent by GM and not ownership. https://t.co/PJ2B4k1d5B

— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) May 27, 2020

Just some rough math. Say there are 200 players in a minor league system. Paying each $400/week for July, July and August is $5,200 per player. To pay every minor leaguer would have cost the Oakland A's a hair over $1 million.

Owner John Fisher is worth an estimated $2 billion.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 27, 2020

the sad part is that the $1M would probably be a good "investment", just in terms of boosting the morale/performance of players through the noble act of paying them

if some traveling salesman came by Fisher's office and offered to inject snake oil into the veins of all the players in his organization to boost their morale and performance for 3 months, at the insanely low price of only $1M, he would probably do it

the fuckin *marlins* are paying their dudes through august

We're not selling jeans here...

hundreds of minor leaguers are being released, although it's difficult to track because MLB's (and therefore baseball america's, etc.) transactions list is not being updated

https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2020/05/28/teams-releasing-bunches-of-minor-leaguers-today

the march agreement between MLB and the MLBPA stipulated that 2020 would count for players' service time whether there's a season or not, e.g., mookie's gonna be a free agent even if he never plays a game for the dodgers

no one seems to know if the same holds true for minor leaguers, or who even gets to make that decision. my guess is that the commissioner just dictates it.

there aren't that many 6th-year minor league free agents or rule 5 picks who actually make it -- i can only think of yangervis solarte and odubel herrera recently, and they aren't great -- but it would be pretty fucked up if minor leaguers had to spend an extra year on their entry contracts. especially if they play for the a's, who won't even pay them

just catching up on this

Charlie Finley days still here

season officially canceled in the most passive aggressive way possible

pic.twitter.com/XEDFmfHTmI

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 30, 2020

Why MLB's minor leagues as you know them will end Sept. 30

Some expressed suspicion that fellow owners have been sharing information with MLB in hopes of currying favor. "They're doing to us what they do to the major and minor league players: pitting us against each other," the owner said.

Several other minor league owners declined to speak for attribution because they still hope their teams will be spared and they fear retribution from MLB. "They have all the power," one said. "And they're vindictive."

this sentence is pretty brutal

Minor League Baseball executives and owners have tried for 11 months to find some sort of leverage with MLB, whether through direct talks or public and congressional pressure, before realizing they really have none, according to more than a dozen major and minor league officials, team owners and others interviewed by ESPN.

Breaking: Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner to retire after 2020 season. O’Conner spent 28 years with MiLB office, 38 years working in pro ball. The 11th MiLB prez, O’Conner’s office might be eliminated during ongoing negotiations between MLB and MiLB.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) September 8, 2020

Pat O’Conner openly bragged about helping MLB lobby Congress to pass the Save America’s Pastime Act, one of the most contemptible pieces of legislation in recent memory, only to learn there is no honor amongst thieves when MLB still moved to eliminate Minor League teams. https://t.co/gU2OHRb7rt pic.twitter.com/4zpxOAF9gZ

— Nick Francona (@NickFrancona) September 8, 2020

it begins

MLB and USA Baseball will announce their plans for the Appalachian League. College wood bat league here we come: pic.twitter.com/lzgtx7PFkq

— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) September 25, 2020

https://ballparkdigest.com/2020/11/02/details-of-mlb-takeover-of-milb-emerge

Did.....did we just get dumped via Twitter?! https://t.co/tV7iyVOwA3

— Columbia Fireflies (@ColaFireflies) November 10, 2020

apparently columbia, trenton and staten island all learned through social media that they were no longer affiliated (the latter two with the yankees)

classy af

the pioneer league (utah/idaho/montana/colorado) is now independent

trenton, williamsport, mahoning valley, state college and morgantown are now the 'mlb draft league'

idk who is going to fill out all these rosters tbh

The Staten Island Yankees announce they are ceasing operations and are suing the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball. pic.twitter.com/ULY7ORm49L

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) December 3, 2020

struggling to feel bad for the staten island yankees tbrr

in the yankees v yankees fight, I'm hoping the yankees lose.

i don't really care about staten island's ownership, but NYC spent $30m to build that ballpark in the specific expectation that it would host a yankees affiliate. the city of wichita just spent $85m to build a triple-a stadium; they've already been relegated to double-a before even fielding a team.

there's a lot of public money tied up in these ballparks -- which was admittedly stupid! -- and i don't like seeing that go to waste

for sure

'invitations' going out today to 119 teams. there is a lot of bitterness

11 full-season clubs did not receive invitations from MLB to join the minors in 2021.

Full list: https://t.co/MOf6CpSQ2I pic.twitter.com/dZmdUdVY5n

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) December 9, 2020

damn, RIP burlington bees. that's where my grandma and a couple of my relatives lived. there is very little going on in burlington, and now that the bees are leaving, truly nothing.

i guess there's a railroad that goes through town, some freight passes by every once in a while and blows the dust around a bit

Burlington Bees GM Kim Parker tells me they are leaning towards entering a collegiate wood bat league. No official announcement at this point.

— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) December 9, 2020

vancouver and brooklyn and portland, oregon going full-season is cool, at least

yeah a full season cyclones team is super dope

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/12/monsters-of-2020-the-people-who-gutted-minor-league-baseball/

vancouver and brooklyn and portland, oregon going full-season is cool, at least

― mookieproof, Wednesday, December 9, 2020 2:57 PM (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

this had escaped my attention until now. glad about this.

i don't have a subscription and the preview doesn't go into the meaty bits, but this *sounds* pretty bad

Minor League teams have learned in recent days they will not receive proceeds from 2020 national merchandise sales.

The reason?

MiLB's league office used that money to stay afloat over the past year.@jjcoop36 has the latest details: https://t.co/m0UBlywWFA

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) February 9, 2021

Officially official

This is the new Minor League Baseball landscape pic.twitter.com/UvyOAkWPcB

— Benjamin Hill (@bensbiz) February 12, 2021

@mookieproof how's your Spanish?

Organization Name: Advocates for Minor Leaguers
Website: advocatesforminorleaguers.com
Job Post Date: 19 Apr 2021
Job Terms: Full Time

Job Description

- Assisting Executive Director in facilitating a relationship of trust between Advocates for Minor Leaguers and each of more than 5,000 Minor League baseball players
- Fielding and responding to questions and requests from Minor League baseball players
- Organizing frequent meetings with the Advocates for Minor Leaguers player leaders
- Traveling to Minor League stadiums and Spring Training facilities to meet with Minor League players
- Supporting Grassroots Coordinator in execution of his or her job responsibilities

Qualifications

Skills: - Passionate about the mistreatment of Minor League baseball players
- Fluent in Spanish
- Experience with grassroots and/or union organizing
- Strong verbal communication skills
- Demonstrated leadership ability
- A willingness to travel and work irregular hours, including nights and weekends

Organization Description

Advocates for Minor Leaguers is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we encourage diverse candidates to apply.

How to Apply

This position is remote but will require significant travel. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Please send both a cover letter explaining your interest in the position and a resume to ha✧✧✧@milbadvoca✧✧✧.c✧✧.

Contact: Harry Marino
Email: h a r r y @ m i l b a d v o c a t e s . c o m

Here is the full release on the Pioneer League going to Home Run Derby instead of extra innings pic.twitter.com/0p30e84hYK

— Shaun Rainey (@ShaunRainey) April 27, 2021

The theme of this thread: Holy shit, minor league starters are working way, way less hard. Remember when 100 pitches was normal?

In the last five days, four minor league pitchers have reached 100 pitches. Not four per level, not four per day, four *total* (all AAA vets)

— Brendan Gawlowski (@GawlowskiB) May 25, 2021

Seems like an overreaction to a pretty obvious development... teams know a lot more now about how fragile pitchers' arms are while their bodies are still growing. I would rather have more starting pitchers making it to the majors in one piece and then throwing deeper into games instead of everyone constantly getting TJs all the time

Not of general interest, but: I've posted before about Darren Shred, I guy I coached in middle school who was drafted by the Reds. That didn't work out, then he was playing for Barrie in the Intercounty League, then the pandemic happened...so I checked around, and it looks like he's moved on to something pretty good:

https://www.objbaseball.com/news/shred-jumps-into-new-role-with-obj

Actually, that happened just before the pandemic; hope he managed to hold on to this.

Very cool.

Single A Lakeland beat Clearwater yesterday, 10-5 -- on three hits. Correct: 10 runs on three hits. In what might or might not be a shocking revelation, Clearwater walked 16 Flying Tigers batters. Repeat: 16 walks. Clearwater's pitching coach remains under observation ...

— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) September 4, 2021

BREAKING: Major League Baseball teams will provide housing for minor league baseball players starting in 2022, sources tell ESPN.

Details on the monumental change @espn: https://t.co/Wzw2pWU55i

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 17, 2021

how about that

thumbs up

getting out in front of the CBA? or are the minors excluded from that?

this should go well ($)

Sports and entertainment agency Endeavor, and its private equity investor Silver Lake, is in talks to buy up to a dozen minor league teams, with aspirations of potentially owning 40 or more of Minor League Baseball’s 120 teams over time, sources said. Endeavor is already a force in sports, in part through ownership of UFC, talent agency WME, and a host of marketing, licensing, and agent divisions. The pursuit of so many teams doesn’t amount to a fait accompli, but Endeavor is making attractive offers.

Endeavor declined to comment, as did Major League Baseball, which has to approve any minor league ownership transfer.

The potential sales could bring concerns for both minor league owners and municipalities, and may also create an issue for the Major League Baseball Players Association to address, as Endeavor also represents baseball players. If successful, Endeavor’s purchases would be the most significant financial development since MLB restructured MiLB this year, reducing the number of teams by 40 — or 25 percent — and centralizing MLB control.

One little-noticed change in the overhaul greased the path for Endeavor: The elimination of the prohibition on an entity owning more than one team per league.

wtf

baseball never met a cartel it didn’t like

This sounds like a complete cluster fuck of conflicts of interest

what they should do is integrate betting to the whole operation

Sources: Rachel Balkovec, who joined the Yankees organization as a minor-league hitting coach in 2019, will serve as the manager for the Low A Tampa Tarpons next season.

— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) January 9, 2022

I misread that as the Tampa Tampons and then laughed and then immediately felt horrible about myself

The @FLProBaseball has announced it will use "sudden death baseball" to settle tie games. After one extra inning if game remains tied, the home team chooses to hit or pitch. The hitting team puts a runner on 1st. 3 outs. Run scores? Hitting team wins. No runs? Pitching team wins.

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) January 24, 2022

run scores in that situation only about 43% of the time, so

dumb as hell imo

honestly i don't think i care

i don't care either, i just find it amusing to see a pro sport admit that game outcomes don't matter as much as simply ending

clearly minor leaguers should skip spring training, sparing their clubs this horrible financial burden, and just show up for regular-season games. everybody’s happy!

MLB argues for minor leaguers to stay unpaid in spring training: "It is the players that obtain the greater benefit from the training opportunities that they are afforded than the clubs, who actually just incur the cost of having to provide that training” https://t.co/md2BqNjr0X

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 12, 2022

wow.

i'm glad people are presumably going to get paid, but i really wish some lawsuit would force these pro leagues to open their books

Minor league players, MLB reach settlement in minimum wage lawsuit

NEW YORK -- Minor league players and Major League Baseball have reached a settlement in a lawsuit alleging teams violated minimum wage laws.

Terms of the settlement were not filed with the court Tuesday and details were not released. Two people familiar with the negotiations, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the release of details was not authorized, said the sides in recent weeks had been discussing a possible settlement in the $200 million range.

all very healthy behavior

springfield’s chandler redmond hit a solo homer, two-run homer, three-run homer and grand slam tonight

second time that’s ever been done in pro baseball (that anyone knows of, at least); the other was tyrone horne for arkansas (then also a cardinals double-a team) in 1998

that's weird; last night, just before you posted that, i was perusing the stats of Springfield's team. Mainly checking in on Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, and Malcom Nuñez, who have 61 years of life experience between the three of them, and also Moisés Gómez, who is a relatively ancient 23 year old with 23 home runs and a 1.106 OPS. didn't even see Chandler Raymond! he's 25. i'll probably never see him in a big league uniform but it's warming to see someone have an insane, career accomplishment kind of night

(shit, i forgot nunez was just traded to the bucs)

The Major League Baseball Players Association has launched a campaign to unionize Minor League Players across the country #1u #FairBall pic.twitter.com/DDq4Q8NOXI

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) August 29, 2022

possibly a big deal?

also it is amusing that milb.com, the official website of minor league baseball, doesn't mention this in any way

and, the campaign is pretty much done? they got >50% to sign the union cards

And just like that, minor league baseball players are on the verge of unionizing.

More than 50 percent of minor leaguers signed authorization cards in support of unionization under the guidance of the Major League Baseball Players Association, the organization announced Tuesday. As such, the players union has asked MLB to voluntarily recognize it as the representative for minor league players. The league had yet to comment as of early Tuesday afternoon.

The announcement came just one week after the union made the surprising move to send out the cards to gauge interest, a move made to seize the momentum created by two-plus years of advocacy that pushed the low pay and challenging working conditions of the minors into a brighter spotlight than ever before. That minor leaguers would unionize never seemed imminent. That the MLBPA would serve as the organizing force behind their unionization was never obvious.

But as of Tuesday morning, their combined efforts had hurtled minor leaguers one step closer to unionization.

“Minor league Players have made it unmistakably clear they want the MLBPA to represent them and are ready to begin collective bargaining in order to positively affect the upcoming season,” Tony Clark, executive director of the players union, said in a statement.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/09/06/minor-league-unionization-mlbpa-authorization-cards/

thumbs up

That's an F7 on your scorecard, but a home run in Delvin Pérez's heart 🤣 pic.twitter.com/05EIE3gH1R

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 23, 2022

In 2002, 186 MiLB pitchers threw 150+ innings. This year, five MiLB pitchers threw 150+ innings. We want to honor great pitching seasons (and Painter's is a great season). So that has led to the BA MiLB Pitcher of the Year award.

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) September 29, 2022

When we said “World’s Largest Horseshoe,” we really meant it. pic.twitter.com/FfgZGCdKmZ

— Springfield Lucky Horseshoes (@ShoesBaseball) October 16, 2022

there once was a minor league team called the Fargo Divorcees

it was way back when. also, i just learned that Fargo used to be well known as a particularly easy and quick place to get a divorce

nice

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35998626/minor-leaguers-mlb-reach-tentative-deal-historic-1st-cba

4-HR game for Eduardo De Oleo of the Intercounty League's London Majors:

https://lfpress.com/sports/local-sports/london-majors-slugger-rips-four-home-runs-in-one-game#:~:text=De%20Oleo's%20historic%20four%2Dhomer,London%20Free%20Press

Not an important league anymore, but many major leaguers have passed through there, including Fergie Jenkins and Denny McClain.

https://www.theibl.ca/mlb-alumni

(Actually, come to think of it, some of these guys, including Fergie, played there after retirement.)_

on how loaded triple-a teams might fare in the majors (spoiler: not well)

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/terrible-mlb-teams-are-pretty-good-at-baseball

A friend and I got Bisons tickets for late June. Really hope we get to catch Votto:

Friday marked exactly two months since that injury, and Votto has yet to return. His status and recovery timeline have been somewhat of a mystery, with the slugger seemingly making little progress at the Blue Jays' player development complex in Dunedin, Fla.

That has apparently changed, though, with Blue Jays manager John Schneider revealing before Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre that Votto has been taking live batting practice and running the bases this week. The hope is that Votto can make his way into game action soon, likely in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.

"He's fine with doing it anywhere as long as pitchers are throwing strikes," Schneider said. "So, it'll probably be [Complex League] before he goes anywhere else."

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/with-blue-jays-in-need-of-offence-joey-votto-poised-for-return-to-minor-league-games/

Was in Buffalo for that Bisons game today. No Votto, of course, but surprise bonus: Aaron Sanchez started! I wasn't even thinking about that--I'd forgotten the little item I saw about them picking him up and sending him to Buffalo.

He came into the game with an ERA of almost 13.00 over 30 innings, including 9 HR and almost a walk per inning. I don't expect he'll be making his way back to the majors. Today, though, amazing: 7 innings, 1 hit (a HR), a few walks, and a couple of runs. My friend Callum, a pitcher who plays in a London league (he got a call up to Intercounty for one game 20 years ago), figure he was topping out at about 85-90 mph. (No radar readings on the scoreboard.)

Other player of note: Acuña's younger brother (Acuña Jr. Jr.?), leading off for Syracuse. And J. P. Arencibia was one of their coaches. Two times, batters appealed strike calls by touching their helmets; both times the umpire was right. The Bisons won the game with a big 8th inning.

Got a bunch of Bisons baseball cards, and the food of course was much better (and cheaper) than the Rogers Centre. The only negative thing all day was crossing the border. The guard asked me if I was the guy making all those horrible posts on the ILX American political thread; I had to slip him some cash to let me through.

this, if you have a defector login, is v. good

https://defector.com/the-minor-league-shrink-and-the-growing-gap-between-triple-a-and-the-bigs