General Minor League News, Discussion

zambonir 2020-12-10 21:32:44 UTC #61

You would think, but I suspect all 140 of these deals in the new system run though 2030, and probably so does Trenton's own deal with MLB (to be the linchpin of the Draft League). I wonder if MLB got them to agree not to sue the Yankees too.

Philsmania 2020-12-10 21:50:51 UTC #62

See also Williamsport. A lot of work was done on Bowman Field to bring it up to a sufficient standard to host a live MLB game (that Little League WS Classic) each season and I wonder if MLB let them in the draft league to prevent them from suing to get some of the money they may have spent on those enhancements back.

andyb 2020-12-10 22:06:10 UTC #63

I wonder if Trenton (or potentially Staten Island) will eventually end up in the Mid Atlantic League. If the 6th team is Bowling Green or Lake County it just does not make sense according to the goals of the rebuild. I know there are probably too many northeastern affiliates to match the correct parent organizations, but that is because all these northeastern minor league teams had a pretty good history of success in terms of box office and facilities.

zambonir 2020-12-10 22:11:13 UTC #64

Of course these leagues and markets also had zero leverage, especially once COVID happened. A lot of places that made noise during negotiations quickly took whatever they could once things got real. In some cases MLB and the teams were also aligned, it's the cities who had and have no interested in upgrading facilities, since they're the ones that pay for it. A good chunk of the Bowman work was also paid for by the state. Boise, Idaho basically accepted their demotion from the NW League to whatever the Pioneer League is going to become by blaming the city/stadium.

I believe the major league game in Williamsport will also continue.

BostonRoss 2020-12-10 22:55:54 UTC #65

Interestingly, the Red Sox abandoned their nearest affiliate, in Lowell, while retaining two affiliates in the Carolinas.

zambonir 2020-12-10 23:14:02 UTC #66

Says they might bring them back in 2022, but what's the scenario? (I'm locked out of the Globe).

BostonRoss 2020-12-10 23:32:52 UTC #67

I don’t pay for the Globe either, but it doesn’t sound as if the Red Sox are planning to get Lowell back as an affiliate. They say they want baseball to remain in Lowell, but Lowell wants more than the draft league or Indy ball. I think both Indy ball and summer collegiate ball recently failed in nearby Nashua.

zambonir 2020-12-10 23:48:47 UTC #68

Referencing this:

The move could be temporary, however, with the Red Sox working with the city, lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Baker on a strategy to bring the club back into the fold as soon as 2022, the Boston Globe reported.

But that could easily still be some kind of wood bat league or indy partnership.

andyb 2020-12-10 23:50:47 UTC #69

Maybe they want to be that 6th team in the mid-Atlantic league and let Bowling Green move to the South division/Carolina League in 2022.

BostonRoss 2020-12-11 00:03:00 UTC #70

Thanks for the link. So many news sources around here...

The quotes from the Sox seem intentionally non-committal. Nothing about affiliation. They might be trying to get something out of Lowell that they haven’t been able to yet. Or perhaps even trying to get a better deal from one of the teams in the Carolinas by subtly reminding them of Lowell’s availability.

Not that I don’t automatically believe everything an MLB team ownership says...

BaseballCat 2020-12-11 04:22:20 UTC #71

The Salem team (A) is in Virginia and is owned by the Red Sox. My Lynchburg team still has an affiliation for now, but all this shifting is making it less likely that I will be able to see a Phillies farm team until Double A at Richmond. Not loving the move out of the Carolina league as we had an agreement to have a team grandfathered in. If we leave that league I see that as a crack to get the team out of our older stadium into one of the newer facilities. Lots of traditions will be broken and I am not seeing much upside to this arrangement. Besides less teams to save money, the travel savings appear small. The MLB just wanted its hooks into the minors. We will see how this plays out.

Taudawg 2020-12-11 21:55:15 UTC #72

Hopefully we will get most of 2021 minor league season. Looking forward to watching the Blue Claws play the Blue Rocks in Wilmington. I'm only a few minutes away from Wilmington's Frawley stadium...so if anyone wants to join me for game(s) let me know - I go often. Does this board have a private message feature? Anywho, a popular Athletic writer lives in Wilmington and is a common sight at Rocks' games.

zambonir 2020-12-11 22:17:05 UTC #73

Who's the Athletic writer?

And yeah, you can PM, just click on someone's screen name for their profile.

It's still gonna be a tough season for the minors I fear. Attendance will be down no matter what, at least for the first half, and they live and die on group and business sales that won't come back this season. If MLB goes with a shorter season and staggered spring training there might not even be games until June, though you could do a lot more doubleheaders in the minors.

andyb 2020-12-11 22:20:48 UTC #74

I don't think it is a secret that Keith Law has moved to Delaware. He was blogging about his local Delaware State Senate race. A friend of mine met him at a barbecue or something like that last year and thought he was a nice guy.

zambonir 2020-12-11 22:39:44 UTC #75

That was my guess. I don't think it's violating someone's privacy to say what city they live in, but I understand! Rob Neyer lives in my town, where he's also now the commisioner of the wood bat league.

Has a sitting President ever thrown out the first pitch at a minor league game?

Taudawg 2020-12-11 22:57:45 UTC #76

Yes Keith Law, interesting guy. Despite his proximity to CBP, I don't think the new Phillies Prez will be adding Keith to the staff.

andyb 2020-12-22 19:39:16 UTC #77

Here is an article on Albertus Barber who had the tweet about his velocity going from 92 to 96 earlier this winter. This has him at 100 with some sort of practice ball. Not sure if this type of training is good for his long term health of course.

zambonir 2020-12-23 06:08:15 UTC #78

Neil DeMause at the site run by ex-Deadspin folks.

Details of the "draft league":

The league is “free for players,” which is another way of saying that they’ll get no compensation beyond room and pre- and post-game PB&J sandwiches. Players are further warned that they will “need to pay their way to get to the league at the start date,” so expect rosters heavy on players hailing from within driving distance of the northern Appalachians.

As the annual player draft is being moved back to July in an accompanying move, explains the FAQ, “there is a new opportunity for the top draft prospects to showcase their skills against each other and boost their draft stock.” Previously, players could only do this by playing for free in high school and college; now they’ll be able to put their talents on display for free after they graduate as well.

_“Due to COVID-19 protocols, players should bring their own equipment, such as helmets, catchers gear, batting gloves, cleats, mitts, etc.,” something that should create not just the pay scale but the aesthetic of a youth rec league. (Teams will provide bats...)

BaseballCat 2020-12-23 11:01:53 UTC #79

I fear the feel and nostalgia of the minor leagues will be gone. It will be replaced by teams driven to make extreme profits and demands that cities pay for stadium upgrades to stay in the league. My local team will probably be on the chopping block soon. Very sad for the history aspect and the local jobs it created. Worst still on the kids trying to work their way on affiliated teams.

andyb 2020-12-23 14:08:34 UTC #80

If MLB thinks that top draft picks will come and play in this league for free they must be smoking something. How many NFL top picks avoid the combine for a controlled environment workout day? Or skip bowl games that might hurt their draft status.

Anyone projected in the top round or two will skip this. We'll get occasional players projected for the 4th round that will want to improve their stock, but it is not going to be many. And what about the player with modest means who can't afford to play for free. Do we let agents like Scott Boras pay their way?

There are so many problems with this model. It was constructed from a profit and loss perspective, not a player perspective or even an ideal talent development perspective.