Minor League Baseball News

[BigEd76]

3 hours ago, Seadragon76 said:

 

If that's the case, Everett and Tri-City would get the cut. I could see Tri-City getting axed, but not Everett since they're a Mariners affiliate and part of this plan is to have teams as close to the main base of operations as possible.

 

Maybe my counts were off, but it would be Salem-Keizer and Tri-City. Everett is staying

[BigEd76]

Confirmation the Twins and Rochester are parting ways, with St. Paul the target for AAA, but this is the first I've seen Wichita and Sioux Falls SD mentioned as alternate options

 

https://www.startribune.com/twins-drop-rochester-as-aaa-affiliate-eye-st-paul-as-replacement/573034791/

[McCall]

5 minutes ago, BigEd76 said:

Confirmation the Twins and Rochester are parting ways, with St. Paul the target for AAA, but this is the first I've seen Wichita and Sioux Falls SD mentioned as alternate options

 

https://www.startribune.com/twins-drop-rochester-as-aaa-affiliate-eye-st-paul-as-replacement/573034791/

Those are probably nothing more than "possibilities". Wichita has already been designated (unofficially, so-to-speak) to head back to Double-A Texas League. Never heard Sioux Falls mentioned, though.

 

Another site I looked at speculated on the Kansas City T-Bones being incorporated into Triple-A as the Royals new affiliate. Just they're own speculation, of course, but I found it interesting. They justified it with apparent "issues" between the Royals and Omaha? I have no knowledge about those issues, so I don't know. Would make for another close affiliate. IF (big IF obviously), that did come to fruition, Omaha could also be a potential fallback option for the Twins. (That same site had Sugar Land in Double-A and moved all the west coast teams in the PCL into lower divisions leaving Reno as the farthest west team, neverminding moving Tacoma away from the Mariners, so take their speculation with as much salt as you want)

[AnPheitseog]

Adding in from a Rochester source:

 

https://13wham.com/sports/local-sports/twins-dropping-rochester-as-aaa-affiliaite?fbclid=IwAR2Y--YEYqNFmbaTyJcP_Bz4QO8rePIm7Jzsga_Tv0RjsBeYadF9sKXFMJ8

 

From WHAM(sinclair, blech I know) sounds like Rochester will stay AAA and(the way i'm reading it) be assigned an MLB from MLB.

[McCall]

17 minutes ago, _J_ said:

Adding in from a Rochester source:

 

https://13wham.com/sports/local-sports/twins-dropping-rochester-as-aaa-affiliaite?fbclid=IwAR2Y--YEYqNFmbaTyJcP_Bz4QO8rePIm7Jzsga_Tv0RjsBeYadF9sKXFMJ8

 

From WHAM(sinclair, blech I know) sounds like Rochester will stay AAA and(the way i'm reading it) be assigned an MLB from MLB.

Pittsburgh, maybe? With the Brewers maybe going to Indianapolis?

[AnPheitseog]

2 minutes ago, McCall said:

Pittsburgh, maybe? With the Brewers maybe going to Indianapolis?

I would love(calling WNY and PIttsburgh home) for that to happen. Like, dream situation for me.

[Brian in Boston]

One thing appears certain: the axe is going to fall in the Midwest League.

At the High A level, we know that the Mid-Atlantic League and Northwest League will operate with six teams each. That means that another 18 franchises will be split between the Carolina and Midwest Leagues in High A ball. In 2019, the Midwest League had 16 ball clubs operating in seven states from Ohio to Iowa, Wisconsin to Kentucky. At best, the MWL is going to operate with 10 teams, which would mean six of the league's current clubs/markets would either be eliminated, shifted to another level of affiliated ball, or "advised" to try and move to an independent minor league circuit, or a summer collegiate league. If the Carolina League winds up being the 10-team league, half of the Midwest League's current membership is going to be shown the door.

As for the Carolina League, it operated with 10 teams in 2019. Most of the North and South Carolina-based teams/markets seem like good bets to either keep their slots in the circuit, or move over to the South Atlantic League. As for the Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia-based clubs/markets, a few of them seem destined to land in the new Mid-Atlantic League (I'd wager Wilmington's a lock, as well as at least one of the Maryland franchises, and Fredericksburg).

  

       

[BigEd76]

2 hours ago, McCall said:

Pittsburgh, maybe? With the Brewers maybe going to Indianapolis?

 

Then they'd need to figure out who the Nats would get

[sportsfan7]

12 minutes ago, BigEd76 said:

 

Then they'd need to figure out who the Nats would get

I guess Nashville. That way the Rangers can get Round Rock.

[Brian in Boston]

If - as has been rumored - Houston's AAA farm team lands in Sugar Land, I think we'll see Texas affiliate with Round Rock, Milwaukee return to Nashville, and the Nationals paired Rochester.

[rams80]

10 hours ago, Brian in Boston said:

Now, there are exceptions to the rule. For instance, there will be Northwest League markets that survive this restructuring of the minors in spite of being home to facilities that didn't exactly set the world on fire in the aforementioned 2019 facility ratings. Why? Because MLB brass also want to provide Major League teams in the nation's westernmost markets with affiliation possibilities closer to their home cities as part of this reorganization of the minors. That means that some of the teams in the NWL are going to survive. However, you can bet that those Northwest League clubs that do make the cut were either playing in ballparks that were amongst the (relatively) better-rated facilities in their respective leagues and/or are on-the-clock to raise the quality of said facilities significantly.

Similarly, if either MCU Park or Richmond County Ballpark are to host affiliated minor league baseball in the future, improvements are going to need to be made in those areas of the ballpark that most directly impact the skills development and health of ballplayers.             

 

After this massive a shakeup, with negative impacts on many municipalities across the country that have already spent millions of dollars in taxpayer money on these stadiums, I honestly have to ask that if the MLB tries to get on their bull  again about facilities, how many towns are going to tell them to pound sand.  Five years from now this could look like MLB made a very short-sighted decision.

[Brian in Boston]

2 hours ago, rams80 said:

After this massive a shakeup, with negative impacts on many municipalities across the country that have already spent millions of dollars in taxpayer money on these stadiums, I honestly have to ask that if the MLB tries to get on their bull  again about facilities, how many towns are going to tell them to pound sand.  Five years from now this could look like MLB made a very short-sighted decision.

I wholeheartedly agree.  

[TBGKon]

On 11/10/2020 at 8:03 AM, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

 

What a shame that Newark knocked down their beautiful stadium.  Newark was the Yankees' top farm club in the 1930s and 1940s. It would have been so nice to have the Yankees back there at AA.

 

Also, if the Yankees wanted a AA team closer to New York City, then why would they shut down Staten Island, which is in New York City, instead of putting their AA team there?

 

A few months ago there was some talk that the Mets would put their AA team in Brooklyn. I was assuming that this was going to happen, as Brooklyn gets very good attendance. And I also figured that the Yankees would follow suit with Staten Island, and that there would be AA baseball in New York City. But both of those assumptions turned out to be wrong, as Brooklyn is now staying at A-Short Season.

 

With the Mets keeping Brooklyn and Binghamton, the question now lies as to which city is AA and which is High A, as both cities fit in the footprints of the Eastern League and the new Mid Atlantic High A league.

 

13 hours ago, CaliforniaGlowin said:

Fireflies said they're getting another affiliation. At least they're continuing.  I was scared for a minute.

That ballpark is too new to not have an affiliate.

[TBGKon]

In my head, I keep trying to split AAA into 3 leagues.  I think it can be done, but I cant centralize a region of 8-12 teams easilly.  that could help the travel aspect of what they are attempting here.  

 

I would be the only level of MILB to have just two leagues under the new system.

[McCall]

20 minutes ago, TBGKon said:

In my head, I keep trying to split AAA into 3 leagues.  I think it can be done, but I cant centralize a region of 8-12 teams easilly.  that could help the travel aspect of what they are attempting here.  

 

I would be the only level of MILB to have just two leagues under the new system.

I've been doing the same thing. Omaha, Iowa and potentially St. Paul are kinda out there on their own, fairly close to Indy, L'ville, Toledo and Columbus that it MIGHT work. Memphis and Nashville can maybe work with that, but they also work with the southern teams. And the northeast teams... it's a little awkward with how the numbers work geographically. Seems like one league is still gonna have a good amount of travel to where you gotta ask if "there's really any point?"

[BigEd76]

2 hours ago, TBGKon said:

With the Mets keeping Brooklyn and Binghamton, the question now lies as to which city is AA and which is High A, as both cities fit in the footprints of the Eastern League and the new Mid Atlantic High A league.

 

Mentioned earlier, Binghamton stays in EL, Brooklyn goes into the new MAL

[TBGKon]

4 minutes ago, BigEd76 said:

 

Mentioned earlier, Binghamton stays in EL, Brooklyn goes into the new MAL

Makes sense since the EL has more northern teams and the Mid Atlantic League will have more down the coast.

[Sec19Row53]

14 hours ago, Brian in Boston said:

One thing appears certain: the axe is going to fall in the Midwest League.

At the High A level, we know that the Mid-Atlantic League and Northwest League will operate with six teams each. That means that another 18 franchises will be split between the Carolina and Midwest Leagues in High A ball. In 2019, the Midwest League had 16 ball clubs operating in seven states from Ohio to Iowa, Wisconsin to Kentucky. At best, the MWL is going to operate with 10 teams, which would mean six of the league's current clubs/markets would either be eliminated, shifted to another level of affiliated ball, or "advised" to try and move to an independent minor league circuit, or a summer collegiate league. If the Carolina League winds up being the 10-team league, half of the Midwest League's current membership is going to be shown the door.

As for the Carolina League, it operated with 10 teams in 2019. Most of the North and South Carolina-based teams/markets seem like good bets to either keep their slots in the circuit, or move over to the South Atlantic League. As for the Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia-based clubs/markets, a few of them seem destined to land in the new Mid-Atlantic League (I'd wager Wilmington's a lock, as well as at least one of the Maryland franchises, and Fredericksburg).

  

       

Any chance that Wisconsin (Appleton) becomes the AAA affiliate of the Brewers? It makes locational sense and is one less Midwest League team to 'dispose of'. I have no idea which location it would replace at the AAA level - just curious.

[TBGKon]

2 hours ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Any chance that Wisconsin (Appleton) becomes the AAA affiliate of the Brewers? It makes locational sense and is one less Midwest League team to 'dispose of'. I have no idea which location it would replace at the AAA level - just curious.

I would say its doubtful, but with Binghamton being saved and Somerset coming out of nowhere to AA anythings possible until its official.

[BigEd76]

Any chance Richmond could be promoted to AAA, with the Nats or Orioles getting them and Norfolk going to the other?  Having them in the same division makes sense geographically.

 

The only problem with that scenario is Nashville being left out.