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22 minutes ago, BigEd76 said:

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.

Eh, Neither does Portland and they might be the two markets best poised for relocation/expansion

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32 minutes ago, BigEd76 said:

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.

I wouldnt think so.  The stadium situation in Richmond isn't good and i don't think a new ballpark is on the horizon.  I think a shift to the Midatlantic High A league would be more likely if AA doesnt remain in place.

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3 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.


The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to AAA? I'd be shocked.

To my mind, if MLB brass were going to elevate a Midwest League team/market from High A to AAA, Dayton and Fort Wayne would be the front-runners.

* Both the Dragons and Tin Caps are located in far larger cities and metro areas than Appleton.

* Both the Dragons and Tin Caps play in newer ballparks with larger capacities than Wisconsin's Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

* Dayton's Day Air Park and Fort Wayne's Parkview Field each achieved a 7 out of 10 score in player development facility rankings in 2019, while Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium notched a 5 in said ratings.

* Through the 2019 season, the Dragons had sold out 1,385 consecutive games, topping the  Midwest League - and all of Single A ball - in attendance in each and every campaign of their 20-season existence. In fact, the franchise has finished in the Top 10 of attendance in all of affiliated minor league baseball in each of its 20 seasons, and topped all A and AA clubs in the category for 14 straight seasons from 2006 through 2019. Fort Wayne has finished in the Top 3 of Midwest League attendance for all 11 seasons it has called Parkview Field home, finished in the Top 8 of attendance amongst all franchises at the A level during the same period, and finished amongst the Top 30 teams in attendance in all of affiliated minor league baseball for eight straight seasons since 2010. The Timber Rattlers have averaged 3,512 fans per game over the past 15 seasons, good for an average 7th place finish in the Midwest League attendance race.  

 



           

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From what I've read, it's possible if they get a temporary agreement while the new stadium for them and VCU is built. This would give us Nats/Richmond, Pirates/Rochester, Brewers/Indianapolis and Rangers/Round Rock, but Nashville would be pushed to AA if that happens (and their capacity is about the same as Wichita and San Antonio, which will be demoted).

 

Meanwhile, BA is reporting MLB sent out a memo to the 30 MLB teams telling them to stop leaking affiliate plans

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A few days old, but this SF Chronicle article pretty much indicates MLB is looking to put all Pacific timezone teams' affiliates in the Texas League for AA, Midwest League or Northwest League for high-A and California League for low-A, so this would end the Giants' ties to Richmond VA and Augusta GA, and I would assume the Rockies would also be done with Hartford CT and Asheville NC

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1 hour ago, BigEd76 said:

A few days old, but this SF Chronicle article pretty much indicates MLB is looking to put all Pacific timezone teams' affiliates in the Texas League for AA, Midwest League or Northwest League for high-A and California League for low-A, so this would end the Giants' ties to Richmond VA and Augusta GA, and I would assume the Rockies would also be done with Hartford CT and Asheville NC

Ditto the Angels with Rocket City, D-backs with Jackson, and Mariners with West Virginia (A). San Antonio and Wichita are rumored to be moving to the Texas League, so that would take care of 2 of the AA teams. I guess Northwest Arkansas would be a 3rd, with KC switching to an EL or SL team. The Giants, Rockies and Mariners all have another low A team.

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NWA is already in the Texas League.

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On 11/10/2020 at 7:21 PM, 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/

As a Twins fan living in St. Paul, I look forward to this possibility. I have never had a lot of interest in the St. Paul Saints as an independent team.  I've been to two games* the 12 years I've been back here. I assume AAA prices would go up, but that's fine with me. The Saints draw well and I suspect it's in part because it's a cheap ticket. So it would be interesting to see how that goes.  I don't think Wichita would make much sense at all.  Sioux Falls kinda does since the Twins like to market to the Dakotas, Iowa, and western Wisconsin. But I'm hoping they end up in St. Paul.

 

*The only game I've been to in the fairly new ballpark in downtown St. Paul was a playoff game. While their scheduled regular-season games sell very well, there was almost nobody at this playoff game. I found that amusing but it goes to show how for fans, minor-league ball is more about getting outside and not really about the winning or losing. Well that, and that the playoff games are not scheduled in advance and when they are scheduled only a few die-hards really notice.

Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse."

 

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So Brooklyn and Hudson Valley are in this new Midatlantic League.  Who else?

 

I assume Jersey Shore fits the bill.  I did think Wilmington, but I have a hunch they move up to AA.  All three of the O's affiliates from AA to Low A are also in the footprint (Bowie, Frederick, and Delmarva) so who knows what will happen there.

 

It's rumored to only be 6 teams, so that limits things too.

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Yeah with four leagues and 30 teams, at least one of the leagues (possibly two) will have only six teams. Midwest League had 16 teams and will be losing at least six of them, possibly half. Still need to figure out who is being added to the Northwest League to replace Tri-City and Salem-Keizer to get them back up to eight. I'm wondering if two out of Rocky Mountain, Ogden and Grand Junction actually survive the cut despite being on the original hit list? Once that's set, we'll need to figure out if Carolina League is going full-Carolinas or not with some promoted SAL teams to fill them out.


Jersey Shore is definitely in the new MAL since they're likely to stick with the Phils and Clearwater is already set for low-A there. If Aberdeen moves up to high-A for the Orioles, they're a possibility depending on what happens with the Carolina League. If Carolina sticks with having Virginia and Maryland teams, they'll end up there instead. Wilmington seems like an odd team out with Carolina and would end up in the Eastern League if they get promoted.

 

Doing some math, it looks like Hartford might be dropped to high-A since the 10 AL/NL East teams already have their AA affiliates set, so they're another possibility for the MAL. If they stay, they could end up as the Tigers' AA since the other three teams missing AA affiliates (Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Minnesota) will likely end up with teams in the expanded Southern League (I could see Bowling Green promoted to there). Another major issue with AA is the Texas League having only 10 teams with the addition of San Antonio and Wichita but four west coast teams needing affiliates (Arizona, Colorado, LA Angels, San Francisco). One of the extra spots can be remedied by moving the Royals to a Southern affiliate, but the Cardinals own Springfield, so they aren't moving out, and unfortunately there are no more Texas teams left to promote unless they take one from American Association.

 

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On 11/11/2020 at 5:56 PM, Brian in Boston said:

 

Doubtful. Frankly, given their stadium issues, the argument can be made that they're barely holding on to AA.... or, affiliated minor league ball. 

 

https://richmond.com/sports/professional/giants-still-hope-to-return-their-double-a-team-to-richmond-according-to-farm-director/article_bdb5b47f-b817-5263-a86c-87a899c3babe.html

 

According to this article, looks like worst case for Richmond is they stay AA. Appears there is a possibility they jump to AAA too with Nats wanting a closer AAA affiliate. But appears the Giants are not wanting to part ways with them.

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17 minutes ago, Red-Knight said:

 

https://richmond.com/sports/professional/giants-still-hope-to-return-their-double-a-team-to-richmond-according-to-farm-director/article_bdb5b47f-b817-5263-a86c-87a899c3babe.html

 

According to this article, looks like worst case for Richmond is they stay AA. Appears there is a possibility they jump to AAA too with Nats wanting a closer AAA affiliate. But appears the Giants are not wanting to part ways with them.


As I said, it's doubtful that Richmond is moving to AAA. 

As for the Giants, they may "appreciate the care the Flying Squirrels' front office provides for their players, and the game-day environment the team creates", but that doesn't solve the stadium issue in the market. The Diamond will be 36 years old at the start of the 2021 Eastern League season. It is not only a moribund facility amongst AA ballparks, but is - quite frankly - outstripped by stadia serving A-level teams in cities including Fort Wayne, Dayton, Columbia, and South Bend.    

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3 hours ago, BigEd76 said:

Yeah with four leagues and 30 teams, at least one of the leagues (possibly two) will have only six teams. Midwest League had 16 teams and will be losing at least six of them, possibly half. Still need to figure out who is being added to the Northwest League to replace Tri-City and Salem-Keizer to get them back up to eight. I'm wondering if two out of Rocky Mountain, Ogden and Grand Junction actually survive the cut despite being on the original hit list? Once that's set, we'll need to figure out if Carolina League is going full-Carolinas or not with some promoted SAL teams to fill them out.

 

 

I've heard talk that the Northwest League is also possibly a 6-team league at High A, so it is possible he other three leagues at High A could go with 8 per league, or two go 8 and one goes 10.

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I assume the Midwest League has 10 teams, the Carolina has 8, and the Mid-Atlantic has 6. I think the Mid-Atlantic takes 4 of the following teams and the Eastern League gets one;

 

Tri-City ValleyCats

Erie SeaWolves (On Hit List)

Jersey Shore Blueclaws

Wilmington Blue Rocks

Aberdeen IronBirds

Hagerstown Suns (On Hit List)

Frederick Keys (On Hit List)

Delmarva ShoreBirds

Fredericksburg Nationals

West Virginia Black Bears

 

The remaining 5 join the 16 remaining teams from the Carolina and Sally (Lexington and West Virginia are on the hit list). 8 of those teams join the Carolina League and 12 join the Sally and one gets cut.

4 teams in the Midwest League have been on the hit list (Burlington and Clinton are on both, Beloit is on the Baseball America one, Quad Cities is on the New York Times one), 10 of the remaining 12 teams stay in the league and 2 more get cut (Bowling Green could join the Southern if they need another team).

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What are the chances that Richmond drops down to High-A and join the Mid-Atlantic League along with Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, and possibly Aberdeen, Jersey Shore, and West Virginia (Morgantown)?

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