Minor League Baseball News

[Walk-Off]

6 hours ago, McCall said:

My guess is, if MLB were to expand into the west (namely Las Vegas and/or Portland), Fresno would probably be one of the new Triple-A teams.

 

If political and business leaders in and around Fresno enforce this deal really aggressively, then a new MLB franchise located somewhere east of the Continental Divide -- such as San Antonio, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, or even Montréal -- may get railroaded into starting off with a Class AAA club in Fresno.

 

Lest we forget, the then-Florida Marlins' very first Class AAA affiliate was the Edmonton Trappers.

[schlim]

Mafia League Baseball is really flexing some muscle.


 

 

 

 

 

[Walk-Off]

7 hours ago, schlim said:

Mafia League Baseball is really flexing some muscle.

 

I wonder about how much this situation will doom professional baseball's decades-old exemption from US federal antitrust law.  For a long time, one of the strongest arguments in favor of the antitrust exemption was that such a waiver protected US pro baseball's minor leagues and their teams from encroachment by the sport's major pro leagues and their teams, let alone from any upstart pro baseball circuit that intended to compete directly with the sport's established major leagues in the United States.  However, I think that such an argument has assumed naïvely that Major League Baseball would deal as fairly as possible with its affiliated minor leagues at all times and refrain from exploiting the antitrust exemption to act as unilaterally as possible toward not only the affiliated minors, but also independent pro baseball leagues and even amateur summer baseball circuits that utilize college players.

[Matthew24]

https://theathletic.com/2269893/2020/12/17/pacific-coast-league-withdraws-from-old-minor-league-baseball-structure/?amp

 

Haven't fully read the article. But It another chapter in the "Mafia League Baseball ruining fun stuff" story. 

 

Thoughts? Will update when I have the chance to finish the article. 

 

(update: The Atlantic are a joke. So I'm just curious now on how the MLB will react.) 

[sportsfan7]

14 hours ago, Matthew24 said:

https://theathletic.com/2269893/2020/12/17/pacific-coast-league-withdraws-from-old-minor-league-baseball-structure/?amp

 

Haven't fully read the article. But It another chapter in the "Mafia League Baseball ruining fun stuff" story. 

 

Thoughts? Will update when I have the chance to finish the article. 

 

(update: The Atlantic are a joke. So I'm just curious now on how the MLB will react.) 

MiLB is being reformed, so every league will pull out at some point, the PCL are just the first.

[Matthew24]

2 hours ago, sportsfan7 said:

MiLB is being reformed, so every league will pull out at some point, the PCL are just the first.

Who else would drop out? Doubt the IL would leave due to the MLB needing a Triple A league.

 

[sportsfan7]

54 minutes ago, Matthew24 said:

Who else would drop out? Doubt the IL would leave due to the MLB needing a Triple A league.

 

If I understand correctly, MiLB is being folded and "reformed". All the leagues that are part of the "new MiLB" will leave the "old MiLB".

[Sodboy13]

On 12/16/2020 at 2:06 PM, schlim said:

Mafia League Baseball is really flexing some muscle.


 

 

 

 

 

That entire thing reads like MLB isn't satisfied with the level of murder it's done to the minors yet. Maybe the endgame is replacing the entire system with the practice academies they had for this season, and leaving the rest of professional baseball completely unaffiliated and unsubsidized. That would absolutely suck for the sport, but I imagine it would be fantastic for the short-term bottom line.

[Discrim]

Thanos is baseball's commissioner...who knew?  Practically a snap, and a number of teams either changed levels or flat out vanished.

[DustDevil61]

On 12/18/2020 at 11:21 PM, Sodboy13 said:

That entire thing reads like MLB isn't satisfied with the level of murder it's done to the minors yet. Maybe the endgame is replacing the entire system with the practice academies they had for this season, and leaving the rest of professional baseball completely unaffiliated and unsubsidized. That would absolutely suck for the sport, but I imagine it would be fantastic for the short-term bottom line.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If it gets to that point, time to pull the antitrust exemption. And hey, Congress can put their time and effort towards more important matters than holding hearings to a sports league!

[Brian in Boston]

17 hours ago, Discrim said:

Thanos is baseball's commissioner...who knew?  Practically a snap, and a number of teams either changed levels or flat out vanished.

Thanus. After all, this is Rob Manfred we're talking about.

[Matthew24]

On 12/18/2020 at 7:30 PM, sportsfan7 said:

If I understand correctly, MiLB is being folded and "reformed". All the leagues that are part of the "new MiLB" will leave the "old MiLB".

So in other word. It is a complete waste of time and only make things worse. 

 

MLB will reap in the money while completely screwing everyone over. I think this will end badly for baseball... 

[schlim]

Isn't minor league baseball the cheapest and easiest way to maintain and build a national fan base? Look at all the small towns and regions that are/were part of baseball with no major league team for hundreds of miles. It just seems so crazy they are actually going this scorched earth route yo save a few dollars.

 

Over the past few years, baseball has fought hard for their right to pay minor leaguers less than minimum wage, and convinced minor league teams (some now banished) to support and push the 'Save America's Pastime' act in a congressional spending bill to do so. (Its now being reviewed by the Supreme Court).

 

I grew up with baseball and still enjoy the idea of the game, but damn the people who run baseball must really hate it.

[Red-Knight]

On 12/18/2020 at 8:30 PM, sportsfan7 said:

If I understand correctly, MiLB is being folded and "reformed". All the leagues that are part of the "new MiLB" will leave the "old MiLB".

 

Yes the "National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues Incorporated" (dba MiLB) is disbanding.

 

The existing leagues in the MiLB system (PCL, IL, EL, etc.) are supposedly being resurrected in the new MLB system in name only. There wont be league offices or anything anymore as MLB will oversee anything. Official league names and formations haven't been formally announced yet, but they will just continue to use the names and logos of the leagues as they see fit. I believe Carolina league is being rebranded as Mid-Atlantic League, but other than that, I think the logos and names are staying the same. Other than The leagues they have already dropped.

[AnPheitseog]

51 minutes ago, Red-Knight said:

 

Yes the "National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues Incorporated" (dba MiLB) is disbanding.

 

The existing leagues in the MiLB system (PCL, IL, EL, etc.) are supposedly being resurrected in the new MLB system in name only. There wont be league offices or anything anymore as MLB will oversee anything. Official league names and formations haven't been formally announced yet, but they will just continue to use the names and logos of the leagues as they see fit. I believe Carolina league is being rebranded as Mid-Atlantic League, but other than that, I think the logos and names are staying the same. Other than The leagues they have already dropped.

Wonder if it'll come with one league ball or if they'll still have league printing on it.

 

Also wonder if this'll mean the adopting of the MLB ball at the minors.

[monkeypower]

Welp, my ownership stake lasted 8 months with no games played.

 

Appleton Baseball Club, Inc sold the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (and the stadium and the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders summer collegiate team) to an ownership group, which includes the current president of the team as a minority owner.

 

Quote

However, the challenges due to COVID-19, which included losing the entire 2020 baseball season along with many of the key revenue-generating events held at the stadium each season, put the team in an unprecedented financial situation. To save the franchise, the current board of directors made the decision to sell the team to Third Base Ventures and a couple of familiar faces in Dickman and Zerjav to make sure that professional baseball stayed in the Fox Cities.

 

From the FAQ the team put out.

 

Quote

I purchased and hold a membership certificate in the Timber Rattlers. What does this mean to me?

As we forge the next era of Timber Rattlers history together, we are pleased to welcome current members of the “Owners Club” to “T-Rats Ten”. As a member of T-Rats Ten, you will receive all the same perks and benefits you have been accustomed to including complimentary tickets to Opening Day, complimentary tickets to the Team Picnic and a team store discount. As you paid for your membership for 2020, this membership will carry over to the 2021 season and there will be no renewal costs for this upcoming season.

Additional information about T-Rats Ten will be announced in the next few weeks.

 

What is happening to Appleton Baseball Club?

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers will still be around, but Appleton Baseball Club, Inc. will dissolve as an entity as of December 31, 2020.

 

[Brian in Boston]

The Tri-City ValleyCats - a member of the affiliated Class A Short Season New York-Penn League from 2002 through 2020 - have announced that they will become the 16th member-franchise of the independent Frontier League in time for the circuit's 2021 season. The Frontier League - designated as an official Partner League of Major League Baseball in September of last year - features teams located in seven U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, with membership stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Frontier League Welcomes Tri-City ValleyCats     

[Dilbert]

This will be a good fit for the Frontier League, after absorbing the CAN AM in 2020, the Capital Region will fit nicely in the footprint now.

[Brian in Boston]

The Burlington Bees and Clinton LumberKings - formerly of affiliated Minor League Baseball's Midwest League - will both be joining the summer collegiate Prospect League in time for said circuit's 2021 season.

Clinton LumberKings, Burlington Bees Added for 2021

[Brian in Boston]

The Tri-City ValleyCats - formerly a member of the affiliated Class A Short Season New York-Penn League and expected to be joining the independent Frontier League in time for the 2021  season - have filed suit against Major League Baseball and the Houston Astros over the decision to exclude the club from the reconfigured 120-team Minor League Baseball system beginning this year.

The lawsuit, filed in the commercial division of the State of New York Supreme Court and claiming breach of fiduciary trust and tortious interference, seeks damages in excess of $15 million. The complaint, in part, states:

"In 2019, Defendants had publicly released a list of the teams that would remain affiliated with MLB, which included the ValleyCats, and made other public statements that the ValleyCats would be included. The ValleyCats materially relied on these public disclosures, which Defendants reneged on at the eleventh hour, by making substantial substantial improvements to the Stadium, making ongoing lease payments it otherwise may not have, and continuing to fund a business which was unknowingly on the brink of decimation."

It goes on to note:

"MLB's intimidation tactics, which it used to pit MiLB teams against each other for the 'privilege' of having their businesses destroyed, has gone on for years but was most vividly demonstrated by a May 2020 email in which Commissioner Rob Manfred emailed the ValleyCats' owner condolences on the passing of his father, and then in the very same email, issued a veiled threat that any public statement about MLB's contraction efforts would be 'unwise'."

The ValleyCats are represented in the legal action by the same pair of law firms that are handling a similar suit brought by another disaffiliated New York-Penn League team - the Staten Island Yankees - against Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees. 

Valley Cats sue Major League Baseball, Houston Astros for $15M

This certainly puts the Frontier League in an interesting position, as the circuit was named an official "Partner League" of Major League Baseball in September of last year.