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

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