Like Apprenticeship Programs or Artistic Pursuits: Minor League Baseball reporting 2017

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D8JbA6BWsAIwKxN.jpg:small

that's a little too graphic for me, but they should make their gloves from udders

They should put little gloves on the udders

Tracked down my former student Darren Shred; he's playing for the Barrie Baycats of the International League right now (and listed as an infielder, not a pitcher).

http://pointstreak.com/baseball/player.html?playerid=1369992&seasonid=32194

Not good, I don't think--guessing he was released by the Reds' organization?

yeah, he was released back in october. i wonder if he had an injury that made pitching no longer a possibility?

Probably. He's run the gamut by now: third base when he with us, then a catcher, then a pitcher, back in the infield now.

I said International League--what I meant was Intercounty League. Fergie Jenkins played in it a couple of seasons after he retired, Rob Ducey too. I feel bad for him, but a stepping-stone to the majors it isn't.

http://s.nj.com/4ihsCqB

oof

red-ass nation

man i get that no hitters are cool and all but like the unwritten rule that you can't try to win a game where you're down 3-0 has to be in the top 5 stupidest unwritten rules. "these guys are doing really well, so you should stop trying to win the strategic way and just try to win the way that hasn't been working all day out of RESPECT"

people are still talking about this and apparently the hitter has gotten death threats

ain't that america

IT'S OUTTA HERE!!! Matt Davidson launches his 200th career professional home run to score 2 runs for Nashville. It's now 4-1 Nashville in the 5th. pic.twitter.com/DiKRPxhJri

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 16, 2019

The GJ Rockies are not considering changing their name and never have. We are owned by a group led by the Colorado Rockies and having a team on the west slope helps build their brand. Suggesting we would be called the GJ "Chubs" is offensive and a slang sexual term for erection.

— GrandJunctionRockies (@GJRockies) June 27, 2019

someone got rubbed the rong way

lol

wait that has got to be some kind of street team psy-ops, right?

why...would someone write that?

i wouldn't put it past some teams, but this one seems to legitimately have no sense of humor (or understanding of twitter)

https://deadspin.com/an-interview-with-the-man-who-enraged-a-minor-league-ba-1835915356

the real question is when will some other team take advantage by doing a chubs night

does Bald Knob, AR have an mlb affiliate?

no, but

http://www.khop.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1137/2016/04/Modesto-Nuts-300.jpg

attended my first Vancouver Canadians (short season A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays playing in the Northwest League) game of the season last night and left at the 7th inning stretch, missing all 5 of the Canadians runs - I had seen all 6 of the Hillsboro Hops' runs at least.

the dodgers have two teams in the arizona rookie league this summer: Team Mota and Team Lasorda

it’s a metsaphor

The fireworks for the St. Lucie Mets did not go well tonight at First Data Field. They set a fire outside the stadium.

Photos from Shannon Cullen pic.twitter.com/KaALifPeki

— Michael Mayer (@mikemayerMMO) July 5, 2019

ablazin'

gavin lux is a 21yo shortstop in the dodgers system; he was promoted to triple-a oklahoma city three weeks ago. these are the results of his first 15 games:

3-for-4, 2B
1-for-2, 2B
4-for-6, HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI
1-for-5, 2B, RBI
1-for-3
4-for-6, RBI
1-for-3, 3B
2-for-4, 2B, 4 RBI
2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI
1-for-3, 3B
2-for-4, HR, RBI
1-for-3, HR, RBI
4-for-5, HR, 2 RBI
2-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI
4-for-5, HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI

33-for-62 (.524), 7 HR, 2 3B, 9 2B, 21 RBI, 24 R, 12 K, 7 BB

i mean yes the ball is juiced and the PCL is a hitters league, but jfc

sweet name, too

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_2l7zjWsAACL7M.jpg

i, i...

ayiyi

Because of travel difficulties, the Nats have all but abandoned Fresno as a legitimate place to keep fringe major league players whom they could need on short notice https://t.co/smoGYO8Z3B

— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) August 6, 2019

lol, no shit...?

sadly, these guys aren't available either:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Islanders

!!!

Major league affiliations
Previous

...

Washington Senators (1965–1967)

...

i don't know if being in double-a when they should otherwise be in triple-a affects players' salaries. maybe if they're on the 40-man it doesn't matter?

https://i.imgur.com/WOANMjF.jpg

what is even the point

Fan dies during taco-eating contest at Fresno Grizzlies baseball game https://t.co/7G1GqkkYfN

— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) August 14, 2019

i guess he died doing what he loved

still a grisly end

if you're going to die in a taco-eating contest, it would be nice to at least do it in the privacy of one's own bathtub

Harvey in Vegas

https://nypost.com/2019/08/18/matt-harvey-was-really-nervous-for-his-minor-league-start/

https://i.imgur.com/MgdHshb.jpg

morbs might need one of these jerseys

we have a Game 141 today: scranton/wilkes-barre (NYY) and syracuse (NYM) are playing a one-game tiebreaker for the international league north title

mets are up 6-0 in the third with ervin santana on the mound

https://i.imgur.com/JM5LfgO.png

pretty crazy game tbh

#fuckthemercyrule

scranton won, 14-13. erstwhile brewers playoff hero erik kratz delivered the go-ahead two-run double in the eighth

wow awesome.

Brooklyn Cyclones one win away from NY Penn League flag, and i am pondering whether to invest in $5 tickets tonight or (if nec) tom'w

Travis Sawchik: are minor leagues necessary?

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/do-we-even-need-minor-league-baseball/

from a certain standpoint this is otm. certainly juan soto and casey mize don't need minor league baseball. and triple-a has never really been necessary -- it's more of a holding pen for the older replacement-level guys you need when someone gets hurt. the sheer number of transactions shifting players where they're needed seems to be rising all the time.

but i doubt that decreasing the footprint of the game is likely to have a good impact on its popularity. fewer (public) teams would present fewer opportunities, probably fewer draft rounds, and less of a reason for people to even try playing pro baseball. future kyler murrays aren't going to be any more attracted by spending development time in eternal spring training than they are by spending it in the minors.

also, minor league baseball draws 40m people a year; for reference, the nba and nhl draw in the low 20s. obviously the revenues are much smaller, but there's still money to be made as long as you can pay the players nothing and con municipalities into building ballparks.

most of that money goes to the minor league team owners, though, only a few of which are the MLB teams, and there's nothing MLB owners hate more than money they don't get a cut of. anyway the current Professional Baseball Agreement between MLB and the minors runs through 2020; could be interesting to see what happens then

https://deadspin.com/maybe-you-just-like-watching-baseball-games-1838013774

i think there's a difference between "they're not necessary" and "it's a good idea to have them in some form"

Sometimes baseball provides its own soundtrack. Here is the final out of the 2019 NYPL Championship Series, as heard if you were with us in park. Speakers on.... pic.twitter.com/7LxKtwSkR0

— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) September 11, 2019

ever wanted to be a league president?

https://www.teamworkonline.com/baseball-jobs/northwestleague/northwest-league/administration-general-management/northwest-league-president-1964379