MLB is Systematically Destroying Minor League Baseball (How the Minor Leagues Were Lost FULL CUT)
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- čas přidán 6. 04. 2024
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Minor league baseball isn’t about baseball at all. It’s community. It is the ability to spend a summer evening in Anytown, U.S.A. watching a sport that is part of the fabric of America. And maybe if you were lucky, one of those prospects on the field would go on to become a star one day.
Then they would be your town’s star. Jose Canseco is still remembered in Medford, Oregon. Walla Walla, Washington still claims Tony Gwynn. But mostly, minor league baseball is root, root, root for the home team. A team to call your own.
Look, minor league baseball has never been perfect. Franchises have come and gone. Plenty of unscrupulous individuals have taken advantage of towns and fans over the decades. Despite that, America still loves the sport.
With the minors experiencing a resurgence over the past three decades, baseball’s ultimate con man got involved. Ron Manfred is doing what those old-time carnival grifters couldn’t do…destroy minor league baseball.
This series looks at how the sport went from America’s last great carnival to an opportunistic con and what looks to be the eventual big boxification of the entire system. This is how the how the minor leagues were lost.
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If you cut off the roots, the tree dies.
Not really. I played in the minors in early 2010s and there was no alternative entertainment for families like today.
We signed 100+ balls a game and ping pong was still our primary source of pregame entertainment. To keep it together we all created lives away from home. We usually had a host family, team moms, often a ‘baseball gf’, and most certainly a good K/D ratio in COD lol.
Now, EVERY sport has a 24/7 news cycle and teams in all sports have figured out how to use players like running backs so there’s just no stability in the minor league system for kids to fall in love with.
@@jeffrey.a.hanson where do families go to get affordable entertainment today?
i dont think you see the big picture
milb provided an inexpensive day or night out with the family
at the same time, it developed fans for the big league game
they have now killed that in many small towns
i liked the host family thing....but it also allowed mlb not to provide good living conditions for the players
@@thewkovacs316CZcams
@@thewkovacs316 Well said
@@jeffrey.a.hansonWhat is a “baseball gf”?
man, roger goodell is lucky to have rob Manfred to compare too cause Manfred makes Goodell look like a saint
It's like the guy going faster than you on the highway.
adam silver in the only commissioner i have respect for, for him outside of the nba’s ref issue(which the mlb and nfl also suffers from) he’s done nothing but grow and improve the game of basketball, goodell is a complete scumbag and manfred is the slightly better middle child
It takes a lot of effort to make Bud Selig look good, but Rob Manfred has succeded.
Man yall are spitting straight facts here!
I was calling him Rober Mandell forever ... but I think you're right... he had passed Goodell at this point.
Major League Baseball has killed off major league baseball, so it's not surprising that it would kill off minor league baseball. You make a good point when you mention the number of people with business degrees making these decisions. Baseball, like other fields such as law and education, used to be an apprenticeship occupation, but is now filled with people from business backgrounds who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
“people who know the price of everything but the value of nothing” that is one of the wisest statements i’ve ever heard, you’re absolutely correct, the mlb will be dead within another 20-30 years unless we get another babe ruth to save the sport or make it popular again with the younger generations as most youngins want to play basketball and football, just sad to see how we’re seeing the death of it
Those sick fooks are killing off everything US
@@youwereprettylasttimeisawy1227 "unless we get another Babe Ruth"
...Shohei Ohtani is literally that player, assuming his arm recovers and he can stay healthy.
Very well said!👍
I would say what made baseball special in the past wasn't the Babe Ruth's or high-end talent, but the randomly flawed players that gave kids hope they could make it. From my generation, seeing Walt Weiss, Sid Bream, Kent Bottenfield and many others play in the big leagues gave us all hope we could do it.
Those guys were all unique and made baseball seem different from other sports. Now, MLB has replaced them with generic athletes who are devoid of any personality because teams don't want guys who think for themselves or play in a way they don't coach.
I worked in the minors before and after MLB fully acquired it and hated how it was ran like a generic corporation after MLB began taking its hold, the worst parts are the forced promotions that are ran that are out of date and have no real connection with the local cities.
What was promoted in your ballpark that was out of date? Like new remodeled chairs that were decades old?
I worked with the Phillies and for the Low A team not much , out ball park was general nicer for the FSL, truthfully the “ballpark upgrades “ were arbitrary excuse , if you look at Daytona tortugas facilities it is the worst in the minors, while its historic ballpark, it’s still way below Leauge standards. The teams that were taken away from the FSL were basically the most isolated teams more than anything…
Aka saving travel cost more than anything , for the Dunedin blue jays they did get a complete overhaul from stadium to player facilities which was essentially modern equipment, the more recent example of “outdated” facilities you can look into hops minor Leauge team which MLB is trying to move
I work for a minor league team, get paid $55 a game in production and the owner is going to put $65 million to build a second deck. It’s horrible and little by little stepping away. It’s bad
That stinks. It is a shame these types of stories aren't getting more coverage.
you mean the city will be getting that 65 MILLION dollar bill. I'm in Richmond and they have been talking about a new stadium here for over 25 years when the Braves were in town. Now MLB is demanding the city build THEM one and sadly Richmond is gung ho on spending hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars. its sickening honestly
gone are the days of just random " hey you want to go to a game tonight." i remember watching raphiel devers, mookie betts, jakie bradley jr come through my town where you could go buy a ticket for 10 bucks and if you wanted to sit behind home plate 25 bucks. prices have jumped even for single A teams
my local team, high a, wilmington blue rocks, tickets are 18 bucks before taxes, and things like hot dogs and drinks are 4-5 bucks each. i remember when it was cheaper too, i miss those days
That was the going rate at McCoy , when PawSox was a Triple way. Ben Minor did wonders. Dying breed.
I went to a single A game here and they were charging $14 for a large can of beer.
@trevorholdren9433 Pawsoxs were the best happy to see somebody had the same memories going to McCoy
@@serafinacosta7118 Saw a game there in 2016, comeback win in July vs. Columbus, then fireworks. Was heavenly.
Not only was this video excellent, but honestly I think that in 5,10, 20 years when we can do a full post mortem on Rob Manfried's time as MLB Commissioner, we will be able to say that, with certainty, he is the worst commissioner of any major sport in American history. His changes have ranged from slightly beneficial, like the pitch clock, to godawfully stupid, like the ghost runner, to downright detrimental to the continued health of the game of baseball, like this gutting of the MiLB and the Oakland-Vegas situation.
With other bad commissioners you can at least see that they wanted to grow the game. Gary Bettman is a common example, but you can see that he wants to grow the game of hockey from a very regional (northern US and Canada) to a nationwide sport, so he's been pushing for more teams in "nontraditional" markets like Tampa, Sunrise, Phoenix, and Vegas, with varying success. Manfried and the owners he's working for (no I'm not letting them off the hook) are prioritizing short term gains to cripple long term success. They do not care if the sport of baseball still is thriving in 20-50 years, most of the owners will be dead by then. So they want to extract as much profit as they can now, because screw the future!
While I will mention that the Arizona Coyotes will now be the Salt Lake Coyotes pretty soon - overall Hockey is going to be okay.
I worry for MLB - it wouldn’t surprise me if in a decade or two MLB starts slipping to behind MLS and completely be irrelevant to the NFL and NBA. eSports could eventually catch MLB if things continue at this rate.
@@Anim3Gamer I do not disagree. I look at trends and it's not pretty, the issue with pro baseball in the US is that the average age of a fan is not getting younger, unlike in other countries (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, DR, Cuba, Venezuela) baseball is a major sport where newer generations are fans of the game like their parents were. NFL, NBA and to a lesser level the MLS are becoming more important pro sports.
I sometimes bash Gary Bettman however I understand his strategy even if he made some bad moves. Hockey is not an easy sell in markets where there is no snow.
@@Anim3Gamer I do not disagree. I look at trends and it's not pretty, the issue with pro baseball in the US is that the average age of a fan is not getting younger, unlike in other countries (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, DR, Cuba, Venezuela) baseball is a major sport where newer generations are fans of the game like their parents were. NFL, NBA and to a lesser level the MLS are becoming more important pro sports.
I sometimes bash Gary Bettman however I understand his strategy even if he made some bad moves. Hockey is not an easy sell in markets where there is no snow.
you act like Manfried sits in a room by himself making it up as he goes along. He is only a stooge, a puppet of the MLB owners.
All the commissioners now are all about building the brand, not promoting the sport. Goodell, Manfred, Buttman ( see what I did there?) and Silver. they only care about generating revenue. Above everything else, not the fans who provide all those BILLIONS of dollars. They're creating monsters that are going to destroy themselves. Pretty soon you'll all be watching video games on TV. My daughter never liked watching sports. So when I get cut from the lineup in a few years, at least I don't have to worry about her heart being broken by these snakes. I'll still go to my Ducks' games, and all the little league I can find, but MLB is dead to me, and pretty soon NHL will be too.
This is no deviation from MLB. They’re just continuing their habit of putting money above everything else. In the case of MLB, putting money above enjoyment and competitive balance. I stopped watching baseball when I realized my “MLB” team was nothing more than a feeder team to big markets, will never pay a player past arbitration eligibility, almost never spend $100m on payroll. Fans in these cities are hoping for 1-2 years of relevance per decade. All easily solved problems if you prioritize longevity, competitive integrity and diversity.
Let me guess, you're a Pittsburgh Pirates fan.
@@kevinalexander6812 nope
that’s the reality for everyone outside new york, los angeles, chicago and maybe houston. sadly.
@@kevinalexander6812 Let me guess your from Los Angeles or Boston. Aren’t you?
I mean, the person isn’t wrong. Out of 30 teams, maybe 5-10 have the fan base, corporate support and revenue dollars to pay contracts up to 700m like what the Dodgers are doing to Ohtani. It’s a big reason why MLB is dying in America. It’s hard to get emotionally invested when 2/3rds of the league is eliminated by July and is a team like the Royals is perfect and made zero mistakes in drafting and FAs they may have a 2-3 year window to compete.
BTW a owner can spend more money, but no owner will bankrupt himself spending money on players is the team isn’t generating enough on its own to help cushion the financial blow so you can put that line away that everyone likes to use.
Obsession with money and a lack of competitive balance (something the three other big leagues don’t have a problem with) is what’s killing MLB. You can thumb your nose at that all you want but it’s the truth.
@@UserName-ts3spand hence why the bulk of the cities fans who aren’t those you cities name (especially ones either strong NFL and college teams) tune out by July. What you just mentioned is a problem
8:03 Lowell Spinners, basically sold out every game. Families cant afford to go to Red Sox games so at only 30mins away from Boston, they were the affordable family friendly alternative and it worked... until MLB took them away.
That was a crying shame. They had a beautiful little park on the river and some great talent rolled through over the years.
The final nail in the coffin for my small baseball memories would be a loss of the cape leagues…but that’s a totally separate entity and I don’t think we have to worry about that much.
It was a nice little excursion for the north shore, New Hampshire. I would imagine Worcester is doing well
By the Merrimack River. Such a loss. La Lacheur park was barebones , but nice and grassroots.
If I’m not mistaken I believe U Lowell uses it now?
@@michaelkilbride6420They are doing very well. And the WooSox is a cheap night out.
I love going to River Cats games. The A's moving to Sutter Health Park for 3 seasons could potentially negatively impact my enjoyment of Minor League. At the same time, I feel for A's fans.
Best Stadium in all of baseball, not just the minors.
Why ? Why feel bad for anyone who watches sports - when most of these athletes took the knee it exposed who these people are - I think it's hilarious
Al Michaels started as an announcer for the Pacific Coast League AAA Hawaiian Islanders in 1968.
Do you believe in miracles, YES!
Rob manfred is the worst commissioner in history of baseball and it isn’t even close
Another thing Manfried did that was idioitic was the universal DH if i was commisioner i would Permantly ban the DH
@@levidezern3190 😂😂😂😂of all things
Rob Manfred is the worst commissioner/leader of anything
He's the best actually
@@kwii22789 stop it manfred.
Miss my team here in Bakersfield, CA. Bakersfield Dodgers (high-A ball) saw Piazza, Raul Mondesi, Eric Karros get their start here. Then when the Rangers took over we saw Josh Hamilton get his start. Then when the Reds took over we saw Billy Hamilton setting stolen base records. Just a shame our stadium wasnt up to snuff to Manfred.
Sam Lynn Ballpark hosting baseball games for 80+ years despite facing the wrong way (into the sun) is one of the sports' great underdog stories.
Google Potter County Memorial Stadium in Amarillo and see how decrepit it is compared to the new Hodgetown stadium downtown... Amarillo spent 38 years in affiliated minor league baseball PURGATORY until the new stadium was built... Bakersville can do the same and have affillated minor league baseball return as well...
How about the Great Falls Dodgers? (rookie ball) Pedro Martinez, Raul Mondesi, probably more. Great Falls, Montana.
Raul
Wow
Excessive inequality, the corporatizing of everything, the financialization of everything, the virtualization of everything. The MBAing of everything. The franchising of everything. It’s all very impersonal.
Most of MiLB's "short season" leagues have been replaced with "college prospect" amateur leagues. These are modeled after hockey's "junior" leagues. Their players are "billeted." Private citizens provide the players with room and board, and a shuttle rounds them up and drives them to their fields for each game. The reason college baseball itself isn't monetized is that the sport is popular when most of the "student body" is off campus.
This has caused a rookie ball renaissance in a lot of areas that used to have Rookie and Single A.
One small niche aspect I hated that they changed was the baseballs, they used to be marked with the leagues name for example “Florida State League” and would be on the ball , now rookie ball to triple a are all marked as minor league baseball, just feels generic to me
Dude! Thanks for taking the time to research this “obscure” topic and publishing it. This is true Journalism.
Seeing those old black and white photos with the name of your home town being represented was a trip and a half. Had no idea there was once a minor league team here...
Many moons ago there was a minor league team in my small mountain town of Marion Virginia. Nolan Ryan played here 54 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth. 🙂
I live in a small town in Northern Colorado and we have a Pioneer League team. This league is no longer affiliated with MLB but a partner league. The quality of play is really good, however, the kids are not paid very much and there is something about knowing the players are connected to a big league team. I agree with your premise that quantity is important in player development
The Oakland Ballers will be joining this season after the mess made by our clueless mayor and the careless owner of the A's have made of our local MLB scene. I hope to get aquanted with the other teams this summer.
@@aaronblaylock2092 Where are the Ballers going to play? Surely not the Oakland Coliseum...
Baseball and Boxing are going the way of the dinosaurs, these greedy people will continue to suck the life out of these sports until nothing is left. They used to be the biggest sports in America.
Interesting juxtaposition!
Baseball is thriving globally right now. Especially in Asia where it's joked Americans don't have the attention span or patience for Baseball anymore. While American Football is still viewed as an inferior version of Rugby with arbitrary referring and inconsistent rules (hence NFLs desperate attempt to globalize their lamer version of Rugby)
@@HoshizakiYoshimasaFor the 5,000 time: your point is irrelevant as in AMERICA the sport is losing popularity. Quit spamming the replies, you weirdo
@@HoshizakiYoshimasa you have to understand that most Americans can care less about what’s going on beyond their borders. I personally love Japanese baseball culture and soccer. Most Americans are into Football, Basketball and MMA. The most skilled sports that are left behind are Baseball and The Sweet Science of Boxing 🥊
I am personally done attending most major sports. In my opinion corporate ownership and corporate televiosion influence on all sports
dont get me started
the mlb mishandled the minors for decades, sticking with the old "survival of the fittest" model and not understanding that development means investment
the mlb also never understood the amount of great pr for the game that was generated by minor league teams
my friend, former giants farmhand and atty, garrett broshuis is the one who spearheaded the class action lawsuit
he also wrote a brilliant paper on how, for just the cost of one midlevel mlb player, every team to increase salaries, per diems and living conditions for all milb players at the time
the mlb didnt bother to read the paper and instead chose to punish both players and fans of the game
it has ended up hurting the mlb's bottom line
they cut off their own noses to spite their faces
Garret Broshuis , yeah I remember him. He used to write for Baseball America. I saw his interview on TV. He was so candid. Glad he made it as an attorney.
Send him congrats from Brazil. Nice kid.
The Wichita Wind Surge is a team that had AAA status but never played a single game with it. Today they are AA. New Orleans went from AAA to currently having no MLB affiliation at all.
It’s also strange that they are a AA affiliate with the Twins. It would’ve made more sense to have them affiliated with the Royals.
@@loganpykiet7326 The Royals have a long-standing agreement with the Omaha Storm Chasers (formerly also known as the "Royals.") San Antonio also had AAA status for a short time and is now back to AA.
@@loganpykiet7326 The KC Royals have a long-standing agreement with the Omaha Storm Chasers (also formerly branded as the "Royals.") During Wichita's AAA status, they were affiliated with MLB's Miami Marlins.
As for their AA team, the KC AA affiliate is currently in NW Arkansas. Would the Minnesota Twins mind having their AA team in NW Arkansas?
San Antonio also had AAA status for a short time. Now they are back to AA.
@@loganpykiet7326 The Royals AA team is Northwest Arkansas Naturals, down I-49 which is even closer to KC than Wichita... As for Wichita being Minnesota Twins AA team, only Springfield and Northeast Arkansas are closer... Keep in mind Springfield is the St. Louis Cardinals AA team...
ALL of this is why the Savannah Bananas have become a bigger road draw than the Yankees.
Zesty
They sold out Minute Maid Park - so they draw better then the bottom feeder MLB teams like the Marlins, Rockies, and the A’s.
@@Anim3Gamer they sold out Fenway, Philly and 2 other MLB ballparks within minutes of tickets going on sale. They're no fluke.
The Bananas have mastered sports entertainment by offering something entertaining. They are super popular everywhere they go and the calibre of bananaball is not bad at all. They really found a niche in the market starting from almost nothing.
FYI....
The proper way to pronounce Bill Veeck is best explained by the title of his autobiography "Veeck as In Wreck."
Just happened here in Hillsboro, OR home of A+ Hops. Have Legislature GIVE us $20 million to help build new MLB standard ballpark to replace the 10 yr old award winning ballpark next door OR, we move. That's it, WE MOVE! Legislature gave them the money about month ago. Doing the same thing with the A+ Emeralds in Eugene, 90 miles South of me. Replace the 12 yr old beautiful park with OUR money OR, we move. Throw in Everett, WA up North, Blackmail all up and down I-5. Disgusting. Manfred such a tool of the elites.
Manfred prompoted the Northwest League to High A baseball and lowered the California League to Low A baseball. The difference being a longer season instead of a half season implying a rookie season. The California cities that had upgraded or built new ballparks remain affilated with MLB, whereas those that don't don't. Except for maybe one city in the Northwest League, all of the other stadiums require upgrades or a new stadium. Eugene's case is that the present stadium is also the home for Oregon University too. This wasn't a problem with a half season team, but IS a problem with a full season team. The grass won't hold up to MLB standards anymore with so many games being played on it. Why have standards if you don't enforce them? Well the MLB is enforcing their standards...
PK Park in Eugene has field turf so this talk of grass not holding up is just confusing.
@@thetouchback Minor league baseball doesn't want to play on field turf... Viola....
That 2020 reorganization hit me hard. Throughout my childhood, I used to go to Kane County Cougars games frequently. They were Low Single A. After the restructure, they were one of the teams that got cut and now exist as part of an "MLB Partner League".
Honestly killed any drive I had to drive up that way, since the Joliet Slammers are just right here. I miss my Single A affiliate. I'm happy to hear that they have the best attendance in their league though, even if I'm not contributing.
I live in Fresno, the Grizzlies were a AAA team from 1998-2020, Chukchansi Park, where they play is awesome. After Manfraud massacred the minors, the Grizzlies are now a Single A team, the product is not the same, and I like to say that Fresno has the nicest Single A stadium in the country
An excellent expose of the greed of MLB. I hope that the producers of this will someday make a video of how Dan Topping of the NY Yankees made the KC A’s a major league farm club for the Yankees after the team moved from Philadelphia. It was a dismal story for KC A’s fans until Charlie O bought the team and created a powerhouse …that only lasted temporarily.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the decimation of minor and major league has made losing my A’s easier. Hopefully Manfred with be blamed for ruining the American Pastime or at least putting the final dagger in the back of a dying sport.
Baseball has been through worse. Though I doubt that it will survive the impending destruction of the United States. Oh wait, they play professional baseball in Japan.
manfred is the worst.....but prior mlb head honchos had their hands in this
I mean I am not defending Fisher, but the attendance for A's games in Oakland was atrocious for almost 30 years, long before Fisher bought the team.
@@ThePhl4ever I won’t argue the attendance numbers but the way Manfred handled this was so disrespectful and dishonest I was shocked and came to the realization that baseball has lost any place in my life. It was like a political hatchet job where the ends justifies the means.
@@KlingonCaptainyea that’s true, also with other countries like the DR and Cuba being big on baseball, it will still be popular somewhere in the world
Our local team only has one year left. Gonna miss spending summer evenings at the ballpark
Maybe Star trek got it right that Baseball dies in the 2040's
Gone but never forgotten as Sisko was mentioning baseball constantly on Deep Space Nine. And you could always head down to the holodeck for a game.
@@thetouchbackis Ohtani our timelines version of Buck Bokai?
@@zachhoward9099 I'm still waiting for MLB to announce the London Kings expansion team and then for them to basically rip off the Sacramento Kings branding of the early 1990s.
@@thetouchbackas a DS9/Sacramento kings fan I approve this message
(Japanese Koreans Taiwanese Dominicans Venezuelans Cubans Panamanians laugh at the American)
Is this why the Savannah Bananas have gained so much traction? They are very much a Circus style family entertainment that pushes the entertainment of old minor league teams beyond what has been possible, and retains the "family visit to the ballfield" atmosphere. Will be interesting to watch where they end up after all of this.
"Be prepared to learn Japanese buddy"
Choto nihongo wakarimasu. I have been to a few NPB games as well as baseball games in Taiwan. It's a good product.
@@thetouchback a good product supported by an excellent grassroot system. Ball there was taught as a means to instill discipline and a sense of community first and foremost. Koshien has superior prestige to the pros with most of the kids making it hardly have a chance to make the pros anyway.
Amateur ball flourish as an alternative for the minors as prospects prove themselves in the colors of the companies they could fall back on as a career option (they in fact got paid as an employee of said companies), a system I highly doubt would ever be adopted by any sustainable number of American businesses.
I'd like to believe the NPB knows not to rock the boat on this one.
I wish Americans cared about baseball as much as Japanese people do.
@@MikeRay1978 imo the polarization and historical revisionism in the American cultural zeitgeist has made baseball perceived as, instead of the sole pastime bonding communities and a nation it once was, entertainment of certain intersectional demographic lines, looked down upon even as representing a problematic face of old Americana. In addition to (and maybe resulting in) MLB gutting the minors to strip the last nuggets off the mine.
My closest ballclub is the Billings Mustangs, a former Rookie affiliate of, conveniently enough, my favourite team the Cincinnati Reds. I went to my first game in 2014 and since then have gone to at least one game a year (I live 3 hours away) except for 2021 and 2022. From 2014-2020 there was something special about those games compared to MLB games in that it felt like a festive atmosphere. However, after 2020 I noticed how sterile the environment had become since the Pioneer Baseball League entered the stage of being an "MLB Partner League" and everything felt so corporate. I guess everyone else agrees with me considering how last time I went in 2023, ON OPENING DAY mind you, the stands were almost empty. I'd say out of about a 9,000-seat facility there were only about 2,000 and maybe even less. Concessions were outrageously expensive (I think my grandmother had been robbed of $12 just for one of those plastic beer bottles!) and it was just not the same ballclub I remembered seeing in the 2010s as a kid. If the MLB is trying to ruin Minor League Baseball, they are doing a damn fine job of it. The only way this ends is if somehow Rob Manfred dies, retires, resigns, or gets forcefully overthrown Russian Revolution style. This is a systematic problem rotten to its core. I've always preferred watching the lower levels of many sports, baseball included.
Minor League Baseball was and still is a hyperfixation of mine and we as baseball fans need to start taking action, or the alternative is many smaller markets in baseball not only lose "just a baseball team", but a source of local tax revenue and park employees' livelihoods, as well as a major source of family entertainment for those within even a 100-mile radius of the park. Every time I go to a minor league game, people will always reveal to me in casual conversation "I came all the way from (insert state here) to Montana to watch these guys play!" and it's a great thing to hear. Why does Manfred want to nix that? Why do people like that bastard want to kill what used to be America's Pastime by the root?? I'll never understand the mind behind these capitalists, and quite frankly I don't want to, lest I turn as bitter with hatred as them.
I wonder what's their endgame
Maybe they're gonna cut more MiLB teams and probably reducing the draft rounds while letting the former MiLB teams into Independent Leagues?
Especially since they want to cut costs over and over again
tbh I don't wanna them cut MiLB anymore, 4 tiers already enough, although the current MiLB system has its flaws too, they're basically Independent teams with partnerships of MLB teams
I hope they're run like the extension of the MLB teams rather than independent from their MLB partners
Really awesome and informative video. Thanks for putting in the time and effort to make it.
I have been going to independent league games in northern NJ, for several years. The Newark Bears, since folded; the Rockland Boulders; the NJ Jackals, now playing in an inappropriate football stadium. I have noticed the attendance dropping over the years.
Jackals moving to Paterson was the worst move in an Independent league. I know the City of Paterson wanted them and to revitalize the city, but you can't survive drawing 600-700 people a game.. I'm surprised they haven't folded or share the stadium with the Miners.
@littlestevet4272 I went to a Jackals game last year at historic Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson. Not a good place to watch baseball. And this spring the field is not ready for the Paterson high school baseball games! The Jackals for many years shared a stadium on the campus of Montclair State University. That stadium is named for Yogi Berra, who lived in Montclair.
As a Oakland A's fan, Im glad Oakland is getting a Pioneer League team the Oakland Ballers. I'm done with Rob Mansturd... hope he goes away
I'm still glad my Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are still active. I love them more than their major league affiliate.
Great Lakes Loons fan here
Liking what I've seen from Thayron Liranzo so far
Couldn’t say it any better… this need shared to the ends of the earth!
MLB wants to own all the minor league teams and assets too because they believe it’s theirs! Need to work together to make the best possible product rather than to hollow it all out to become nothing more than a memory
Showing my age. When you said Toledo Mud Hens my first thought was Klinger from MASH
Same here!
Klinger was trying to use mental illness to get chaptered out. If he were to try that exact same thing today he would be promoted to Chief of Staff by the end of the month.
me too!
I went to the Toledo Mud Hens Opening Day 2 weeks ago...They are the Triple A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers
Also have a bar area named for Klinger both inside and outside of the ballpark
Tris Speaker played for the Arkansas Travelers (then little rock travelers) in 1903, i love my local team and has had some of the greatest players ever play there. bill dickey, fegie jenkins, mike trout, julio rodriguez, many more have played as travs
Jackson, TN. had a nice thing going with a AA team, until MLB shrank the number of teams after the 2020 season. Now Jackson has a beautiful AA sized stadium with no team...This town could support a team if it were geographically linked to St. Louis, Atlanta, or even the Cubs.
That is why the SAVANNAH Bannas have become so beloved
this change killed MiLB in Fresno where we have an amazing stadium but have change affiliates 4 times in 8 years and are now stuck with Single A from COL after having the Giants and Astros AAA teams for decades
Really sad
I'm from Fresno, and grew up growing to Grizzlies games. I like to say we have the nicest Single A stadium in the country now. The product is not the same.
I still loathe the Astros for buying the then named Sugar Land Skeeters and having them leave the ALPB. Tickets were more affordable, food vendors were 10x better tasting and affordable, and the staff and players were much more interactive and polite. The whole feel there now is so different.
Thanks for mentioning Fresno. After farming talent for the Giants World Series runs in the 2010’s, it sure is great that now we get to say we have the nicest Single-A ballpark in the country…
I'm from Fresno and have attended a TON of Grizzlies games over the years. I can back up that statement, Chukchansi Park is a real gem and yes, it is the nicest Single A park in the country.
I have live in Pikeville, KY for the past 11 years. The cubs used to have a rookie team here back in the 80s and 90s. Greg Maddux played for them and a lot of the older people are still talking about it.
How to save minor league baseball:
1. Abolish the MLB draft
2. Abolish affiliations
This way, all MiLB teams are independent teams, and have the freedom to sign and sell whatever players they want, without the direction of their parent MLB club. For example, an 18 year old in Albuquerque would be able to sign with the Isotopes out of high school, and then he could get sold to an MLB team a few years later. The minor league team would make a profit of his sale.
That is how it is done in Brazil with soccer. Most teams barely make ends meet at the gates , with zero TV revenue. Transfer fees is where money is made.
I'm a brazilian and I vouch for what @serafinacosta7118 said. There is also the solidarity mechanism. If a player is sold again, the team (s) that he played until he turned pro have the right to 5% of the transfer fee at least.
@@ydnelol what???
@@serafinacosta7118 that's how it's done with soccer in most of the world. As an American, I started watching international club soccer around 10 years ago, and it really opened up my eyes to how sports are run elsewhere.
Good idea.
MLB is all about the owners $$$. The commissioner works for the owners. Bottom line is paying more for MLB superstars (free agent contracts) is a profit cutting issue that MLB owners had to deal with, and this is one of their solutions to mitigate that profitably issue.
Take a look at the Japanese, Mexican S. American leagues they have become a big part of the player pipeline.
Minor league games used to affordable and now I can buy MLB tickets for the same price, not good.
You are right about your observations but unfortunately, they see it as just business.
This is genuinely such a sad thing, growing up in the Lehigh valley, the most exciting thing was when the Iron Pigs first came to be. Seeing them play has always been a favorite activity in our area and it sucks seeing this all happen to the minors
Ikr
Some of my best memories came from Coca Cola Park. It’s sad to see what has happened.
So happy I can say Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina came through our town on their way to greatness. I even got to play catch with Josh Donaldson when our team affiliate switched from the cardinals to the cubs before switching back to the cardinals. Also, Roger Maris played on the field I currently play men's league ball at. I also played high-school ball on the field Jim Thome graced. My community has such a rich baseball history
Such a great video. Minor league baseball is the best sporting event in the country because it’s local and unique. I can’t stand the fact that the sleezeballs like Manfried & Co ruined it
Thanks for covering this! My local team the Woosox just got sold to DBH and I’ve been fearful of the results to come.
Tony Shiovane!? I didn't know he was a minor league announcer.
It isn't just MLB that seeks to destroy the minor league system of their sport as the MLS is trying to do the exact same thing with USL with one key difference. Instead of trying to simply take over the minor league USL system like MLB did, MLS wants to eliminate it entirely by putting expansion clubs in cities that already have USL teams so that the USL club folds. This is what happened in San Diego when San Diego FC was announced as joining MLS (in 2025) last year, it caused the USL club the Loyal to immediately shut down. MLS's likely long term goal with the minor league or pyramid system is to have MLS franchises in cities that currently have a USL club or put MLS Next Pro clubs (essentially MLS reserve or academy teams) in those areas so that USL completely goes out of business & they have total control over the whole system.
The US Soccer federation could easily step in & prevent MLS from doing this by threatening to revoke MLS's status as a 1st division league (which would prevent MLS clubs from signing players & from participating in competitions like the CONCACAF Champions Cup) but has chosen not to since Don Garber (the MLS commissioner) is a board member of US Soccer.
Despite all of this, USL is fighting back against MLS mainly through doing a media deal with CBS & ESPN that allows clubs to get needed revenue from TV money, something that MLS lost entirely when they did a deal with Apple that basically put every single MLS game behind a paywall via Season Pass. This year marks the first time that there are more televised USL games than MLS ones. USL is an important piece of the soccer culture in this country for many of the same reasons that the minor leagues are to baseball & in my view it needs to thrive in order to grow the game.
You are 100% correct about the USL. In fact, in my videos to do file, USL > MLS is one I've been looking forward to getting to. It absolutely baffles that after 28 years, MLS still doesn't understand that US soccer fans do not want a US sporting experience.
True and you make some excellent points. Clearly knowledgeable.
However soccer sucks...
So there is also that.
(JK and not hating on you man😂 Just hating on soccer)
@@BrettShadow based on what the video says it's the 3rd most popular sport in US and probably by 2030 it will surpass MLB.
@@aron4117 True... true...
However soccer does still suck
Great audio, great video editing.
Baseball is doing quite well globally. But it's mostly doing well outside the US. I went to see some pro games in Japan and South Korea and you see a ton of younger people watching games and TV ratings in these countries are good. Ditto in Cuba, DR, Venezuela, baseball is the national sport in these countries, you see kids playing baseball in the streets just like you see kids playing soccer in Brazil or cricket in India.
About the video, I find it's a great video. Minor league baseball is still relatively strong in some markets. Still, for smaller markets like those in the old Appy league or the NY Penn League, the contraction was the end for pro baseball in their respective markets and frankly in some markets the alternative is better with Indy ball but in other markets, the alternative is something worse or nothing at all.
I live in Ottawa (the federal capital of Canada), and we had MILB Triple-A International League ball for years until 2007. The Lynx were a top-rated team attendance-wise in the mid-1990s for a few seasons, but by 1998-1999 the team was frankly not profitable attendance-wise so it was not really surprising that they left after the 2007 season for Pennsylvania.
The last 30 years in terms of MILB baseball north of the border were brutal. Basically, every MILB club in Canada outside the Vancouver Canadians are gone. Canada still has indy league in some Canadian cities (Ottawa, Winnipeg) and college summer leagues but all the other franchises are gone.
My town of Elizabethton, Tennessee put out Kirby Puckett, Gary Gaetti Kent Herbek, Joe Mauer, AJ Pierzynski’ Miguel Sano and a plethora of Twins. Then the twins org screwed us over. Then they screwed my town over and left after we gave them a large tax incentive and even issued some bonds to upgrade the facility I used to root for the twins as my second or third team but now I hate that organization.
To add to that, it's incredible the names that came from the old Appalachian League teams such as the Orioles and Braves.
@@Gator198l yeah Dwight Gooden, Strawberry, Dale Murphy Cal Ripken, Mark Byrd Fydrich- it’s an amazing list. Are you from the region?
As a Twins fan from Japan, I now hate the US state of Tennessee for irrational people blaming the team for naturally picking larger Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers as affiliates over very small Elizabethton when it was MLB who forced the Appalachian league out of existence in the first place.
Oh, you are a US left winger... Now your misguided anger makes more sense. (Western Leftists are famous for misguided outrage).
Mad at Twins who stuck with Tennessee for years but not at MLB for forcing teams to get rid of the Appalachian league.
We got all those same youngsters in Visalia as Single A affiliates for the Twins. I can remember seeing Kirby & Kent as Visalia Oaks while I was in 1st or 2nd grade.
What happened to Borat's team, the Savanna Sand Gnats?
My town had a team until the contraction. The former owner of that team outright owns the stadium, though. She declared that there WILL BE BASEBALL HERE, no matter what!
What did she do? She founder her own league, the Mavericks League! There are only four teams, and they all play in the same stadium, but we still have baseball. 😊
My big complaint as a AAA city (Buffalo Bisons) is that if it is impossible to get invested in the players. There is so much turnover now a days that the roster at the beginning of the reason barely resembles the roster at the end of the season, to say nothing of the next season. And if you are a prospect at the AAA level for more then a few months then you might as well be considered a bust.
This is why there are so many AAAA players at the major league level these days.
I was already disgusted when this happened. Now knowing more facts, It makes me sick…
I don't know if it's just nostalgia, but man back in the day there seemed to be way more promotions at games for the local team than there are now. The mascot used to dance, dress up, and do little skits on the field, the ballpark was more decorated, there were more fans. Now there's no time to do anything of impact on the field due to the pitch clock, less fans in the stands, promotions just don't feel the same. Don't know, it's kinda sad. Now MLB is forcing all teams to become the Malmö Oat Milkers for a game this season, and the MiLB logo is a recolored MLB logo. It's so corporate and hard to watch.
They took the Minor League Conference called the Southern Leagues teams from ten to eight.🤬😡
I miss the Tucson Toros.
Minor league baseball has always been held together with bubble gum at best. Try getting guys to play for next to nothing for 5 months for " living a dream".
The die was cast when Peter Ueberroth allowed the Lords of Larceny to get as much money as possible. Baseball is a dying game. When I see more kids in my neck of the woods know who Killian Mbappe is and not Aaron Judge (I live in Brooklyn) You know there is a problem.
Baseball is thriving globally. East Asia Latin America. Even being played in Czech Republic and Australia. It's joked in Asia that the Americans don't have the attention span or patience for Baseball anymore. More people globally play Baseball than Padded Rugby, excuse me, American Football.
@@HoshizakiYoshimasaWho cares? It’s dying in America which is the persons point
4:01 is my local baseball diamond field from back in the day, crazy to see it hasn’t changed much. Vince Genna Stadium, Bend, Oregon. No more minor league ball nowadays but we have college summer league ball
Lost both my teams in a 3 year period, Expos at the end of 04 and the Lynx at the end of 07
Shout out to the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks!
Bill Veeck is pronounced VECK. Mike Veeck, his son and architect of Disco Demolition Night, has joined the Joliet Slammers for the upcoming season. The minor leagues provide an after life, too!
He sold his stake on the Saint Paul Saints to an investor group.
The Fresno demotion makes perfect sense given the Oakland news. Push the upgraded stadium then swoop in and take it.
I'm not from the area but it's not like the California League is no slouch either. Still in a league with a storied history but with a lot less travel. Seems like a soft landing compared to some demoted teams.
I find it interesting how NBA and NFL basically use College sports as thier developmental leagues. Sure college baseball exists but these developmental baseball leagues kind of make college baseball redundant.
i wouldn't say college baseball is redundant. It's a different path, but some players need different
14:46 at my home ballpark in reading pa the AA affiliate of the philies had no choice but to renovate the rated most classic ballpark in America of up to almost 15-20 million dollars and if they didn’t do that they would be forced to move or fold, with the upgrades it took away the fun and excitement of being close up to the players plus the feel of the ballpark, it just hasn’t been the same since the mlbs new rules
The Brockton Rox , in Brockton MA , had a cozy brand new park. And they used cheerleaders at their games.
I was sad when my local team lost their MiLB status and went independent. But I am not thankful for it. The team is OUR team now. The talent is higher and the experience is just overall better. Go Atlantic League and Go Dirty Birds!
As a former minor leaguer we do love our fans especially in the Indy Leagues- And you probably didn’t lose much with an Atlantic League team moving in for decades the Atlantic League has been compared to AAA baseball you get to see a lot of former pros and current who are waiting on contracts as well as some of the best talent there is outside of the MLB
Rob Manfred should go DOWN in history, as the man that destroyed baseball. I'm 60 years old. LOVED baseball for as long as I can remember. I've been told I used to sit in front of the tv ALL DAY, in a t-shirt I made into a Yankees jersey by drawing pinstripes on it, waiting for the game to come on. I lived and breathed baseball. My Dad could never understand why I could know Rod Carew's stats, but couldn't remember to take out the trash. The 90's saw my waning interest in MLB. The whole steroid thing (SELIG). Then the armor the batters wear, the specialized pitchers, the "shift", no more stealing, bunting, freaking fundamentals. My Little League coach, Mr. Dunham, would probably cry if he saw what HIS game had become. I still love Baseball in theory. The Long Island Ducks play right down the street from me, and the Cape Cod League is like a Church for me. and Little League my religion. But MLB is ruined for me, and Manfred just keeps making it worse. I know in my heart Clemente never "tossed" a bat. So sad. So FREAKING sad.
MLB makes billions. Instead of vastly overpaying players, take just a couple million from each of the top contracts and you can fund the minor leagues easily
Sounds like an opportunity for college baseball to takeover the minor league game unterests if its willing to adopt a summer schedule more in line to the summer semester schedules.
I don't know if it would make sense for most college programs to have a season when most students aren't on campus.
@@mduver1 Very true, which is almost certain why this option may never be implemented. However, if there was a change to the season schedule, the target auidence would be to draw from those who would otherwise go to a minor league game, including summer camps, families, etc. The colleges could embrace more community focused ticket and event campaigns, also give the northern state based schools a chance to host more home games, and really draw on the local focus highlighting that the school is part of said community with no chances of leaving, unlike privately owned MiLB clubs.
Shout out to my hometown team, the Visalia Rawhide. Since 1946, Visalia has had a minor league team (Visalia Oaks, then Central Valley Rockies & now Visalia Rawhide. Current MLB stadium demands have our city on the brink of losing the team we've so pridefully called our own for almost 80 years.
If an MLB team moves a minor league club there are typically 2 main reasons 1. They want the teams closer to the parent clubs city 2. The facility has been neglected or is outdated and when the lease is up they move to a better location… These cities and towns who do draw well aren’t SOL depending on the location there are various Independent Leagues who can move a team in (look at the Savanah Bananas) or they can become the home for a college summer league team
I don’t think the fault is with MLB organizations they don’t owe the fans of an affiliate anything I’ve played professionally and worked for a brief period of time for the Trenton Thunder (former LONG time Red Sox/Yankees AA affiliate) and I’ll never forget how fans of the team would get upset if certain players got called up … Another thing, teams aren’t going to keep players living in a depressed area with an extremely high crime rate and unfortunately many of these towns I’ve played and lived in are far below the poverty line and well above the average per capita property and violence crime rates
Sacramento is much stronger market than Vegas if Athletics can capture NorCal region from Oakland to Ukiah. I would definitely be considering a rebrand as West Coast Athletics or California Athletics or NorCal Athletics. Also a Sacramento Athletics name would be major step back in terms of branding towards back to Kansas City A's era!!! Listen up Kings basketball. 👈👆🚗🔥
That Tony Gwynn picture. There's no coke in the dugout, but there's coke in the dugout if you feel me
I kind of regret clicking on this, simply because it's really made me hate MLB as it is currently is and what it's doing. I really hope there's a shakeup that helps the sport return to how great it was, and rid it of the cancer that is currently causing it to die off as a sport. Great video essay full cut by the way, it was really informative
At this point it would require the federal government to step in with threats of anti-monopoly legislation to drive any sort of meaningful change.
It's just so obvious this will kill major league baseball, which... what?
There's always been late round draft picks they've developed in the minors and went on to have great/HOF careers
Those same players don't get to do that if they have to choose between their dream in the future and living above the poverty line now
Even with your stock footage, my pet peeve , I recognize it had to be done so to support your monologue , by the way a fantastic narrative.
Fifty minutes of well worth dissertation. You’ve done your homework. I now rather watch minor league broadcasts ( I am in Brazil , btw ), just because you made it so compelling and thorough.
I’m a Phillies fan but funny enough was a major fan of the Trenton Thunder (AA Yankees affiliate) went to so many games n got to see dozens of future greats including Aaron Judge. Manfred said the stadium wasn’t good enough and for some reason it seems like the Yankees wanted to move away for Somerset.
The Thunder now participate in the MLB draft league which is cool but the season is only like 3 months long😭
@@daquandavis5498which is crazy because now the ability to renovate the stadium is not possible. You think Trenton is gonna to try to generate money to fix this place?
It's Bill Veeck, as in wreck.
Diamond Baseball Holdings owns 33 minor league teams (out of 120). DBH is a subsidiary of Silver Lake, a private equity firm.
@30.46 Nice shot of my town's baseball stadium!
Haven't been to a game since 1982 and will never go again.
want a cookie?
Minor league sports across all sports have lost their soul since at least 2000. It is no longer about growing the sport or providing a community with the sport. It is about growing the market reach of the top affiliate team/league. Although each sport has taken a different path they have all reached the same destination. At least here in the US.
So many people glorify Oliver Wendell Holmes. He's the one who write the Federal Baseball Club decision. There was no constitutional issue involved so congress can do away with the anti-trust exemption. MLB's actions are not all bad. Their reorganization has cut down on travel distances and frequency of travel. Unlike football and basketball, MLB operates its own development system. If anybody could stand up to the MLB successfully, it would be the NCAA. And one benefit of cutting the short season and rookie leagues and the draft, is more prospective players who would have gone to the minors out of high school, might go to college instead. All colleges and universities offer summer sessions and they could move their season to correspond to the professional baseball season, get rid of metal bats and start marketing college baseball.
Thankfully the NCAA greed prevents that. The last thing young players need is to get even less compensation and get shackled with with vile practices of the NCAA. Plus NCAA rules are dogshit.
Growing up with the Frisco RoughRiders was a blast. Gorgeous stadium too. Although I trust Greenberg more than most other owners across majors/minors, the overall trend is just so...demoralizing.
So a couple points you neglect to mention. 1: there are still many spots open on college teams across the country. Those kids who may not have a spot in the minors because of the reduction still have other options available. And despite the shortcomings of the NCAA scholarship system, they're probably better off getting a college education while playing than they are working for room and board plus a few bucks in the minors. If you are a realistic MLB prospect, there are avenues to continue playing and developing.
Also one of the biggest killers of the modern minor leagues is modern mobility. Fewer and fewer people raise families in the town they grew up in. That cuts generational bonds with a team. Bonds that stretched back 3-4 generations for some with great great grandpa taking grandpa to games in durham, fresno or sioux city. Most of us develop our fandom in childhood with family, namely dad. Once you move from NC to arizona it gets hard to keep up with your beloved durham bulls. The people who replace you in the durham area dont give 2 figs about the durham bulls and are happy following their favorite MLB team.
Dayton Dragons represent!
No way a Business does something that helps them and not the other company? SHOCKING
my computer science teacher played in the minor leagues before getting into teaching. i was always so confused on why, but he made it explicitly clear to me that the minor league is nothing like the majors lol.
MLB Should’ve just contracted the Florida State League in full only and then add St. Paul and Sugar Land to the fold. Reorganize at each level, 3 leagues per level, and reorganize affiliations. Like so….
*****
Triple A: International League (10)
Buffalo (TOR), Rochester (WSH), Syracuse (NYM), Lehigh Valley (PHI), Scranton/WB (NYY), Gwinnett (ATL), Charlotte (MIA), Norfolk (BAL), Durham (TB), Worcester (BOS).
Triple A: Central League (12)
Louisville (CIN), Columbus (CLE), Toledo (DET), Indianapolis (PIT), Memphis (STL), Nashville (CWS), St. Paul (MIN), Omaha (KC), Iowa (CHC), Oklahoma City (MIL), Round Rock (TEX), Sugar Land (HOU).
Triple A: Pacific Coast League (8)
El Paso (SD), Albuquerque (ARZ), Salt Lake (COL), Reno (LAA), Las Vegas (LAD), Tacoma (SEA), Fresno (SF), Sacramento (OAK).
*****
Double A: Eastern League (10)
Trenton (NYY), Portland (BOS), New Hampshire (TOR), Hartford (NYM), Reading (PHI), Harrisburg (WSH), Altoona (PIT), Erie (DET), Akron (CLE), Bowie (BAL).
Double A: Southern League (10)
Jacksonville (MIA), Pensacola (TB), Birmingham (CWS), Jackson (SF), Montgomery (MIN), Mississippi (ATL), Biloxi (KC), Rocket City (LAD), Knoxville (CHC), Chattanooga (CIN).
Double A: Texas League (10)
San Antonio (SD), Wichita (COL), Tulsa (MIL), Springfield (STL), NW Arkansas (LAA), Arkansas (SEA), Frisco (TEX), Corpus Christi (HOU), Midland (OAK), Amarillo (ARZ).
*****
High A: Metropolitan League (10)
Richmond (CHC), Brooklyn (NYM), Staten Island (NYY), Lowell (BOS), Hudson Valley (DET), Jersey Shore (PHI), Frederick (STL), Aberdeen (BAL), Wilmington (TOR), Fredericksburg (WSH).
High A: California League (8)
Lancaster (COL), Lake Elsinore (LAD), Stockton (SEA), Modesto (ARZ), Visalia (OAK), San Jose (SF), Inland Empire (LAA), Rancho Cucamonga (SD).
High A: South Atlantic League (12)
Lynchburg (CLE), Salem (CWS), Charleston (MIL), Myrtle Beach (TB), Columbia (MIA), Lexington (CIN), WV Power (PIT), Augusta (MIN), Rome (ATL), Winston-Salem (KC), Asheville (HOU), Greensboro (TEX).
****
Low A: Northwest League (8)
Vancouver (SF), Spokane (SD), Everett (SEA), Tri-City (LAA), Boise (ARZ), Eugene (COL), Hillsboro (LAD), Salem-Keizer (OAK).
Low A: Midwest League (16)
Lake County (CLE), Dayton (CIN), Fort Wayne (CWS), Great Lakes (TB), West Michigan (DET), Lansing (TOR), Burlington (BAL), Clinton (WSH), Cedar Rapids (MIN), Wisconsin (MIL), Peoria (STL), Quad Cities (PIT), Beloit (MIA), Kane County (KC), South Bend (CHC), Bowling Green (NYY).
Low A: Carolina League (6)
Hickory (NYM), Kannapolis (PHI), Carolina (ATL), Down East (TEX), Fayetteville (HOU), Greenville (BOS).
*****
Short Season: NY-Penn League (12)
Binghamton (NYM), Delmarva (BAL), Tri-City (NYY), Vermont (TOR), Norwich (BOS), Williamsport (PHI), State College (MIL), Mahoning Valley (CLE), Batavia (DET), Auburn (CHC), WV Black Bears (PIT), Hagerstown (WSH).
Short Season: Appalachian League (10)
Danville (ATL), Kingsport (CWS), Pulaski (MIA), Johnson City (STL), Bluefield (TEX), Burlington (KC), Bristol (HOU), Elizabethon (MIN), Princeton (TB), Greeneville (CIN).
Short Season: Pioneer League (8)
Idaho Falls (ARZ), Ogden (LAD), Northern Colorado (SF), Rocky Mountain (SD), Grand Junction (COL), Billings (SEA), Great Falls (LAA), Missoula (OAK).
*****
Rookie: Gulf Coast League
NY Yankees, Boston, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Detroit, Minnesota, Houston, NY Mets, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, Miami, Pirates, Cardinals.
Rookie: Arizona League
Cleveland, Chi Sox, Kansas City, Texas, Seattle, LA Angels, Oakland, Reds, Cubs, Brewers, LA Dodgers, San Francisco, San Diego, Arizona, Colorado.
*****
Independent: Atlantic League (12)
Somerset, Long Island, Lancaster, York, New Britain, Sussex County, Southern MD, Rockland, New Jersey, Ottawa, Quebec, Three Rivers.
Independent: American Association (12)
Lake Country, Gary, Chicago, Milwaukee, Winnipeg, Fargo-Morehead, Sioux Falls, Lincoln, Kansas City, Sioux City, Joliet, Schaumburg.
*****
**Remaining independent teams join summer collegiate ranks or cease operations. Daytona, an unfortunate casualty, joins summer collegiate ranks.
Daytona -> Coastal Plain League.
High Point -> Coastal Plain League.
Gastonia -> Coastal Plain League.
Lake Erie -> Prospect League.
Washington -> Prospect League.
Evansville -> Prospect League
Florence -> Prospect League.
River City -> Prospect League.
Southern Illinois -> Prospect League.
Gateway -> Prospect League.
Windy City -> Northwoods League.
Cleburne -> Texas Collegiate League.
Grand Prairie -> Texas Collegiate League.
Empire League -> Ceases operations.
Pecos League -> Ceases operations, teams either fold or join other leagues.
Pacific Association -> Ceases operations, teams either fold or join other leagues.
USPBL -> ceases operations, but Utica Unicorns joins the Northwoods League.
*****
Also…. One rookie complex league team per league, not multiple.