MLB to Small Town America: Drop Dead

Independent teams in St. Paul and Skeeter Land, Texas, are going to be elevated to triple-A. So they have to re-classify two current triple-A teams. Fresno is one. Haven't heard who the other one is. There are worse options than the California League for Fresno. Like having no league at all, the fate of NY-P, Pioneer, Appalachian and Northwest league franchises.

 

I want to say I saw San Antonio was the other one? They were just bumped up from the AA Texas League two years ago.

Brewers Need New Triple-A Home After San Antonio Drops To Double-A

Ostensibly, Sugar Land would link up with the Astros, which would give the Brewers, who had San Antonio, the Round Rock Express.

 

In the case of OKC and the Dodgers, they're both owned in part by Mandalay Bay Entertainment guru Peter Guber, whose holdings include the Golden State Warriors.

Ya know, MLB had a model on how to do this when the AHL created a Western Division for the benefit of NHL teams on the Left Coast (ladies and gentlemen, your Worchester Sharks!) and shifted ECHL teams into the abandoned territories. But as we've seen, if there's a way to screw up a one-car funeral, baseball will do it.

 

From what I've read, the Northwest League will be reclassified as High-A with the Cal League being bumped down to Low-A. I guess they're going to do that so that West Coast MLB teams have both their Single-A affiliates nearby.

Of course, all this info has been from "sources" since the MLB hasn't made an official announcement yet. Of course, that means the minor league clubs still don't have schedules and can't book promotions or entertainment yet.

 

Yeah, I'm sure they are desperate for money.

 

Which drops Fresno three levels. Sort of like dumping Auburn out of the SEC and telling them to enjoy new rivalries with the likes of Albany State, Morehouse and Tuskegee.

Making Chukchansi Park the largest low-A stadium in the country, not counting spring training sites in the Florida State League. I guess we'd find out for sure if fans come to minor league games for the baseball or the entertainment value. I'm certain the owners are eagerly looking forward to hosting Adelanto and Modesto instead of Las Vegas or Salt Lake.

 

I was referring to the fans who would buy ticket packages for teams without schedules.

 

I know. I'm sure they know the risks. The team is desperate for money.

 

Given that the Twins have gone through a couple lengthy stints of irrelevance since 1991, putting the AAA team a half-hour away makes no sense. If I can see the same quality of ball for $50 or $10, I'm going for the $10.

 

The thing about the Saints is that's been a Mike Veeck operation and they've always kind of thrived on being not the Twins, particularly in the 90s when the Twins were contraction fodder and played in the ugly Metrodome. Admittedly, I've never been to their new stadium, which opened in 2015, but I'd be more interested in seeing AAA than an Indy ball game and I'm guessing they'll be able to do a lot of the same promotional stuff they were doing before.

 

I am surprised that the Twins and Astros are allowing Triple A ball into their metro areas. What's next? The Hollywood Stars and Newark Bears returning?

 

Newark tore down the independent league team’s stadium a few years ago. I don’t think many people went to the Bears games.