MLB to Small Town America: Drop Dead

Salem-Keizer losing its Northwest League team, which had been a Giants affiliate. Fresno, which was the Nats' AAA team the last two years, has been offered a Rockies affiliate in the California League. All-or-nothing.

 

As teams shift more to the reserve-team/JV format for AAA teams, I'd guess the Cubs would stick their AAA team at Kane County.

 

Yikes. My original thread hed is far too on the nose.

 

Chattanooga and Daytona Beach survive. For now.

Again, expansion will create new affiliates sometime in the future, but I agree with the assessment that the end game is that MLB teams may have just a AAA "taxi squad" and prospects at their Florida/Arizona facilities.

All other "minor league" levels will be independently operated and handle the lion's share of player development, giving MLB clubs the option to purchase players' contracts as a way to profit.

Baseball is envious of the NFL and NBA, where colleges act as de facto "feeder systems."

 

Braves officially ditched the Florida Fire Frogs. Reds surprised me by keeping their affiliate in Daytona Beach. Rays stunned me by dropping the affiliate at their spring training base.

 

My bet is most teams will follow the lead of the Twins and station their AAA / reserve squad team in a smaller park within close proximity to the parent team, but they could also go 100 percent with the varsity/JV parallel -- have the reserve team play games at 12:30 with the varsity at 7:00 all in the MLB park.

 

Do not know much about the rest of the teams but Frederick and Hagerstown had crumbling facilities, and the Orioles and Nationals (respectively) have been looking to ditch those towns for some time. No doubt Potomac would have been on this list had the team not moved to Fredericksburg. Bryce Harper didn't play High-A because the Nats didn't want him playing at Potomac because the field conditions were so awful they were worried he'd get hurt. Anthony Rendon did get seriously hurt in High-A, but it was in a game in Lynchburg.

 

Keeping Chattanooga alive until the Nashville Stars can sign it as their AAA afil.

 

I knew Hagerstown was a dump but I had no idea Frederick was. The stadium doesn’t look awful when you pass it on 70.

 

I want a Fire Frogs T-shirt.

 

Nashville Stars? What happened to the Sounds?