dd
Veteran
Posts: 979
|
Post by dd on Nov 14, 2020 18:05:53 GMT -5
Are you saying moving the Sea Dogs to Pawtucket? I don't think the stadium being an hour away vs. 2 hrs away is going to make any difference. Attendance is about even and the Hadlock is soooo much better than McCoy, as a stadium. Agree and I prefer Portland but I am talking about travel time for the teams not travel times to Boston. Also they can usually play baseball in Pawtucket in the early spring.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Nov 14, 2020 19:13:22 GMT -5
The major changes are purely going to be in a-ball, not the high minors.
The Mid-Atlantic League that's being created will reportedly be High A. I remain skeptical about LeLacheur's use as a full-season park (where is anyone going to park when school is in?), and it would need significant renovation, I think, to meet the new standards for minor league parks.
Don't just read the headline. Here's the lede, which is VERY different.
Pretty clearly seems to be Heller leaking this.
|
|
|
Post by Oregon Norm on Nov 27, 2020 10:10:14 GMT -5
Baseball America just posted a detailed look at where this is going: www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-nears-decision-on-120-full-season-minor-league-clubs-for-2021/The 120 teams included in the reworked minor league structure will be signing Professional Development Licenses. If they refuse they won't be part of the deal, replaced by teams selected from what reads like a waiting list. That's a very different relationship between MLB and what will remain of MiLB in keeping with the One Baseball initiative (I can't help feeling uncomfortable with the name and how it echoes the One China push). MLB is going to sit at the top of this thing and any franchisee that doesn't like it will have to fend for themselves There will also be Partner Leagues including the Pioneer and others, and the Rookie Leagues wil be replaced by developmental leagues. A lot of this has been mentioned in this thread. The BA story puts it all in one place.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Nov 27, 2020 10:25:42 GMT -5
To be fair, MLB has been very responsive to MiLB owner feedback recently on certain proposals.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Nov 27, 2020 14:34:30 GMT -5
Put another way, the new A-ball structure
|
|
|
Post by p23w on Nov 27, 2020 16:44:05 GMT -5
All this "activity" seems to assume business as usual. I remain skeptical with respect to the virus' impact on the economy and available resources. I just don't see how the front offices can make these changes given the economic forecasts for 2021 with the expectation that they will "revive" MiLB. Beyond 2021 these plans make some sense.
|
|
|
Post by Oregon Norm on Nov 27, 2020 21:09:09 GMT -5
That's definitely what this is about, the long term. I would imagine those licenses come with provisions for renewal over some time period. There's a chance that could happen in 2021, but it's really about changing the relationship going forward.
|
|
|
Post by foreverred9 on Nov 27, 2020 22:09:36 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by vermontsox1 on Nov 30, 2020 10:10:38 GMT -5
The former NY-Penn League is now the MLB Draft League per the below press release. Note that Lowell is not included initially in the list of teams, and Trenton, which I believe at one point was rumored as a Red Sox option, is included.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Nov 30, 2020 10:26:47 GMT -5
The Mayor of Trenton said they had talked with the Mets and Red Sox after the Yankees skipped town.
The release says they're in advanced talks with a sixth team, but Lowell makes no sense geographically given that the other five teams are all clustered in Pennsylvania and just over the border from PA in NJ or WV. My guess is it's the Staten Island franchise, which makes the most sense geographically for any of the former NYPL teams (save for Aberdeen, which is likely going to be a High A franchise now, and Brooklyn and Hudson Valley, which are both officially remaining affiliated). I guess it could also be Auburn or Batavia though.
|
|
|
Post by James Dunne on Nov 30, 2020 10:37:46 GMT -5
Batavia doesn't have owners, so it won't be them. They've been owned and operated by the NYPL the last couple years after a couple attempts by the Rochester Red Wings group to sell had fallen through.
|
|
|
Post by Shawn McGrath on Nov 30, 2020 11:31:44 GMT -5
There is also the West Virginia Power that is a possibility, though they were in the Sally league prior to 2020. I saw something about the Yankees trying to find Staten Island an indy ball affiliation, potentially in the Atlantic League as a replacement for Somerset, which would leave me to believe they aren't part of the draft league, but I don't have any inside info.
|
|
|
Post by cba82 on Nov 30, 2020 13:09:38 GMT -5
The former NY-Penn League is now the MLB Draft League per the below press release. Note that Lowell is not included initially in the list of teams, and Trenton, which I believe at one point was rumored as a Red Sox option, is included. This is just heartbreaking to me. The New York Penn League was founded in 1939. Many happy family memories as a long-time season ticket holder of the Spinners, who came within a game of being the last-ever champion of the league. Many future major leaguers played there, and it was a great place to watch a game. A tough loss for the city of Lowell as well. So very sad.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Nov 30, 2020 13:26:31 GMT -5
There is also the West Virginia Power that is a possibility, though they were in the Sally league prior to 2020. I saw something about the Yankees trying to find Staten Island an indy ball affiliation, potentially in the Atlantic League as a replacement for Somerset, which would leave me to believe they aren't part of the draft league, but I don't have any inside info. Hadn't really thought of that. Good point. They were on the chopping block too. That would make a lot of sense.
|
|
|
Post by agastonguay13 on Dec 1, 2020 7:33:07 GMT -5
I still don't like this. Sure, something is better than nothing for these communities, but it seems to me like this league ends with the draft in mid-July? Seems like a waste of nearly 2 solid months of prime baseball weather.
|
|
|
Post by vermontsox1 on Dec 1, 2020 10:08:35 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by nhdave on Dec 1, 2020 10:18:10 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Oregon Norm on Dec 1, 2020 11:42:06 GMT -5
The gist of this is clear. As MLB takes control of the training regime they are tailoring the leagues, including partner leagues, to their liking. That means wood-bat venues partitioned by age (sophomore, junior, senior) and by status (drafted, un-drafted). I suppose they feel that breaking it up this way allows for a fine-grained look at prospects. The Cape League is the obvious model given the great success it has had in displaying player potential. This is likely a two-edged sword. Getting a prior look at the draft pool, and later at un-drafted players who should get a chance to show off their skills, seems like a good idea. On the down side, there's the possibility of really watering down the competition, providing little in the way of incentive for teams to bring in fans. That's been a problem in the current structure, and it may be in this one also. A lot will depend on how robust the support for those leagues and teams are, how willing MLB owners are to foot the bill for the experiment. And that's what it is, an experiment.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Dec 1, 2020 15:41:44 GMT -5
I still don't like this. Sure, something is better than nothing for these communities, but it seems to me like this league ends with the draft in mid-July? Seems like a waste of nearly 2 solid months of prime baseball weather. The article says the draft will be an all-star break, doesn't it? I think you'd then have potential NDFAs in the league, as teams won't want guys they drafted continuing to play I don't think. As expected, they see the 4 full-season affiliates remaining in tact.
|
|
|
Post by philsbosoxfan on Dec 4, 2020 5:36:39 GMT -5
And they're off..... JJ Cooper @jjcoop36 · 6h Our story ($) on the Staten Island Yankees lawsuit against MLB and the New York Yankees has been updated with details from the initial court filings. They are asking for at least $160 million in damages. JJ Cooper @jjcoop36 · 6h An initial filing from a plaintiff is a summation of their case from their perspective. But worth noting that the Staten Island Yankees' current owners bought the club from the New York Yankees, and they cite representations made to them at the time of the sale. www.baseballamerica.com/stories/staten-island-yankees-file-lawsuit-against-mlb-new-york-yankees/
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Dec 7, 2020 20:59:29 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by chowda on Dec 7, 2020 21:54:20 GMT -5
Lowell unfortunately is done. As of last week there is no staff left and there will be no wooden bat league either. Very unfortunate for Merrimack Valley.
|
|
|
Post by vermontsox1 on Dec 8, 2020 17:25:10 GMT -5
I suspect the Red Sox will do the same.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Dec 8, 2020 17:49:06 GMT -5
I suspect the Red Sox will do the same. Poor Mike. On our 2021 page, we had projected this, then JJ Cooper reported the potential 150-player limit and he converted it to a single team. Now they've expanded it back out to 180 and he's going to have to edit it all over again. But yeah there's no question they're going to run two of them. I can't see how you can have 2 DSL teams and not, really. Even with a reduced draft, where would you put everyone in rookie ball between the DSL grads, new draftees, and prior year's draftees who aren't ready for Greenville yet?
|
|
|
Post by vermontsox1 on Dec 9, 2020 9:49:43 GMT -5
The Mayor of Trenton said they had talked with the Mets and Red Sox after the Yankees skipped town. The release says they're in advanced talks with a sixth team, but Lowell makes no sense geographically given that the other five teams are all clustered in Pennsylvania and just over the border from PA in NJ or WV. My guess is it's the Staten Island franchise, which makes the most sense geographically for any of the former NYPL teams (save for Aberdeen, which is likely going to be a High A franchise now, and Brooklyn and Hudson Valley, which are both officially remaining affiliated). I guess it could also be Auburn or Batavia though. JJ Cooper reporting that Frederick Keys (formerly High A team for the Orioles) will become the sixth team of the MLB Draft League.
|
|