Minors: Business Beat
Some Teams Thrived In Tough Economy
Nov. 5, 2009
The worst economy since the Great Depression didn't stop a handful of teams from welcoming a record number of fans to their ballparks in 2009. [...] Continue Reading »
New Look For The DAP
Sep. 3, 2009
The ballpark that spurred minor league baseball's boom finally got a much-needed face lift. [...] Continue Reading »
Living The Dream
Aug. 11, 2009
Baseball dreams do come true. Just ask Randy Whitaker. After all, Whitaker's first job in professional baseball (as a general manager, no less) could not have come at a more fortuitous time. The longtime marketing and sales director for a local Harrisburg, Pa., television station took the helm for the Senators roughly 18 months ago and has been charged with guiding the Double-A Eastern League affiliate through a $45 million renovation of the ballpark he has been attending as a fan for 20 years. [...] Continue Reading »
Blaney Ready To Step In
Jul. 14, 2009
The California League has hired Charlie Blaney as the league's next president. [...] Continue Reading »
Two Huge Losses
Jun. 25, 2009
Matt Meyer stood on the mound in Winston-Salem, N.C., his body in one place and part of his mind in another. A reliever in his fourth year in the Indians organization, Meyer was laboring through his 18th appearance of the season for high Class A Kinston, where he has pitched most of the past three years. His thoughts, clouded by grief, wandered toward yet another crippling loss to the Carolina League Franchise. [...] Continue Reading »
More Complications
May. 29, 2009
It is never easy when it comes to baseball in Richmond. The sale of the Eastern League's Connecticut franchise to a Richmond-based ownership group was declared by both sides in April to be imminent. Yet no deal had been struck four weeks later as Memorial Day came and went, and a June 1 deadline (which had already been extended at least once) to complete the deal was fast approaching. [...] Continue Reading »
Stepping Down
May. 20, 2009
After 29 years at the helm of the California League, Joe Gagliardi is stepping down without much fanfare. [...] Continue Reading »
New Parks Boosts IL's Attendance
May. 13, 2009
In minor league baseball, there is no better remedy for a recession than a new ballpark—and the International League has two. [...] Continue Reading »
Business Beat
May. 1, 2009
In minor league baseball, there is no better remedy for a recession than a new ballpark—and the International League has two. [...] Continue Reading »
League-By-League Ballpark Rankings
Apr. 17, 2009
We pick the top ballparks in each affiliated minor league. [...] Continue Reading »
Dirk Hayhurst's Favorite Parks
Apr. 17, 2009
Dirk Hayhurst has seen his share of ballparks. The veteran minor league reliever, who spent March in Florida trying to break camp with the Blue Jays, has spent six seasons watching ball games (and killing time) in bullpens throughout the minor league landscape. [...] Continue Reading »
Top 10 Ballparks
Apr. 17, 2009
We rank the top 10 ballparks around the minors, led by Memphis' AutoZone Park. [...] Continue Reading »
Where To Now?
Mar. 11, 2009
When the planned California League-Carolina League swap fell apart, two California League teams were left scrambling. [...] Continue Reading »
In Service
Jan. 28, 2009
Brought back thanks to a suggestion by a President, the military all-stars program keeps growing and growing. [...] Continue Reading »
Tough Times For Everyone
Jan. 21, 2009
Standing 6-foot-10, sporting a Jackie Moon hairstyle and a Keith Hernandez mustache, Steve Palazzolo doesn't look like a lot of minor leaguers. However the Giants farmhand finds himself in the same boat as many minor leaguers this offseason, as Palazzolo tries to stretch his meager season's salary over a full year during an economic downturn. [...] Continue Reading »
Tough Sledding Ahead
Dec. 5, 2008
Minor league baseball has been on a record rise in the post-Bull Durham era, as the sport's popularity has sparked five straight seasons of attendance records that have also seen soaring franchise values and record merchandise sales. More than 43 million people attended minor league games in 2008, as 78 of the sport's 160 teams saw an increase at the gate from the previous season. This year's Winter Meetings will be accompanied with something unfamiliar in recent years: reason for concern. [...] Continue Reading »
Building To A Record
Oct. 17, 2008
Minor league baseball set an attendance record for the fifth consecutive season in 2008, and as in years past, a few teams were largely responsible for boosting the sport past its previous year's mark. [...] Continue Reading »
No Place Like Home
Oct. 16, 2008
The minor league affiliation shuffle wound to a close in late September, and the big winners all seemed to have one thing in common: They affiliated with the hometown big league team. [...] Continue Reading »
Farewell Old Friend
Sep. 18, 2008
The Triple-A Clippers ended their 2008 season with a 3-0 loss to visiting Toledo at Cooper Stadium, the last minor league game scheduled for what used to be called Red Bird Stadium. [...] Continue Reading »
PDC Chart
Sep. 10, 2008
See which teams are still looking for affiliates with our Player Development Contract chart [...] Continue Reading »
Minors Shift
Aug. 1, 2008
The California League is considering a proposal to send a pair of teams to the Carolina League for the 2009 season. [...] Continue Reading »
Stepping Up
Jul. 22, 2008
Barack Obama and John McCain are not the only ones courting the Hispanic demographic as their campaigns for the White House churn into gear this summer. Minor league baseball teams across the country, always in search of adding another layer to their fan base, have also been going out of their way to make sure that this ever-expanding slice of America feels at home at the ballpark. As professional baseball continues to become more and more diverse on the field, minor league teams are trying to ensure the faces in the stands follow suit. [...] Continue Reading »
Richmond Decision May Take A While
May. 14, 2008
Minor League Baseball remains in the early stages of finding a replacement team in Richmond for the International League's Braves, who are ending their 43-year relationship with the city in favor of moving into a new ballpark in Gwinnett County, Ga. [...] Continue Reading »
Facebook For Baseball
Apr. 8, 2008
A new Website tries to connect baseball players through a social networking site. [...] Continue Reading »
Fix-It-Upper
Apr. 3, 2008
Naomi Silver hardly thinks of Batavia as a reclamation project. The Rochester Red Wings chief operating officer instead views her team's new relationship with the Muckdogs, their neighbor in upstate New York, as an investment that will prove profitable for two of minor league baseball's most venerable teams. [...] Continue Reading »
Marlins, Rays Spruce Up Sagging Markets
Mar. 20, 2008
While promotions are as much a part of baseball history as Cracker Jacks and trading cards, teams like the Rays and Marlins are trying to overcome geographical and structural challenges by making their ballparks into destination attractions. Arriving to the park just before the first pitch and leaving after the seventh inning doesn't fit into their business model. Instead they invite fans to come early for a parking lot happy hour or concourse level mini-carnival and stay late for fireworks and a concert. [...] Continue Reading »
Business Beat: March 5
Mar. 5, 2008
The Columbus Catfish have a new owner, and likely a new hometown in the future. [...] Continue Reading »
Preaching Patience
Feb. 7, 2008
And the winner in the recently abandoned, and suddenly sought-after Richmond market sweepstakes is . . . patience. [...] Continue Reading »
Brevard County's Newsletters Are Fan Favorites
Jan. 23, 2008
The Brevard County Manatees have figured out a way to get fans to pay more attention to their offseason newsletters. [...] Continue Reading »
O'Conner Wastes No Time
Jan. 10, 2008
Pat O'Conner didn't waste any time before making his first significant decision as Minor League Baseball's 11th president. [...] Continue Reading »
Some Teams Thrived In Tough Economy
Nov. 5, 2009
The worst economy since the Great Depression didn't stop a handful of teams from welcoming a record number of fans to their ballparks in 2009. [...] Continue Reading »
New Look For The DAP
Sep. 3, 2009
The ballpark that spurred minor league baseball's boom finally got a much-needed face lift. [...] Continue Reading »
Living The Dream
Aug. 11, 2009
Baseball dreams do come true. Just ask Randy Whitaker. After all, Whitaker's first job in professional baseball (as a general manager, no less) could not have come at a more fortuitous time. The longtime marketing and sales director for a local Harrisburg, Pa., television station took the helm for the Senators roughly 18 months ago and has been charged with guiding the Double-A Eastern League affiliate through a $45 million renovation of the ballpark he has been attending as a fan for 20 years. [...] Continue Reading »
Blaney Ready To Step In
Jul. 14, 2009
The California League has hired Charlie Blaney as the league's next president. [...] Continue Reading »
Two Huge Losses
Jun. 25, 2009
Matt Meyer stood on the mound in Winston-Salem, N.C., his body in one place and part of his mind in another. A reliever in his fourth year in the Indians organization, Meyer was laboring through his 18th appearance of the season for high Class A Kinston, where he has pitched most of the past three years. His thoughts, clouded by grief, wandered toward yet another crippling loss to the Carolina League Franchise. [...] Continue Reading »
More Complications
May. 29, 2009
It is never easy when it comes to baseball in Richmond. The sale of the Eastern League's Connecticut franchise to a Richmond-based ownership group was declared by both sides in April to be imminent. Yet no deal had been struck four weeks later as Memorial Day came and went, and a June 1 deadline (which had already been extended at least once) to complete the deal was fast approaching. [...] Continue Reading »
Stepping Down
May. 20, 2009
After 29 years at the helm of the California League, Joe Gagliardi is stepping down without much fanfare. [...] Continue Reading »
New Parks Boosts IL's Attendance
May. 13, 2009
In minor league baseball, there is no better remedy for a recession than a new ballpark—and the International League has two. [...] Continue Reading »
Business Beat
May. 1, 2009
In minor league baseball, there is no better remedy for a recession than a new ballpark—and the International League has two. [...] Continue Reading »
League-By-League Ballpark Rankings
Apr. 17, 2009
We pick the top ballparks in each affiliated minor league. [...] Continue Reading »
Dirk Hayhurst's Favorite Parks
Apr. 17, 2009
Dirk Hayhurst has seen his share of ballparks. The veteran minor league reliever, who spent March in Florida trying to break camp with the Blue Jays, has spent six seasons watching ball games (and killing time) in bullpens throughout the minor league landscape. [...] Continue Reading »
Top 10 Ballparks
Apr. 17, 2009
We rank the top 10 ballparks around the minors, led by Memphis' AutoZone Park. [...] Continue Reading »
Where To Now?
Mar. 11, 2009
When the planned California League-Carolina League swap fell apart, two California League teams were left scrambling. [...] Continue Reading »
In Service
Jan. 28, 2009
Brought back thanks to a suggestion by a President, the military all-stars program keeps growing and growing. [...] Continue Reading »
Tough Times For Everyone
Jan. 21, 2009
Standing 6-foot-10, sporting a Jackie Moon hairstyle and a Keith Hernandez mustache, Steve Palazzolo doesn't look like a lot of minor leaguers. However the Giants farmhand finds himself in the same boat as many minor leaguers this offseason, as Palazzolo tries to stretch his meager season's salary over a full year during an economic downturn. [...] Continue Reading »
Tough Sledding Ahead
Dec. 5, 2008
Minor league baseball has been on a record rise in the post-Bull Durham era, as the sport's popularity has sparked five straight seasons of attendance records that have also seen soaring franchise values and record merchandise sales. More than 43 million people attended minor league games in 2008, as 78 of the sport's 160 teams saw an increase at the gate from the previous season. This year's Winter Meetings will be accompanied with something unfamiliar in recent years: reason for concern. [...] Continue Reading »
Building To A Record
Oct. 17, 2008
Minor league baseball set an attendance record for the fifth consecutive season in 2008, and as in years past, a few teams were largely responsible for boosting the sport past its previous year's mark. [...] Continue Reading »
No Place Like Home
Oct. 16, 2008
The minor league affiliation shuffle wound to a close in late September, and the big winners all seemed to have one thing in common: They affiliated with the hometown big league team. [...] Continue Reading »
Farewell Old Friend
Sep. 18, 2008
The Triple-A Clippers ended their 2008 season with a 3-0 loss to visiting Toledo at Cooper Stadium, the last minor league game scheduled for what used to be called Red Bird Stadium. [...] Continue Reading »
PDC Chart
Sep. 10, 2008
See which teams are still looking for affiliates with our Player Development Contract chart [...] Continue Reading »
Minors Shift
Aug. 1, 2008
The California League is considering a proposal to send a pair of teams to the Carolina League for the 2009 season. [...] Continue Reading »
Stepping Up
Jul. 22, 2008
Barack Obama and John McCain are not the only ones courting the Hispanic demographic as their campaigns for the White House churn into gear this summer. Minor league baseball teams across the country, always in search of adding another layer to their fan base, have also been going out of their way to make sure that this ever-expanding slice of America feels at home at the ballpark. As professional baseball continues to become more and more diverse on the field, minor league teams are trying to ensure the faces in the stands follow suit. [...] Continue Reading »
Richmond Decision May Take A While
May. 14, 2008
Minor League Baseball remains in the early stages of finding a replacement team in Richmond for the International League's Braves, who are ending their 43-year relationship with the city in favor of moving into a new ballpark in Gwinnett County, Ga. [...] Continue Reading »
Facebook For Baseball
Apr. 8, 2008
A new Website tries to connect baseball players through a social networking site. [...] Continue Reading »
Fix-It-Upper
Apr. 3, 2008
Naomi Silver hardly thinks of Batavia as a reclamation project. The Rochester Red Wings chief operating officer instead views her team's new relationship with the Muckdogs, their neighbor in upstate New York, as an investment that will prove profitable for two of minor league baseball's most venerable teams. [...] Continue Reading »
Marlins, Rays Spruce Up Sagging Markets
Mar. 20, 2008
While promotions are as much a part of baseball history as Cracker Jacks and trading cards, teams like the Rays and Marlins are trying to overcome geographical and structural challenges by making their ballparks into destination attractions. Arriving to the park just before the first pitch and leaving after the seventh inning doesn't fit into their business model. Instead they invite fans to come early for a parking lot happy hour or concourse level mini-carnival and stay late for fireworks and a concert. [...] Continue Reading »
Business Beat: March 5
Mar. 5, 2008
The Columbus Catfish have a new owner, and likely a new hometown in the future. [...] Continue Reading »
Preaching Patience
Feb. 7, 2008
And the winner in the recently abandoned, and suddenly sought-after Richmond market sweepstakes is . . . patience. [...] Continue Reading »
Brevard County's Newsletters Are Fan Favorites
Jan. 23, 2008
The Brevard County Manatees have figured out a way to get fans to pay more attention to their offseason newsletters. [...] Continue Reading »
O'Conner Wastes No Time
Jan. 10, 2008
Pat O'Conner didn't waste any time before making his first significant decision as Minor League Baseball's 11th president. [...] Continue Reading »
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