Minors: Minor League Preview

Young Padres' Learning Begins In Fort Wayne
Apr. 18, 2012
The Padres have given manager Jose Valentin a bountiful roster in his first season of managing in the Midwest League. San Diego had 11 of the first 233 picks in last June's draft. Of those 11 players, eight can be found in Fort Wayne this season [...] Continue Reading »

Yankees Stockpile Young Talent In Charleston
Apr. 18, 2012
Center fielder Mason Williams and righthander Jose Campos lead the Yankees' prospect brigade in low Class A. [...] Continue Reading »

Minor League Imports With Upside, Western Divisions
Apr. 3, 2012
Major league organizations collectively sign hundreds of players to minor league deals each offseason, and occasionally teams find big league contributors. In this piece we focus on baseball's 10 Western Division clubs (including the Astros as we anticipate their move to the AL West in 2013), seeking to find those minor league imports who might have untapped upside. [...] Continue Reading »

Here Are 10 Ways To Improve Minor League Baseball
Mar. 28, 2012
Few people care more about minor league baseball than editorial staff here at Baseball America. We are passionate about the players on the field, the ballparks and the people behind the scenes who make it happen. With all of this interest comes a lot of talk in our offices about—yes, you guessed it—baseball. And invariably, the conversation sometimes strays into ways we think the game could improve. Though minor league baseball may never have been more popular than it is now, we think there is room to make things even better. So in that spirit, we offer 10 ways to improve the minor leagues: [...] Continue Reading »

Minor League Imports With Upside, Central Divisions
Mar. 28, 2012
Major league organizations collectively sign hundreds of players to minor league deals each offseason, and occasionally teams find big league contributors. In this piece we focus on baseball's 10 Central Division clubs (minus the Astros), seeking to find those minor league imports who might have untapped upside. [...] Continue Reading »

Minor League Imports With Upside, Eastern Divisions
Mar. 23, 2012
Major league organizations collectively sign hundreds of players to minor league deals each offseason, and occasionally teams find big league contributors. In this piece we focus on baseball's 10 Eastern Division clubs, seeking to find those minor league imports who might have untapped upside. [...] Continue Reading »

Extra Quotes For Prospects To Pennants
Mar. 30, 2011
In reporting the Prospects to Pennants package, I ended up with a lot more insights from front office executives than I could fit into the two main stories. So consider this similar to the extended cut on a DVD. Here are some more insights into how successful farm systems turn into big league clubs, as well as explanations from Royals officials about how they see the next several years shaping up. [...] Continue Reading »

Second Wave Of Prospects May Hold Key To Royals Success
Mar. 30, 2011
Royals general manager Dayton Moore explains his plans for the Royals going forward. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospects To Pennants: The Royals Follow Other Team's Footsteps
Mar. 30, 2011
The Kansas City Royals have built one of the best farm systems in years, one that placed five prospects in the overall Top 20 for the first time in the 22-year history of the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects list. Now the hard work begins. Building a top-notch farm system is tough work. But turning a group of prospects into winners at the big league level? Well that's why being a general manager is never a low-stress job. [...] Continue Reading »

Britton Aces Orioles' Spring Tests
Mar. 25, 2011
For a few brief moments, you're reminded that Zach Britton, with his boyish face and wide eyes, is 23 and not far removed from Double-A competition. Then you watch him take the mound again and also are reminded why he's one of baseball's top pitching prospects. [...] Continue Reading »

Red Sox's Westmoreland Makes Great Strides
Mar. 24, 2011
It was a year ago that Ryan Westmoreland had life-altering—and potentially life-threatening—brain surgery. [...] Continue Reading »

Trio Of Mets' Prospects Look To Emerge In 2011
Mar. 24, 2011
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Playing For Peanuts
Mar. 31, 2010
Minor league baseball salaries haven't risen along with the rise of major league salaries. [...] Continue Reading »

Greenberg Ready For Jump To Major Leagues
Mar. 31, 2010
Chuck Greenberg is on the cusp of purchasing the Texas Rangers as the managing partner and CEO of an ownership group that includes Nolan Ryan. But when he arrives in Texas, he'll be taking his minor league roots with him. [...] Continue Reading »

Minor League Jobs Marry Love Of Baseball And Little Pay
Mar. 31, 2010
Long hours, often for little pay, that take you away from loved ones every summer is a requirement for most any job in baseball—whether you're a manager in the dugout, a general manager in the front office or a clubhouse manager. Yet despite the conditions, those who work in the game invariably refer to their careers as dream jobs. [...] Continue Reading »

Fuller Still Seeks A Turnaround
Mar. 24, 2010
Nick Fuller, the other player involved in the thefts with Lonnie Chisenhall, was a third-round pick of the Rays coming out of Kell High in suburban Atlanta in 2006. He turned down roughly $450,000 to play at South Carolina. Until the arrest, Fuller's career seemed to be going exactly as planned. He hadn't allowed a hit or run in his six appearances with the Gamecocks. But since then, his career has headed in the wrong direction. [...] Continue Reading »

Lonnie Chisenhall Has Put A Past Mistake Behind Him
Mar. 24, 2010
Ray Tanner keeps the letter in his daily planner, a constant reminder of a low moment that became a revelation, as he leads South Carolina's baseball program. It's the letter Lonnie Chisenhall, then regarded as the nation's top freshman and the Gamecocks' No. 3 hitter, wrote him about a month after Chisenhall was dismissed from the baseball team. [...] Continue Reading »

Building A Winner
Apr. 2, 2008
Kurt Landes can't wait to see the IronPigs hit a home run. The general manager of the International League's newest franchise, which makes its home debut on April 11 in Lehigh Valley, was not so anxious about the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate putting runs on the board, but rather how the scoreboard will respond to the team scoring runs. One of the many over-the-top amenities at Coca-Cola Park is a nine-story tall scoreboard in left-center field with a giant neon Coke bottle hanging from its top. [...] Continue Reading »

New Look To Tigertown
Mar. 31, 2008
The Tigers have upgraded their spring training facilities at Tigertown. [...] Continue Reading »

Precocious Porcello
Mar. 25, 2008
Rick Porcello has fit in during his first exposure to big league spring training. [...] Continue Reading »

Teams Go High Tech To Boost Attendance
Apr. 5, 2007
New technologies are allowing teams to boost ticket sales. [...] Continue Reading »

More Art Than Science
Apr. 3, 2007
When it comes to pitching programs, different philosophies abound. The only question is whether any one program is the right way, or does one size not fit all. [...] Continue Reading »

Piecing Together The Puzzle
Apr. 5, 2006
When it comes to putting together rosters at the end of spring training, every decision leads to more decisions, and a move on the major league roster could make a difference in who heads to high Class A. We take a look at what factors go into the decisions, and how they're received by the players when the rosters are posted. [...] Continue Reading »

New Fenway-style Park Helps Revitalize Greenville
Mar. 29, 2006
Rebound relationships don't work, conventional wisdom says. But conventional wisdom has never seen, and certainly wouldn't have approved of, Greenville's spectacular new minor-league park, which kind of makes you wonder if conventional wisdom shouldn't just mind his own business. [...] Continue Reading »

Lancaster Owners Aim For Turnaround
Mar. 29, 2006
Imagine if one of the most prospect-rich teams in recent California League history took the field and nobody watched. That scenario has played itself out in Lancaster, where the JetHawks—the high Class A affiliate of the Diamondbacks—have seen a precipitous attendance decline despite fielding some of baseball's most exciting prospects in recent years. [...] Continue Reading »

Casto Might Be Moving Again
Mar. 29, 2006
Coming out of Portland as a third-round pick of the Nationals in 2003, Kory Casto wasn't exactly a high-profile prospect. There were a few expectations, but they were more like those of a corner outfielder who might hit for some power—not as a corner infielder who could also hit for average and pick it at third. [...] Continue Reading »

Plenty To Play For
Mar. 29, 2006
From his spot in the front corner of the Giants' spring-training locker room, Kevin Frandsen likes to sit back and observe. Sure, he'll laugh at Ray Durham's jokes, needle a few of the younger guys and partake in the occasional card game. But mostly, Frandsen stays quiet and takes it all in. It can't get any better. [...] Continue Reading »

2005 Minor League Playoffs
Oct. 27, 2005
Roundup of minor league playoff results. [...] Continue Reading »

Shapiro's Rebuilding Looks Right On Schedule
Apr. 1, 2005
BA sat down with Indians' GM Mark Shapiro, who discussed the organization's front office philosophy, some of the trades he missed and the myth of the major league superstar. [...] Continue Reading »

Thompson Draws Oil Can Comparisons
Mar. 31, 2005
You can't blame a 19-year-old if he doesn't remember Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd's pitching days, even if his body type, mound presence and overall feel for pitching remind scouts of the former big league righthander. [...] Continue Reading »