http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/ The Home For Baseball Insiders Fri, 25 May 2012 18:10:23 EST en-us http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/baonlinelogo4.gif http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/ 96 9 1 http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/column/2012/2613372.html Content: You may get tired of me writing about all of the improvements to our statistical offerings at BaseballAmerica.com this year, but they're coming so fast and furious that I want to make sure you don't miss anything. So yes, I realize that we just touched on some of these improvements a couple of issues ago, but our progress has been more significant and more rapid than we had hoped. And the newest change we have implemented goes way beyond statistics. I've already told you about the changes we made to our Player Cards, with more statistics and better organization, but further improvements now allow subscribers to view scouting reports from players who have appeared in our draft coverage or prospect rankings. So now when you look Bryce Harper up at BaseballAmerica.com, you not only get to see his career statistics and vitals, but you can also see when he was drafted, when and where he appeared in our prospect rankings, and when he may have appeared in any of our Best Tools surveys. And if you're a Baseball America subscriber, you can go back and read what we said about him heading into the 2010 draft, or the reports we . . . Tue, 22 May 2012 09:09:50 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/column/2012/2613372.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2012/2613330.html Content: Triple-A fans looking a new major league affiliate to come to town next season may not want to throw out their old gear just yet. Chances are it's not happening. Even though the affiliation shuffle doesn't kick into gear until after the season, a lot of the jockeying will take place over the next few months. Minor league franchises cannot negotiate new affiliations until mid-September, but they can renew their current deals at any time. And that is likely what will happen in Triple-A this year. Just two Triple-A teams changed affiliates after the 2010 season, when Nolan Ryan-owned Round Rock (Pacific Coast) brought in Ryan's newly purchased Texas Rangers, sending the Astros to PCL neighbor Oklahoma City. Three of the five longest-tenured affiliations in the minor leagues can be found in Triple-A: Omaha, a Royals affiliate since each debuted in 1969; Pawtucket, a Red Sox team since 1973; and Iowa, with the Cubs since 1981. Nine other Triple-A teams have affiliations that date back until 2000 or earlier. So even though nearly half of Triple-A teams have player-development contracts expiring after this season, expect many of those to be renewed before the season ends. "I think we're locked into . . . Thu, 03 May 2012 10:54:44 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2012/2613330.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/column/2012/2613341.html Content: Another Opening Day in the independent minor leagues has arrived. We're about to celebrate two decades of the modern independent movement, and two decades of trying to figure out exactly what to make of indy ball. One thing for sure is that independent baseball is going through a major consolidation that ultimately is going to leave us with three significant leagues in the long term: the American Association, the Atlantic League and the Frontier League. All three of these leagues have a proven track record of success, in some cases stretching back to the beginning of the modern era, and the financial strength to remain stable and weather the inevitable bad season or bad market. What they reflect more than anything else is the maturation of independent baseball as an established subset of professional baseball. For those of us who have been around long enough to see the entire evolution, it's interesting to see that many of the teams that helped get the whole movement started probably would not find a place in the independent leagues of today. When independent baseball started up in 1993, with the Frontier and Northern leagues, it was seen as an alternative to the affiliated . . . Wed, 02 May 2012 14:05:58 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/column/2012/2613341.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/independent-audit/2012/2613307.html Content: Joe Klein and Sparky Lyle remember one of their first meetings with a major league farm director to promote their fledgling Atlantic League. It didn't go according to plan. "The guy fell asleep on us," Klein, the executive director of the league, recalled from that meeting in 1997. "Sparky said, 'What are we going to do now?' I put my finger to my mouth and said, 'Shhh.' "But I made sure I slammed the door on our way out." No one is slamming doors to the Atlantic League now. The eight-team league, with modern ballparks in a fan-friendly environment, is considered a successful model for independent baseball. The league drew more than two million fans last season, and has returned more than 500 players to affiliated organizations, including Rickey Henderson, Ruben Sierra and Jose Canseco, since its inception 15 years ago. "It has become an easier task for our teams to recruit because players and their representatives understand where MLB teams go looking for players when they are needed," said Klein, the former general manager of the Rangers, Royals and Tigers. The league is the brainchild of Frank Boulton, who gave up his 25-year career as a bond trader on . . . Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:55:48 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/independent-audit/2012/2613307.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/season-preview/2012/2613265.html Content: FORT WAYNE, Ind.—The home clubhouse at low Class A Fort Wayne's Parkview Field is small, just large enough just for a couple of card tables, a couch and a folding table loaded with baseball's essentials—bubble gum and scouting reports. With a little more than an hour until game time on the second day of the 2012 season, TinCaps players are sitting around the card tables, eating dinner and watching the Masters. A few sit at their lockers, which are tightly cramped along the walls. In a sparse office down the hall, manager Jose Valentin eats alone at his desk. The Padres have given him 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, in addition to Donavan Tate, the third overall selection in 2008, and Adys Portillo, an international bonus baby in 2008. "I got a lot of first rounders in here," Valentin said. "A lot of money."  To be specific, the signing bonuses for those 10 players add up to $16.167 million. And all that money means the Padres . . . Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:41:05 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/season-preview/2012/2613265.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/season-preview/2012/2613258.html Content: CHARLESTON, S.C.—Bryan Mitchell faced twin daunting tasks in his first start for low Class A Charleston. Not only did he follow teammate Jose Campos' Opening Night masterpiece, but he also opposed Braves all-star Tim Hudson, rehabbing with Rome following offseason surgery. But Mitchell, a 20-year-old righthander, outdueled Hudson and matched Campos with zero runs and one hit allowed over six innings. The back-to-back gems were early highlights for a young RiverDogs team loaded with Yankees prospects. In addition to Campos and Mitchell, the roster also features second-year Charleston catcher Gary Sanchez (the No. 3 prospect in the system), center fielder Mason Williams (No. 4), third baseman Dante Bichette Jr. (No. 6), shortstop Cito Culver (No. 12) and second baseman Angelo Gumbs (No. 14). Put another way, that's New York's $3 million international acquisition from 2009 (Sanchez), its top draft picks from 2010-11 (Culver and Bichette), its 2010 second-rounder (Gumbs) as well as the reigning top prospect in the short-season New York-Penn League (Williams). It's a dazzling if understandably inconsistent collection of talent that compares with other recent high-profile Charleston teams, including 2007 (Austin Jackson, David Robertson, Ivan Nova, Eduardo Nunez, Hector Noesi) and 2008 (Phil Hughes, Jesus Montero, Dellin Betances, . . . Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:06:08 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/season-preview/2012/2613258.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2613273.html Content: ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Ah, home, sweet home. If only the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees could remember what it felt like. If home is where the washing machines are, the nomads of the International League arrived there Monday. Displaced by a year-long upgrade to their PNC Field, the temporarily dubbed Empire State Yankees suited up in their home whites for their first of 37 contests in Rochester's Frontier Field. Forgive the players for feeling like it was just another stop on a 144-game road trip, particularly when they were squaring off against Rochester's first born, the Red Wings. Righthander Dellin Betances, who surrendered all five Red Wing runs and threw just 44 strikes among his 96 pitches, cited his unfamiliarity with the park as a contributing factor in his prolonged control struggles. "It was definitely weird, because we were not in Scranton," Betances told the Scranton Times-Tribune's Donnie Collins following the Yankees' 5-3 loss. "We really try not to think too much about it. But this was the first time I had ever pitched here, and it felt like a road game." Betances and his Yankee teammates will be living in hotels all season, checking out every time the team leaves its adopted base in . . . Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:29:50 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2613273.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2613233.html Content: Moderator: To celebrate Opening Day for the minors and most major league teams, we'll answer your questions beginning at 12 p.m. ET. Ask us your prospect, team assignment, major league or any other baseball-related questions. John Manuel: I'll get us started for Opening Day. Hope everybody's ready and headed to a minor league or major league game tonight! Robert (Orange County): Who do you believe is the better defensive CF: Trout or Bourjos? John Manuel: Actually a tough call, but I think the fact the Angels left Bourjos in center and moved Trout to a corner during his initial promotion last summer indicates the Angels' belief. I'd take Bourjos as well, and not just because he's of Greek descent. Until they actually race, I'm not sure we know who's faster; Trout seems more explosive, which plays on the bases, while Bourjos' easy gliding running style seems to play better in the outfield. Bourjos' instincts and arm strength are also slight edges, so I'd give it to Panagiotis. (Yes, that's Greek for Peter.) craig (new york): Thanks for the chat! Here is my Reds question: Where is Juan Duran? I looked at all the rosters for the Reds farm teams and . . . Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:49:16 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2613233.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2613227.html Content: See also: Opening Day chat . . . Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:00:15 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2613227.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/season-preview/2012/2613214.html Content: See also: Minor League Free Agent Tracker We finish our coast-to-coast tour in search of minor league free agent imports with upside, this time highlighting players signed by Western Division clubs. The Astros are included here as we anticipate their move to the American League West in 2013. Check out the Eastern Division and Central Division installments for more background information, but keep in mind that to qualify for this exercise, a minor league import must meet three criteria. A player must: 1) receive a non-roster invitation to big league spring training, 2) have fewer than three years of major league service, and 3) be younger than 29 as of April 1. As always, an asterisk (*) signifies lefthanded batter/pitcher and a pound sign (#) denotes switch-hitter. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Age: 27. 2011 Status: Released by Indians, June 24. Best Attributes: Lewis ranges from about 86-92 mph with a tailing fastball and mixes in a slurvy breaking ball and changeup that benefits from his herky-jerky delivery. MLB Experience: He pitched his way onto the 2007 Indians playoff roster as a rookie (3.4 K-BB), but in three follow-up seasons he struggled with control (4.0 BB/9) and worked around too many baserunners (1.38 . . . Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:08:48 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/season-preview/2012/2613214.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2613221.html Content: ROCHESTER, N.Y.—They have six homes, two names and zero idea how their upcoming five-month road trip will unfold. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees—aka the Empire State Yankees—are the gypsies of the Triple-A International League this season. They'll play all 144 games on the road while PNC Field, their 23-year-old ballpark in Moosic, Pa., undergoes a $40 million facelift. The Yankees' 72 home games will be played at five fellow International League ballparks: 37 games at Rochester's Frontier Field, 10 at Syracuse's Alliance Bank Stadium, eight at Lehigh Valley's Coca-Cola Park, six at Buffalo's Coca-Cola Field and four at Pawtucket's McCoy Stadium. They will also play seven at short-season Batavia's Dwyer Stadium. The Yankees will have more homes than Donald Trump in this surreal season. "It's a year unlike any we've had here,'' says Dan Mason, who enters his 18th season as Red Wings general manager. Dwyer Stadium seats just 2,600 for an attendance-starved New York-Penn League team that is for sale and is operated by the Rochester Red Wings. The home "clubhouse" is a small, square building down the right-field line. But it will be the home of the Yankees vs. the Red Sox—that's the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees vs. the Pawtucket Red Sox—on . . . Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:33:54 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2613221.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2012/2613216.html Content: For now, all the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Eastern) have is a rendering of a new ballpark, which they say the city needs to keep minor league baseball in town. The franchise hopes the sketch of a proposed $50 million facility will become a reality in the not-so-distant future, and that a ballpark will rise up on a plot of land next to The Diamond, the 27-year old stadium that the Flying Squirrels currently (and somewhat reluctantly) call home. But if building a ballpark in Richmond was that simple, it would have happened a long time ago. It would have happened for the Richmond Braves, the city's former International League franchise that tried to get a ballpark built for the better part of a decade before leaving for the Atlanta suburbs after the 2007 season. Neither history nor the complex municipal structure in Richmond are on the Flying Squirrels' side. The Diamond is operated by the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which consists of representatives from the city of Richmond and neighboring Chesterfield and Henrico counties. Trying to get all three entities to act together was frustrating enough to drive the Braves out of town after 42 years. And it's been challenging enough . . . Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:48:23 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2012/2613216.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/season-preview/2012/2613181.html Content: 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: Three-League Triple-A Alignment Reestablish three leagues at the Triple-A classification in order to reduce travel costs, create distinct league identities and align more closely with the geography of major league cities. The governing body of the minor leagues dissolved the Triple-A American Association after the 1997 season and distributed its teams between the International and Pacific Coast leagues, creating the Triple-A structure we know today. The IL features no international teams—no Havana, no Toronto, no Montreal, no Ottawa—but that's a minor issue when compared with the geography of the PCL, whose teams range from the Pacific . . . Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:37:01 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/season-preview/2012/2613181.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/season-preview/2012/2613184.html Content: See also: Minor League Free Agent Tracker Major league organizations collectively sign hundreds of players to minor league deals each offseason. Occasionally they find big league contributors, such as the 2009 Pirates with Garrett Jones or last year's Padres with Jesus Guzman. In this piece we attempt to identify those minor league imports best positioned for similar breakthroughs in 2012. This time we turn our attention to the 10 Central Division clubs, minus the Astros, who move preemptively to the West. Check out the Eastern Division installment for more background info, but keep in mind that to qualify for this exercise, a minor league import must meet three criteria. A player must: 1) receive a non-roster invitation to big league spring training, 2) have fewer than three years of major league service, and 3) be younger than 29 as of April 1. CHICAGO CUBS The Cubs new front-office braintrust set its sights this offseason on major league talent with upside potential, buying low on players such as Ian Stewart, Chris Volstad, Travis Wood and Anthony Rizzo. Chicago did sign a trio of intriguing 29-year-old minor league free agents in catcher Jason Jaramillo, right fielder/first baseman Joe Mather and second baseman . . . Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:50:59 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/season-preview/2012/2613184.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/column/2012/2613167.html Content: We're always dreaming up ways we think we could make things better, or thinking about how much happier life would be if we were in charge, so our 10 ideas to improve the minors was a fun feature to put together and led to a lot of discussion in the office. What it also highlighted, however, was that the minor leagues are in pretty darn good shape. If someone asked you, "What's the one thing about minor league baseball that must be fixed?" you can't come up with a hot-button issue that is affecting anyone's welfare. By and large, minor league ballparks are nice, safe places that are fun for fans to go to and enjoyable for players and front-office employees to work in. (I'm sure both of those groups would like better pay, but then, who wouldn't?) That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to come up with ways to make things better, though. After all, someone had to challenge the status quo to realign Triple-A into two leagues back in 1998, to get two teams to move from the South Atlantic League to the Midwest League last season, or to make sumo wrestling a minor league ballpark staple. The . . . Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:58:14 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/column/2012/2613167.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2613163.html Content: Bill Cutler, who served as Pacific Coast League president from 1979 to 1997 as part of 50 distinguished years in baseball, died at his home in Mesa, Ariz., on March 24. He was 92. A press release issued by the PCL credits Cutler, the longest-tenured president in league history, with expanding the circuit into Canadian cities Edmonton (1981) and Calgary (1985). During Cutler's tenure as president, Colorado Springs, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Salt Lake City all built new ballparks, a sign of league prosperity. "He honored the Pacific Coast League with his exemplary fairness and professionalism, his commitment to making the league better," current PCL president Branch Rickey Jr. is quoted as saying in the press release. "I am, in turn, truly blessed to follow in his footsteps, privileged to carry on that special legacy. The successes of his almost-20-year tenure are embedded everywhere in the current prestige of the PCL. He will be missed—but long remembered and genuinely admired." American League president Will Harridge hired Cutler as his administrative assistant in 1946, following Cutler's military service in World War II. A Milwaukee Journal story from 1955 depicts Cutler as something akin to director of player personnel and go-to . . . Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:34:30 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2613163.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/season-preview/2012/2613152.html Content: See also: Minor League Free Agent Tracker See also: BA Player Finder feat. Career Stats & Transactions Major league organizations collectively sign hundreds of players to minor league deals each offseason. Many of these players will play out their contracts in the minors, but occasionally teams unearth big league contributors. Some minor league imports have past value to reclaim. Such was the case last year with the Yankees' Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia and the Rays' Casey Kotchman. Tampa Bay found Joaquin Benoit to be a worthwhile reclamation project in 2010, as did the Mets with R.A. Dickey. Less frequently, teams identify talented minor leaguers who break through to become major league contributors after being stymied in previous attempts. The Pirates plucked Garrett Jones off the scrap heap in 2009, and he's given them above-average production, including 58 home runs and a .782 OPS, in three seasons as a regular in right field and at first base. The Padres signed corner infielder Jesus Guzman prior to last season and the 27-year-old proved to be the club's most productive player on a rate basis, batting .312/.369/.478 in 271 plate appearances. Atlanta pro scouting director John Coppolella said the Braves and their . . . Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:11:57 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/season-preview/2012/2613152.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2012/2613142.html Content: Three of minor league baseball's most outdated ballparks may soon get renovations or get replaced altogether. The Bakersfield Blaze (California), Richmond Flying Squirrels (Eastern) and Vermont Lake Monsters (New York-Penn) all took steps toward landing new or renovated ballparks this spring. The Blaze were sold in early March to a local ownership group intent on keeping the team in Bakersfield. Local leaders in Richmond finally think they have lined up the financing for a new facility that could replace The Diamond. And the Lake Monsters signed a 20-year lease extension at 90-year-old Centennial Field, reducing their rent from $40,000 a year to a dollar a year while agreeing to plow the savings into renovations. It has been a long road for each franchise, and their aging ballparks threatened the long-term futures of baseball in those cities. The Braves spent eight years trying to replace The Diamond in Richmond, before moving their Triple-A franchise to suburban Atlanta in 2008 out of frustration and for the lure of a new facility. In Bakersfield, more than one owner has failed in efforts to replace Sam Lynn Ballpark since the early 1990s, leaving the team to play in a facility that no longer meets . . . Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:40:44 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2012/2613142.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/column/2012/2613050.html Content: Every sports fan knows that March is a great month, with spring training and college baseball in full swing, the NCAA basketball tournament going on, and the Masters marking a tradition unlike any other. And February isn't so bad itself. The sense of anticipation in February is palpable, as spring training camps open and players start to trickle in. Every day we get to see a few more faces in uniform and look forward to warm weather and a river of games. So while I wouldn't call it the most wonderful time of the year, I do look forward to the roughly four weeks bridging February and March, when football officially goes away for awhile and baseball starts to emerge from hibernation. And here are a few of the reasons why: The shock of brilliant greens: The whites and grays of winter express the coolness of the season, and there's something to be said for that stark landscape. But when you see the first spring training field of the season—on television for the great majority of us—the shock of that blast of green to your eyes lets you know that baseball will be on the way soon. There's no other . . . Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:33:59 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/column/2012/2613050.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/column/2012/2613028.html Content: After so much stability in the world of minor league baseball, it's nice to see things shaken up for a change. Within a couple of weeks in February, news came out that minor league teams could be moving to Wilmington, N.C., Ottawa, Ont.; and Winchester, Va. Two of those pieces of news were linked with the countervailing moves that teams would be leaving Lynchburg, Va., and Hagerstown, Md. The other came without such a tidy story, making it that much more fun. The first break came in the Carolina League, where the Lynchburg Hillcats and their major league affiliate, the Atlanta Braves, announced that the Braves intend to buy the franchise and move it to Wilmington—assuming of course that Wilmington procures the money to build a new ballpark. In the South Atlantic League, news got out that the city of Winchester had a signed letter of intent with the Hagerstown Suns that they intended to move there—again, assuming a new stadium gets built. And in the Eastern League, the city of Ottawa announced that it too had an agreement in place to bring in a team. Unlike the other cities, Ottawa does have a ballpark—albeit one that will need millions . . . Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:59:59 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/column/2012/2613028.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2612978.html Content: Minor League Baseball severed ties with the Jim Evans Academy for Professional Umpiring following an incident during a company outing in which four instructors impersonated members of the Ku Klux Klan. The sport will no longer accept graduates from the Evans Academy, which before this year was one of two accredited schools that provided umpires to the sport. Minor League Baseball opened its own training academy, The Umpire School, this year. The split comes as a result of an incident that took place in late January during the Evans Academy's annual party at a nearby bowling alley in Kissimmee, Fla. According to a New York Times report, the bowlers at the party split into four colorfully named teams. One group, headed by lead instructor Jason Klein, called themselves "Klein's Kleaning Krew" and entered the alley with the name silkscreened on their sheets and sheet-covered cones on their head. The incident was brought to light when the company's lone black instructor complained to Evans four days after the party and later resigned, the Times reported. Minor League Baseball, which recently has stressed diversity by trying to create ownership and operations opportunities for minorities, conducted an investigation of the incident and decided . . . Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:33:35 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/2012/2612978.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2012/2612956.html Content: As the first Opening Day in 33 years without a Kinston, N.C., franchise in the Carolina League approaches, another longtime league member may also be on the way out. The Lynchburg Hillcats, a franchise that been a part of the Carolina League since 1966, could be moving to Wilmington, N.C., after the team's owners agreed in principle to sell to the Atlanta Braves. The soonest that the move could take place would be for the 2014 season. The Braves, who own all of their minor league affiliates except at the high Class A level, want to complete their collection with a team in a new ballpark in Wilmington, as part of a joint ownership with Mandalay Baseball Properties. The deal is not done, and Carolina League president John Hopkins said, "There are many more mountains to climb." The biggest mountain is the construction of the new ballpark. The sale is contingent on the new park being built, and at this point the city of Wilmington doesn't know where the park would be or how it would be paid for. The deal also requires the Braves to find a new tenant for the ballpark in Lynchburg, though it could be a . . . Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:31:01 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2012/2612956.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2012/2612833.html Content: ZEBULON, N.C.—Joe Kremer was talking recently about the shipment of weights and other equipment from Kinston, N.C., to a new home at the Carolina Mudcats' Five County Stadium. The longtime Mudcats general manager insisted repeatedly that the Indians moved the equipment in February before realizing that he actually meant November. "My mind's moving forward," Kremer said, apologizing with a chuckle, "not backward." The innocuous slip points to what seems to be a mantra now in Zebulon, where a new affiliation and a more sensible league membership have the franchise looking toward to what it hopes will be a bright, profitable future. The Mudcats, members of the Double-A Southern League for the first 21 years of their existence, will begin an affiliation with the Indians in the high Class A Carolina League in 2012. The franchise moved from nearby Kinston, which had enjoyed an uninterrupted relationship with the Indians since 1987 and now finds itself without a team for the first time since the 1970s. Kinston businessman Cam McRae sold the Kinston club to Mudcats owner Steve Bryant in December 2010, when Bryant sold Carolina's spot in the Southern League and its affiliation with the Reds to a group in Pensacola, . . . Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:07:31 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/business-beat/2012/2612833.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/column/2012/2612832.html Content: The most amazing thing about sending the Prospect Handbook to press is not how happy we are about it—though to be sure we are very happy—it's how we always wish that we had more time. Thanks to the constraints of printing and distribution, the Prospect Handbook must go to the printer right before Christmas, so that it can work its way to you before pitchers and catchers report, and even more important, before your fantasy draft. Were that not so, I have no doubt that we would take another few days, or even weeks with the book. There is always a report to improve, a ranking to tweak—and this year, a Baseball America Grade to argue about. Baseball America Grades are one of the most significant changes to the book since it debuted in 2001. We make changes to the book every year, from the modest, such as changing the statistical categories we list, to the more significant, such as adding minor league depth charts. We have long discussed adding a thumbnail view of each prospect in the book, so you could see at a glance how we view a player and so it's easier to compare players across organizations. . . . Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:36:27 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/column/2012/2612832.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/business-beat/2012/2612784.html Content: Building a ballpark in California isn't impossible, but unearthing the dollars to get digging is going to require some creativity following the state's Supreme Court ruling just before the New Year. The court upheld California Gov. Jerry Brown's earlier decision to abolish redevelopment agencies as part of a 2011 budget compromise, essentially wiping out state funding for local construction projects—like ballparks. The Padres' Triple-A Tucson affiliate is the most immediate casualty of the ruling, as its plan to settle in the San Diego suburb of Escondido is now dead. But the decision also affects the California League, which is trying to find new or renovated ballparks for a pair of its clubs. California League president Charlie Blaney described the court's ruling as "disappointing but not surprising" and said he remains committed to building new ballparks for the Bakersfield and High Desert franchises within the league's footprint. One of the potential destinations, likely for High Desert, had been the city of Chico. Even without state money, Blaney says the city remains a possible destination, as supporters of a ballpark project are considering alternative financing plans to get one built. They may propose a sales tax that would help pay for a . . . Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:44:57 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/business-beat/2012/2612784.html