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College baseball is proposing several changes. The biggest would be moving the season to warmer months. If this produces the revenue boost they expect it could lead to more scholarships, which in theory could impact the MLB draft and milb in general.
Simply as a college baseball and @RazorbackBSB fan, this would excite me. https://t.co/xENZ7nyaAO
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) May 21, 2020
I played college baseball at a southern school. We started in early March as I recall and our first month was usually games with northern schools needing to get their programs started. So we were well trained when our own conference began – won it two of the four years I was there. But if they are talking of going into the summer months there may be some problem with scheduling other teams who have graduated already.
I am sure all of the schools would go past their commencement dates, as they do under the current system, but the athletes would be allowed to finish the season.
One group that I think will be hurt by contraction are Latin players. Will independent league teams have the resources and know how to help with visa issues? I think it will be much harder for Latin players to find independent league teams – could a Latin independent league be on the horizon?
I agree with you on those potential issues. Also, there may not be bilingual coaches and a support network for the foreign players.
All of that plus fewer minor league teams next year mean less staff is needed.
The layoffs came mostly to minor-league coaches and scouts, with two team officials agreeing that the moves are an organizational restructure following a regime change. https://t.co/24pZBYWLIr
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) June 27, 2020
Nice local video on the TV news about prep for the taxi squad at Hammonds Field in Springfield.
https://tinyurl.com/ybzc5yd4
There is another video just ahead or behind that one on the Show Me League games in Ozark, Mo. That is the collegiate wood bat league I posted about on another thread."It’s north of half (of MiLB teams) who could either have to sell (or go insolvent without government or other help). This is the perfect storm. There are many teams that are not liquid, not solvent," O'Conner said.
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) June 30, 2020
Throwing out my second GCL team for mass consideration…
Canceling the 2020 season is the first of three major issues facing Minor League Baseball. Team contraction and associated player reductions are next on the horizon. I consider how this may affect the #stlcards – and suggest a partial relief value. (free) https://t.co/4QzhqzC5O7 pic.twitter.com/lB5H5xIlCg
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) July 1, 2020
Brian, good job on that minor league shutdown impact. I admit that I am talking about something that I really know nothing about but I am for some reason sort of mesmerized about the US Baseball that is operating just outside Springfield in Ozark. These folks bought a stadium that had been empty 11 years for a reported 4 million dollars and then spent another million or two on putting down new turf and a huge digital scoreboard. That was a couple of years ago and I could never figure what they were doing but from time to time they had games in there. Now I see where Drury University in Springfield is calling that their home stadium. US Baseball this past winter built a huge metal and brick building in the stadium parking lot and I would guess it is for batting cages and rehab equipment as well as offices. They now have a 7 team league called the Show Me League which is a collegiate wood bat league. From what I can glean from Google, the Orange Crush is the home team but they have 6 others divided into Midwest Red and Midwest Blue.
Okay, my point is what is this US Baseball all about and since they seem to have enough investors to spend millions is it possible that some of the players cut from the Spikes and Johnson City teams could show up here as well as other young former minor leaguers. I would bet the scouts would inhabit the place a lot more often but they probably are doing that now although I rarely can seen any fans in the stands from the highway. I guess this just winds up to be a long post blowing air into a minor league thread but I sure wish someone could get the skinny on this US Baseball and what they are running.Look here: MLB teams (red) and MiLB teams (blue). Look at how much of the country relies on Minor League Baseball for access to live, in-person professional baseball. Not even taking into consideration all the other great things MiLB clubs do for the communities they're in. pic.twitter.com/HaCXBD7Kd8
— Trey Wilson (@treywilson757) July 7, 2020
New at Baseball America. MLB's plan to reorganize the minors is part of a much broader "One Baseball/One Diamond" effort to play a role as the guiding force at all levels of baseball and softball in the U.S. going forward. ($)https://t.co/Je8BfQiuVM
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) July 17, 2020
I was just coming to get you opinion on this article Brian. It does make some interesting points about the possibility of improving college baseball, which would be cool, but it kind of sounds like shifting risk to a brand of baseball that already hemorrhages money. However I suppose if you give some money to college baseball like the article says may happen, it might not be a bad idea to use college football money to help subsidize your “minor league” system. Interesting counterpoint to the MiLB dismantling MLB has been pushing. Not sure I buy it, but article seems to make it sound like college baseball is all for it. Would like to hear your thoughts if you’re game.
OK, here are some random thoughts. I am open to other views.
“Recently, MLB has worked to build deeper connections to college baseball, although the exact depth of their relationship under the “One Baseball” model is not entirely clear,” said the article.
If MLB was willing to invest MEANINGFUL money into college baseball, they would be investing in their own minor league organizations instead, which they can control. It reads to me like interesting talk but will any substantial action result?
What college baseball would like is for MLB to stop raiding the high school players they spend so much time and effort recruiting, only to see them picked off in the draft. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but everyone is looking out for themselves. So, yes, college baseball would like a shorter, later draft. Still as we saw this year, even with the shortest draft in history, MLB still kept taking the best high schoolers for themselves.
Having said that, using colleges to supplant some of the minor leagues for player development is not necessarily a bad idea, except for the towns that lose affiliated ball and the players who need more time to develop. The independent model is a tough one to make work. But back to college and development, the pressure just shifts, as the stress on the colleges and their players will be increasing.
All college sports are dependent on football money and that is not going to change. The 11.7 scholarship maximum in college baseball is a major limitation that does not look to be expanding. Now more kids will be competing for the same scraps of aid. The players from families less well off financially are going to have more trouble staying in the game long enough to have a hope of being drafted.
To the big picture, I remain skeptical that MLB is sincere about furthering the game in areas they cannot directly profit from. The article cited money to be made by MLB’s data arm when they take control of the minors. I see how that helps profitability, but how will it grow the game?
Exercising control of the game at all levels may not be a good thing given MLB’s track record. And, by the way, why is MLB keeping its “One Baseball” initiative a secret if it is so great and they are so benevolent?
P.S. I hope I am wrong. I want the game to thrive, not fade away. I just lack confidence that MLB will provide that leadership.
Don’t most college players need summer jobs to make spending money for the 9 month school year? If they don’t have that opportunity, where will their spending money come from?
The best college players relocate across the country to play in wood bat leagues each summer. They have no time for jobs. Another example of how the baseball model is squeezing out those without considerable financial means.
That’s really too bad. Same thing in youth travel leagues. One of my grandsons (13years old), who lives in Northern Virginia is on the highest level youth traveling teams in both soccer and basketball. Total of $8-10 thousand total depending on the number of tournaments they travel to.
I am still befuddled about this US Baseball in Ozark that hosted a complete collegiate wood bat league in one stadium with something like 7 teams but folded one week before playoffs when two positive virus cases popped up. My real question is who is behind this? To spend multi-million dollars on an abandoned stadium and also build a huge million dollar or so indoor practice facility smells like somebody with a plan. The virus threw a wrench in it this summer but I suspect they will be back if and when possible. Some of those players were recent high school graduates going to college this fall (if there is an open college this fall).
Regarding minor league owners, by disclosing their contraction plan months early, MLB has effectively divided minor league owners into the haves and the have nots. The have nots want to fight to keep their affiliated franchises but have no leverage, other than the little bit MiLB standing as a group provides. The haves know their franchises will continue as long as MLB allows them to. So they are not going to go down fighting for the have nots and risk their own futures. Much better to cooperate with MLB than the alternative.
The next MLB/MiLB proposal may come with a bit of a twist.
Multiple MLB personnel said they have heard MLB is strongly considering the possibility of flipping high Class A and low Class A leagues.
Details here: https://t.co/u1SsHjhCCr
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 24, 2020
Were you able to read the article?
If not, I will hit a few of the high points from the Cardinals angle. The basic allure would be that the jump from the GCL to Class A would all be in Jupiter. Then the high-A promotion would be to the colder regions of the upper Midwest.
There is also a Hail Mary proposal by short-season teams for them to host the second-half of the Class-A season, since almost no one goes to games in the Florida State League, anyway. No mention of how this would ease the financial and logistical concerns that have those leagues on the chopping block in the first place.
I was able to read half the article before hitting the paywall. I was just curious as to why teams would be pushing for such a change. I figured from the Cardinals perspective it would make some sense due to what you mentioned, but wasn’t sure why others would feel the same. Thanks for sharing that insight.
Self-preservation time. MiLB HQ wants to please MLB in hopes of remaining alive, though most owners do not care. Also putting more AAA owners on the negotiation committee and cuttihg out more of the short-season owners. Pretty clear where this is headed… 120 teams with MLB in charge.
1. Short thread. MLB-MiLB's negotiations took a significant turn yesterday as MiLB President/CEO Pat O'Conner disbanded MiLB's negotiating committee (composed of a number of MiLB owners) and replaced it with a new group with closer ties to O'Conner. ($)https://t.co/HZwv9ztQ3H
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) August 4, 2020
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