Category Archives: Minor Leagues

July 23, 2023

Minor Dodgers

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Jack Harris begins a three-part series that examines the success of the Dodgers farm system. It is an extremely collaborative organization, where individualized plans for players are worked from the lowest levels to the major leagues.

Maybe the most important part is players buy-in. They Dodgers don’t just tell players what to do, they teach them the why behind the process:

On one of his first days with the Dodgers, during a rookie camp at their spring training facility in Arizona, Emmet Sheehan was struck by what he heard from their player development staff.

“From when you show up, they tell you, basically, ‘If you come up to us and ask us why we are doing something, and we can’t tell you how it translates on the field, you don’t have to do it,’ ” recalled the 23-year-old pitcher, a sixth-round draft pick in 2021 who already made his way to the big leagues.

LATimes.com

The whole article is well worth the read.

June 14, 2023

Mature Teen

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Bryce Miller of the San Diego Union-Tribune profiles just turned 17-year-old catching prospect Ethan Salas:

Salas seems unruffled by what surely is coming his way, health pending, by leaps and brisk bounds as he begins the climb on baseball’s ladder. His muted confidence is revealed in the way he strolls to the plate. Instead of cockiness, however, he displays bedrock focus.

In a short conversation, he mentioned the crucial importance of being a professional in all aspects his potential rocket-ship ride multiple times. His mature approach to the game undoubtedly was mined from his father and brother, a grandfather and uncle, all who who played in the minor leagues.

“This is my life,” said Salas, when asked why he’s where he is so soon. “This is all I do all day. Baseball isn’t only skills. You have to have a good makeup and be a professional. A lot of 16-year-olds are either in the Dominican or rookie ball in Arizona. I think I’m here because I’ve shown that, like, I’m a man. I know how to behave, on the field, off the field. I’m a leader.”

SanDiegoUnionTribune.com

Interestingly, the article mentions his .214 BA, but neglects his eleven walks and .370 OBP. That’s a mature skill which fits in much better with the rest of the story.

April 9, 2023

Little League Minor League

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Double AA Chattanooga beat Rocket City Saturday night 7-5. They did it with Rocket City not allowing a hit. There was, of course, a little league inning:

The inning consisted of five walks, including two with the bases loaded, two hit by pitches, a wild pitch, and a defensive error by the Trash Pandas center fielder, which was responsible for three of the runs.

The center fielder dropped a deep fly ball which would have ended the inning. Instead, the three runs crossed the plate, followed shortly thereafter by three more. 

SI.com

The way I tell the difference between an MLB game and a minor league game is the defense. Major league fielders tend to make tough plays look easy. The backhand hard shots on the infield. The glide to balls in the outfield. They hit the first baseman in the chest with throws.

I suspect this is some kind of record.

March 30, 2023 January 13, 2023

March of the Robots

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Major League Baseball continues to experiment in the minor leagues with new technology. The 2023 season brings automatic ball/strike calling to AAA:

The Automatic Balls and Strikes system, commonly referred to as ABS, will be deployed in two different ways. Half of the Class AAA games will be played with all of the calls determined by an electronic strike zone, and the other half will be played with an ABS challenge system similar to that used in professional tennis.

Each team will be allowed three challenges per game, with teams retaining challenges in cases when they are proved correct. MLB’s intention is to use the data and feedback from both systems, over the full slate of games, to inform future choices.

As of now, MLB has no firm date to implement its Automatic Balls and Strikes system in the big leagues. But in recent seasons, the robotic umpire has been used increasingly in the minor leagues.

ESPN.com

I like the idea of moving this up to the high minors. There are plenty of players on the 40-man roster at this level, meaning players with MLB experience will see the technology first hand. AAA games tend to be well attended, so there should be good fan-feedback as well.

Over the years, however, I’ve come to appreciate the way umpires, batters, and pitchers used to be able to reconfigure the strike zone to the era through positive and negative feedback. Changes in the structure of the strike zone followed changes that already took place in the game, not the other way around. In the 1990s, batters no longer wanted to swing at a high pitch. Pitchers wanted the edges of the plate. So umpires lowered the top of the strike zone and expanded the width of calls over the plate. I believe the tracking technology of the last twenty years hurt that natural adjustment.

So if the AI system ever gets to the major leagues, I hope there is some learning built into it:

  • Where on the edges of the zone do batters swing the most? That should give the system an better idea of where batters see the edges of the zone.
  • What pitches do batter disagree and agree on the call, especially ones that are known for having good eyes?
  • What pitches do pitchers disagree and agree on the call, especially ones with great control?

So if batters someday start chasing high pitches again, the robot can adjust the strike zone automatically.

I also think the robot would make implementing a progressive strike zone easier. That’s a rule that would start a plate appearance with a narrow zone (the entire ball has to be over the plate to be a called strike), and widen it with each strike. That would encourage swinging earlier in the count, possibly cutting down on strike outs and walks.

September 9, 2022

That Was Easy

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Major League Baseball voluntarily agrees to allow minor leaguers to unionize:

The move by MLB would formally accept the MLBPA as minor league players’ bargaining representative. The union and MLB are also working on an agreement on who the bargaining unit consists of and hope to accomplish that by next week.

ESPN.com

There is no reason presented for this. It could be that MLB thought the minor leaguers would vote in the union, so they might as well start with a little good will by avoiding a fight. It also could be that MLB gets the government off their back, as an agreed upon CBA is unlikely to face government scrutiny. The more nefarious reading would be that MLB thinks it can actually save money by having the the union represent the players, as MLB did pretty well in the last few MLB CBA negotiations.

August 29, 2022

Unionizing the Minors

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The MLBPA is making a push to represent minor league players. Bleed Cubbie Blue has a very good explanation of what is going on.

If this effort works, I hope it leads to an easier path to free agency for all players. While I’d love to see universal free agency, a good first step would be making the six year clock start at the beginning of the player’s professional career. This would force teams to bring good players up earlier, and allow others to find a team that might give them a better path to the majors.

August 8, 2022

Teaching Hitting

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Via BBTF, The Orioles are using minor league batting practice to challenge their hitters with mixed pitches.

“Especially being able to throw those different types of pitches to give these guys reps, to see those off of an arm where guys struggling off of sliders, being able to replicate that for him or especially changeups to our left-handed batters, that’s really, really something that’s hard to simulate off a machine,” he said. “There are ways we can do it but being able to see it out of an arm is one of the best things you can do for those guys who really struggle with a change of speeds.”

Ambler said it can be a challenge for lower-level hitters to embrace the failure that comes with such practices, but it helps for the Orioles to have so many success stories atop their farm system when it comes to players who embraced it.

jonmeoli.substack.com

The story also goes into how the coaches are competing with each other to be the nastiest pitchers they can be. Many are learning new pitches to challenge the batters more.

August 6, 2022

No Hitting the Nats

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Kyle Gibson of the Phillies threw six perfect innings against the Nationals Friday night before allowing a hit. A friend of mine who is a Nationals/Expos fan takes solace in the fact that since moving to Washington, the franchise has not suffered being no-hit. In fact, the Expos/Nationals has the second longest streak of not being no-hit in the majors, dating back to 7/18/1999. The only team going longer without being no-hit is the Athletics, last no-hit on 7/13/1991.

TalkNats has a good history of the franchise tearing itself apart:

Those of us who are old Expos fans, sadly, are not new to this party at all. Watching Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, John Wetteland, Jeff Reardon, Andres Galarraga, Tim Raines, Tim Wallach, Larry Walker, Vladimir Guerrero, Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou and others leave town as their contracts expired routinely inspired us to hope in the next generation of Expos development. And over the years, our torment with Expos near misses, and stars who left town, eventually evolved into hope which was often rewarded with the Vladdy who followed the Larry. Until, of course, Jeffrey (the Psychopath) Loria left town after running the franchise into the ground and in a final coup de grace, essentially stole the minor league prospect database for the Marlins benefit.

TalkNats.com

The article overall is positive, however, as they talk about the good prospects in the Nationals system that didn’t come over in trades.

July 29, 2022

Manfred on the Minors

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Commissioner Rob Manfred says MLB needs the anti-trust exemption to keep minor league teams from moving. As I’m reading the article, it’s making the case for universal free agency:

The uniform player contract signed by every minor leaguer states that teams control the rights of players for up to seven years in the minor leagues and seven years in the major leagues. Due to the antitrust exemption, if a minor leaguer decides to stop playing the sport before the seven years elapse in the minors or the majors, the team owns the rights to the player and he cannot play the sport professionally elsewhere unless he is released from his contract.

As a result of the antitrust exemption, baseball players who sign the uniform player contract cannot seek better pay elsewhere. 

ESPN.com

This problem disappears with free agency at every step of the way. If a player isn’t good enough to continue, he is unlikely to be signed, a sure indication that it’s time to find something else to do. We see this now with older major league players, as many clubs in MLB no longer value them highly.

The same goes for the minor league clubs:

Additionally, Manfred said that without the antitrust exemption, it was “more likely” that minor league affiliates would leave their current communities.

“Without coordinated oversight and decision-making by MLB, it is likely that more Minor League affiliates will leave their existing communities for a superior player-development environment, and that fewer — rather than more — Minor League clubs affiliated with MLB clubs will exist in the future,” Manfred wrote.

Shouldn’t we want superior player development environments? Might that be a competitive minor league, where owners actually try to win games?

Free the players, free the minors, freedom for everyone!

July 15, 2022

Minor League Settlement

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MLB settled a lawsuit brought by minor league players eight years in the making. MLB will pay $185 million:

If approved, $120,197,300 will be split among the players, $55.5 million will go the the players’ lawyers, up to $5.5 million will be the reimbursement costs of the suit, $450,000 will be for the costs of administering the settlement, $637,000 will go to incentive awards for the player representatives in the suit, $400,000 for a contingency fund and $2,315,000 for a payment under the California Private Attorney General Act.

As part of the settlement, MLB agreed to rescind any prohibitions against teams paying wages to minor league players outside of the season.

Chron.com

One way for these players to make more money would be to make the leagues competitive rather an developmental. That of course would mean more freedom for the minors, which runs against the current of baseball history.

July 12, 2022

Bermuda Grass Triangle

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MLB is testing a new pattern in the Florida State League to prevent shifts. (Link may require a subscription.) They will chalk in a triangle from the tip of second base to the outfield grass to prevent infielders from playing behind the bag. I find the reason interesting (emphasis added):

There are shift rules, implemented in 2021, already in place up through Double A. One prevents infielders from playing on the outfield grass, and another stipulates that two infielders must be positioned on either side of second base.

The latter rule hasn’t led to the results MLB wanted, as a shortstop or second baseman can station himself just inches to the side of second base, all the way back to the outfield grass. So MLB will watch what happens in the Low-A league closely to see if the change generates more offense.

TheAthletic.com

Is that another way of saying that shifting doesn’t make that much of a difference? This may be another reason to let the game evolve. Eventually, if the shift really makes a difference, batters will adjust.

July 7, 2022

Free Everybody

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People are complaining about minor league pay once again. Universal free agency solves the problem. No draft, no reserve clause. If a team wants to employee a good player for a long time, sign that player to a long-term contract. If someone needs to develop, go short term and see if the player works out. It’s a lot more work for front offices, but these legal challenges would be gone, since everyone would be working for an agreed salary, rather than an imposed salary.

I am glad this is happening, however. MLB’s complete take over of the minor leagues ends over a 100 years of reducing minor league baseball to a training ground, rather than competitive leagues for smaller jurisdictions. Along with universal free agency, let’s allow the minors to be completely independent, and compete with all the other baseball leagues for players.

July 2, 2022

The Hundred Year Old Bison

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Sean Kirst sends this story about a 100-year-old baseball fan who once turned now a tryout with the Buffalo Bisons to enlist in World War II. He can still pitch, and the Bisons signed him to a one-day contract as a shortstop in addition to his throwing out the first pitch on the fourth of July:

From there, the tale reached Brad Bisbing, assistant general manager. He kept thinking of how Roy gave up the dream of trying out for the Bisons to enlist, instead.

“How heroic is that?” said Bisbing, who not only set up Roy’s first pitch, but went one step better for Monday’s 6:05 p.m. game against Syracuse: In front of what is always a big holiday turnout at Sahlen Field, Roy – who has never stepped inside that historic downtown ballpark – will sign a one-day contract as a Bisons shortstop.

BuffaloNews.com

Congratulations to Roy Kinyon on his professional debut!

March 13, 2022

Wise Move

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David Laurila profiles Rays under the radar prospect Brett Wisely. Wisely, despite a good year at the plate in 2022 does not make the list of top ranked prospects in the Rays system. It strikes me that the under the radar designation comes from his age playing A ball, 22, and that at 5′ 10″ he is a bit on the small side. His teammates seem him as a tenacious player, however:

“He’s a grinder, that kid,” said Ian Seymour, who ranks among Tampa Bay’s top pitching prospects. “He’s a really competitive guy. That’s a difference-maker in certain players. Brett is one of those under-the-radar guys that works his butt off. He’s very much a chip-on-your-shoulder kind of player.”

FanGraphs.com

I think Wisely also represents how good the Rays are at acquiring talent. Wisely may never be a star, but he gives the organization depth. The Rays will determine his talents, and put his strengths to good use.

February 15, 2022

Fewer Minors

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As part of the CBA proposal on transactions, MLB wants to reduce the size of the Domestic Reserve List to 150. This list came about as part of the restructuring of the minor leagues:

The Domestic Reserve List was implemented as part of the changes. The league, a league source said, regarded 180 players as a high number owed to the new minor league system and the missed year of development due to COVID-19. Teams previously were not limited in the number of players they could have under minor league contracts. Five teams presently have more than 180 minor leaguers on their Domestic Reserve List, according to the source. (Teams can have up to 190 players on it during the offseason.) Two teams, the source said, have fewer than 150.

The potential roster trimming was part of a 28-point package on transactions that included a proposal to limit the number of options — or times a player can be returned from the major leagues to the minor leagues in one season — to five, according to sources. Currently, teams hold unlimited options on qualifying players within a single season, allowing the shuttling of some between Triple-A and the major leagues.

ESPN.com

I thought it was possible for someone to play for a minor league team without being controlled by the major league club, but the uniform minor league contract would appear to deny that. Note that with fewer minor league teams, fewer players is somewhat inevitable.

Since there is no floor on the current number, teams are perfectly capable of driving the reserve list down to 150, and some already did. The main positive of the lower number would be increasing competition, since it would be a bit tougher for rich teams to control more good players. In reality, I don’t see the 150th player on any team being very good.

I’m glad the union is saying no to this. The MLBPA threw amateur players under the bus in previous agreements, thinking the money saved on the low end would lead to more money for major league players. That did not happen.

There is also an International reserve list based on the number of Dominican Summer League teams.

January 13, 2022

Buying the Minor Leagues

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This article at the Athletic (subscription may be required) focuses on a conflict between the MLBPA and Endeavor, an agency that represents players. Endeavor owns WME Sports, which is buying up minor league teams. The MLBPA is threatening to remove the certification of Endeavor is they don’t divest from the team ownership part of the company. I believe the Athletic buried the lede, however:

Endeavor and its private equity investor Silver Lake have become the single largest owner of minor league franchises, adding the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers late last year. They have aspirations to scoop up as many as 40 of the 120 minor league teams over time, a potentially major sea change in minor league baseball, and another form of consolidation in a sport that has seen a lot during commissioner Rob Manfred’s tenure.

TheAthletic.com

Affiliated minor league teams do not compete against each other, they develop players. There is a flow of money from MLB to these minor league teams. I suspect that by owning many teams, there is an economy of scale that allows Endeavor to capture a higher percentage of that flow as revenue. They also can test various ways of bringing fans out in different markets, and apply what works best to all the clubs.

Of top of that, there are two anti-trust lawsuits against MLB. One was brought by minor league clubs, the other by the players. If one or both caused the reversal of the anti-trust exemption, it might then be possible for minor league teams to become competitive again. There is a chance in that scenario where minor league clubs become more valuable, and Endeavor sells off the franchises at a nice profit.

Here is WME’s statement on the purchases:

“Opportunities to move into an ownership position of a sport so steeped in history are increasingly rare, and we are confident this will drive meaningful growth in the Owned Sports Properties segment of our company,” said Mark Shapiro, President of Endeavor, via press release. “Just as we’ve done for the UFC, PBR and Euroleague, we see tremendous potential to turbocharge these storied Clubs using the scale and capabilities of Endeavor. Our expertise across sponsorship sales, event operations, licensing, marketing and content creation will bring incredible value to these Clubs, supporting communities across the country who form the backbone of the Professional Development League system.” 

BallparkDigest.com

This strikes me as a much more important story that conflict between the union and agents.

January 9, 2022 November 18, 2021

A Place to Rest Your Head

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MLB takes more action to make sure minor league players have a place to sleep:

Stepping up improvements for minor leaguers after widespread criticism, MLB’s housing policy will require teams to provide furnished accommodations, with a single bed per player and no more than two players per bedroom. The housing must be “located at a reasonable, commutable distance from the ballpark,” the commissioner’s office said Thursday. Teams will be responsible for basic utility bills.

“To the extent that apartments, rental homes or host families are not feasible,” MLB said, “clubs may choose to provide hotel rooms that satisfy standards put in place.”

Chron.com

That’s actually quite a nice perk, and I would guess it will save minor league players a lot of money. It seems MLB is actually using the money saved by reducing the number of minor league teams to improve life for minor league players. I find that pleasantly suprising.

October 17, 2021

Housing for the Minors

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Major League Baseball will in some way will help minor league players with housing next season.

That would not be the case, according to players, were salaries higher. With signing bonuses between domestic and international players topping $450 million in 2021, not all players face financial issues. But after taxes, the majority of players’ salaried take-home pay is minuscule.

ESPN.com

I kind of disagree with that last statement. Federal income taxes are 12% up to $40,000. Social security taxes are another 7% or so, let’s call it 20%. Wait until they start making real money. If the author is calling for lower tax rates, I’m all for that.

The problem, of course, is the players are paid what the market will bear. MLB teams are not holding a gun to their heads forcing them to sign a contract, which as adults they should understand. The problem is that for every low bonus player who signs a contract, there are probably a 100 more who would be happy to take his place if he said to baseball, “No thanks.” And that is the player’s right.

A similar thing happens to low-level front office people. Salaries for their jobs are lower in baseball than in other professions, because so many people want to work for a team, clubs can find good employees at a low price.

I’m glad MLB is doing this as the article makes clear there are problems beyond just affording housing. I suspect it will mean better players coming through the pipeline, as some who may have refused to play for that pay might join the minors now, and better housing conditions should mean better health.

August 10, 2021

Greene Means Go

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The well named Hunter Greene, a pitching prospect in the Reds system, is lighting up the radar gun:

In that start (see the highlights above), Hunter Greene was clocked as throwing 37 fastballs at 100 MPH or higher. According to JJ Cooper of Baseball America that is the most 100+ MPH pitches we’ve ever been able to track in a single game during the pitch tracking era, which dates back to 2007. In the big leagues only Jacob deGrom has thrown 30 100 MPH pitches in a game. He did so on June 5th this season. It’s the only time it’s ever happened in Major League Baseball. Greene has done it three different times this season in the minors.

RedlegNation.com

Greene is averaging 12.6 K per nine this season, split between AA and AAA. He is seasonal age 21, and while he had nothing to prove at AA, AAA is a little tougher for him. He’s still pitching well there, but not so well that he’s obviously ready to help the Reds this year. I suspect we’ll see Greene on the Reds sometime next year.

July 9, 2021

Two Witt

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Bobby Witt Jr, shortstop prospect for the Royals, keeps tearing up AA pitching. He may be ready for a promotion soon, and appears to be well trained for a trip to the majors as he has his clichés down:

“I still think I can improve on all aspects of my game and that’s what I’m going to keep doing,” Witt Jr. told Wichita media this week. “It’s a long season, so I want to steadily get better and better each and every day and just keep working. That’s what I’m going to continually do. This year I’ve learned to just be myself, not try to do too much and just keep things simple.”

KansasCity.com

Crash Davis would be proud:

June 20, 2021

Throwing Sliders

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David Laurila speaks with Reds pitching prospect Braxton Roxby about how the Reds helped him develop as a pitcher. He throws a one-seam cut fastball and a sweeping slider. The slider worries me, however:

There have been games when it’s the only pitch he’s thrown. When Roxby made his professional debut in early May, he struck out the side on 15 straight sliders. On three separate occasions he’s worked an inning without throwing a single fastball.

FanGraphs.com

Whenever I hear about a pitcher throwing lots of sliders, I go back to this article on Zack Greinke. Greinke cut down on his slider use because he felt it was damaging his elbow. A good slider is an out pitch, a pitched to be saved for when the pitcher really needs a strikeout. We should keep our eye on Roxby to see if he winds up with a bad elbow.

April 14, 2021

An Easy Fix

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The Athletic (may require a subscription) writes about an organization that fights for better pay for minor leaguers. Of course, this situation could easily be rectified by universal free agency. They players, even at the minor league level, get to negotiate their contracts. Mutual agreement between player and employer would set salaries, and if the player doesn’t like the offer, he can shop his services elsewhere. Of course, some of these players will find that teams aren’t interested in paying them much, and their baseball dreams will end early.

April 14, 2021

The Double Hook

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I really like this modification to the designated hitter (DH) rule that will be tested in the Atlantic lead this year:

The Atlantic League will also implement a “double-hook” rule, in which a team will lose its designated hitter when it removes its starting pitcher. That rule will be in effect the entire season, which starts May 27. The goal is to see starters pitch longer into games, creating more value for them and increasing late-game strategy.

ESPN.com

I suspect relief pitchers bat very little in NL games. This rule may actually increase the length of relief appearances, since a team would likely need to carry more position players for pinch hitting duties, and fewer pitchers. I suspect people who don’t like the DH would not like this hybrid, but it would keep the double switch in place.

March 11, 2021

Ruling the Minors

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Baseball will try out rule changes throughout the minors this season:

The most radical will be at Double-A, where four infielders will be mandated to have both feet on the infield dirt, preventing the extreme shifts that often see players from the left side of the infield shifted to short right field. Depending on the results, the league said, the second half of the season could see a more extreme version of the rule: two infielders on each side of the second-base bag.

The league was unabashed in its explanation for the rule: “These restrictions on defensive positioning are intended to increase the batting average on balls in play.”

ESPN.com

If the league wants to limit shifts, I think the two men on one side of the bag will do more to increase BABIP. With the two feet on the dirt rule, I wonder how many managers will shift all four infielders to one side of the bag?

December 16, 2020

Negro Leagues Promoted

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MLB reclassified the Negro Leagues as major leagues. I have tended to think of these leagues as minor leagues with major league quality players, more like the Pacific Coast League of the day, and some other high minors. Unlike those minor leagues, the Negro Leagues were not drained of their talent by majors, until the late 1940s. I am not an expert on the minors, however, so I will leave it to others to discuss the quality of these leagues over time.

December 10, 2020

The Minors Compacted

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Paul Newberry writes about the minor league draws that did not make the cut as Major League Baseball reduces the number of affiliates to 120. For example the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League posted good attendance for years:

The ValleyCats were a short-season affiliate of the Houston Astros for 18 seasons, winning three league championships and drawing more than 4,000 fans per game for 11 straight seasons from 2008-18.

In their most recent season, Tri-City had the third-highest attendance in the 14-team league, averaging more than 3,869. The only two teams that were higher, Brooklyn and Hudson Valley, both survived with moves to a new league.

Chron.com

It is too bad the minors did not remain fiercely independent throughout their history. If the choice was to succumb to major league team demands or go under, the minors chose the former. This process started long before the Supreme Court of the United States granted the game an anti-trust exemption. There was no going back after that. It would be nice if some of these draws formed their own independent league, but MLB wind up controlling that as well. The MLB monopoly is now complete, and the minor leagues and their fans suffer for it. If you want games where winning rather than development matter, you have to watch the majors.

December 2, 2020

End of an Era

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The Pawtucket Red Sox sell off their memorabilia this weekend:

The Pawtucket Red Sox will conduct a “Virtual BallYard Sale” selling 1,000 authentic player jerseys, game-used equipment, autographed baseballs and more.

The sale will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday and will be hosted on the PawSox Facebook & Twitter accounts, the Providence Journal reported.

Boston.com

They are moving up the Blackstone River to Worcester, MA, as Worcester was willing to build a new stadium.

November 9, 2020

Minors Assimilated

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MLB completed their takeover of the minor leagues, appointing Peter Woodfork MLB senior vice president of minor league operations and development:

MLB is taking over governance of the minors from the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues following the expiration of the Professional Baseball Agreement on Sept. 30. The National Association had governed the minors since 1901; president Pat O’Conner announced Sept. 8 that he is retiring on Dec. 31 after 13 years in charge.

ESPN.com

If you read the 1920 series, you’ll see how the war between major league factions after the White Sox gambling scandal tried to woo the minor leagues, only to continue to treat them as vassal states. This move pretty much completes the slow erosion of minor league independence that started with the formation of the major leagues. I do hope some genuine, all in to win, independent leagues develop from the ruins of the current minors.