Alexander Ganias, ‘20

December 2019

Minor League Baseball (MiLB) has been training prospective baseball players for the big leagues as long as baseball has been played professionally. You think the Yankees just spend a lot of money on the big name stars and call it a day? Of course they do No; they farm players through teams like the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, and the Trenton Thunder, to make sure that they’re ready to don the pinstripes. 

But minor league teams served another purpose; they have provided baseball entertainment to small communities who are removed from professional markets and wouldn’t get to experience the sport otherwise. Cities like Hillsboro, Oregon; Rochseter, New York; Des Moines, Iowa; the list goes on. A great example is the Brooklyn Cyclones. If you live in Brighton Beach or Sheepshead Bay, you had the Cyclones to alleviate that baseball craving which you definitely have (yes you do), and you didn’t have to trek to Citi Field or Yankee Stadium. Even for me personally, Minor League Baseball was always an enjoyable endeavor. With the sense of community and support, it was truly the best way to watch baseball.

I use the past tense because this is all about to change. It’s no secret that money and sports go hand in hand like a parasite and its host. Some of the most standard parts of sports were created because of money, whether it was best for the sport or not. Money is the reason the World Series was created, and it’ll be the reason for the downfall of Minor League Baseball. 

First, some perspective. There are 30 teams in the MLB, and 160 teams in the Minor League system (excluding the Arizona Fall, Gulf Coast, and Dominican Summer Leagues). These teams are spread across six levels and 14 different leagues. For most of these teams, they are a cornerstone of their city’s history, as well as the only exposure to baseball for most residents. Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, is in charge of creating a new agreement with the Professional Baseball Association (PBA) since the old one expires in 2020. Under this new agreement, the number of guaranteed teams in the minor leagues will drop from 160 to 118; this means there will be 42 teams that will essentially cease operations, and no longer be a part of the MiLB. But that just means the players and coaching staff can play for another team in their Major League team’s system, right? While it’s possible for this to take place for some players, the scenario isn’t a given for most. Major League Baseball is claiming that the reduction of teams can help, improve all minor league facilities and the players’ well-being. These are both issues that MiLB president Pat O’Connor has claimed can be worked out without having to remove 42 teams from the system.

The teams have been trying to work these issues out. The owner of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Mets’ class AA affiliate, has put a lot of his own money into renovating their stadium. These pleas by the president and owners have unfortunately fallen on deaf ears; Manfred has stated that this plan is going through no matter what. Binghamton, along with many other cities (including some more in New York State), will lose their baseball teams. The MLB has offered a solution involving putting these teams together to form a “Dream League”, but owners expressed their disapproval of this idea almost immediately, citing their financial insecurity after losing the team they’ve invested in.

The outrage that has resulted has been loud and widespread, even reaching the legislative floor. Congresswoman Lori Trahen, (D-MA), Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senator/ presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (D-VT) have all expressed their displeasure on this move and rightly so. These three states alone will lose 7 teams total, and in the case of Massachusetts and Vermont, they will both lose their only Minor League teams. A handful of MLB owners have also expressed their anger, but their reactions have led to no change as they every single one of them voted to pass this plan -- without even thinking about the repercussions. There’s no need to mention the thousands of fans who will also be affected by this change, but it’s too integral to leave out. Most of these teams have garnered huge followings, as the players have become a part and symbol of their community; Tennessee has a boat load of these teams. The two oldest teams in the state are the Chattanooga Lookouts (est. 1885) and the Elizabethton Twins (est. 1974), and they will both be gone by next year. 

As for local teams, The Staten Island Yankees will cease operations, but the Brooklyn Cyclones will be promoted to Class AA, replacing the aforementioned Binghamton team. 

Overall, the plan is a mess with everyone saying that it will end in disaster, except for the only person whose word matters: Rob Manfred. His short tenure has been plagued with attempting to fix problems with solutions that don’t work, let alone make sense. This plan to contract 42 minor league teams is one of the bigger problems on his growing list of them, and there’s no sign for salvation. This is a devastating blow for baseball in America, and the repercussions will be felt for years.

Sources: 

• Bill Madden “Rob Manfred’s Plan to Destroy Minor League Baseball” New York Daily News

• J.J. Cooper “MLB Proposal Would Eliminate 42 Minor League Teams” Baseball America

• Dan Berry “Across the Country, Minor League Towns Face Major League Threat” The New York Times