Patrick Dubuque – Baseball Prospectus ($): Regardless of where you fall on the current Major League Baseball/Minor League Baseball spat it’s pretty clear who really suffers. Fans of affiliated baseball are asked to deal with a lot for their fandom. MiLB games were one way in which they could go watch a baseball game and not feel as if they were putting down a hefty part of their paycheck. The raw numbers also bear out that if forty-two MiLB teams are eliminated then plenty of new fans will be lost. The fans lose, when it comes to the business of affiliated baseball the fans almost always lose.
Stephen J. Nesbitt – The Athletic ($): One of the greatest things about baseball is that myth often trumps reality. We may search and eventually expose the truth, but that doesn’t remove the myth from circulation. Sometimes these myths can be damaging to individuals, teams, legacies, etc. More often than not they are harmless and add to the character of baseball. I know I love me a good baseball story of mythic proportions.
John Lott – The Athletic ($): Efficiency, or market inefficiency, has been a prevalent buzzword in affiliated baseball for years now. I’ve come to hate that word and phrase. To me, they represent everything that is wrong with modern affiliated baseball. Winning and fun don’t matter, they aren’t hallmarks of efficiency after all. Saving every penny possible and cutting through any attachments fans may have made with the team matter more than putting together a team that fans can root for as they try to win. MLB trying to rip the heart out of numerous MiLB fans is but another ghastly showing for efficiency.
Lead photo courtesy of Unknown – Roberto Clemente Museum
