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Alright, for those into the structure side of the minors and what’s coming in 2021, let’s dig into this new reporting by @BaseballAmerica and @jjcoop36. Warning: I’m gonna get a bit in the weeds. (1/?)
First: Switching the Hi-A and Lo-A levels...the TL:DR is that MLB is considering switching which levels are “High” Single-A and “Low” Single-A, so that the California/Carolina/Florida leagues get moved down, and SAL/MWL/NWL?/MAL? get moved up. The major justification is...
...of course, east coast favorable, as the major reason is the benefit of moving players from complexes in Florida to Low-A teams at the same complex, which affects a third of the teams. There’s also the theory that making Low-A warmer weather locations will help...
...players from the Caribbean adjust to life in the US more by making that first year more climate friendly.
This move might have an outsized effect on west coast teams and their affiliates. Many west coast teams use their California League teams as rehab destinations.
This move might have an outsized effect on west coast teams and their affiliates. Many west coast teams use their California League teams as rehab destinations.
The Giants often will use either San Jose or Sacramento as rehab stops based on whomever is at home, but most California teams don’t have their AAA teams close enough for that luxury. Moving the California League to Low-A means those rehab appearances will be against...
...much lower competition, potentially meaning that the rehab stops for injured Major Leaguers will do less to prepare them for the Majors. By comparison, east coast teams mostly have far more options of levels. (Non-Texas middle American teams are still screwed in this way.)
This is a very small thing in the big picture, but it is yet another east-coast bias in the sport, and another picture of how that east coast bias is figuring into this plan.
Other examples of that bias: Do you really think the “Dream League” is for the teams getting removed from the NWL, CAL and Pioneer leagues? That they will play with all those Appalachian cities with those travel costs? Um...no. Also, the move to force west coast teams into...
...long term agreements with the NWL’s new full-season affiliates will break some teams’ longstanding affiliations and support of new facilities back east, like the Giants and Augusta.
Okay...new subject from this story: The idea of split-leagues. TLDR-There is an idea the Florida State League could split their league with the NY-P cities, so that games in the first half are played in Florida (which generally draws poorly) and plays the second half in NY-P.
This idea then floats with the Northwest League doing the same with Arizona Complexes. Apparently, some Northwest League teams are hesitant to go full season...and who can blame them? The region is so famous for rain that the Portland AAA team once considered the name “Wet Sox”!
I am intrigued by this idea, though it fits better if the Northwest League stays Low-A. In that sense, it allows Low-A west coast teams to play near their Extended Spring Training breatheren...giving them that same advantage mentioned for the FSL earlier.
There’s the question of how a new “Arizona State League” would draw financially in the earlier months...but I doubt that league would take in new independent owners, so that might be moot.
There may also be an issue with shared complexes and room, though that would probably only be with the Mariners and Padres in Peoria. It’s not like the other complexes would be empty for them to move into, though.
Perhaps there is a good middle ground in these proposals...not completely shifting all the levels between Low-A and High-A. Let the FSL switch, promoting whatever new Mid-Atlantic League take the High-A position. Keep the NWL Low-A, and let them do the half-year approach.
This still leaves out the teams in the other Low-A league out of the complex advantages. The current Low-A SAL has many teams that probably wouldn’t want to go half season (again, Augusta, with that shiny new stadium)...but maybe some that would. Same in the Carolinas...
So maybe the massive clump of teams in the mid-south-Atlantic region get completely realigned with less profitable teams moving to half-seasons, and they make up the other Low-A league, that also splits the season with complexes.
That would be complicated, massive, and ugly. But if you’re going to do something that massive...now is the time.
