MiLB and Indy Regular Season Thread

[garnetpalmetto]

Looks like this year's California/Carolina League All-Star Game will have an interesting feature. The Home Run Derby will be held on the deck of the USS Midway, a decommissioned aircraft carrier that's now a museum ship docked in San Diego Bay.

This will be similar to the South Atlantic League's 2012 Home Run Derby which took place on the deck of the USS Yorktown, a World War II/Cold War-era Essex class aircraft carrier docked in Charleston Harbor.

 

[StatesideSensFan]

Guerrieri, Adames, Bauers, and Gillaspie from the Rays top 20(Sickels).
McKinney, Candelario, and Caratini from the Cubs top 20.

so i was pretty happy with the viewing.
Smokies won 9-3 at least( i left in the top of the 9th).

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Looks like this will be the last season of New Orleans Zephyrs baseball as the team will rebrand for next season. The team was originally the Denver Zephyrs before relocating to New Orleans in 1993 after the expansion Rockies were awarded to Denver. There'll be a name the team contest that'll start tomorrow. Personally I'd love to see them incorporate an aspect of their former branding and become the New Orleans Nutria.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Nutria sounds like some kind of vitamin-rich mush that my Portland friends would ironically enjoy.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Nutria sounds like some kind of vitamin-rich mush that my Portland friends would ironically enjoy.

I don't know about vitamin-rich or mushy...

Nutria are rodents that were introduced in Louisiana in the '30s to be bred for their fur. They've since become one heck of a headache of an invasive species. The Zephyrs formerly used a nutria in their logo:

and still use one as their mascot. Meet Boudreaux D. Nutria and his girlfriend Clotile.

 

[BigMac1212]

Looks like this will be the last season of New Orleans Zephyrs baseball as the team will rebrand for next season. The team was originally the Denver Zephyrs before relocating to New Orleans in 1993 after the expansion Rockies were awarded to Denver. There'll be a name the team contest that'll start tomorrow. Personally I'd love to see them incorporate an aspect of their former branding and become the New Orleans Nutria.

Great. Another team I need to redo for my 2017 expansion ideas.

 

[BigMac1212]

Looks like this year's California/Carolina League All-Star Game will have an interesting feature. The Home Run Derby will be held on the deck of the USS Midway, a decommissioned aircraft carrier that's now a museum ship docked in San Diego Bay.

This will be similar to the South Atlantic League's 2012 Home Run Derby which took place on the deck of the USS Yorktown, a World War II/Cold War-era Essex class aircraft carrier docked in Charleston Harbor.

2 of the smallest ballparks ever.

 

[Pwnasaurus]

Meet Boudreaux D. Nutria and his girlfriend Clotile.

This is pretty awesome actually....

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I have never once heard of Nutria before

I always thought that logo was a beaver with oddly colored teeth, which never made a lick of sense to me for a team in NOLA.

edit: See, I instinctively capitalize Nutria because it sounds like a bad brand name
I like the history of it in the region, but I'm gonna struggle to get over how awful that name sounds. Zephyrs was always one of my favorite names...just such an olde-timey baseball name.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

I have never once heard of Nutria before

I always thought that logo was a beaver with oddly colored teeth, which never made a lick of sense to me for a team in NOLA.

edit: See, I instinctively capitalize Nutria because it sounds like a bad brand name
I like the history of it in the region, but I'm gonna struggle to get over how awful that name sounds. Zephyrs was always one of my favorite names...just such an olde-timey baseball name.

And yet not. The Zephyrs only became such in 1984. After they moved to Denver from Kansas City (where they played as the Kansas City Blues from 1904 to 1954) they were originally the Bears. They kept the Bears name from 1955 until 1984 when they renamed themselves for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy's train, the Denver Zephyr, which ran from Chicago to Denver up until 1973.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Looks like Jim Crane, the owner of the Houston Astros, was in Fayetteville, NC today to scout out locations for a new park. With that and an already-approved lease by Kinston's city council with the Texas Rangers, can the much rumored California League to Carolina League relocations be around the corner in the next couple years? Where's that Ron Paul .gif when you need it?

 

[BigMac1212]

Some western teams might get hosed if the California League teams move east...

There goes my expansion ideas.

 

[ponder719]

Looks like this will be the last season of New Orleans Zephyrs baseball as the team will rebrand for next season. The team was originally the Denver Zephyrs before relocating to New Orleans in 1993 after the expansion Rockies were awarded to Denver. There'll be a name the team contest that'll start tomorrow. Personally I'd love to see them incorporate an aspect of their former branding and become the New Orleans Nutria.

Not my favorite suggestion for a team name, personally (honestly, my favorite suggestion is leaving well enough alone. The Zephyrs are one of only two minor league teams I've seen in person, and I have some significant affinity for them as a result. Also, a hat.)

If they must ruin a perfectly good brand, then go whole hog, do something brassy and garish, and rename the team the Krewe of New Orleans.

 

[BigMac1212]

As I wrote on the MLB Expansion thread in the Business Of Hockey Forum:

Brandiose-designed Beignets identity, here we come!

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Something kind of cool out of the independent Atlantic League. This season the League has teamed up with Rawlings and Skye Design Studios to introduce catching gear customized to each team. Press release here. From left to right below are the Lancaster Barnstormers, the Somerset Patriots, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, the Sugar Land Skeeters, the New Britain Bees, the York Revolution, the Long Island Ducks, and the Bridgeport Bluefish.

Bridgeport: Illustration of ‘bluefish blitz’ - an aggressive hunting technique used by bluefish to stun their prey - representing the club’s competitive instincts

Lancaster: Highlights the community’s rural heritage as well as the bright future of Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Long Island: Features flying V formation of ducks soaring over Long Island and iconic Montauk Lighthouse, referencing the Island’s seafaring history

New Britain: Hive and honey elements inspired by the New Britain city seal and historic moniker as the ‘Hardware City’, a fitting nickname for the gritty, blue-collar manufacturing community

Somerset: Alludes to patriotism, the United States’ revolutionary past and the thirteen colonies while heralding the red, white and blue of the American flag stylized to match team branding

Southern Maryland: Underscores the club’s proximity to the Chesapeake Bay, featuring a blue crab lurking in bay waters; helmet portraits of Satchel Paige, Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson celebrate the diversity of Waldorf, Maryland, by honoring African-American players’ influence on professional baseball

Sugar Land: Features a dynamic version of the pesky critter that inspired the club’s mascot, Swatson; sugar cane indicia reference the community’s once dominant industry as a sugar cane growing and processing center

York: Highlights the team’s 10th anniversary season and celebrates the club reviving a community legacy of professional baseball, while showcasing downtown scenes and club marks that combine elements of industry and manufacturing

I think it's a cool idea myself, especially given that they cite the artistry of goalie gear as an inspiration to it. Definitely something I'd love to see catch on in MiLB and MLB itself, especially with catchers with goalie-style masks.

 

[BigMac1212]

Something kind of cool out of the independent Atlantic League. This season the League has teamed up with Rawlings and Skye Design Studios to introduce catching gear customized to each team. Press release here. From left to right below are the Lancaster Barnstormers, the Somerset Patriots, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, the Sugar Land Skeeters, the New Britain Bees, the York Revolution, the Long Island Ducks, and the Bridgeport Bluefish.

I think it's a cool idea myself, especially given that they cite the artistry of goalie gear as an inspiration to it. Definitely something I'd love to see catch on in MiLB and MLB itself, especially with catchers with goalie-style masks.

Wonder if the other leagues, including MLB, MiLB, other independent leagues, college, etc., would be interested in trying this...

 

[Big McLargehuge]

That is offensive to my eyes. The last thing I want is design companies pushing their atrocious designs aimed at 14 year-olds down everyones throats.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

That is offensive to my eyes. The last thing I want is design companies pushing their atrocious designs aimed at 14 year-olds down everyones throats.

At the very least I'd like to see catchers do something with their masks aside from the very basic, very boring paint jobs you generally see now.

Also, looks like MLB is mandating that all full-season classifications adopt a 140-game schedule in the name of giving players more time off in the name of injury prevention. Currently both Triple-A leagues play a 144-game schedule while the Double-A Eastern League and Southern Leagues play a 142-game schedule (the Double-A Texas League, like the High-A and Low-A leagues, already plays a 140-game schedule).

The EL and SL will immediately go to the 140-game schedule next season while the IL and PCL will go to a 142-game schedule for 2017 and then a 140-game schedule in 2018.

 

[robert terwilliger]

http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-atlanta-braves-stadium/?src=longreads

woof.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

The Braves are abject evil. I've known that since I was 4

 

[garnetpalmetto]

The Braves are abject evil. I've known that since I was 4

If there's any truth that a Pirates fan who lived through the '91 and '92 NLCS knows, it's this one. Imagine growing up in a market that's pretty much their territory. We went to Turner Field on an overnight field study to Atlanta when I was in 9th grade - Bucs and Braves. Pittsburgh managed to win that night and I think I was the only person that left that game happy.

Anyway on topic, the Bloomberg article is quite interesting. As the article notes, the Braves are the only team that controls their entire farm system - the exception is at High-A and it's not for lack of trying. A couple years ago, when the Braves were affiliated with the Lynchburg Hillcats, they had a deal in principal to purchase the Hillcats, relocate them to Wilmington, NC (which had been without affiliated ball since 2001 when the Low-A Wilmington Waves moved to Albany, GA after just a single season) and then move their Appy League club in Danville to Lynchburg. The deal ultimately fell through when Wilmington voters refused to approve a new ballpark. The article also doesn't note just how many moves their Low-A club has been through over the years:

Follow along:

Lexington, NC - 1967 (1 season)
Greenwood, SC - 1968-1979 (12 seasons)
Anderson, SC - 1980-1984 (5 seasons)
Sumter, SC - 1985-1990 (6 seasons)
Macon, GA - 1991-2002 (12 seasons)
Rome, GA - 2003-present (14 seasons)

The problem that this generates is when teams are legitimately in need of new ballparks, voters and town councils become wary because of things like this. Savannah, for instance, faced an issue where Grayson Stadium was basically obsolete. The city didn't provide a replacement and so the team moved to a new park in Columbia, SC. Columbia, in turn, lost their team to Greenville, SC (replacing the Double-A team the city lost to Pearl, MS) after Capital City Stadium was deemed pretty much unplayable by the South Atlantic League.

For what it's worth I went to a game at the old Greenville park and it was serviceable. Not the nicest nor most convenient to downtown but serviceable. My biggest knock on it was that there's no awning or roof of any kind and that makes things a little unbearable, especially for a day game like the one I went to (saw the Greenville Bombers play the Hickory Crawdads and snagged Neil Walker's autograph)

 

[BigMac1212]

http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-atlanta-braves-stadium/?src=longreads

woof.

When will the Carolina Mudcats get bought by Atlanta and get moved?

 

[BigMac1212]

At the very least I'd like to see catchers do something with their masks aside from the very basic, very boring paint jobs you generally see now.

Also, looks like MLB is mandating that all full-season classifications adopt a 140-game schedule in the name of giving players more time off in the name of injury prevention. Currently both Triple-A leagues play a 144-game schedule while the Double-A Eastern League and Southern Leagues play a 142-game schedule (the Double-A Texas League, like the High-A and Low-A leagues, already plays a 140-game schedule).

The EL and SL will immediately go to the 140-game schedule next season while the IL and PCL will go to a 142-game schedule for 2017 and then a 140-game schedule in 2018.

I hope all leagues have planned for the schedule changes for the years ahead. I feel sorry for San Diego Studios, because MLB 16 The Show will not have this feature...

 

[BigMac1212]

Tomorrow's Florida State League's Clearwater-Tampa game starts at 10:30 AM EST! I am not joking. I wonder how many fans show up that early, let alone the players.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Tomorrow's Florida State League's Clearwater-Tampa game starts at 10:30 AM EST! I am not joking. I wonder how many fans show up that early, let alone the players.

Considering how poor FSL attendance usually is...not many. If I had to bet though there'll be a fair number of school kids. Most teams I've lived near will market one of these matinee games to the local elementary schools.