Last week was one of the toughest in baseball history. After a week of “negotiating,” the owners made their final proposal to the players last Tuesday, with the sides meeting again in the days since, but without any agreements reached. This lockout has been a disaster for the MLB. Owners are unwilling to budge on certain subjects, and the players are tired of losing. So in a shorter way, the owners don’t want to lose these negotiations, and the MLBPA is tired of losing time after time. All the while, commissioner Rob Manfred laughs at press conferences and just seems to lack a sense of urgency while pictures of him practicing his golf swing get leaked online.
It just seems that the MLB can’t get out of its way and can’t stop embarrassing itself. Yet most people probably already understand this and why the MLB operates the lockout and CBA negotiations like this. There are probably over 100 articles detailing the awful state that the MLB is in right now, and I don’t blame the writers for doing this. The writers have a right to say whatever they want, and it is crucial to understand what is happening with the negotiations and why the two sides are acting the way they are.
With that said, I do think that a different approach is needed. While the baseball world waits for the MLB to potentially come back in the coming months, it is time to support minor leaguers.
The interesting point about this lookout is that it doesn’t affect the minor leagues as the MLBPA does not represent them. So the minors can still play on this year in early April. So yes, there will be baseball games played in April if you look hard enough.
Although you don’t even have to look that hard for minor league games, the Orioles affiliates are close to each other in terms of proximity and are all only an hour to two away from Baltimore. While that might seem far, it isn’t compared to the affiliates of some teams like the Giants, who have a team in Richmond, Virginia.
Going to minor league games makes sense from a financial standpoint. The games are nowhere near as expensive as MLB games, and the tickets cost anywhere from 10 to 20 dollars. Another point is that because the stadiums are much smaller, you are much closer to the action than some MLB ballparks. When you combine the low prices and the fact that you are so close to the action, you are getting a bank for your buck.
When it comes to the product on the field, you know how good the Orioles system is. The Orioles have one of the best farm systems in baseball. Something that isn’t discussed is how the talent is spread out around the minors. While the official rosters haven’t been released yet, you can get a sense of where prospects will be playing if you pay attention. Triple-A Norfolk is going to have Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez with other prospects like Kyle Stowers. Double-A Bowie will probably feature prospects like Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg, plus more. High-A Aberdeen will likely feature a killer offense with most of the prospects in Low-A last summer, such as the majority of the 2021 class and Coby Mayo. Low-A Delmarva will likely feature prospects like Heston Kjerstad and some younger international players. The point is that every part of the system has at least a couple of prospects that are either in the top 100 on some list, or they are potential top 100 prospects when these lists are updated in the late summer. That is special.
Of course, I think I wouldn’t be doing my due diligence if I didn’t mention some prospects that are unfortunately stuck in limbo right now. Prospects had to be protected in December to protect them from the Rule V draft; however, since they are on the 40 – man during the lockout, they can’t play in the minors, nor can they interact with the Orioles. DL Hall, Yusniel Diaz, and Terrin Vavra all fall into this category. I feel bad for these prospects because they could lose the development time they need.
The minors have always been overlooked compared to MLB, which needs to change slightly. Of course, I don’t expect the minors to overtake the MLB in terms of popularity, but I think the lockout should give the minors much more attention.
I can’t recommend following the minors enough. If you are frustrated with how the MLB has handled the CBA negotiations, the minors can offer an affordable and fun product that won’t make you feel bad for watching.
If you are new to following the minors and want to start, I can help you. Start with the prospect list online. Then find a reliable source on the internet you can follow, preferably through Twitter (ESR’s @eric_birdland is a great one). There are accounts on Twitter that you can follow that will give updates on how the prospects are doing and are great resources. This can help get you acquainted with the farm system while learning which prospects can become your favorite.
In conclusion, the minors offer a high-quality product that most people ignore while the MLB is going on. If you are interested in following the minors, I can’t recommend it enough. During this time when the MLB seemingly can’t get out of its way, MiLB offers a product that is more affordable than the MLB product. If you’re an O’s fan locally, it isn’t that far away, the affiliates are close to each other, and the product is very good at all four levels.
