Shifting Identities: The Dilemma of the Minor Leagues

Minor league baseball teams. The farm system. Feeding grounds for the big leagues. Where young, promising kids are groomed into legitimate, professional athletes.

But by operating in a transient environment where their very existence is defined as a means to an end, do minor league clubs face somewhat of an identity crisis? 

The majority of minor league clubs are tied to their major league affiliates through a Player Development Contract (PDC), an agreement that typically lasts only two to four years, after which teams often become associated with a different major league team.

While some teams have maintained consistent relationships with the major league club through PDCs— the Omaha Royals have been with the Kansas City ball club since 1969— the majority of minor league teams get caught up in a complex shuffle; the Columbus Clippers were affiliated with the Yankees, Nationals and Indians during the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons, respectively. 

You have to wonder about the effect of the constant transition on the team’s identity and fan base.

In theory, the minor leagues are set up to mirror the majors-- leagues that compete against one another, a playoffs series, Player of the Year awards, etc. But frequent changes in team names and the lack of a stable player base severely hinder the potential for intense rivalries, consistent league leaders, and strong fan allegiances to favorite players.

And what about when hyped-up prospects get called up to the big leagues?

The Washington Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg receives national coverage every time he makes a start in Triple-A, an unprecedented level of attention for a minor leaguer. But what happens to the Phoenix Devil Dogs’ starting rotation and fan base when their star pitcher leaves for the big leagues?

Do fans experience conflicting feelings of disappointment because their favorite player has left, yet gratification for his success at the same time?

Therein lies the dilemma for a team whose sole purpose is to serve as a means to an end. Cardinals’ GM, Branch Rickey, coined the term “farm teams” to describe minor league clubs because they were “growing players down on the farm like corn.”

Furthermore, players experience a sort of “trappedness” in serving as reserves for injured major league players, and as such, Triple-A has been derided as a “spare parts” provider for major league emergencies and the “parking lot” for trapped players. 

In a similar vein, minor league players can be “trapped” in the system within teams that focus more on building up their club by signing key free agents rather than focusing on developing their farm system. Sometimes it boils down to the simple misfortune of playing a position that is not needed by the big league club at the time, or it can be more indicative of the franchise's operating style: a young, promising player in the Marlins’ minor league camp has a much better chance of making it to the big leagues than one in the Yankees farm system.

Thus, players can become confined to a situation of “trappedness” unless they can find a new club that views their skills differently.

These dynamics have brought about somewhat of an inferiority complex among minor league players. Technically, because minor league players are paid for their services, they are considered “professional athletes,”.

However, most fans’ concept of a “professional baseball player” is limited to those in the major leagues. Still, “pro records” and “pro season stats” on baseball cards include both major and minor leagues, and it is often considered an insult when someone asks when a minor league player is going to “get to the pros.”

The situation is not necessarily always so discouraging. Not just a “spare parts” house, Triple-A has also been termed the “third major league” because there is a higher and more genuine level of intensity as players are setting out to prove themselves and thus play harder.

What’s more, some minor league teams draw more attention than the major league squad itself. The Florida Marlins won the World Series in 2003, but up until playoff time, their Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes franchise was drawing larger crowds than the major league club most nights.

Attendance continues to be an encouraging indication of the popularity of the minor leagues: this year, minor league teams had drawn over 5.9 million fans through April, second only to the 6.6 million mark from 2008 which ended up being the highest season total ever. 

And I mean, let’s not kid ourselves - to any kid who remembers coming up to the plate pretending he is Ken Griffey Jr. or Derek Jeter in his Little League game, making it to the minors is still not too shabby.