Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Arnold
Yeah, I don't think it's fair to claim it's all good for everyone. Nothing is forcing guys to stick around in the low minors if they were better served by changing careers to a different job, and the fact that there are less teams will cause some guys who just barely stuck on before but rocketed up late in their minor career to be cut earlier and possible never make it. Now they won't get that chance.
I think in the end it will be good, especially if it leads to a better living wage for the minor leaguers. I do think it's a good opportunity for the various independent leagues to grow a little more as well, since there will be a larger pool that they can recruit from, but it's going to take a little time to restructure them, and some teams will leave towns and never come back. But if this does leads to a better focus on the teams and players that are left, that might be good overall. It always amazed me before how little players at these levels were paid, how little it would cost to increase that pay and conditions, compared to how many millions teams were willing to pay some 16 year old kids from the DR, so if this can help that out, that can only be a good thing overall.
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Matt, the ones that somehow slipped by in the draft, or develop more later will also have quite a bit more opportunities in the Indy leagues going forward. Both the American Association and the Atlantic league are looking at possible expansion. The Pioneer league is now a brand new Indy league, with expansion already looming as they already have one team getting a new stadium and joining in 22. Salem-Kaiser is doing a one ballpark 4 team Indy setup like the USPL and the Pecos league is trying to expand again, I know.. that rarely works the way they want it too LOL but still its indisputable that there are a lot more Indy opportunities for guys under this new setup.
Its gonna be interesting for the fact that there will be more talent at the NCAA level with less minors and a shorter draft... which will push more talent to the Junior college level. So you now have 3 levels of baseball getting much stronger. and in the Minors, prospects will be playing mainly against other prospects now which should make MiLB stronger as well.