Independent leagues add franchises in cities abandoned by affiliated minor league teams.
Andrew Dunn kept a close eye on the minor league movement out west last summer.
When news broke that the Bakersfield and High Desert franchises would be leaving the California League, Dunn, the commissioner of the Pecos League, started to receive calls about adding teams to his independent league.
The Pecos League already had teams in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Colorado and Kansas. Knowing there would soon be two cities without baseball teams, Dunn saw an opportunity to expand. The Pecos League added the High Desert Yardbirds and the Bakersfield Blaze this season.
“Logically, there’s people who are gonna want baseball there,” Dunn said.
The next minor league shuffle is scheduled for 2019, when Rookie-level Helena of the Pioneer League leaves for Colorado Springs.
Denne historien er fra August 04 2017-utgaven av Baseball America.
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Denne historien er fra August 04 2017-utgaven av Baseball America.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
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