Cleveland Sports Forum

Baseball is such a hard game it takes time to develop players that can play at the Major League level.

Will people pay money to see a developmental product?

Sad to admit ....baseball, as we know it, is dying.

It’s changing but I wouldn’t say dying.

Only 10% of minor league players ever reach the major leagues. Does every organization need 8 or 10 minor league teams? A little streamlining may be in order.

And the NFL used to have a 20 round draft, and they were competing against other leagues at the time. Then they dropped to 12, now 7 Rounds.

It is going to be far more important for teams to hit on undrafted free agents then what it is in the NFL. A lot of talent has come from rounds after 5.

I have not dug into this too deep to be honest, so you guys may have heard something I haven’t, but I just hope there is a pool of money teams can spend on UDFA’s the same as their is in the international pool, to even the playing field for small and mid market teams. That has probably been talked about and I missed it though. I hope.

MY Scrappers have been a pretty successful business. The community is very happy to have a pro team and is not looking forward to losing them.

Civ,

Do they have plans for the MV stadium? Are there other cities that are close that are losing teams?

Will someone start a league like the Cape for some of these kids that will not get drafted?

Nearby? Your Muckdogs are about as close as anyone else in the NYPL. Except Jamestown NY fellow members of the McNamara Division.
Mahoning Valley has been kind of a geographic outlier since they joined, which I guess is apparent based on the name of the league. There's a team in the Morgantown WV which siri says is 139 miles and she says Jamestown is 140.
Canton joined some Independent League, maybe the Frontier League, after their team moved to Akron to become the Aeros. don't think that lasted long.

I see that something now called the Prospect League still has a team in Chillocothe and one in someplace called Champion City [which I guess is actually Springfield], that are the only Ohio teams in that league. They call it a Collegiate Wood Bat League: that's like the Cape Cod league I think?

Avon has the Lake Erie Crushers. Maybe that league would expand. Seems like that league has some pretty long drives.

Lake Erie Crushers
2009 Baseball Blvd
Avon, OH 44011
Phone: (440) 934-3636
Fax: (440) 934-2458
E-mail: info@lakeeriecrushers.com
President: Tom Kramig

New Jersey Jackals
8 Yogi Berra Drive
Little Falls, NJ 07424
Phone: (973) 746-7434
Fax: (973) 655-8006
E-mail: info@jackals.com
President: Greg Lockard

New York Boulders
One Provident Bank Park Drive
Pomona, NY 10970
Phone: (845) 364-0009
Fax: (845) 364-0001
E-mail: info@nyboulders.com
President: Shawn Reilly

Quebec Capitales
100 rue du Cardinal Maurice-Roy
Quebec, QC G1K 8Z1
Phone: (418) 521-2266
Fax: (418) 521-2255
E-mail: info@capitalesdequebec.com
General Manager: Charles Demers

Sussex County Miners
94 Championship Place, Box 11
Augusta, NJ 07822
Phone: (973) 383-7644
Fax: (973) 383-7522
E-mail: contact@scminers.com
General Manager: Justin Ferrarella

Trois-Rivieres Aigles
1760 Avenue Gilles-Villenevue
Trois-Rivieres, QC G9A 5K8
Phone: (819) 379-0404
Fax: (819) 379-5087
E-mail: info@lesaiglestr.com
General Manager: Rene Martin

Washington Wild Things
CONSOL Energy Park
One Washington Federal Way
Washington, PA 15301
Phone: (724) 250-9555
Fax: (724) 250-2333
E-mail: info@washingtonwildthings.com
General Manager: Tony Buccilli



MIDWESTERN DIVISION

Evansville Otters
23 Don Mattingly Way
Evansville, IN 47711-4500
Phone: (812) 435-8686
Fax: (812) 435-8688
E-mail: ottersbb@evansville.net
Vice President, Sales: Joel Padfield
Florence Y’alls
7950 Freedom Way
Florence, KY 41042
Phone: (859) 594-4487
Fax: (859) 594-3194
E-mail: admin@florenceyalls.com
General Manager: Josh Anderson

Gateway Grizzlies
2301 Grizzlie Bear Blvd.
Sauget, IL 62206
Phone: (618) 337-3000
Fax: (618) 332-3625
E-mail: info@gatewaygrizzlies.com
General Manager: Steve Gomric

Joliet Slammers
1 Mayor Art Schultz Drive
Joliet, IL 60432
Phone: (815) 722-2287
Fax: (815) 726-4304
E-mail: info@jolietslammers.com
General Manager: Heather Mills

Schaumburg Boomers
1999 South Springinsguth Road
Schaumburg, IL 60193
Phone: (847) 461-3695
Fax: (630) 439-3501
e-mail: info@boomersbaseball.com
General Manager: Michael Larson

Southern Illinois Miners
Rent One Park
1000 Miners Drive
Marion, IL 62959
Phone: (618) 998-8499
Fax: (618) 969-8550
E-mail: info@southernillinoisminers.com
General Manager: Cathy Perry

Windy City ThunderBolts
14011 South Kenton Avenue
Crestwood, IL 60418
Phone: (708) 489-2255
Fax: (708) 489-2999
E-mail: info@wcthunderbolts.com
General Manager: Mike VerSchave

That is a big geographical spread. Hard to imagine how a cheap league can afford that. Perhaps the NYPL teams can fit in. What league is that?

Frontier League

Indians Prospective @indiansPro

Cleveland #Indians are linked to and considered favorites to sign the 18 players listed below for the July 2nd 2020 International signing day. None of these players can be signed before that date.

- Updated 4/19/20 to add:

RHP Jose Sanchez
RHP Walbert Taveras

17 out of 18 from Venezuela or DR.

Nobody else plays baseball?

Here's the most recent BA posting on the International prospects:

https://www.baseballamerica.com/ranking ... cts-class/

Last time I reviewed through none of the kids listed were projected for Cleveland.

Teams are dumping minor leaguers. Red Sox dumped 22 today. I guess this is normal for this time of year where a new influx of players through the draft and international signings usually happens. Is the draft still on?

Some teams are paying their minor leaguers a whopping $400 a week through August.

Civ is learning to live without baseball.

Me too.

Shame

there's a 5 round draft early June; next week maybe?

recently released:

Indians (11)

3B: Alexis Pantoja
C: Jason Rodriguez
LHP: David Speer, Gunner Leger, Ty Boyles, Wes Helsabeck.
OF: Mike Papi
RHP: Brendan Meyer, Felix Tati, Jhon Peluffo, Zack Weiss.

Italicized never played for us; picked up over the winter. Boldface $1.2M "pure hitter" pure failure.

Indians Prospective @indiansPro

Indians have signed UDFA 21yr old (C) Joe Donovan out of the University of Michigan. Donovan hit 10 HR's over his 92 career games at Michigan with 44 RBI while hitting for a .228 Average. He was drafted by the Cubs out of HS in the 33rd Round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

Donovan is said to have a great glove with an above average arm. Graded out 55 on each.

.

Brian Sakowski @B_Sakowski_PG

Love this pickup for Cleveland on the UDFA market in Michigan catcher Joe Donovan. Has handled several high-end arms, above-avg arm strength with some raw pop to the profile as well.