2020 MLB draft will be only 5 rounds, take place in late July

[jarman86]

3 hours ago, wildcard said:

It will be sad if the O's cut Frederick as a farm team.   They are normally 2nd in the Carolina League in attendance with around 260,000 fans a season.   But Frederick will have baseball.   Some other team will pick up that fan base.   A team like the Hagerstown Suns will likely move to an independent league.

I think Hagerstown will cease to exist.  Frederick won't be picked up by another team.  They are slated to be out of organized baseball period.  Too many minor league teams in Maryland and looks like Frederick drew the short straw.  

[atomic]

3 hours ago, wildcard said:

It will be sad if the O's cut Frederick as a farm team.   They are normally 2nd in the Carolina League in attendance with around 260,000 fans a season.   But Frederick will have baseball.   Some other team will pick up that fan base.   A team like the Hagerstown Suns will likely move to an independent league.

If they are doing so well in attendance why would the Orioles choose them to be the team cut?  

[DrungoHazewood]

31 minutes ago, jarman86 said:

I think Hagerstown will cease to exist.  Frederick won't be picked up by another team.  They are slated to be out of organized baseball period.  Too many minor league teams in Maryland and looks like Frederick drew the short straw.  

The York Revolution and SoMd Blue Crabs draw fewer fans than the Keys and apparently have a workable business model.  I would think that the Atlantic League would consider expansion if places like Harry Grove were vacant.

200k fans at $8 a head, plus a few hundred $k in advertising, and maybe half a million or a million cut of concessions and beer... What, $3M or so in revenues, with a player payroll that can't be more than $200k. The owner isn't getting rich, but they could probably make that function.

[DrungoHazewood]

3 minutes ago, atomic said:

If they are doing so well in attendance why would the Orioles choose them to be the team cut?  

Is it the Orioles choice?

[jarman86]

1 hour ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Is it the Orioles choice?

Agreed.  It is more likely a league, MiLB, and Orioles/MLB decision.  Still not sure how the leagues will play out, but my guess is numbers game.  Aberdeen is not going away for many reasons.  I would assume they take the Keys place.  South Atlantic League may be wanting to cease operations further up North, so that could be why Delmarva stays in tact.  Not sure if Frederick qualifies as a Double A stadium or not, so couldn't be sure if that is why they got short end of the draw.  I would think they would/could take Richmond or Bowie's spot in Eastern League, being an hour away from Harrisburg and having the attendance factor, but who knows?

[DrungoHazewood]

2 hours ago, jarman86 said:

Agreed.  It is more likely a league, MiLB, and Orioles/MLB decision.  Still not sure how the leagues will play out, but my guess is numbers game.  Aberdeen is not going away for many reasons.  I would assume they take the Keys place.  South Atlantic League may be wanting to cease operations further up North, so that could be why Delmarva stays in tact.  Not sure if Frederick qualifies as a Double A stadium or not, so couldn't be sure if that is why they got short end of the draw.  I would think they would/could take Richmond or Bowie's spot in Eastern League, being an hour away from Harrisburg and having the attendance factor, but who knows?

I don't think Harry Grove meets AA standards.  There have been various calls over the years for upgrades and maintenance, so it would surprise me if it could host AA ball.  I doubt it's proximity to Harrisburg.  Frederick is closer to Bowie, and Baltimore, and Washington, and Potomac.

[jarman86]

22 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

I don't think Harry Grove meets AA standards.  There have been various calls over the years for upgrades and maintenance, so it would surprise me if it could host AA ball.  I doubt it's proximity to Harrisburg.  Frederick is closer to Bowie, and Baltimore, and Washington, and Potomac.

I was speaking more to proximity being for Eastern League as the only two teams further south than Harrisburg is Bowie and Richmond, which is allegedly a reason for downsizing in an effort to decrease travel distances.  Potomac is no more, that team moved to Fredericksburg.  And I'm assuming Wilmington will remain a franchise in Carolina League due to politics, as Frederick is a better stadium IMO and draws better crowds.  Therefore, I expect Aberdeen to be the A franchise in the Carolina league for us if this contraction does actually occur of MiLB.