Minor League Baseball

Minor League Teams and Stadiums I've Visited

Frontier Field - Rochester Redwings

As much as I love Major League Baseball, minor league ballgames can be just as much fun.  

The minor leagues provide opportunities for player development and a way to prepare for the major leagues.  Most of the teams in the minor leagues are directly affiliated with a major league club.  There are eight different classifications in the minor league system, the most familiar to baseball fans being Triple-A, Double-A and (Single) Class-A ball clubs. 

Rochester Redwings

Minor League Baseball Team in the Eastern League
  
The Rochester Redwings are a Triple-A team for the Minnesota Twins. The "Redwings" play in Frontier Field located in downtown Rochester, New York.

Frontier Field was built in 1997, but the old Silver Stadium was home for the Rochester Redwings for as long as I can remember. Having grown up in the Rochester area, I've attended 'Redwing' games since I was a child.

Attending a Redwings Game with Family & Friends

Last May I visited my brother in Rochester and, of course, we had to take in a baseball game. We are both crazy about baseball! We belong to a group of like-minded friends, so 10 of us ended up at the game on a very cold night, typical of Upstate New York in the Spring. But 'nothing in the world' is more fun to me than to watch and talk about baseball, especially with other fans and particularly while at the ballpark!

 

The "Quad Cities River Bandits"

Woodmen Park - Quad Cities River Bandits (Wikimedia Commons)

A Minor League Baseball Team in the Midwest League

Modern Woodmen Park located on the Davenport, Iowa Riverfront has been the home of the "Quad Cities River Bandits" since 1931. The park offers a stunning view of the Mississippi River while you watch a baseball game in this Midwest league. The "River Bandits" are a Class-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.

My grandson, Ryan attended a game at Woodmen Park with his dad the summer he was seven. Ryan had won a reading contest in 2nd grade in his school located near Davenport, Iowa, and the reward was a trip to the ballpark and the opportunity to parade around the outside of the baseball field before the game. At 7, Ryan may not have been much of a baseball fan, but he really enjoyed the experience.

Savannah Sand Gnats Stadium

Grayson Stadium - Savannah Sand Gnats

Class A Affiliate of the New York Mets

Now that I live in Savannah, Georgia, I've indulged my baseball passion for several years by attending minor league games at Grayson Stadium, which was home to the Savannah Sand Gnats from 2007 until the end of last season (2015). The Sand Gnats were a Class-A affiliate of the New York Mets. At one time they were known as the Savannah Cardinals, an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Prior to that, they were affiliated with the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves.

The 'Gnats' (named for that pesky little insect all us locals know well) played in the South Atlantic League in 'Historic Grayson Stadium' built in 1926. Sadly, to us local baseball fans, the Savannah Class-A affiliate left Savannah for Columbia, South Carolina where they will play this 2016 season. Still an affiliate of the New York Mets, they will now be known as the Columbia 
Fireflies. 

Grayson Stadium

 

Grayson Stadium - Savannah, Georgia

Historic Grayson Stadium won't be empty, though. With the departure of the Savannah Sand Gnats comes a new member of the Coastal Plains League consisting of a team of top collegiate players eager to show off their talents to scouts and fans.

A naming contest was conducted for the new team and will be called the "Savannah Bananas".  Their season will run from early June until the end of August.

Minor League Baseball Parks

 

Minor League Baseball Parks Guide

Since there are only 30 Major League Baseball parks, few of us live near enough to enjoy attending a game.  But there are 119 minor league baseball stadiums throughout the country, giving us a chance to enjoy attending a baseball game in person.  And, as us fans all know, most of today's baseball 'stars' in the majors began their careers playing first in the minors. 

Attending a minor league game gives us a chance to see the next up-and-coming crop of baseball superstars.  This guide to minor league baseball parks on Kindle is perfect to download and have at our fingertips locations and information on a park anywhere we live or travel on vacation.


© 2014 Wednesday Elf (originally written for another site)

© Images: all images on this page are mine, except where otherwise noted. 







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