Former MiLB president Mike Moore passes away

Former Minor League Baseball president Mike Moore passed away Thursday after a lengthy illness. He was 80.

Moore became the 10th president in Minor League history in 1992 and held the position until 2007. His 16 seasons at the helm marked the third-longest tenure in Minor League history.

Minor League Baseball issued a statement in response to Moore's passing Thursday night:

"Minor League Baseball sends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mike Moore, who passed away at the age of 80 after a lengthy illness. We appreciate Mike’s many contributions to our game and his 16 years of dedicated service to all Minor League teams.”

Moore's tenure was one of immense change and growth within the industry. A reorganization of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues was his first and perhaps biggest contribution. Some have called it the most important change in the Minor Leagues since the NAPBL was formed in 1901.

"There was no unity in Minor League Baseball when I took over," Moore told MiLB.com at the end of his tenure as president in 2007. "There was no unity between Major and Minor League Baseball. I was able to build unity between the leagues and the classifications."

Revenue attendance increased consistently throughout Moore's tenure, including his final year in 2007, when a then-record 42.8 million fans passed through Minor League turnstiles. The increase in revenue created a corresponding increase in the valuation of Minor League franchises and the construction of a number of new state-of-the-art ballparks.

Under Moore's leadership, the Professional Baseball Umpire Corp was formed in 1998 to operate and maintain the umpire program for all of the Minor Leagues. In addition, the Professional Baseball Employment Opportunities office was created to assist aspiring employers looking for work in the baseball industry.

"My strongest belief is that Mike is leaving us a legacy of having brought to Minor League Baseball a new level of professionalism -- and I mean professionalism in its best and most encompassing fashion," former Pacific Coast League president Branch Rickey said in 2007.

Pat O'Conner, Moore's successor and the last Minor League president, spoke fondly of his former colleague Thursday.

“Mike Moore was one of the most effective presidents Minor League Baseball had," O'Conner said. "He was a great thinker with creative ideas and the ability to communicate his thoughts clearly. Mike was a great orator. He was just the person baseball needed to lead the National Association through tumultuous times and provide the leadership to spark the phenomenal growth of its last 25 years. Scores of people benefited from Mike’s intelligence, leadership and love of the game.”