Ask MiLB.com: Doubleheaders and AFL
Have a question? Shoot us an email at webmaster@minorleaguebaseball.com
What are the regulations for eligibility for assignment to the Arizona Fall League? --Mike
Each Major League organization is required to provide six players to the Arizona Fall League; eligibility rules can be found here.
Why are doubleheaders played for seven innings? --Christine T.
According to Rule 4.10 (a) in the Official Rules Book, Minor Leagues have the option to adopt a policy where all doubleheaders consist of two, seven-inning games. It's most likely done to get the games completed in a timely manner, considering it's a good value for fans and also accommodates the bus travel plans of many teams.
I'm curious as to whether Minor Leaguers who make the playoffs in their various leagues are compensated in any way, such as sharing in gate receipts in the first three games of a playoff series? I can't seem to find anyone who wants to answer this question. --Don H.
We want to answer it: there is no sharing of gate receipts in Minor League Baseball. Players get paid on a pro-rated scale for each day they are on a roster, until their club's season is over.
I would like to know the average monthly salary of a Minor League player? Also, how many balls are used during a regular game? Who pays for and supplies the balls -- the league or each team? How do players travel from city to city -- by bus, airplane, train? --AJ
Minor Leaguers in the first contract season earn a maximum of $1,100 a month. After that, it's open to negotiation between the player and the parent affiliation. Minor League Baseball has no information about the average salaries of any MiLB employees, though all financial information is considered confidential.
Major League games tend to use 60-70 balls per game on average, so that number is likely similar in the Minors -- we don't have specific data, though. Balls are paid for and provided to Minor League clubs by their parent affiliate. Most Minor League teams travel by bus unless they're flying across the country.
Do the Major League teams own the Minor League teams affiliated with them, or are they independently owned? --Dan K.
The majority of Minor League Baseball clubs are independently owned. Several Major League teams do own their affiliates, though -- the Tampa Yankees, Springfield Cardinals and Gwinnett Braves, for example.
I had a question about the official rules of MiLB. I looked all over your site but couldn't locate a reference to what rules MiLB follows on governing the game of baseball. Are these rules the same as MLB? --Craig B.
Minor League Baseball clubs play by the same rules as listed in the Official Baseball Rules book published by Major League Baseball. You can view the rulebook here.
Who calls the Sacramento River Cats games on MiLB.TV? --Mikel M.
Johnny Doskow is the Cats' radio broadcaster -- his audio feed is played during televised games.
We were at the Tri-City ValleyCats game on Aug. 30 and my son was in the broadcast booth and on the radio during the fourth and fifth innings. Is there any way to get a copy of the broadcast so that my wife can hear it? --David L.
Sounds like a cool experience! We'd suggest you contact the ValleyCats directly.
I was wondering when tryouts are held for Minor League teams or even if Minor Leagues teams have tryouts? I have been doing some research and it seems that only Major League Baseball hosts tryouts. I was wondering when they might be? --John T.
Your research is right -- MLB has a schedule of tryout camps, you cannot try out directly for a Minor League club. Check back in 2011 for the updated tryout camp schedule.
Is there a minimum at-bats or games played to be considered for hitter of the week awards? Or are there other criteria? --Bucky
League front offices typically select weekly player awards, so we can't really speak on behalf of each league's guidelines and criteria for selections. Which league(s) did you have in mind?
Have a question? Shoot us an email at webmaster@minorleaguebaseball.com, and please be as specific as possible so that we can accurately respond to your inquiry.
Dodgers greats Newcombe and Campanella made history as Minors teammates
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
15 prospects primed for a bounceback season from injury
A lot of players will be getting a fresh start heading into the 2025 season. Prospects who missed significant time due to injury have had upwards of six months between regular-season games to return to health. Now they'll be looking to re-establish their value and maybe even reach new heights.
Check out the newest Minor League team logos for 2025
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Here are 18 prospects who also starred on the gridiron
The two-time defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs are set to meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, and plenty of baseball prospects will be keeping a close eye. After all, many current Minor Leaguers played football at a high level before committing fully to the diamond. No, there aren't any
Did you know the Superdome was once home to a Minor League team?
On Sunday, one of the world’s most-watched sporting events will take place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Believe it or not, decades before Super Bowl LIX came to town, the same building was home to a Minor League Baseball team for one season. The 1977 Triple-A New Orleans Pelicans
How a Black pitcher's brief PCL stint in 1916 generated a historic card
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2010. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
The Show Before the Show: Episode 489
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minors legend Jones still holds batting record
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2008. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers. Grover "Deacon" Jones spent more than a half-century in baseball, serving the game at almost every level and in
Hooks have a new look -- and more -- on the line for 20th season
In advance of a milestone season at Whataburger Field, the Corpus Christi Hooks are making a change. The Houston Astros' Double-A affiliate unveiled new logos and uniforms on Friday evening, marking the first time they have significantly altered their look since debuting in 2005. According to Hooks general manager Brady
Here's how Jackie Robinson fueled Montreal to a Minor League title in 1946
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
They're due! MiLB's longest active title droughts
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
These players could earn teams extra Draft picks in 2025
Since the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) was implemented under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, four players have earned their clubs extra Draft picks. The PPI rewards teams for promoting their best prospects to the big leagues at the start of the season, enabling them to earn a Draft pick if
Each team's best non-Top 100 prospect
There just isn't enough room to fit all the worthy talents on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. We unveiled our latest rankings last Friday, and now we're going to spotlight the best prospect in each farm system who couldn't quite make the cut. We undertook the same exercise last
MiLB collaborates with Stand Up To Cancer
Minor League Baseball announced a new collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C), an organization that funds the development of new and promising cancer treatments to help patients today. Founded in 2008, SU2C raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients.
These are the best tools on the new Top 100 Prospects list
Players featured on last year’s edition of the best tools among Top 100 prospects should look familiar to even casual baseball fans at this point. Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (best fastball, slider) took the Major Leagues by storm as the NL Rookie of the Year, thanks to his hard-throwing ways
Answering your Top 100 Prospects list questions
MLB Pipeline released its new Top 100 Prospects list on Friday, and it was met with a bevy of questions and comments about fans' favorite prospects. To help make sense of all the inquiries, Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo took to Reddit and responded to fan questions in a Top 100 Prospect-focused
Here are every organization's Top 100 prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline’s 2025 Top 100 Prospects list went live on Friday night, led by the newest Dodger, right-hander Roki Sasaki, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony and Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins. There’s a lot of offensive firepower throughout the list, beyond those two outfielders at the top, but while the bats
Check out MLB Pipeline's 2025 Top 100 Prospects list
He was one of the most sought-after talents this offseason, and he hadn’t even played stateside ball yet. Now, he can add another bullet point to his already lengthy baseball resume. Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki tops MLB Pipeline’s 2025 preseason ranking of the Top 100 prospects, followed by Red Sox
The Show Before the Show: Episode 488
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Get ready to cheer for ... the Bathtub Donkeys?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to The Baseball Traveler newsletter here.
These are MLB’s No. 1 prospects at each position
MLB Pipeline's 2025 rankings of the Top 10 prospects at each position are official and the 2025 Top 100 Prospects list will be revealed at 7 p.m. ET on Friday on MLB Network and MLB.com.