Ask MiLB.com: Doubleheaders and AFL

Minor League Baseball fans have a lot of questions about the game, its players and this website. We at MiLB.com attempt to answer some of those curiosities. No promises, though.

Have a question? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

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?