Minor League Baseball: A Cheap and Fun Alternative to the Majors

Ever sat there watching a major league baseball game and the announcers say the name of a player that you’ve never heard of? More often than not, it’s because the player has just come up from the minor leagues, the glorious breeding ground for future stars in our nation’s pastime. Thanks to minor league stadiums relatively close in proximity (the Lake County Captains) and less pricey than a major league game, more people are becoming in tune with the minor league scene.

In many ways, a minor league game can be more entertaining than a major league game. The seats are extremely close to the field, which allows for interaction with the players, and the players will talk to fans. A conversation is easy to obtain with the players and, more often than not, the players will talk to the fans and hand out autographs, balls, and bats. Also, a game is very cheap to enter and obtain a great seat. Using the Captains for example, the seats rang from six dollars to nine dollars. No matter what, one will be very close to the action.

A lot of people like to go to say they saw future major league stars when they played in the minors, and that is true. In the case of the Captains, their first alum started three games for the Cleveland Indians so far this season. Fausto Carmona, a pitcher in the Captains’ inaugural season, was called up to replace C.C. Sabathia when he went down with an oblique strain.

Sadly though, what some people don’t realize is that a lot of the players on a team like the Captains won’t end up playing on the major league affiliate (in this case, the Indians). Due to the many steps and levels a player must climb to attain a chance at playing in the majors, many are traded to other teams or simply don’t make the cut and top out at a certain level. This holds especially true for a Low-A team like Lake County. If a player were to stop at every level after playing at Lake County, this player would have to play in High-A (Kinston), Double-A (Akron), and Triple-A (Buffalo). Needless to say, it is quite difficult to play major league baseball.

The in-game promotions could very easily be the best reason to choose a minor league baseball game. Promoters in the minors have become extremely creative in their approaches to get fans (or in one case, turn fans away) to come to games. Some of the more popular promotions include: Awful Night (an attempt to create the worst atmosphere ever at a game), Silent Night (a game in which nobody could speak), Auctioned At-Bat Night (the winner won an at-bat in a game), and Nobody Night (no one was admitted into the game).

Cheap seats and a good view, interaction with the players, a chance to see the future or major league baseball, and entertaining promotions; these are just a few of the many reasons to go to a minor league baseball game. When the major league team is on a road trip or one just wants to spend less money and perhaps travel less, a minor league game is the perfect option.

Minor league baseball teams are also known for their unusual names. Here are ten of the most unique.

1. Montgomery Biscuits
2. Cedar Rapids Kernels
3. Albuquerque Isotopes
4. Lansing Lugnuts
5. Las Vegas 51’s
6. Asheville Tourists
7. Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino
8. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
9. Swing of Quad City
10. Williamsport Crosscutters