Major League Baseball wants to cut the number of affiliated minor league teams from 160 to 120 (one low A, one high A, one AA, and one AAA team per MLB franchise). The accord between MLB and MiLB ended Wednesday without a new agreement being reached. Leading into that on Tuesday, MLB took their first step in eliminating some minor league teams as we’ve come to know them. They announced that the Appalachian League would no longer be a professional league. It will still exist, as a summer league for 320 college freshmen and sophomores. MLB owns most of the teams, so they can pretty much do what they like in this case. The teams with MLB team names will have their names changed. The affected municipalities all voiced support—city councils/mayors were probably just happy the League wasn’t being axed entirely. The newly amateur developmental league will compete with the Cape Cod League for college player prospects.
Fan Interference 