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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector

Lauren Theisen

view of a mostly empty ballpark, from low on the third base side, at the FerryHawks play the Rockers

A Front-Row Seat To The Worst Team In Pro Baseball

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Charles P. Pierce is a writer at Esquire and the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston with his wife but no longer his three children.
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Charles P. Pierce

Worcester, MA - May 11: Opening Day at the new Polar Park for the Worcester Red Sox in Worcester on May 11, 2021. Spectators watch from above home plate as Syracuse Mets and the WooSox line the field. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

A Million Lives Lead Back To Worcester

Richard Staff is a <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardStaff" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">weapons-grade Twitter goblin</a> and hostage of the Mets. That is his real name.

Richard Staff

Marcus Walden of the Boston Red Sox throws during a summer camp workout before the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball season on July 15, 2020 at Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts. The season was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Secret Brotherhood Of The Phantom Ballplayers

Jen Ramos Eisen is a Central California- and Las Vegas-based baseball labor and economics reporter.

Jen Ramos Eisen

Minor League Baseball: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Austin Hamilton (14) in action, pitching vs San Jose Giants at San Jose Giants Excite Ballpark. San Jose, CA.

Private Equity Now Owns More Than 40 Minor League Baseball Teams, And The Number Keeps Growing

An illustration of several baseball mitts trying to catch the same ball

The Minor League Shrink And The Growing Gap Between Triple-A And The Bigs

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK - MAY 18: Ben Braymer #40 of the Rochester Red Wings throws a pitch in the third inning against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at Frontier Field on May 18, 2021 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)

Wings Week

An Interview With The Biggest Washington Nationals Prospect Sicko Any Of Us Know

A cartoon of an outfield wall with an encroaching shadow over the player standing looking at it. It feels dark and desolate. The baseball stadium is empty.

The Life Of An International Minor League Baseball Player Has Never Been Simple

Samer Kalaf

Fernando Tatis Jr. hits a homer in Sunday's minor league baseball game

Triple-A Pitchers Must Be Thrilled That Fernando Tatis Jr. Is Leaving

An image of the baseball field at Stockton Ballpark in Stockton, California. There's a baseball field, and rows of plastic chairs for fans to sit in.

Minor League Baseball’s New CBA Still Won’t Solve All Its Transportation Woes

Laura Wagner

Minor Leaguers And MLB Are On The Verge Of A Historic CBA

Michael is a writer who has worked with The Atlantic, The New Yorker, WIRED, Vox, The New York Times, and other publications. His first book, The Other Olympians, which uncovers the stories of several European athletes who transitioned gender in the 1930s, is now available for purchase.

Michael Waters

TOLEDO, OH - JULY 01: Columbus Clippers player's ball caps are seen on the dugout bench during a regular season game between the Columbus Clippers and the Toledo Mud Hens on July 1, 2019 at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio.

Capital

The Columbus Clippers Made Public Sports Ownership Work. Can Anyone Else?

Colin Deppen is a reporter with Spotlight PA.

Colin Deppen

Barnstormers' Jake Hoover (20) slides into second base after hitting a two run double against the York Revolution during first inning action of the home opener at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster Friday April 29, 2022.

Why These Teams Got Left Out Of The Minor League Baseball Union

Marc Normandin currently writes on baseball’s labor issues and more at <a style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" href="http://marcnormandin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://marcnormandin.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758998321491000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZpjG5RUFwdpapWqR1u4bd">marcnormandin.com</a>, which you can read for free but support <a style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" href="https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin">through his Patreon</a>. His baseball writing has appeared at FOX Sports, SB Nation, Defector, Global Sport Matters, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sports on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, FAIR, and TalkPoverty, and you can read his takes on video games at Retro XP and Endless Mode.
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Marc Normandin

Amarillo Sod Poodles infielder Jordan Lawlar seen outlined against a bright blue sky in a game against the Frisco RoughRiders in September of 2022.

Major League Baseball’s Hubris Helped Lead To Minor League Baseball’s Union

David Roth

Amarillo Sod Poodles infielder Jordan Lawlar is congratulated by his coach after scoring a run in minor league game in 2022.

Podcasts

How The Minor Leagues Got Organized, With Emma Baccellieri

<a href="https://twitter.com/jaseidler" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jarrett Seidler</a> is the senior prospect writer and evaluation coordinator at Baseball Prospectus. He is a proud Jersey Shore local.

Jarrett Seidler

<a href="https://twitter.com/jeffpaternostro" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jeffrey Paternostro</a> is the Lead Prospect Writer at Baseball Prospectus and has spent over a decade waiting for the Mets to develop one fourth-round ACC infielder.

Jeffrey Paternostro

The minor league Tampa Tarpons, under manager Rachel Balkovec, stand for the national anthem in an April 2022 game.

To Form A More Perfect Union

Tom Ley

The MLBPA Wants To Unionize Minor League Baseball

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, seen here wearing reflective sunglasses at the 2022 All-Star Game.

Rob Manfred Doesn’t Even Have To Try

All Rob Manfred Can Do Is Lie About This Stuff

Barry Petchesky

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 16: Masyn Winn #1 of the St. Louis Cardinals fields the ball in the third inning during the 2022 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, July 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Masyn Winn Brought The Heat

This Is So Stupid

Please Be Very Aware Of Any Justin Dean Throws Passing Through The Airspace Above You

<a href="https://twitter.com/robertfoconnell" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Robert O’Connell</a> is a writer from Kansas living in New York. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and elsewhere.

Robert O’Connell

Helmets (and a pair of eclipse glasses) in the dugout of a minor league baseball team in Columbia, SC.

Minor League Baseball Is Optimized To Exploit

Patrick Redford

An opposing batter takes a big cut against the Sacramento Solons during a game in 1975.

Senators Week

Every Game Was A Home Run Derby For The 1974 Sacramento Solons

<a href="https://twitter.com/ericnus">Eric Nusbaum</a> is a writer based in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of the book <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/stealing-home-los-angeles-the-dodgers-and-the-lives-caught-in-between-9781541742222/9781541742215">Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between</a>. He is also a former editor at Vice.

Eric Nusbaum

Kids photograph a pitcher for the Pacific Coast League's Oakland Acorns in 1952.

MLB’s Minor League Power Play Is An Offense Against Baseball History

<a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://demause.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://demause.net/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]">Neil deMause</a> has covered sports economics for more publications than even he can shake a stick at. He’s co-author of the book <a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="https://www.amazon.com/Field-Schemes-Stadium-Swindle-Private/dp/1567511384?ascsubtag=c9dca64cfbbd6c35085d286f4423ee39b8350b2f&amp;rawdata=%5Br%7Chttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F%5Bks%7Cgoogle%5Bt%7Clink%5Bp%7C1800657108%5Ba%7C1567511384%5Bau%7C5722120546910826704%5Bb%7Cdeadspinascsubtag%3D4eba2da0f6cc83fe1f221e8d8ca5894cd93bf2a7ascsubtag%3D33f4f2a16c1eda72859c34ee8aa577410b04a0d8&amp;tag=deadspinamzn-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga="[[&quot;Commerce&quot;,&quot;deadspin - Baseball Doesn't Need Collusion To Turn Off The Hot Stove&quot;,&quot;1567511384&quot;]]" data-amazonasin="1567511384" data-amazontag="deadspinamzn-20" data-amazonsubtag="[r|https://www.google.com/[ks|google[t|link[p|1831644811[a|1567511384[au|5722120546910826704[b|deadspin[lt|text" data-commerceready="true">Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit</a>, and runs <a class="sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 kGbjEv js_link" href="http://fieldofschemes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http://fieldofschemes.com/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]">the website of the same name</a>.

Neil deMause

CAROLINA, PUERTO RICO - NOVEMBER 13: A remaining batting helmet sits on the field at the Roberto Clemente Municipal Stadium on November 13, 2018 in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The ballpark was once used for minor league AA baseball. The stadium is set to be demolished due to the extended damage it sustained from Hurricane Maria. The effort continues in Puerto Rico to remain and rebuild more than one year after the Hurricane Maria hit and devastated the island on September 20, 2017. The official number of deaths from the disaster is 2,975. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Lumix)

Why MLB Declared War On The Minor Leagues

A back field at a MLB training facility in Glendale, Arizona.

Minor League Baseball