In Fighting Over the Minors, What Might Baseball Lose?

When the San Francisco Giants chose catcher Joey Bart second over all in the 2018 draft, the fans in Keizer, Ore., knew what that meant. A decade earlier, they had gotten an early glimpse of another first-round catcher, Buster Posey, who went on to lead the Giants to three World Series titles. Now Posey’s likely successor would play in their town, too.

“They made that connection instantly, and they came from a long way to see Joey Bart play,” said Jerry Walker, who has owned the Class A Salem-Keizer Volcanoes since their inception in 1997. “Fans will travel to see future stars in the minor leagues, and our players are always accessible for autographs. Fans can do things here and get much closer to the players than they’ll ever be at a major league stadium.”

Walker, who sold his real-estate company to buy into the affiliated minors in 1989, is proud of his team’s connection with the Giants. Thirteen former Volcanoes — including Posey, Tim Lincecum, Pablo Sandoval and Sergio Romo — dotted the rosters of the Giants’ recent championship teams.

“As long as we are close to break-even, we’re happy,” he said. “We’re not in this to get rich, but we’re not wealthy people where we can afford to lose $400,000 a year, either.”

Source: The New York Times

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