Whlle we talked about some of the economic issues that could cause friction in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations on Wednesday, Robert O'Connell wrote a post at Defector that tilted the open can of worms when it comes to minor league compensation, allowing everybody to get a look at what's wriggling inside.
Titled "Minor League Baseball is optimized to exploit," it sums up the issues prospects we've discussed here and there (fights for housing, poor nutrition), and others I haven't seen much about. It opens with coaches who are incentivized to tinker with players even if it could be harmful, and toward the end is a horror story about a host family.
“People speak about host families endearingly, which is bullshit—they don’t pay us enough to get our own place,” Player 2 said. The vetting process is predictably minimal. That first year, Player 2 and a handful of teammates lived with what he described as an “obsessive superfan,” in a home crammed with knickknacks from the big-league club and its various affiliates. The players snuck through the house during those hours if they couldn’t avoid it altogether. “He’d come knock on our doors and want to talk to us, and you’d have to sign shit. You’d have to sign baseball cards and bobbleheads—all this guy’s basement was absolutely decked out in every piece of memorabilia that you can find,” Player 2 said. “It was scary, honestly. We just wanted a place to sleep, and you kind of had to indulge him because you’re staying at his house. You’ve got nowhere else to live.”
Jacksonville 2, Charlotte 1
- Adam Engel played center and went 1-for-3.
- Jake Burger was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
- Yermín Mercedes was 0-for-3.
- So was Blake Rutherford, who struck out once.
- Micker Adolfo struck out all three times.
Birmingham 7, Rocket City 5
- Carlos Pérez went 1-for-5 with his 20th double.
- Lenyn Sosa went 1-for-5 with a single.
- Yoelqui Céspedes had his first big night in a while, going 3-for-4 with a triple and a stolen base.
Fayetteville 5, Kannapolis 3
- Caberea Weaver went 2-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Bryan Ramos was 2-for-4 with a homer and a walk.
- DJ Gladney was 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Misael Gonzalez went 0-for-3 with a walk and a K.
- Chase Krogman homered, walked and struck out twice.
- Wilber Sanchez walked, got plunked and struck out twice.
- Sean Burke: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
