Minor league baseball players picked up a victory over the winter when Major League Baseball announced that it was going to handle leases and accommodations for most of their players on minor league rosters. Given how minor leaguers are used to being treated, the news was greeted with a guarded sort of optimism, because the advocacy groups saw risks in leaving housing situations entirely up to teams that don't have to live in them.
James Fegan looked into how it's going for the White Sox, and right now, they appear to be one of the teams those groups were worried about.
The White Sox estimate that they have committed more than $1 million to developing their housing program this year and say that the accommodations they provided to players at every level have either met or exceeded MLB requirements. In conversations with The Athletic, however, White Sox minor leaguers — who requested anonymity over concerns about potential professional consequences — questioned whether the White Sox just aim to meet the minimum standards, rather than exceed them.
Fegan identifies two big issues, and one of them -- the construction delays of apartments near Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis -- is the one that I get. There isn't much in the way of housing near the new downtown Kannapolis park, so while it's suboptimal that they've been relying on extended stay hotels that require a car and lack ways to store and prepare food, those issues should be resolved shortly. The disparity in markets across minor league baseball make some cities harder to solve than others, so some wrinkles are to be expected when they're all held to the same timetable.
The other one -- mandating that players share bedrooms at Double-A and lower -- leads to some thorny privacy issues.
The White Sox have been strict about requiring a marriage certificate as proof in order for a player to secure their own bedroom, which to the players, underscores the exacting nature of the team’s approach to the housing policy and led to some players eloping midseason. “You shouldn’t have to rush these huge plans in your life just to be with someone that you want to be with,” one player said.
The White Sox acknowledged they received two proof of marriages submitted after opening day, but contend that asking for proof of marriage was necessitated by some players initially being dishonest about being married.
This gives the White Sox farm system the ring-by-spring feeling of a bible college, and while they're in charge with developing professional futures, this seems like it can easily cross the line into meddling in players' personal affairs. The Advocates for Minor Leaguers group says the White Sox are bringing up the rear in this regard, because the teams that mandate bedroommates are limiting it to A-ball.
Again, I wouldn't expect this transition to be flawless, and I can see it taking a full season to grapple with the unintended consequences from policies that intend to save money, but end up cutting corners. It's a discouraging start for the White Sox, but that's kind of a theme this season. Let's see how they finish it.
Charlotte 3, Lehigh Valley 1
- Yasmani Grandal played catcher and first base, going 1-for-4.
- Adam Haseley was 1-for-3 with a sac fly and stolen base.
- Carlso Pérez, 0-for-3 with an HBP.
- Lenyn Sosa went 1-for-4 with a double, strikeout and stolen base.
- Yolbert Sánchez was 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Tyler Neslony went 1-for-3 with a K.
Montgomery 11, Birmingham 4
- José Rodrígueez went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base.
- Oscar Colás was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a walk.
- Yoelqui Céspedes doubled, singled, walked, got plunked, struck out and stole two bases.
Notes:
*Curt Bloom will get a shot at calling a White Sox game for ESPN 1000 on July 24, which is awesome for him.
Winston-Salem 8, Asheville 3
- Colson Montgomery went 0-for-4 with a walk and an HBP.
- Bryan Ramos doubled, singled twice and struck out twice.
- Luis Mieses doubled, singled, walked twice and struck out once.
- Adam Hackenberg went 0-for-4 with a sac fly and two strikeouts.
- Matthew Thompson: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, 1 WP
Salem 3, Kannapolis 2 (completion of Tuesday's game)
- Wes Kath went 2-for-4 with a double.
- DJ Gladney tripled, walked and struck out twice.
- Wilfred Veras went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- James Beard wore the collar and silver sombrero.
Kannapolis 11, Salem 2 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Wes Kath went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks.
- DJ Gladney, 1-for-3 with a double, walk, strikeout and stolen base.
- Wilfred Veras was 3-for-4.
- Brooks Gosswein: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
