White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 31, 2021

Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis

As the first Minor League Baseball season enters the conclusion of the first year of 10 under the grand realignment, Baseball America reflected on one big failure from a lot of MLB teams: securing housing for its players.

BA’s J.J. Cooper says that with fewer teams, fixed roster sizes and Player Development Licenses that are up to five times longer than the previous two-year commitments, MLB teams have fewer excuses to not have reliable housing arranged for its prospects, especially when viewed through the lens of a prospect who has been relocated multiple times in a year:

Did I mention that the pay for this job begins at $500 a week? You can think of it as $12.50 an hour, if scaled to 40 hours per week, but in reality it will be more like 60 hours a week, and there is no overtime pay.

One thing I forgot to mention is that when the company sends you to Bowling Green, you’re responsible for finding your own housing. And even though it was the company that told you to pick up and move to Midland, you’re responsible for the remainder of your six-month lease in Bowling Green. The same is true about your apartment in Midland, the one they told you to leave just a month later. In that case, you got lucky and the person replacing you took your spot, even though if he fails to pay the rent, it’s your credit score that will be damaged.

You never found an apartment in Lakeland. With such a small income, and a lease for Bowling Green already hanging over your head, you just crashed on colleagues’ couches or in the office to avoid adding another expense.

Cooper’s column is effectively a follow-up of Britt Ghiroli’s feature in The Athletic on minor leaguers living in squalor in early August. She mentions that five Nashville Sounds lived in a one-bedroom apartment they thought was a winner until they discovered a roach infestation, and having seen the skyrocketing real estate values around the city, that sounds about right.

Charlotte 1, Norfolk 0

  • Blake Rutherford went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
  • Romy Gonzalez, 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
  • Jake Burger was 0-for-4 with a K.
  • Gavin Sheets, 1-for-4 with a K.
  • YermÍn Mercedes went 1-for-4.
  • So did Micker Adolfo, who also stole a base.
  • Evan Marshall: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Kannapolis 5, Down East 1

  • James Beard doubled, singled, walked and struck out twice.
  • Bryan Ramos went 1-for-5.
  • Chase Krogman was 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
  • Misael Gonzalez went 1-for-4.
  • So did Wilber Sanchez, who struck out.
  • Matthew Thompson: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 WP

ACL Brewers 5, ACL White Sox 1 (7 innings)

  • Colson Montgomery went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
  • Wilfred Veras was 1-for-3 with a strikeout.
  • Wes Kath went 0-for-3.
  • Benyamin Bailey was 0-for-3 with a stolen base.
  • Logan Glass went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
  • Cam Butler went 0-for-2 with a K.
  • Erick Bello: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

DSL Blue Jays 6, DSL White Sox 1

  • Manuel Guariman went 0-for-1.
  • Carlos Jimenez was 0-for-4.
  • Victor Quezada, 1-for-3 with a double, walk and strikeout.

Birmingham at Chattanooga PPD
Winston-Salem at Rome PPD

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Brett R. Bobysud

Romy may be getting called up today, according to Robert Murray on twitter.

Whoa!!! Anderson to the IL maybe?

Probably.

If they 10-day IL him retro-actively to Sunday they can have him back for the start of the Red Sox series next Friday.

This way, he doesn’t have to make the trip all the way out to the west coast and can rest up.

Same with Giolito (and I’m assuming Lynn as well).

GrinnellSteve

Worst farm system, my ass! I’m thrilled for Romy.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

Free Romy!

metasox

Baseball also relied on host families, at least at some of the lower levels. That might be ok in some ways, e.g., helping players get acclimated to an area. But seems a little ridiculous for such a massive enterprise.

joewho112

It boggles my mind that teams with throw away millions on a washed up guy like Adam Eaton but balk at spending a couple hundred thousand on making sure minor leaguers have basic housing.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

That’s just pitiful greed, one of humanity’s worst character flaws. Esp among billionaire owners. Disgusting really.

toolsofignorance

Boy, Wes Kath is really having some trouble to start out the year. Anyone have his stat line from the first few weeks?

Brett R. Bobysud

.232/.284/.319
.603 OPS

I wouldn’t be worried about it, though. Really small sample size in his first 18 games as a professional.

GrinnellSteve

The teams could rent several houses in each minor league city and then put up 4-6 players in each. You get transferred to another level? No problem. You’re not on the hook for a lease. Your replacement slots into your spot in the house. You do the same thing at your new level.

The first team that provides reasonable living conditions and healthy food to all its players is going to enjoy a serious developmental edge. What they’re doing is penny wise and pound foolish, though that’s true of a lot of their business decisions.

joewho112

Here is some back of the envelop math, let’s say they provided dorm quality room and board for their players for the 6 month season. A quick google says room and board at U of I is $12,250 (that’s for 9 months so teams would probably have to pay less). $12K x 26 players per team x 4 minor league teams = $1.3M. That’s the price of one low level reliever. I have to believe that spending that would have a better ROI.

GrinnellSteve

Then add to that the expense of providing nutritious meals, say 2 a day. I have no idea what that adds, but I’m certain the return would far outstrip the expense.

joewho112

Room and board includes meals though you’d probably want to provide better quality meals than dorm buffet. Add $6K more for food and you are still at $1.8M.

HallofFrank

This is a great plan, but let’s assume teams won’t do it because they are “penny wise.” To slightly alter your plan, what it teams purchased or build (instead of rented) whole apartment complexes in their MiLB cities. During the season, they rent the apartments to players and staff for a below-market rate. In the offseason, they rent the apartments out by the month or put them on Air BnB. This allows the players to nab cheap yet nice housing, and without being forced into a year-long lease, but these apartment complexes also become sources of revenue for teams.

I assume there’s some problem with this that I haven’t yet considered, but it seems like an obvious way to make both sides happy.

HallofFrank

Yeah, fair, but even at renting 6 months out of the year to org folks, it’s probably not a complete money pit. And while the winter market in Rochester isn’t popping, these team apartments would make for a semi-interesting tourist attraction. I think it would be fun to stay in the Charlotte Knights hotel if I ever visited NC, for instance.

GrinnellSteve

Failing that, they could rent the rooms by the hour!

fustercluck

baseball Annie pied-à-terre 

fustercluck

could even build on-site housing, like FoxConn, complete with suicide nets for your Yermíns Mercedes at the end of their rope

knoxfire30

Romy? Wow that would be a huge ascent for him…. does he have a 40 man spot?

joewho112

I don’t believe so

metasox

Stiever is out. Can he just go on the 60 day

Last edited 2 years ago by metasox
jorgefabregas

Jake Lamb was DFAed to clear a spot. TA to the IL. Hamilton and Foster up/reinstated. https://mobile.twitter.com/JRFegan/status/1433106447282446337