Happy New Year, fellow collectors! Just as 2020 saw the whole world change, 2021 ushers in major changes for the minor leagues, both affiliated and independent.

By now you know that the Basic Agreement between MiLB and MLB was allowed to expire back in September and MLB has taken over the affiliated minor leagues. In addition, a new working relationship has been established with several independent leagues.

In summary, 42 teams have been disinvited from MiLB, reducing the number of directly-affiliated teams to 120. For an updated listing of which teams are going where, check out our friends at Ballparkdigest.com. On the league level, here’s how the landscape has been reconfigured for 2021:

Triple-A and Double-A remain unchanged as far as league structure, although the team makeups will change slightly.

The real shakeup occurred with the A classifications (A, Advanced-A, Short Season-A, and Rookie-A) being consolidated into just two, High A and Low A.

HIGH A
Carolina League
Mid-Atlantic League (new)
Midwest League
Northwest League

LOW A
California League
Florida State League
South Atlantic League

The Appalachian League is no longer affiliated with MLB and will transition to a Collegiate Summer League. The New York-Penn League, formerly the oldest continuously-operated Class A league in professional baseball, will cease operations.

Next on the list of changes is the designation of several independent leagues as “MLB Partner Leagues”. The Atlantic League was already working with MLB by testing proposed rules changes, such as robo-umpires. Now that relationship has become formalized and it will be joined by three other indies, the American Association, the Frontier League, and the Pioneer League, to, as the MLB press release put it, “collaborate with MLB on initiatives to provide organized baseball to communities throughout the United States and Canada.”

Finally, MLB is creating a new Collegiate Summer League called the MLB Draft League, with a specific focus on top prospects eligible to be drafted.

In the next couple of weeks this site will be revamped to reflect the new minor league environment. Let me know what you think and happy collecting!

It’s official: after weeks of speculation about partial seasons and games sans fans, MiLB President Pat O’Connor announced on June 30th that the affiliated leagues of MiLB will not play at all in 2020.

Independent leagues will likely follow suit. The Atlantic League had already scrapped official play for the year. As of this writing the Pecos League plans on a limited schedule to be played in Texas, but that may be doomed as well.

It’s possible that the pandemic will be looked upon as the final straw in the contentious negotiations between MLB and MiLB for renewal of their agreement in September of this year. It appears increasingly likely that MLB’s plans to contract leagues will come to pass, as several minor league clubs are in grave financial straits and may not survive this baseball-less summer. The pandemic could end up doing the contracting for MLB Commissioner Manfred.

It’s a sad day indeed. All the more reason to buy my book! Take a look at the “Collector’s Guide” page and take one home! A historical record of what minor league baseball looked like pre-Covid is what we all need right now.

-Tony Baseballs

A slew of cancellations has laid waste to the collections of minor league enthusiasts everywhere. As far as I can tell only one ASG ball was produced for 2020 before the world shut down. You can see the Bowling Green Hot Rods’ Midwest League ASG ball here. Enjoy it, it’s probably the only one you’re going to see this year. Of course I’ll keep you posted if any others show up.

Now you can own the only guide to collecting and identifying official minor league baseballs! Everything you need to know to enjoy this niche of the baseball memorabilia market is in one handy guide. From defunct leagues to modern leagues; from the affiliated Minor League system to the independent leagues, this book has it all!

• A comprehensive look at the clues needed to identify and date your baseball using the president’s stamp, the manufacturer, even the color of the ink and the placement and design of the stamping;
• Presidents’ tenures of all affiliated and independent minor leagues since 1902;
• A confirmed list of minor league commemorative baseballs, including All-Star Games, Championship Games, and post-season series;
• An in-depth look at unique designs.

Order your copy today!

As if the virus weren’t bad enough for the business of baseball, negotiations between Major League Baseball and the affiliated Minor League Baseball organization continue. From all indications it appears increasingly likely the the affiliated system is looking at some significant changes.

As I said, the virus is bad enough, as several minor leagues have postponed or cancelled their All-Star Game festivities, if not their entire seasons (yet). As of this writing that list of ASG cancellations includes the Eastern League, the Midwest League, the Southern League, the Texas League, and the Triple-A All-Star Game.

All of this craziness makes this website all the more relevant as a repository and a museum for official minor league baseballs. I’m tracking down those teams that had already produced official ASG balls (you can see them here) and I’ll update the site as soon as I hear from them all. Keep your eyes peeled.

And don’t forget to buy the book! For collectors of minor league balls, I present a handy reference and how-to guide for curating your collection. Pick one up today! Buy two, they’re small!

Since you’re here, you’re interested in minor league baseballs. Have I got a deal for you! Available on Amazon, now you can purchase my guide to curating your collection. Take a look and take one home!

The new year promises to be a big one! For starters the physical museum has moved to sunny Arizona and continues to grow. In a few weeks we’ll have another big announcement. You’ll notice the Information Warehouse section is gone but never fear, it will return in a new form! Watch this space for details and as always, happy collecting!

The All-Star games have wrapped up and so has the regular season! It’s time for post-season series. The only commemorative I’m aware of is the game ball for the Triple-A National Championship Game which is scheduled for September 17th at Autozone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds.

Watch this page for updates!

It was a busy June in All-Star Game ball collecting…or not. There were seven games but sadly only three leagues used special balls: the California, Carolina, and Midwest Leagues. You can see the Cali and Midwest balls here; I’m still waiting for somebody at the Frederick Keys to get back to me.

One thing of note: both the Cali and MWL balls aren’t league balls, they are MiLB baseballs, complete with MiLB prez Pat O’Conner’s stamp. I believe in the past that the host team, or at least the individual leagues, paid for the special league baseballs. If the Head Office is now footing the bill, does that explain why there are (so far) fewer special game balls? I hope not, it’s a disappointing trend.

On to July! This month there are five pro games. They are listed below, along with the host team. Again, an asterisk indicates that no special ball was commissioned. Right now I’m assuming they all use one unless I find out otherwise, so keep checking back for updates.

July 10

Atlantic League; York Revolution
Can/Am-Frontier Leagues; Rockland Boulders
Eastern League; Richmond Flying Squirrels
Triple-A (PCL vs. IL); El Paso Chihuahuas

July 23

American Association; St. Paul Saints

There are also some collegiate leagues putting on ASGs: the United Shore Professional League will kick it off on July 6th at Jimmy John’s Field north of Detroit; the Savannah Bananas will host the Coastal Plain League festivities on July 8; and the Waterloo Bucks will do the honors for the Northwoods League on July 16th.

It’s June, and you know what that means: All-Star season! This month no fewer than six minor leagues will play their respective summer classics. The schedule for this month is below.

Not all leagues commission a commemorative game ball, but I’m tracking down those that do. As information comes in I’ll update this post.

Here are the dates to note, the league, and the host team. An asterisk indicates that there is no special game ball.

June 14

Florida State League*; Jupiter Hammerheads

June 18

California League; Inland Empire 66ers

Carolina League; Frederick Keys

Midwest League; South Bend Cubs

South Atlantic League*; West Virginia Power

Southern League*; Biloxi Shuckers

June 25

Texas League*; Tulsa Drillers