Minor league baseball teams. The farm system. Feeding grounds for the big leagues. Where young, promising kids are groomed into legitimate, professional athletes.
But by operating in a transient environment where their very existence is defined as a means to an end, do minor league clubs face somewhat of an identity crisis?
The majority of minor league clubs are tied to their major league affiliates through a Player Development Contract (PDC), an agreement that typically lasts only two to four years, after which teams often become associated with a different major league team.
While some teams have maintained consistent relationships with the major league club through PDCs— the Omaha Royals have been with the Kansas City ball club since 1969— the majority of minor league teams get caught up in a complex shuffle; the Columbus Clippers were affiliated with the Yankees, Nationals and Indians during the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons, respectively.
You have to wonder about the effect of the constant transition on t...
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