I Miss Minor League Baseball

By Jeff Francis
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Updated: August 16, 2020

I miss minor league baseball. As an avid fan, it is hard to believe that we are mid-way in August and still looking forward to a game. Besides, where did the time go? It is like a dream, and I will soon wake up to watch a few games.

Co-writer Brian Koss gave me a list of teams to getting contracted in 2020. I saw teams on that listing that I spent most of the 2019 season watching. I also took a 9 hours road trip to watch a game last year.

COVID-19 Corona Virus

There was an invisible enemy advancing, making its way across the world to disrupt life and sports—with the loss of teams for the 2020 season. Likewise, MLB had to cut spring training short and send its players home. The NBA stopped its season as the whole world of sports came to a full stop.

Regarding this, the world began to scrambles for answers to fight this new virus. Nations began to lock down their borders to avoid people’s movement.

Spring training sites began closing, most of the minor league players heading home to wait on further instructions from their teams.

I Miss Minor League Baseball

Whiles, MLB was looking for ways to start their 2020 season. Rumors were beginning that the minor leagues will get canceled. MLB began to focus on the June 2020 MLB draft.

However, in June 2020, the minor league season was canceled. The MLB started looking for ways to play its season without fans. Including playing all game at spring training facilities.

For the most part, the new norm of living our lives has begun. Affect our movements—consequently, the gathering of fans at sporting events banded.

The New Normal:

Jasrado Chisholm Kane County Cougars. Photo by Mathew Carper.

In the meantime, It’s mid-August, and the season should have been nearing the playoffs. However, there was no minor league season.

Besides, being a baseball fan and coach. I love watching the minor leaguers play as more and more players I coached also saw growing up are now playing in the minors. Hence I subscribed to MILB TV every year to watching my kids play.

Minor League Players at home in the Bahamas. Photo by Jeff Francis Etienne

Our local players are at home on the Islands. It isn’t the time of year that we see our players at home so early. Likewise, not seeing them playing also. Now that MLB is on T.V, we can get to watch some games, but the feeling is not the same for me.

The future of MLB is the MILB.

Photo by Trever Saunders 360 Designs & Images

To summarize, Minor leaguers are future Major leaguers. They have to adjust to get in some game experience that will help them make it to the MLB. I hope and pray for a new day for the minor leagues, and the future of sports can make a big & quick come back in 2021.

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Jeffrey was born on April 29th, 1961, in Nassau, Bahamas to Rejoiner Ann Rolle and Jerome James Francis Etienne. Married to Andrea G. Rolle-Francis, they have two daughters; Janae Latoya Francis, a graduate of Allegany College of Maryland, and Jessica Lee Francis a graduate Potomac State College West Virginia University in Kyser West Virginia. Jeffrey was coaching the sport of baseball from 1980 at the age of 18 years old because he loved the sport as a kid. He started listening to the game over the radio out of Miami Florida in the late 60s and in the early 70s started playing the game locally in various local leagues right up to the premier senior league; a league where all of the current Bahamian minor leaguers played. In 1982, Jeffrey had an invite to a three day tryout with the New York Yankees in Hollywood Florida, which was an awesome experience that is lasting a life time memory for him. Jeffrey has been following the Bahamian baseball players in the minor leagues since 1999 with Angelo Burrows, but found greater interest with the signing of Antoan Richardson in 2005. He also writes a year end review on their play on his Facebook page, Baseball Bahamas, and he has a website with the same name. He has a great following and would love to expose the baseball players to a bigger worldwide audience. He has a good relationship with all the players because he personally coached most of them. His favorite MLB Team is the Detroit Tigers from 1969.