Minor League Affiliation Question....

Please excuse the length of this post; I hope the information you find here is informative and useful. :-)

It's really based on a number of factors - not just the geographical proximity to the ML team, though that is an important reason, but also if the ML team has a good development track record and can consistently put good-quality players on their affiliated teams so that they can perform well and draw more fans to their games.

For instance, as far as I know, the Rochester Red Wings broke off their long relationship with Baltimore and became a Twins' affiliate because Minnesota's track record for their Minor League teams and their development system was much better than Baltimore's.

Rochester got tired of putting poor W-L teams on the field year after year and decided not to renew with Baltimore when they had an opportunity to join up with another team like Minnesota.  

As a result, Baltimore had to join up with Ottawa, who lost Montreal as their parent club when the Expos became the Nationals (which got New Orleans to become their new AAA affiliate.)  Ottawa is much farther away from Baltimore than Rochester was, so that became a disadvantage geographically for calling up AAA prospects to the big league club.

That's just one example and reason why affiliates aren't close to their parent clubs.  Of course, I think just about every parent club would want their affiliates to be close to the parent club, but it's not always possible.

Another reason can be because of the leagues; take the Indians for instance.  Over the last 5-10 years, they have really brought most of their affiliates in close to Cleveland:

From Watertown, NY to Youngstown-Niles, OH (Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the NY-Penn League)

From Columbus, GA to Eastlake, OH (Lake County Captains of the South Atlantic League)

From Charlotte, NC to Buffalo, NY (Buffalo Bisons of the International League)

Even the Canton-Akron Indians were based in Canton, but were moved up to Akron and became the Akron Aeros of the Eastern League (partly because the stadium there became out-of-date and Canton was reluctant or unable to upgrade it to the Indians' wishes, while Akron was willing to oblige.)

However, the Indians still have the Kinston Indians of the Carolina League and the Burlington Indians of the Appalachian League, not to mention the new Gulf Coast League Indians in Winter Haven, Florida.

Obviously, those affiliates aren't that close to Cleveland, but the Indians either have the choice of the Carolina League or the California League for High-A; the Carolina League is much closer than the California League (something the D-Rays know about with their High-A Bakersfield team playing in the Cal League and Bakersfield, CA being so far away from Tampa, FL.)  Therefore, the Indians choose to have an affiliate in High-A and in the Carolina League.  

The Indians originally chose to have only an Appalachian League affiliate because it was closer than the Gulf Coast League or the Arizona League, but because their Burlington club was always overmatched by other clubs because the Indians would put 17-19-year olds on its roster, compared to many other organizations stacking 20-22-year olds on their affiliated App. League clubs, the Indians chose to start a GCL Indians club and put their very young prospects on it, in a league that is mostly made up of 17-19-year olds, while diverting some of their college-aged prospects away from the NY-Penn Mahoning Valley Scrappers club onto the Burlington club.

It has made a difference in Burlington's W-L record already, 8-6, second in the Appl. League East to Pulaski (Twins affiliate,) as they have already beaten the seemingly perennial power Danville Braves twice in this young season, 11-3 in their last encounter, scoring 11 runs in the final 2 innings, plus are one game better than them in the Appl. League standings.

So, as you can see, it varies on a wide range of factors, from the affiliated club wanting better ballclubs, forcing changes, to having to go with some affiliate that is in a certain league because it's the closest to the ML city in terms of that skill level with nothing else being closer in terms of the same skill level.

These are just some reasons; others like disagreements over stadium improvements and such are others.  

Hopefully, this post has been helpful in illuminating why some affiliates are so far away from their parent clubs. :-)

Just my 5 cents.

Take care and have a great day!

You're welcome - glad I could help! :-)

The Tennessee Smokies ballpark sounds quite nice, especially with the limestone and lodge feel.

I know the Indians' Kinston affiliate just remodeled their ballpark, Grainger Stadium, a few years ago.  Even though it's an older park, it really is a nice atmosphere and experience for the fans from what I hear.

The Akron Aeros ballpark, Canal Park, has been around since the Aeros came into existence in 1997; from what I have seen of it, it's also a great Minor League park, including the clubhouses - I remember when it was built, the Aeros players and their opponents were saying that most Minor League parks didn't have the amenities that Canal Park did.

As I recall, Canal Park was modeled after the Indians' Jacobs Field, so it's almost like a miniature, AA-version of it.  

Lake County's Classic Park got similar accolades of having amenities that most Low-A ballparks didn't have (that park came into existence when the Captains did in 2001.)  

So, the ballpark has much to do with whether a ML team wants to stay with an affiliate, just as much as the quality of the players and the relationship with the ML organization will determine whether a Minor League team wants to remain affiliated with a certain ML organization.

Again, I'm glad my answer was informative and helpful. :-)

Take care and have a great day!

Very interesting - what's the likeliest place they are looking to move to?  I take it it's a AAA affiliate they are looking for in Pennsylvania?

The only one I can think of that is a AAA affiliate is Scranton Wilkes-Barre (Philadelphia's affiliate.)  Is that who they are going for or is there some other city in Pennsylvania that can support a AAA club?  

I know Altoona, Erie, and Reading are homes for AA teams (Pirates, Tigers, and Phillies, respectively,) but if I recall correctly, there is only one AAA team located in Pennsylvania - is that the one the Mets are looking at for their new AAA affiliate or are they thinking of starting a new AAA franchise?

Take care and have a great day! :-)

Thanks for letting me know - I had no idea about Allentown becoming a AAA franchise, but I figured there had to be another city in Pennsylvania that could support a AAA franchise if the Mets were considering moving somewhere into Pennsylvania.  That explains a lot about how the Mets will move into Pennsylvania with a AAA team.  

Yes, I can see why the Mets are trying to bring their Minor League affiliates even closer to their "home base"; as I mentioned, the Indians have done that with all, but their Carolina affiliates and new Gulf Coast League affiliate, and that's mostly because those are the closest options for those levels of the Minors.

Otherwise, Buffalo is on I-90 East from Cleveland, Akron is on I-77 South from Cleveland, Lake County is on I-90/Rt. 2 East from Cleveland, and Mahoning Valley is on I-80 East and Rt. 11 South from Cleveland, so they are all within easy driving distance from Cleveland, though only Buffalo, and occasionally, Akron prospects directly come up to Cleveland, but it certainly makes it easier for the FO to check on their highly-regarded prospects more easily and see them in person more often.

Just my 2 cents.

Again, thanks for the info. - greatly appreciated! :-)

Take care and have a great day!