Minor League Baseball is alive and well as attendance breaks 40 million in 2018

For the 14th consecutive season, Minor League Baseball attendance eclipsed the 40 million fan mark. This season saw 40,450,337 fans take in a minor league game.

The 2018 season was one of record-setting proportions. The Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds) remarkable sellout streak, which began back in 2000, reached 1,316 games. It is the longest streak in professional sports and with their 550,725 fans in 2018, the Dragons eclipsed the 11 million mark at their home Fifth Third Field. Twenty other teams this season set single-game attendance records, while many others set sellout and average attendance records as well.

“Minor League Baseball continues to be the best entertainment value in sports, and these numbers support that,” said Pat O’Conner, Minor League Baseball President & CEO. “For us to top 40 million fans for the 14th consecutive season despite the weather challenges our teams faced in April and May is a testament to the continued support of our loyal fan bases and the creative promotions and hard work done by all of our teams across the country.”

The Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox) and their beautiful BB&T Ballpark led Minor League Baseball in attendance with 619,639 an average attendance of 8.980 fans a game. The Dragons were second, leading all of Class-A baseball with their 550,725 attendance. The spacious Dr. Pepper Park, known for its beauty and lazy river, saw the Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers) lead all of Double-A for the 14th consecutive season and were third overall with 468,259. The Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays) were your Short Season/ Rookie ball attendance leaders, bringing 239,086 fans through the gate.

The Augusta GreenJackets (San Francisco Giants) saw success in its debut at SRP Park. The GreenJackets new home turf was the 65th new stadium to open its doors in Minor League Baseball since 2000. They saw 255,155 fans in the inaugural season. While SRP Park was the lone new ball park in 2018, five more are ready for the 2019 season, marking the 70th new stadium in just 19 years.

The Memphis Redbirds concluded the 2018 season, defeating the Durham Bulls in the Triple-A Championship Game. With instructional rosters set, we now look forward to the 2019 season which opens on April 4.