Jackson: In Durance Vile: A season with the Stockade in the cellar
From SABR member Frank Jackson at The Hardball Times on November 13, 2019:
The pecking order of affiliated minor league ball is easy to figure out. The hierarchy of Triple-A, Double-A, High Single-A, Low Single-A, short-season Single-A, and Rookie League ball applies to every major league team. That’s why they call it organized baseball. But what about independent minor leagues?
There is no official ranking of indy leagues, but clearly some have higher talent levels than others. In all sports leagues, competition is the product, not a means to an end. A franchise that is clearly overmatched is a drag on the entire league. In independent ball, however, some teams are all but guaranteed confinement in the cellar.
Without the support of major league affiliation, independent minor league teams occasionally go belly-up. Curiously, if two teams bite the dust, it is less challenging than when one team tanks. An even number of teams assures every team will have an opponent every day of the season; an odd number means one team must always remain idle.
Read the full article here: https://tht.fangraphs.com/in-durance-vile-a-season-with-the-stockade-in-the-cellar/
Originally published: November 14, 2019. Last Updated: November 14, 2019.