AA in GR?

[snoogit]

Theres some rumblings in Tigertown that the Tigers are interested in moving the AA Erie Seawolves team to Michigan, and supposedly they are down to two cities:

Ann Arbor, and Grand Rapids.

Now I know 5/3rd could handle a AA team, and some people think the upgrades recently to 5/3rd/OKP were designed to attract the Erie team to GR. The only thing I've heard keeping Detroit from choosing OKP is the lighting, and the dimensions. (both easily fixed)

Anyone else excited about the possibility of the Whitecaps becoming the AA team?

I think for GR to get a AAA team however would take a new MLB expansion team. (Possibly Indianapolis)

[Rizzo]

Oh this the first I'm hearing this... Where did you hear this?

[GRDadof3]

Will someone explain this to those of us rubes who have no idea what you're talking about. What the heck is the difference between A, AA and AAA? And if it's so great, why have I never heard of the Erie Seawolves??

Does it mean I can go to 5/3 Park and still not actually watch the game?

[snoogit]

Will someone explain this to those of us rubes who have no idea what you're talking about. What the heck is the difference between A, AA and AAA? And if it's so great, why have I never heard of the Erie Seawolves??

Does it mean I can go to 5/3 Park and still not actually watch the game?

there can be as many as 7 minor leage teams affiliated with one team (The Tigers have 5)

they are:

Short Season A: Oneota Tigers

Rookie A: West Mi. Whitecaps

Class A: Lakeland Tigers

Class AA: Erie Seawolves

Class AAA: Toledo Mudhens

Normally players progress from one team to the next until they are ready for the MLB (or in most cases if they get into AAA, as trade bait) Each team is supposed to have more experienced players. When a player is promoted sometimes they go right up the ladder (Oneota to West Mi to Lakeland) sometimes players skip a spot (e.g. Cameron Maybin started in West Mi, instead of oneota this year) but most of the time you have to spend time in one league before you can advance.

As for the source? well... Its on a little ole chatroom I appear in once in a while that talks of the Tigers, but supposedly this is someone who works for the tigers (although I can say I work for George Heartwell, doesnt mean anything on the internet)

[Thrillhouse]

This is a sore subject of mine. I say BRING IT!!!!!!! There is no reason why a mid level single A team should be in Grand Rapids. This would have Grand Rapids bypass the Lakeland franchise and bring all of the good prospects here. A lot of the "superstar" prospects are bypassing AAA these days and going from AA ball to the pros.

You want attendance to improve at FTB? AA ball would go a long way, trust me! I have been to one whitecaps game in the past five years. I am a diehard baseball fan but find myself getting bored at a whitecap game. I swear.... a AA team would go a looooong way in bring the diehards to the game as well as the "family" crowd.

[egrguy]

Well, Detroit used WMI's amazing attendance to threaten Toledo to renovate their stadium or were going to move the AAA team here. Toledo, quickly renovated their stadium and WMI still has low A.

I seriously think this is great news and fell if anything, AA should get the A club and GR should get the AA squad. Everyone talks about bringing in the big boys, this is certainly a step in the right direction toward supporting higher level major league sports.

[john_denver]

This would be a great thing for west Michigan.

So where exactly was Andrew Miller for those few games this season before he was called up to the Tigers?

AA?

[GRDadof3]

there can be as many as 7 minor leage teams affiliated with one team (The Tigers have 5)

they are:

Short Season A: Oneota Tigers

Rookie A: West Mi. Whitecaps

Class A: Lakeland Tigers

Class AA: Erie Seawolves

Class AAA: Toledo Mudhens

Normally players progress from one team to the next until they are ready for the MLB (or in most cases if they get into AAA, as trade bait) Each team is supposed to have more experienced players. When a player is promoted sometimes they go right up the ladder (Oneota to West Mi to Lakeland) sometimes players skip a spot (e.g. Cameron Maybin started in West Mi, instead of oneota this year) but most of the time you have to spend time in one league before you can advance.

As for the source? well... Its on a little ole chatroom I appear in once in a while that talks of the Tigers, but supposedly this is someone who works for the tigers (although I can say I work for George Heartwell, doesnt mean anything on the internet)

Thanks for the explanation. If you guys think this will increase exposure and attendance for 5/3 Park, that's great!

[gvsusean]

i dont think this wil change a thing, baseball is dead (unless you have the winning MLB team). If this was nat true then you would've heard of the ERIE SEAWOLVES

[Rizzo]

Are you kidding me? Baseball is not dead, even if you don't have the winning team.

[tamias6]

Question is: Would a higher level team bring higher ticket prices. I would love to see a MLB game in person but will never do it as I flatly refuse to pay the arm and leg they charge even for seats in the nose bleed sections. Even though the Seawolves are not full blown MLB. There closer to that catagory than the Whitecaps and I fear the cost increases that would go along with that. Besides the Whitecaps makes for desent baseball at affordable prices--sort of like buying the Meijer brand version of Golden Crisp Cereal.

[egrguy]

i dont think this wil change a thing, baseball is dead (unless you have the winning MLB team). If this was nat true then you would've heard of the ERIE SEAWOLVES

I disagree there, even when the Tigers were vile... the Whitecaps were still doing great at attendance. I think like Tamias, said if we get AA, which is a much improved product and ticket prices stay relatively the same, then the team will do well here locally , even if the Tigers are awful. One popular thing about the Caps is that its much more affordable then the Tigers and if the Tigers are bad, it makes the decision even more easy, stay close to home, watch a great game for a quarter of the price.

[GR8scott]

I thought that it was a bad move to make the whitecaps an A team in the first place. They play in cities like Clinton and Burlington Iowa in small stadiums with corn behind the fence. From what I heard they were A because Lansing came in as A and there was Fort Wayne and South Bend in the Midwest leauge, so theres a few larger cities near each other in the same leauge. Then theres places out east where there are older francises and the teams are AA and AAA in much smaller cities. It only makes sence to me that the higher talent should be in the higher leauges and those teams should be placed in the larger markets for more recognition and ticket sales. GR has to be one of the largest cities with only an A team. AA or AAA should be a good step up. Look how teams in places like Lexington and Birmingham get exposure due to having better players and ocassioanal celebrity players. We deserve higher talent and a better stadium

[Phizzy]

It only makes sence to me that the higher talent should be in the higher leauges and those teams should be placed in the larger markets for more recognition and ticket sales. GR has to be one of the largest cities with only an A team. AA or AAA should be a good step up.

You're correct. A while back, I did some research and posted the following in a different thread:

Of the metros with a Triple-A team, the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland metro is smaller than 14 of them and larger than 14 of them. (I'm not including Tacoma, which is part of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro, because it is a metro that also has a larger MLB team.)

Of the metros with a Double-A team, the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland metro is smaller than just 1 of them and larger than 23 of them. (I'm not including Trenton, Bowie, Frisco, New Hampshire, Akron, and Carolina, because those teams are in metros that also have larger MLB teams or Triple-A teams.)

Of the metros with a Single-A team, the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland metro is smaller than just 1 of them and larger than 39 of them. (I'm not including Lakewood, Kane County, Lake County, and Kannapolis, because those teams are in metros that also have larger MLB teams or Triple-A teams or Double-A teams.) The one metro that is larger, Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, is only marginally larger and it actually has two Single-A teams.

[suydam]

You're correct. A while back, I did some research and posted the following in a different thread:

Of the metros with a Triple-A team, the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland metro is smaller than 14 of them and larger than 14 of them. (I'm not including Tacoma, which is part of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro, because it is a metro that also has a larger MLB team.)

Of the metros with a Double-A team, the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland metro is smaller than just 1 of them and larger than 23 of them. (I'm not including Trenton, Bowie, Frisco, New Hampshire, Akron, and Carolina, because those teams are in metros that also have larger MLB teams or Triple-A teams.)

Of the metros with a Single-A team, the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland metro is smaller than just 1 of them and larger than 39 of them. (I'm not including Lakewood, Kane County, Lake County, and Kannapolis, because those teams are in metros that also have larger MLB teams or Triple-A teams or Double-A teams.) The one metro that is larger, Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, is only marginally larger and it actually has two Single-A teams.

What about GR+Wyoming metro? That's a more valid (and I believe the future official metro area) measure.

[suydam]

Question is: Would a higher level team bring higher ticket prices. I would love to see a MLB game in person but will never do it as I flatly refuse to pay the arm and leg they charge even for seats in the nose bleed sections. Even though the Seawolves are not full blown MLB. There closer to that catagory than the Whitecaps and I fear the cost increases that would go along with that. Besides the Whitecaps makes for desent baseball at affordable prices--sort of like buying the Meijer brand version of Golden Crisp Cereal.

You can get Tigers tickets for as little as $5 if you're lucky and as little as $12 for nearly any game (and they're decent upper deck seats).

You can get Chicago White Sox tickets for as little as $7, or box seats for $9...again for upper deck, but neither are bad seats. Even "Premium" upper deck box seats are only $10.50.

That's barely more than going to see a movie!

I don't think that's an "arm and a leg" but maybe that's just me.

[snoogit]

You can get Tigers tickets for as little as $5 if you're lucky and as little as $12 for nearly any game (and they're decent upper deck seats).

You can get Chicago White Sox tickets for as little as $7, or box seats for $9...again for upper deck, but neither are bad seats. Even "Premium" upper deck box seats are only $10.50.

That's barely more than going to see a movie!

I don't think that's an "arm and a leg" but maybe that's just me.

Once you consider the gas to get to Detroit the arms and legs fly off

[Thrillhouse]

You can get Tigers tickets for as little as $5 if you're lucky and as little as $12 for nearly any game (and they're decent upper deck seats).

You can get Chicago White Sox tickets for as little as $7, or box seats for $9...again for upper deck, but neither are bad seats. Even "Premium" upper deck box seats are only $10.50.

That's barely more than going to see a movie!

I don't think that's an "arm and a leg" but maybe that's just me.

Exactly. Hey, I am happy that GR has a baseball team. Call me a baseball snob however, the product that we have right now isn't that great. In fact, there are some prospects that go to Lakeland which is high A and skip the whitecaps level. It would be nice to see a better product on the field for the same price as what folks pay to see the whitecaps and its two levels higher meaning the chances of seeing a good player or five from both teams is more likely.

[dtown]

IMO, Gr should have a AAA team. Gr deserves it before Toledo because its actually in MI. But this is a good start. Hopefully they will want a new stadium and building DT GR.(probobly not gonna happen, but i can dream)

[Phizzy]

What about GR+Wyoming metro? That's a more valid (and I believe the future official metro area) measure.

The Grand Rapids-Wyoming MSA comprises the counties of Barry, Ionia, Kent, and Newaygo, but not Ottawa County (pop. 260,000), even though some Ottawa County residents live less than 7 miles from Fifth Third Ballpark.

[Rizzo]

In reality I think the MSA numbers have little validity in regards to regional teams, (West Michigan Whitecaps.) Especially, when you take into account Ottawa and Muskegon counties and their populated centers aren't that far from Downtown.

I think the bread and butter comes from the CSA figures.