Ask MiLB: Is that a beaver on my cap?

Baseball fans have a lot of questions about the Minor Leagues, its players and this website. We at MiLB.com attempt to answer some of those curiosities -- no promises, though.

Have a question? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

I saw Johan Santana was added to the St. Lucie Mets' roster. Is there a rule about not letting a Major League player play in postseason games in the Minors? -- Mike F.

Nope, MiLB doesn't discriminate against injured Major League players. Just last year, Andy Pettitte pitched for Double-A Trenton in the playoffs. Any Major Leaguer on a rehab assignment is eligible to play in the Minor League playoffs.

Where can I find the rankings of Minor League Baseball? If I were to start in the Cincinnati Reds system, where would I start and at what level, Class A? Billings? And then where do I go from the beginning to making it to the Majors? -- "JPapajcik"

Generally, players begin their Minor League careers at the lower levels of each organization's system, although there are no official rules as to where a player is initially assigned. The average 18-year-old player drafted out of high school would be more likely to initially begin his career at a Rookie-level affiliate (like Billings, in the case of the Reds). A more accomplished, older college graduate might start at Class A or higher. The Reds are a good example to bring up for this in terms of exceptions to the "rule" -- they drafted Mike Leake out of Arizona State in 2009 and he skipped the Minors entirely, going straight to Cincinnati. For a look at each MLB organization's affiliates, starting with the highest level, Triple-A clubs followed in order by the teams players must use to "climb the ladder" through the organization's farm system, go to MiLB.com and select the TEAMS pull-down menu at the right of the masthead, then under "Find teams by:" choose the "MLB Affiliation" option.

I love the stats provided by MiLB.com, however, I have a quick question. Last-10-game information and splits for pitchers are only included for their "current team." For those players who changed teams during the season, is there a way to obtain splits for their previous teams? -- Glynn P.

I'm looking for Minor League postseason stats for individual players. Where are they posted, and why aren't they included alongside player's individual season stats? --Ted K.

Good questions -- currently, we don't have those stats publicly available on player pages. We do have the data and it is something we would love to add in the future, among many other improvements we have in mind for MiLB.com. We always welcome feedback on that end.

I have a Minor League cap with a 'Z' and a beaver on it. What team did this represent? --John M.

We're going with an old-school New Orleans Zephyrs cap on this one. Also, it's not a beaver -- the Zephyrs' logo depicts a nutria, or coypu, which is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent. They have big orange teeth and are considered an invasive species by some folks (although certainly not by Zephyrs fans, we hope). Beavers' tails are flat and paddle-like, while the nutria has a round tail like a rat. They were introduced to Louisiana when some escaped from a farm in the 1930s! The Zephyrs' mascot depicted on the old cap is Boudreaux, who is happily married and the self-declared king of Zephyrs Field. Impress your friends with this new-found knowledge.

Is there some reason you guys continue to snub the Missions, who have the best record in all of baseball at 94-46? What is it with you guys? Not a headline about them winning the first round of the playoffs, but all kinds of ink on pretty much everyone else that wrapped up a series tonight. Ridiculous. --Randy J.

Conspiracy theorist, prepare to be called out:

• Missions sweep, win title
• Missions win in 20 innings
• Missions take Game 1
• Missions bring Minors' best record into series
• Decker homers twice in Missions win
• Missions, Travs feature different looks

My son, who will be 18 in October, was at a baseball showcase and a coach told him he should try out for the Norfolk Tides. How would he go about it? He is a senior this year with a 3.90 GPA in Norfolk, Va., and is the shortstop and pitches. We never have seen any info on how to try out. -- Richard S.

Maybe the coach was just casually referencing your local team, or the one your son has the most interest in right now. He should be aware that players are either selected in the Draft or signed as free agents, but no one can try out for any individual Minor League team, including the Tides. The tryout schedule for Major League camps is available all year on MLB.com, most are held in June or July. Plus, we've got all the details on this process on MiLB.com's FAQs page.

Could someone please tell me why Lehigh Valley had the home-field advantage after finishing as a Wild Card and with a worse record than Columbus? Doesn't seem to make any sense to me. -- Ken

Home-field advantage is predetermined each season as per International League rules with the North Division champion and Wild Card alternating with the West and South champs.

I am looking for an example of a 1970 Richmond Braves game-worn jersey. Do you know where I might find actual photos/examples of one? Also, do you know who wore No. 5 for that same year and team (1970 Richmond Braves)? -- Matthew L.

It looks like Hal Breeden wore No. 5, according to this roster on Baseball-Reference. As for the old uniforms, you may want to ask the Richmond Flying Squirrels or a local library in the city of Richmond for historical documents. Also, Google has an "Images" option you can use to search for "Richmond Braves 1970 jersey."

I am interested in subscribing to MiLB.TV next season. However, I have a few questions I hope you can answer for me: Does MiLB.TV include playoff games? Are all Minor League teams included? If not, I am mostly interested in the San Jose Giants, Richmond Flying Squirrels and Fresno Grizzlies. Are those three teams usually included? When should I be able to subscribe for next season? Next April? -- Richelle

This postseason, all International League and Pacific Coast League playoff games were broadcast, as well as home games for teams with MiLB.TV, such as Tennessee and Northwest Arkansas (Harrisburg would have been included if not for its home games being flooded out). Not all teams in the Minors are included, but we did add many clubs this season and hope to continue adding more for 2012. Fresno, along with all Triple-A teams, had its games streamed live all season long. You can check back around March 2012 for details on next season's package -- many fans took advantage of a sweet package deal this spring that added MiLB.TV at a reduced price to the popular MLB.TV.