Ask MiLB: Searching for players, fields

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Will any of the Minor League playoff series be broadcast on MiLB.TV??? -- Glenn

Yes, all International League and Pacific Coast League playoff games will be broadcast as well as home games for teams with MiLB.TV: Harrisburg, Tennessee and Northwest Arkansas.

I used to play baseball and would like to start playing again. My question is how I would go about to being able to play in the monkey league? What would I do? Also I live in Harrisburg, Pa., and we have a club. -- Evan D.

The Monkey League? Oh boy. You're asking the wrong people. But you might want to check out our advice to Larry G., below.

My son collects all Minor League baseballs. He has all but the Eastern League and Mexican League. How would I get a used game ball from any game played in the Mexican League? I live in Texas but won't go to a Minor League game in Mexico. Please call or email me with a solution. -- Jeff T.

The easiest solution is to go to a Mexican League game, but you can try contacting the Mexican League.

I used to be able to type the last name of the player in the Search box up in the masthead, and a list of names would appear in the middle of the screen. For some reason that has changed. -- Pat P.

We received many emails about searching for players. That Search box is now used as a site search that delivers expanded results including player stats and bios, but also news and video, etc. We are working hard to improve the quality of the results. In the meantime, you can still find the classic player search in the "STATS" pull-down menu in the masthead, as well as at the bottom of the Top 50 Prospects index on the home page, as well as next to the Search box on the Search Results page. Here is the link for that page.

How the hell is one supposed to read a box score while you in your finite wisdom deem it necessary to reload the web page every 10 seconds? There's no adequate justification, and you don't even have the fig-leaf notion that the data is somehow live, since the game is solidly in the books. If you're goosing your web stats, then you're worse than mud. -- Seriously pissed off

Wow, a fig leaf reference. We're not sure what you're referring to -- the box scores on MiLB.com refresh only when new data is entered every half inning -- in other words, when official scorers at games inform us of updates. Our stats team updates the box score at that time. This sounds like it's probably an issue with your computer's browser if it's continuously reloading.

On MiLB.com's geographical listing, Charlotte is misidentified as being in South Carolina. That should be North Carolina. -- James N.

Actually, it's labeled correctly -- the Knights' list their address as 2280 Deerfield Drive, Fort Mill, S.C.  29715.

Since cities like Memphis, Nashville, Omaha and Indianapolis are closer to the Atlantic Coast than the Pacific Coast, it seems ridiculous for them to be in the PCL. Why can't Minor League Baseball revive the American Association and at the end of the season, revive the Little World series between those two leagues? -- Roberto R.

Why are the NFL's Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East? Perhaps it sounds silly on paper, but that's how the leagues are currently set up. It's extremely unlikely that another league will be created. Besides, the Triple-A National Championship is already in place.

My son is 22 years old, 6-foot-6 tall, 220-pounds, throws and bats right, runs a 6.84 sixty, plays outfield but primarily is a pitcher. He has good command of his pitches and throws for strikes with good velocity and has three excellent pitches, including a fastball with good movement. He's interested in playing professional baseball for your organization, and with the correct coaching and resources that are provided by your organization, his baseball potential and physical abilities can be obtained. -- Larry G.

MiLB.com is just the website for Minor League Baseball and its leagues and teams. There's no coaching staff or training resources available here, just a staff of reporters, editors and Vin Scully fans. Your son can participate in an Open Tryout, or see if a former coach or a new agent could help him catch the attention of a Major League organization. But we can't provide a connection to any particular team, much less add him to a roster. You can refer to our FAQs page for the steps to take to try out for an organization.

Sorry, I didn't want to read through 17 unnamed [FAQ] issues, perhaps you should give each a title? My question: How [do] I access my list of bookmarked players, without adding someone to the list? -- Joel

You're forgiven (although FAQs are indeed named). You can find a link to this page on the bottom of the MiLB.com home page, in the middle, there's a box labeled "TOP 50 PROSPECTS" including a link that says "Access your player bookmarks." Player Bookmarks are also available by selecting the "STATS" pull-down menu on the left side of the masthead.

Do you know the email address for the Tampa Yankees? -- Robbie

You can find that here, on the Tampa Yankees' website.

Hello. Now that Pensacola has a name as the Blue Wahoos, do you know when they may or could have a website? -- Jim A.

Pensacola has a site available here, but the Blue Wahoos' MiLB.com network site should be available soon after this season.

Can a person go to Double-A Minor Leagues if they didn't play high school or college baseball? -- Jesse

Sure, why not? For someone to have virtually no experience playing baseball and somehow reach the Double-A level would be extremely unlikely, but there's no rules prohibiting it.

Could you tell me the distance from where the pitcher's mound is to the home plate? -- Tom

The distance between the pitcher's rubber and the rear point of home plate is 60 feet, six inches.

Will MiLB.TV ever be available for viewing over the Roku streaming player like MLB.TV is? -- Sergio D.

We hope to add more teams to MiLB.TV and add functionality to other devices in the future. Roku may one day be part of that added functionality.

I am appalled at the number of ads that keep showing up on your site that severely impact the navigation around your site. -- Ron

Advertising is extremely common on virtually every website on the Internet.

Nick Castellanos is having an amazing year! -- David M.

Yeah, he's the man.

I want to know: How long is a Major League contract (I've heard six years)? -- Tom

Does a Minor Leaguer become a free agent after six years or seven years? Assuming they are with the same team and drafted in 2006. -- FW

That was answered in a recent Ask MiLB: According to Major League Rule 3(b), "All Minor League Uniform Player Contracts between either a Major or a Minor League Club and a player who has not previously signed a contract with a Major or a Minor League Club shall be for a term of seven Minor League playing seasons."

Is there any way of finding out who the umpires are? -- Dennis K.

There is a way: umpires are listed at the bottom of every box score posted on MiLB.com and MLB.com.

Is the marriage between Jorge Posada and the Yankees finally over? -- Austin R., 5WPR

Nope, he's still a Yankee, last we checked. Not sure the two were ever formally married.

I see an explanation of the 40-man roster on the MLB site, but I can't find any authoritative information on the roster limits for Minor League teams. Can you help? -- Barb E.

We can help -- roster limits are authoritatively explained here.

Could you please let me know where I can find out what cities the Gulf Coast League teams are located in? -- Wayne S.

Where do the Gulf Coast League Phillies play? -- Jim S.

Can you please give me or tell me where I can get the field locations for games played in the Gulf Coast League's North Division? -- "Jnorris"

The Gulf Coast League website has that information, believe it or not.

Are there currently any African-American managers in the Minor Leagues? The question came up in my sports class. -- Chery A.

Yes. Tony Franklin, the Yankees' Double-A manager, has been coaching in the Minors since 1979, for example. He was Derek Jeter's manager earlier this season, in fact. He is not the only one. Ken Griffey Sr. is another.

I have been following the Saraperos de Saltillos in the Mexican League, and I was wondering what the address to the stadium is so I can send some fan mail. -- Meaghan M.

Saltillo's address is Blvd. Nazario S. Ortiz, Esq. Blvd. Jesus Valdez Sanchez, CD. Deportiva., C.P. 25280, Saltillo, Coahuila.

Has Jeffrey Clement, first basemen, Pittsburgh, retired? -- Mick D.

No. According to Fox Sports, he underwent knee surgery last September and has been in physical therapy.

I enjoy your Roadtrip articles but was hoping that you knew of a online resource or book that could help me plan my own Minor League trip? -- Ron R.

Yes, check out our map-view Tickets page. There's also a list of all Minor League teams according to their affiliation with MLB organizations available that might help you do your planning. 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 want to know if there will be any tryouts in South Texas or anywhere in Texas. I'll be back in the states here in a couple of months from Iraq and I was wondering -- will there be any this year around the fall season? -- Javier P.

Most open tryouts held by Major League clubs occur from June-July -- baseball season is wrapping up in the fall.

Whom do I contact about singing the national anthem at baseball games? -- Nicole L.

You should contact the individual teams about this. Most teams have contact info listed on their site.

I'm a 6-foot-1 first baseman, very aggressive at the plate, very fast, and smart on the basepaths. I could bring a positive input to a team and also bring the stats to back up the playing time. All I need is a tryout. Thank you and hopefully I will be hearing from someone soon. -- No name given

Sure, unnamed random infielder, we'd love to have you! Check out our advice to Larry G., above.

I'm going to a Suns game next Sunday and was wondering: Can I to bring a camera to the game? -- Laura H.

There are two Minor League teams called the Suns, one in Hagerstown, Md. and another in Jacksonville, Fla. -- so you should email the appropriate one and ask about their ballpark rules. But, most likely, yes, you should be able to bring a camera.

How do I get to listen to the game. This is my first time, I am a senior citizen and do not know much about computers. If you could tell me, that would be great. -- Shirley

Please visit the Gameday Audio page.

I'm 15 and want to be a bat boy for a Rookie-level team. Any suggestions how? -- Zachary G.

Our suggestion would be to contact local Rookie-level teams about that.