Ask MiLB.com: Minors contract talk

Minor League Baseball fans have a lot of questions about the game, 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]

How long are Minor League players required to remain with the team that drafted them before they are eligible to negotiate with another team? -- Angela L.

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."

Where are the Minor League training farms and how do you get accepted? -- Katrina F.

We're not sure what you mean by "training farms." If you're asking about tryout camps, MLB.com will have 2011 tryout information when it is available here.

I need you to restore IMMEDIATELY the 2010 game-by-game results for the following teams; the Aberdeen Ironbirds, the Bluefield Orioles, the Bowie Baysox, the Delmarva Shorebirds, the Frederick keys and the Norfolk Tides. I need results for the mentioned teams for my personal files of all the games I attended. -- Mark F.

We should soon have historical game-by-game results for all teams soon.

I would like to know how to try out for an Minor League club. I would like to know where is the closest one to Alexandria, Minn. -- Matthew A.

Individuals cannot try out for Minor League teams. Check out our FAQ's page.

Que oportunidades tienen los jóvenes de Mexico de jugar en las ligas menores de USA? Mi hijo tiene 14 años. (Editor's translation: What opportunities are there for young people in Mexico to play in the Minor Leagues in the U.S.?) --Jorge P.

If your son is 14, he's likely too young to start a professional career at this point. Tryouts are held by Major League organizations in both the U.S. and Canada. Scouts do see players play all over Latin America.

MLB has a roster of past and present umpires. Does MiLB? -- Teri B.

Many leagues have their umpires listed on their respective league pages in the "About" tab, or in "Umpires." There are a significant number of umpire moves throughout the season due to promotions, injuries, etc., so the list of umpires by league may not be current. We do not have a comprehensive list of former umpires.

I am unable to find tickets for the Scottsdale Scorpions on your website, which has no option for Arizona. Can I buy advance tickets for a specific game? -- Dena G.

Because the Arizona Fall League is run by Major League Baseball, tickets can be found on MLB.com. Fans can purchase tickets to AFL games on the AFL website, MLBfallball.com.

Will MiLB.com cover Fall-Winter leagues this year? I was just checking the site and could not find any recent info about Winter-Fall Leagues such as Arizona, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico and Puerto Rico. -- Huáscar B.

Yes, we've been providing daily coverage of the AFL and Caribbean Leagues, but most of the coverage lives on MLB.com. Take a look.

I was at the New York Giants Minor League training camp in Sanford, Fla., in early 1951. During my time there, a movie was made of the players and was shown as a short feature in many New York movie houses. I have been trying to locate this movie but have been unsuccessful. I think it was either a Bill Stern movie or a Movie-tone News movie. Any suggestions that you could give me would be much appreciated. -- Jim M.

We don't have any information on that, although we'll let you know if any other readers respond with an answer.

Do you have a good number (rough estimate is fine) for the active players in MLB during a given year? I have looked all over and can't figure it out. -- Jason C.

We don't have any data on Major League total active players for 2010, although the Commissioner's Office may have such info. The number is probably somewhere around 1,200.

Is it possible to get any archived radio broadcasts from 2008? -- Seth M.

We don't have any archives from 2008. You may want to contact the team(s) directly.

I'm trying to find out how to find past players. I'm not sure if your website allows past player search or if its only current players. If you could please tell me if there was a Timothy Jason (T.J.) Freeze as a player, I would greatly appreciate it. -- Crystal F.

MiLB.com has mostly current players, although those who played recently may still appear. There are no current players with that last name, and even other sites like Baseball-Reference list only one player named Freeze, who was born in 1900.

I live close to Galesburg, Ill. Did Galesburg have a Minor League team early in the 20th century? Did Grover Cleveland Alexander ever play for that team? --Alan S.

Galesburg had a Minor League Baseball team from 1908-1912 and in 1914. Alexander went 15-8 when he played for the Galesburg Boosters in the Class D Illinois-Missouri League in 1909.

My question is this, do you provide health insurance for former players? --Joe C.

MiLB.com does not. You may want to contact someone directly with Minor League Baseball's administrative office.

Is there any way to find out the number of teams and the number of stadiums of Minor League Baseball, or could you direct me to the right spot on the website? Thanks in advance for your help! --Randy S.

We have a list of all teams in the Minors. Most teams have their own ballpark, although Jupiter and Palm Beach share one stadium. Some of the lower-level Rookie leagues (like the Gulf Coast and Arizona Leagues) play in their parent club's spring complexes, etc.

I am just watching the Rising Stars game and loving it. I wondered where i could get a Surprise Rafters hat or merchandise. What a great logo! I looked online and could not find anything. -- John B.

The AFL offers long and short sleeve shirts and hats at ballpark merchandise stands, but currently there is nothing online. You can call the AFL office at 602-681-9362, and they'll let you know what's available.

My dad, Hubert B. Woods, played semi-pro baseball in the Kansas City area from the mid-1920's to the mid-1930's. He was known as "Woody" Woods and played third base. I have a brass baseball charm with the inscription "MVAA '32." Thank you for any information you can give me. -- Susan W.

My uncle Percy Gillette supposedly played back in the 1920's and I am not able to find his name anywhere. He played in Ohio or Michigan and was from New York. I would appreciate any help you could give me. -- Janet G.

We couldn't find any players by those names from that era, sorry!

I would like to see the sites for the various Minor League teams include a list of the current walk-up music for batters and entry music for relief pitchers. I believe a few teams, such as the Nashville Sounds, are already doing this, but I would like to see all the teams encouraged to include this information on their web sites. -- James B.

It would pretty difficult for us to have all or even most of the 160 teams agree to build such a database/archive of their music. Considering the constant player movement in the Minors, it would probably be a huge task for some of these teams, especially those with small front-office staffs, to maintain an updated list of at-bat music amidst promotions and transactions. But, your recommendation is now out there, so perhaps some clubs will join the Sounds!

I play baseball in Nagold [Germany] in a high league. I wanted you to inform me of the Minor Leagues. I have two questions: how old do you need to apply for the Minor Leagues (Single A), and how good a player must you be to play in the Minor League? --Alper C.

You cannot try out for a Minor League team. Players are assigned to the Minors after signing with a Major League organization. You can go to an open tryout (in the U.S., Canada or Mexico). All players must be at least 16 years old to participate in tryouts. More info >