A Summer In the Pioneer League
I’ve grown up with the game of baseball and it has always played an important role in my life. When I was younger I operated the scoreboard at my older brother’s high school games. Once he moved on to college ball at Skidmore College, I became the team’s bat boy
I’ve grown up with the game of baseball and it has always played an important role in my life. When I was younger I operated the scoreboard at my older brother’s high school games. Once he moved on to college ball at Skidmore College, I became the team’s bat boy for their opening season tournament down in Florida.
Like many, I climbed through the ranks of childhood baseball, going from tee-ball to Pony ball to travel ball, and eventually high school baseball, where I was a four year varsity player. I decided not to try and play in college, but rather pursue my education at Syracuse University. While there is a club baseball team, as a California kid I had little interest in playing an outdoor sport in a place where it snows from October to April. I enrolled in Syracuse as a sport analytics major in the fall of 2019 and have since picked up a second major, economics.
For one of my class projects I was tasked with modeling attendance for a Minor League Baseball team. By coincidence I chose to do the Rocky Mountain Vibes, simply because I liked their name and logo, as I had no affiliation or knowledge of the Pioneer League at the time.
Fast forward to this summer and through a family friend I got the opportunity to work with the league office. Some of my responsibilities within the league have included managing the PBL website’s content, helping to organize the upcoming Post-MLB Draft tryout, and creating attendance and analytical reports.
Creating the reports is the task that I am most comfortable doing. It involves collecting data and representing it through visualizations, which my experiences in Syracuse’s sport analytics program have prepared me to do effectively. In the attendance reports I first observe the league wide attendance focusing on the variable day of the week to see which day brings the most fans into the ballpark on a league wide level. Next, I look at attendance on a team by team level. I start with just the raw numbers of total attendance before focusing on the capacity of stadiums and seeing which teams are doing the best job of filling their stadium. I have also put together a MiLB statistics report that compared the Pioneer League to all other Minor League leagues in key statistics such as batting average, ERA, runs scored, ect. Putting together these reports is very interesting to me and I love being able to work with and observe sports data.
Another key aspect to my internship is updating the PBL website’s content. The content comes from three areas. The first is stories like this one, written by members of the league documenting something about the league. Next, is your everyday content, which includes stories about Knock Outs or players being signed to MLB clubs. Finally, there is content that comes from outside news sources, such as Golf Digest writing a story on the first ever Knock Out game. The website is operated through a program called Forge and I was able to receive training to learn how to use Forge. This is a new skill I’ve added to my arsenal thanks to my PBL internship and something that I hope to continue to get better at throughout the summer. Also along the content side of things, I created the Pioneer League YouTube page which has posted some team content, as well as, videos from the two games that featured the Pioneer League’s innovative “Knock Out” round.
My final major responsibility thus far has been to help coordinate the PBL Post-MLB Draft Tryout Camp that will be held on July 24th and 25th in Ogden UT. For this I have been the bridge of communication between the league office, Bill Bavasi, who will be running the tryout, and people within the Raptors organization who will be helping run the tryout. To read an interview with Bavasi about the tryout click on the following link. https://www.milb.com/pioneer/news/pbl-tryout-camp-an-interview-with-top-scout-bill-bavasi
In order to have a tryout you of course need players. To try and bring attention to the tryout, I‘ve used social media, press releases, as well as, emailing scouts and college coaches with the intent of getting aspiring pro ball players to sign up. I will be traveling to Ogden for the tryout, on what you could say is my first business trip and I am very excited for the opportunity.
This internship is the first true professional setting that I have been a part of. I’ve only been on board for three weeks, but I’ve already gained valuable experience and insights into how a professional organization is run and hope to continue learning in the future.
Minor League Baseball, Joe Torre Safe At Home partnership enters ninth year
For the ninth year, Minor League Baseball and Joe Torre Safe At Home have teamed up to raise awareness about violence and abuse and to inspire fans of all ages to join them in SAH’s critical work. This year, 63 MiLB teams will participate in an in-ballpark initiative from May
MiLB podcast discusses Anthony, Caglianone at Triple-A
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
These are the greatest Minor League promos happening in June
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
New playoff format coming to 2025 Dominican Summer League
Minor League Baseball announced the 2025 Dominican Summer League (DSL) season will begin June 2 with Opening Day festivities taking place at the Boston Red Sox Academy in Guerra. The 2025 campaign will also see the introduction of the DSL Cup, a new playoff format that will see 16 DSL
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other