Perspective: Mud Hens supremacy

Dynasties in Minor League Baseball are difficult to come by these days. Seeing teams dominate year after year on any level is a rarity in the post-expansion, free-agency, let's-bring-a-player-up-from-Double-A-before-he's-ready era.

Yet, tucked away in the northwest corner of Ohio, there appears to be a dynasty forming without much fanfare. The Toledo Mud Hens, owners of two consecutive International League titles, seem to be at it again. Heading into this week, the Hens sported a league-best 54-41 record and a comfortable four-game lead over Indianapolis in the IL's West Division.

Though a great deal can happen between now and the first week of September, all indications are that the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A affiliate will be back in the playoffs again this season. If that were to happen, Toledo would be in a position to win a third consecutive Governors' Cup. There hasn't been a three-peat champion in the IL since Columbus turned the trick from 1979-81. Prior to that, the closest any team came was Montreal, which won four Cup titles during a six-year stretch in the 1940s, though only two of those were consecutive.

There hasn't been a three-peat in the Pacific Coast League since Albuquerque took home titles from 1980-82. The Indianapolis Indians, then of the Triple-A American Association, won four consecutive titles from 1986-89.

There are several factors that make Toledo's run this season just a bit more amazing.

Larry Parrish managed the Mud Hens to their two previous crowns and was expected to be on the bench again this year. But he underwent foot surgery prior to the season, so the Tigers turned to Mike Rojas, a former Florida State League Manager of the Year, to lead the club.

Rojas hasn't changed much, but then again he hasn't had to. He's done everything Parrish did with the club and has the Hens humming as they make the turn into the second half.

The other aspect that amazes me is how the Tigers have been able to keep a core group of players together at the Triple-A level for so long. Minor League free agency has been the source of a great deal of player movement, but the Hens have six players on their roster who were on both championship squads and will be looking to add a third ring this September.

Mike Hessman, Kevin Hopper, Jack Hannahan, Corey Hamman and David Espinosa are on the current Toledo roster, while Ryan Raburn spent much of the season with the Hens before getting a call up to Detroit two weeks ago.

"We have a good group of core guys," said Hessman, who entered this week second in the Minor Leagues with 27 homers. "We have guys who have been in the league for a few years and know how to go about their business. And, there haven't been a lot of changes in Detroit, where they are taking players from us. It's been a lot of fun. You can't ask for a better place to play.

"Obviously, we're conscious of it [a three-peat]. But I don't think anyone has said anything about it. I don't think anyone even talked about repeating last year until we got into the playoffs. So there hasn't been a lot of talk around here. We're just going to try and keep playing good baseball, stay in first place, make the playoffs and then see what happens."

The Mud Hens are averaging close to 8,000 fans per home game, and will likely set yet another team attendance record this season. While some would look at this column and think this is just another success story about what Toledo has accomplished as a franchise, it's not. The business end and the baseball end are two separate entities in the Minor Leagues, though good baseball usually means better business. And the Hens simply continue to play good baseball.

"I think it goes back six or seven years, when Dave Dombrowski took over as president of the Tigers," said Joe Napoli, the general manager in Toledo. "Up until that time, our relationship with the Tigers was somewhat weak. But Dave took over and immediately went out of his way to visit us. We had some frank conversations, and he made it clear that he wanted to not only be successful on the Major League level but on the Minor League level, as well.

"He named names, too, and said these are not the types of guys that we will win a World Series with. This is the type of people I'm looking for. Not only players with baseball talent but good character people, as well. And when you look at the Tigers, at guys like Marcus Thames, Brandon Inge, Curtis Granderson, Craig Monroe, these are all guys who came through Toledo. We get good players, but we also get good people, and that makes a difference."

Especially when constructing a dynasty.