This Week In The Minors: Season Primer – What Can You Expect Here on Sundays?

minor league baseball milbIf you are new to the Bleacher Nation brand of minor league coverage, or if you forgot a few things during your long winter nap, then let’s start with a bit of background. Monday through Friday during minor league baseball season, the “Cubs Minor League Daily” will appear on Bleacher Nation every morning to provide you with coverage from all the games in the Cubs farm system the previous day. On Monday, the Daily will also include coverage from Friday and Saturday as well as Sunday.  The Daily does not run on Saturday or Sunday.

On Sunday we feature “This Week In The Minors”. These weekly pieces will both offer a high level survey of the system broadly, including a check on how each of the active teams fair in the standings (something that becomes a big deal a lot faster than you think in the leagues that name both a first half and a second half champion), as well a place to take a more in depth look at some aspect of the system. That could be a particular prospect, or a team wide trend, or even a breakdown of a particular stat that is useful when studying minor league baseball.

Unfortunately, all those things require numbers. Useful, meaningful numbers. And with just three games in the minor league books, we are facing a lack of useful numbers of any kind. Sure, we could talk about how many times Albert Almora has walked already this year (2), or the awesome season debut by Ryan McNeil (3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 5 K in relief), or how Addison Russell looks like he is completely comfortable playing in Triple A (he does, by the way), but without a few more games to look at, none of the interesting analytical calculations I rely on are even close to being statistically significant.

In short, this edition of “This Week In The Minors” is going to look a little different than what you can expect the rest of the season. Consider this article your primer to maximizing your minor league season enjoyment.

Watching

If you haven’t subscribed to MiLB.tv before, this is the year to do it. All four full season league teams will have all their home games broadcast, and most of the Iowa and Tennessee road games will be as well. Even better, the new camera setups for South Bend and Myrtle Beach are providing us with some of the best A-ball videos to be found anywhere. This year minor league video is going to provide us with an abundance of riches and turn us into the most spoiled fan base around. Not only do we have the best farm system to watch, we have the best video to watch them on. It is every bit as awesome as it sounds.

But if you don’t want to subscribe, never fear. Brett and I will do our best to link the best of the highlight videos to you in the Daily, the Bullets, or anywhere else we can find a spot.

Listening

Pretty much every minor league game at every level above Rookie ball is on the radio, and pretty much all of those radio broadcasts can be heard for free online. All you need to do is visit the home page for the team in question at game time and look for the link towards the top of the page. To help make that easy, the website for each team is linked in every edition of the Minor League Daily.

App-ing

There is a smartphone app for minor league baseball that allows you to customize what teams you want to follow and will provide you notifications for pretty much every game related event you would want to be notified of. Or not, if you prefer to keep notifications off. The app, called MiLB First Pitch, is available in the relative app stores for both Apple and Android devices.

Twitter-ing

There a lot of good Twitter follow for the Cubs farm system, and unfortunately I will not remember them all. Consider this list the bare essentials; you’ll discover more as the season unfolds.

The Bleacher Nation crew, in case you weren’t following all these folks already:
@BleacherNation – Brett
@ltblaize – Me
@Cerambam1060 – Michael
@lcm1986 – Luis

The teams, which include some of the best team-run accounts in minor league baseball:
@iowacubs – Iowa (AAA)
@smokiesbaseball – Tennessee (AA)
@pelicanbaseball – Myrtle Beach (High A)
@sbcubs – South Bend (Low A)
@eugeneemeralds – Eugene (Short Season Low A – Starts in June)

The radio folks and other related accounts, in no particular order:
@RandyWehofer – Broadcaster for the Iowa Cubs.
@IowaCubsGameDay – A good account for tracking Iowa games.
@SmokiesonRadio – The account for the Smokies Radio network.
@BroadcasterMick – Mick Gillispie is the play by play voice for the Smokies as well as the Cubs’ spring training games.
@AndruwGreen – Media Relations guy for the Smokies.
@NathanBarnett – Broadcaster and Media Relations guy for the Pelicans.
@SBCubsRadio – The South Bend Cubs radio network.

Visiting

The absolute best way to enjoy Minor League baseball is to take in a game or two yourself, and if you are in the Des Moines area you have a great opportunity coming up. Brett and I will be in Iowa to watch the I-Cubs on Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19, and there will very probably be at least one meet-up at one of the many fantastic local joints near the Cubs’ stadium. There are still tickets available for those games, but you may not want to procrastinate too long on buying if you plan to go. The Iowa Cubs are loaded with talent, and that is weekend of their home opener.  Those games could sell out before the weekend arrives.

written by

Luke Blaize is the Minor League Editor at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @ltblaize.

more cubs news

Justin Steele Injury Update: New Classification, MRI Tomorrow, IL Stint Coming? Steele and Counsell Speak

A significant update on Justin Steele came from Craig Counsell tonight after the Cubs extra innings loss in Texas. In short: Yes, a stint on the Injured List is likely for Justin Steele. But we still don't know how severe...

Enhanced Box Score: Rangers 4, Cubs 3 – March 28, 2024

It took exactly one day for the Cubs' ace to sustain what may be a significant injury, for their closer to blow a save, for the umpires to significantly impact the outcome of a critical play (this time in the...

OMG: Michael Busch Scored the 9th Inning, GO-AHEAD Run, Because He Just Never Stopped Running

That was absolutely incredible. To all the little kids out there, when your coach tells you to never stop running, this is why. Rookie Cubs 1B Michael Busch (the guy the Cubs got from the Dodgers this offseason to be...

Pre-Gamin’: Cubs at Rangers – Lineups, Pitching Matchup, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

*SHORT COURTS: It's Time To Bring The Home Court, Home! Looking for a unique way to celebrate your athlete or team before you peruse the FIRST CHICAGO CUBS LINEUP of the Year? Don't miss out! For just one more week...

The Cubs Are Among the Most Returning-y Teams

I am still mostly incapacitated at the moment, so apologies for the short shrift on such an otherwise blessed day. In between pokes and prods, I wanted to share a chart I saw that was pretty interesting, even if unsurprising:...

Maybe the Cubs Are the Favorites in the NL Central, After All?

ESPN was the first to throw some love the Cubs way this week, with an overwhelming majority of their writers, analysts, and editors picking the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central in 2024. But the love doesn't end there....

The Season Begins, Love for Morel, Counsell’s Value, and Other Cubs Bullets

You know where you want to spend your Opening Day morning? The hospital! Suffice to say, this is not how I imagined getting HYPED for the Cubs' opener. I guess I'll just have to think about all the possible lineup...

Cubs vs Rangers: The First Series of the Year!

Cubs vs Rangers — THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! Wake up and rejoice. Later tonight, the Cubs will begin their march toward October Baseball against the (reigning World Series champion) Texas Rangers in Arlington. Justin Steele is getting the nod...

The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

I’m Expecting More This Year, Cubs — It’s Time to Start Winning

There's no way around it: The Chicago Cubs did *not* have the offseason we hoped they might after making Craig Counsell the highest paid manager in MLB history. Not that they did poorly, mind you. Cody Bellinger, Shota Imanaga, and...

Latest News

Cavaliers vs. 76ers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) are 8-point underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, March 29, 2024. The game starts at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup's point total is set at 212.5.Our computer predictions...

Heat vs. Trail Blazers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-54) will attempt to end an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Miami Heat (39-33) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at FTX Arena as heavy, 14-point underdogs. The contest airs at 8:00 PM ET on...

Rockets vs. Jazz Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Utah Jazz (29-44) will try to end a seven-game losing streak when they host the Houston Rockets (37-35) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Vivint Smart Home Arena as 7.5-point underdogs. The contest airs at 9:30 PM ET on...

Bulls vs. Nets Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Chicago Bulls (35-38) hit the court against the Brooklyn Nets (28-45) as 5.5-point favorites on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup has an over/under set at 214.5 points.Before you place an informed wager...

Suns vs. Thunder Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22) are 2.5-point underdogs against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns (43-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Paycom Center. The matchup begins at 8:00 PM ET on KSBI. The point total is set...

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Minnesota Timberwolves (50-22) are 6.5-point underdogs when they host the Denver Nuggets (51-22) in a battle between the top two teams in the Western at Ball Arena on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET on ALT. The...

Knicks vs. Spurs Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The New York Knicks (44-28) will try to continue a three-game win streak when they visit the San Antonio Spurs (17-56) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at AT&T Center as big, 10-point favorites. The game airs at 8:00 PM ET...

Kings vs. Mavericks Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Dallas Mavericks (43-29) will look to Luka Doncic (first in the league scoring 33.9 points per game) when they try to beat De'Aaron Fox (eighth in the NBA with 26.5 PPG) and the Sacramento Kings (42-30) on Friday, March...

How to Watch Diamondbacks vs. Rockies: Live Stream or on TV

On Friday, Corbin Carroll and the Arizona Diamondbacks (1-0) take on Nolan Jones and the Colorado Rockies (0-1), with first pitch scheduled for 9:40 PM ET at Chase Field.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and...

Guardians vs. Athletics: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

The Cleveland Guardians (1-0), led by Jose Ramirez, visit Brent Rooker and the Oakland Athletics (0-1) on Friday, with first pitch at 9:40 PM ET.Find out how to watch the Cleveland-Oakland matchup below.When is Guardians vs. Athletics and when does...

more cubs news