Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

[Majingir]

Something I've been wondering about minor league baseball fans....Are people who are fans of(meaning from) those cities/teams, fans of the MLB team they represent?

Seeing how those teams are the minor league affiliates for the MLB teams, and those players have a shot to make the MLB(and some might have already made it that far), was wondering if they are fans or not.

EX-Are there people in New Hampshire(who are Fisher Cats fans) that are fans of the Jays? Are there people in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre(RailRiders fans) who are fans of Yankees? Are there people in Pawtucket(AAA Red Sox fans) who are fans of the Boston Red Sox?


Just thought it'd be interesting to find out if those people are fans of the MLB team that their hometown AAA,AA,A teams represent.

[TripleCrown9]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

Something I've been wondering about minor league baseball fans....Are people who are fans of(meaning from) those cities/teams, fans of the MLB team they represent?

Seeing how those teams are the minor league affiliates for the MLB teams, and those players have a shot to make the MLB(and some might have already made it that far), was wondering if they are fans or not.

EX-Are there people in New Hampshire(who are Fisher Cats fans) that are fans of the Jays? Are there people in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre(RailRiders fans) who are fans of Yankees? Are there people in Pawtucket(AAA Red Sox fans) who are fans of the Boston Red Sox?


Just thought it'd be interesting to find out if those people are fans of the MLB team that their hometown AAA,AA,A teams represent.

Personally, I would guess that Pawtucket citizens are HUGE fans of the MLB team.

[55]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

Personally, I would guess that Pawtucket citizens are HUGE fans of the MLB team.

Yeah, that one's pretty much a no-brainer.

[Steven78]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

In Wisconsin we have the Timber Rattlers who are a Brewers A ball affiliate now. Its cool to have a minor league team close to the MLB teams city. Other than that the Brewers have a team in Nashville and Huntsville, Alabama.

[jonpt]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

We have the Arkansas Travelers (Anaheim Angels AA) where I'm at. Everybody in Arkansas for the most part are Cardinals' fans. It's fun to go watch on occasion. But when Springfield (St Louis Cardinals ) comes in to play, most of the fans are there to see Springfield. Mostly to see what the future of the Cardinals is going to look like. Strange to see most of the kids there trying to get autographs from the visiting team.

[BigBoi23]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

In Wisconsin we have the Timber Rattlers who are a Brewers A ball affiliate now. Its cool to have a minor league team close to the MLB teams city. Other than that the Brewers have a team in Nashville and Huntsville, Alabama.

This had to be a no-brainer for the Brewers organization a few years ago. The Timber Rattlers were previously aligned with the Mariners. While it was cool for me to see guys like Adam Jones, Matt Tuiasosopo, etc. play, it's even cooler knowing the players that are playing for Wisconsin might play for the Brewers some day.

[SilentSanta]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

Ever since mid-Michigan got the Great Lakes Loons in 2007 the Dodgers have become my 2nd favorite team behind the Tigers. It's fun watching the Dodgers now because I've seen most of those guys play (Clayton Kershaw or Dee Gordon for example) live in Midland, MI and it's neat to watch them play on the big stage now.

And then there's the awesomeness of Vin Scully, but that's something completely different. Haha

[Watson]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

The Z's are pretty much in no man's land (Astros, Braves, and Cards) so they're pretty much universally supported but not a whole lot of support the Marlins.


It's interesting because Denham Springs/Suburban Baton Rouge has been rumored to get a MiLB team because it can reasonable be a farm team for Houston, St. Louis or Dallas, but the competition with LSU and need for a new stadium (like hell LSU will share the Box) are big factors.


What i'm trying to say is NOLA needs a baseball team much more than it does a basketball team. Who do I have to speak to about a trade?

[Bamafan3723]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

I'm not. The Baybears here in Mobile are the AA team for the Diamondbacks. Down here is Braves country when it comes to MLB. I do keep up with the guys that play here once they get to Arizona though. I watched Paul Goldschmidt hit several bombs down here before he got the call up. Jake Peavy, Justin Upton, and Mark Reynolds are a few of the other guys we've had down here. It is pretty cool seeing these guys before they are known in the Majors.

[KmK]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

I'm a Padre fan but I work for the High Desert Mavericks who are a High-A affiliate for the Seattle Mariners. Working there has def made me a M's fan. It will be really awesome seeing some of the guys I set BP up for everyday in the bigs. Got a broken bat Dan Paolini left in the dugout the other day. I was stoked.

[WazzuRC]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

I used to work for the Yakima Bears (now Hillsboro Hops) who are a Diamondbacks affiliate. While I'm still a Mariners fan first, I definitely root for the DBacks more now that some of the guys I saw come through our team are now playing for the DBacks (Miley, Goldschmidt, Adam Eaton). A lot of our fans were the same way as me...Mariners fans first but rooted for the DBacks. I think that's probably the way most of minor league affiliates are.

[Redacted01]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

For the most part, the places I've lived are already in the territory. Memphis is AAA for St. Louis and Akron was AA for Cleveland. However, here, Wilmington is A for Kansas City... and there ain't a single Royals fan.

[Perfect Zero]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

I was in Midland last year and had a chance to see them take on Frisco. Nothing but Rangers fans in attendance for that one (well, other than the RockHounds fans that were there).

I live in Arlington so my team is the Rangers. However I saw a number of games for the Brahmas hockey team. Still can't say I'm a Sabers fan, but it will be nice to see some of the kids that were there move through the NHL.

[Dirty Turtles]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

It's nice that Altoona is the Pirates AA affiliate, but I'd still be a Curve fan if they weren't affiliated with the Pirates.

[55]

Re: Do MiLB fans like Affiliate Teams?

Is it just me that thinks of crackheads when I hear the name RockHounds?