MLB

Baseball in the Bushes—Building Careers in the Minor Leagues

LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida, is ‘ground zero’ for young men signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates to begin chasing their baseball dreams.
Baseball in the Bushes—Building Careers in the Minor Leagues
Bradenton’s LECOM Park is home to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Class-A affiliate Marauders. Courtesy of Don Laible
Donald Laible
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There’s a whole lot of dreaming going on in Bradenton, Fla. this week, and all along the MiLB (Minor League Baseball) trail.

Major League wannabes have three rungs of classifications to hurdle. Many of those assigned to Triple-A affiliates are just one injury or one trade away from having their ticket punched to the MLB. At Double-A, organizational players prove whether they’re worthy for a continued long look from a club’s developmental administrators for possible promotion. Others at Double-A are weeded out, deemed not to have the “right stuff” to take their careers to the next level.

Donald Laible
Donald Laible
Author
Don has covered pro baseball for several decades, beginning in the minor leagues as a radio broadcaster in the NY Mets organization. His Ice Chips & Diamond Dust blog ran from 2012-2020 at uticaod.com. His baseball passion surrounds anything concerning the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and writing features on the players and staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Don currently resides in southwest Florida.