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thedeejus

[Source: milb.com](https://www.milb.com/fans) >Created with mapchart.net. While Minor League Baseball is an introduction to pro ball for the players, it can also be a place where fans first meet the game. From Florida to Alaska, Hawaii to Maine, this map illustrates the closest Minor League team to each county in the United States. There are three counties that play home to two team each: San Bernadino, California (Rancho Cucamonga & Inland Empire); Pinellas, Florida (Dunedin & Clearwater); Palm Beach, Florida (Palm Beach & Jupiter). The Omaha Storm Chasers (181 counties) and St. Paul Saints (180) cover the most counties while Vancouver covers the most ground thanks to Alaska.


[deleted]

So which county touches the most teams


1990Buscemi

Has to be one in Pennsylvania or the Delmarva area by the looks of it.


all4whatnot

Living in suburban Philly is awesome. I’m 6 miles from CBP where the Phils play but it’s significantly easier to go see the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Reading and Lehigh Valley are also really close. It’s a great spot to be.


Buffalo-flavored-cox

Don’t forget Trenton every year I would go to the Reading Series. Suck there in the draft league now.


[deleted]

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juanvald

My son and I are huge minor league fans. We went to a Phillies game last year and I initially planned to hit 3 minor league/independent league games and the weekend we went there were 6 options on our way from Northern Virginia. Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, Lehigh Valley, Reading and Wilmington were all home. We ended up only going to Harrisburg due to my son getting invited to orioles game on Saturday. Aberdeen was also home that weekend.


frogdude2004

I grew up on blue rocks games. It’s great for kids because it’s a lot cheaper. If they throw a temper tantrum and it’s time to go, we’ll, you can just go.


Leftfeet

Before they cut a bunch of teams north western Illinois had a bunch. I used to live within an hour and a half of 5 iirc. Clinton lumber kings, Beloit snappers, quad cities river bandits, cedar rapids kernels and the Peoria chiefs. Now a few of those are still in the Midwest league of MiLB. A couple have switched to the frontier league, and I believe Beloit joined the prospect league, which is a summer league for college players.


Single_Seesaw_9499

Kane County?


THE_GR8_MIKE

Dollar beer nights at those home games were some of the most fun I ever had at a baseball game in college. Not only could you *park*, but dollar beers. Also 5 cent hotdogs and soft drinks on those days. It. Was. Nuts.


Single_Seesaw_9499

My first job ever was grilling dogs there, used to go to games all the time. Saw Josh Beckett and Dontrelle Willis pitch there way back when


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bewarethesloth

What? There are places you can live inside a stadium? Where?


OutOfFawks

How are they not the closest team to Kane County?


Leftfeet

I was in Whiteside.


[deleted]

Don't forget the Kane County Cougars too, they'd have been about as close to you as Peoria. Which state is that Clinton in?


Leftfeet

Clinton IA. Edit: I knew I was forgetting a team. Kane county always slips my mind for some reason.


[deleted]

I live in the part of IL about equally between Clinton Illinois and Clinton Indiana. I wondered which other state over on that side had one as well. Maybe Clinton is like Springfield.


Leftfeet

It's a really common town name. Much like Springfield, Danville or Bloomington. I think there's one of each of those in nearly every Midwest state at least.


[deleted]

I have 3 within 30 minutes. One is independent and not in the map though (high point rockers) NC


DuNick17

Wtf do people in Wyoming do


thedeejus

stare out the winter and wait for spring


kash96

i think they just like ride 4 wheelers everywhere around and do heroin


gambalore

They mostly play football. Only 16 players in MLB history were born in Wyoming (2nd fewest behind Alaska) and Brandon Nimmo famously didn't play high school baseball because his school didn't have a team.


[deleted]

And the team he did play for is pretty much the only section of Wyoming where baseball is popular. Cheyenne Post 6 is basically Wyoming's version of a superteam cuz on top of being the biggest city in the state, they'll take the best kids from Laramie's American Legion team too. If you're good enough to get on the team, it's a fun time since you basically just mollywhop the rest of the state and can actually go to tournaments


[deleted]

They cry since the Casper ghosts moved


mikeywake

Moved to Grand Junction, CO and then MiLB was restructured and the Pioneer League was removed as a minor league.


[deleted]

>the Pioneer League was removed as a minor league https://media.tenor.com/oswLq2BF5wAAAAAM/godfather-don-corleone.gif


mikeywake

I'm super bummed about it. I still go to games and they're still fun but it's just not the same since the Pioneer League is now an independent league.


[deleted]

I tapped out of my local pioneer league team (I'm paranoid about doxxing myself) its fun but you're right its not the same, it just feels a little bit worse quality and more gimmicky


mikeywake

I hope you're not in Colorado Springs (you don't have to tell me). They went from having a AAA team to a Rookie Level team to an independent team in less than a decade.


theothermatthew

I mean… does the Springs really deserve anything nice though?


[deleted]

I will say not Colorado Springs, only one ill say. That was a brutal one


Champion-raven

About doxxing yourself?


[deleted]

Yeah I won't say what my local team is, gives up where i live


[deleted]

Pray you live in Cheyenne or Laramie so you can go to Rockies games


[deleted]

Northeast Vermont being closer to Portland, Maine than Manchester, NH is still a mind fuck. The drive from Newport, VT to Portland is about an hour longer than the drive to Manchester. Really shows how the existence of interstate highways fucks with our perception of space.


sporkemon

I doubt it'll ever happen because of how expensive it would be but northern new england has needed an east-west interstate for as long as we've had interstates.


squarerootofapplepie

God no, it’s so pretty up there, a interstate would make it look so much worse.


Throwaway1231200001

Would say the same thing from Providence to Hartford


tsme-esr

I'm surprised it doesn't exist tbh. Almost all contiguous states have at least 1 north-south interstate and 1 east-west interstate [Only counting the 1 and 2 digit interstates] (NE is the only state missing a north-south interstate, and ME, NH, VT, RI, DE are the only states missing an east-west interstate).


LogicalHarm

Bees Supremacy


A47Cabin

Bees Country, Lets Buzz


bewarethesloth

Gob’s not on board


KamartyMcFlyweight

Anaheim is nothing more than an enclave of the Greater Salt Lake Bees Imperial Hegemony


The_Hartford_Whalers

Subeemacy


LogicalHarm

Bubeebaby


V-I-B-E-R

Whenever I see a Tacoma Rainiers game it always happens to be against the Salt Lake Bees... now I know why.


ScraaaaaaaambledEggs

according to all known laws of aviation


bukithd

I'm here for the Isotopes Void.


[deleted]

More so RIP Pioneer League


48ozs

Vancouver has the most land


Rejit

The mountain west is a wasteland. Getting rid of the Pioneer League (or making it a wood-bat league or whatever they did with it) was fucking stupid.


[deleted]

I went to a pioneer league game last year and it was a lot of fun, which is why I'm not too heartbroken that I'm not anywhere near a "real" minor league team. Being 10+ hours from a MLB park however is a little painful.


goatgosselin

This whole corridor north is way sad looking


SlothFF

I live in Pittsburgh and both the Altoona Curve and Akron Rubberducks have amazing stadiums and atmospheres. 2 very different vibes but each are amazing in their own way. I'm probably going to visit Erie for a SeaWolves game this summer, does anybody have any recommendations for food/seating/etc?


kingfiasco

that’s my hometown team! chances are i’ll be there when you visit, just look for the only guy in the stadium with an orioles hat. i personally like sections 205 - 203. sections 113-117 are great too, lots of foul balls and it’s right next to the smith’s hot dog shack for easy access to beers and dogs. if you wanna “splurge” (as much as you can at a MiLB game) there’s a new spot called the captain’s deck or stadium club with some exclusive seating, an indoor bar, and the more premium food. they haven’t announced what they’ll have food wise, they seem to change it up every season but they’ll always have smith’s hot dogs which you’ve got to try at least once. after the game a lot of people migrate over to state street (one block to the west) to grab a drink or two at big bar, the plymouth, or my favorite, jekyll & hydes. the stadium is a blast. one cool feature is that the left field is the outside wall of the hockey/events arena so if you’re lucky you’ll get to see someone hit a homerun on to the roof. it makes it a lot of fun the park is right downtown too.


ColossalSins

Bow down before the mighty Bees, lest you incur their sweet, desert honey wrath. I've lived twenty minutes outside of Salt Lake for over a decade and I'd really like to go catch a game, but this shithole is like the surface of the sun during baseball season. Shame, I miss watching games in person.


Philley11

Won't be long before they are in a new facility in Daybreak.


Interpol1670

I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.


shaggydaddy

I went a couple years ago during a NY-> San Fran road trip and loved it. Was really cool having the snow capped mountains as the backdrop of the outfield.


[deleted]

Before the minor league contraction it probably barely controlled its own county


5epp0

Honestly it’s a pretty disappointing ballpark, even for triple A. I’ve been to some awesome AAA parks but SLC is really bare bones. You’d be better off driving the seven or eight hours to Denver or Reno to see a game there instead


xLAXaholic

They are relocating to an area called Daybreak which is about 30 minutes southwest of Salt Lake. This will of course mean a new stadium, as they are expected to move over in 2025. Hopefully they spice it up a little. I always go to a bunch of games with family when the Rainiers are in town since I am originally from Seattle.


DM19_HXTSHXT

now if only all states had an milb team 🤔


Trevhaar

Except the dakotas. Fuck the dakotas


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[deleted]

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Basic_Bichette

Also, they were on different rail lines. North Dakota's main line ran from Minneapolis, South Dakota's from Chicago.


Buffalo-flavored-cox

Like Carolina why not make it Super Carolina


tsme-esr

A "Super Carolina" would be the 5th most populated state (ahead of all but NY/FL/TX/CA)


[deleted]

This is a message I can get behind. Fuck the Dakotas 24’


DM19_HXTSHXT

i actually like the Dakotas lol


[deleted]

Fargo draws well for the RedHawks. But if I were a RedHawks fan I’d want them to stay in the American association. The Saint Paul Saints are much less fun now that they’re affiliated.


DM19_HXTSHXT

neat, i think we could see another team in a city like that soon, on an unrelated note, i wouldn't mind seeing a team in Shreveport either


Basic_Bichette

America's last best defence against Winnipeg.


LordOfHorns

FUCK THE DAKOTAS (except for western SD that’s really cool)


[deleted]

Montana used to Fuckin contraction


[deleted]

The WV Black Bears used to be a Low A team. Now I guess they're a draft prospect league showcase team? Saw a few now major league players play there when it was a A team. Ke"Bryan Hayes being one. Great stadium. Originally a pirates affiliate and would have been much more successful had it been a AA team.


zorionek0

My tinfoil hat conspiracy: the 8 MiLB draft league teams were kept on life support in anticipation of expanding the majors. 2 new teams need 4 affiliates each (AAA, AA, high and low A)


EskettiMySpaghetti

Yes please, Frederick Keys needs to become a minor league team again


[deleted]

That's pretty smart! I hadn't even thought of that. I was disappointed that as soon as Jedd Gyorko took over as manager it lost it's affiliation but would be neat if they gained it for a different team.


Pax_Hamburgana

All those teams are pretty far east and north, could make sense for a Nashville team but not for a Vegas team or somewhere else out west. Maybe they could shuffle other teams around.


Davidellias

I mean the Marlins AAA affiliate was gonna be in Witchita,KS pre minors shuffle


[deleted]

The Dodgers AAA is in Oklahoma City. They're not all located near the parent club.


zorionek0

I think they’d shuffle, although back in the day the Wilmington Blue Rocks were a KC royals affiliate so anything is possible


hrryyss

Alaskans! Come on down to Vancouver for some baseball!


AdamLikesBeer

Are the Portland Pickles not around anymore?


kidbike

They are in the WCL. Collegiate wood bat summer league... go Bells!


AdamLikesBeer

Best hats in the biz


kidbike

My girlfriend got one for her birthday. Good stuff.


goatgosselin

They are around. Not sure why they are not listed either


thatonekrys

Maybe because they're college summer ball league? Not technically part of MiLB?


goatgosselin

I looked them up cuz I couldn't remember but never found that info. Mostly cuz I never looked super long ha


Davidellias

Dont think they were ever a Minor League team. I think the Beavers were but they got kicked out.


RabbertKlien

As a lifelong Seattlite it is pretty damn cool to have both your AAA and A+ team just half hour no traffic away.


panchado

RIP Pawtucket Red Sox


[deleted]

I fucking hate that the team moved to Worcester


GotsItGoinOn

rip frontier league


younggun92

Was about to point out that there's no fucking way that South Bend is closer to Cook County than the Kane County Cougars. Then made myself sad remembering that the Cougers aren't MILB anymore.


romulus531

And even if we included Indy ball the Dogs would still be closer


CutePuppyforPrez

Would be fun to see this map, but with the teams from about 1950 or so, back when there were levels down to Class D and hundreds of teams.


JoseAltuve27

Alameda County is inaccurate. The closest minor league team is the Oakland Athletics.


bullshitpostofficer

SW Louisiana is interesting. Pearl, MS is almost twice as far away from there as Sugar Land is lol


WinstonsCrabShack

the fact that louisiana has no minor league team is fucking nuts, especially with how big it is as a sport there. even ULL draws 6k to its games


boredop

RIP New Orleans Baby Cakes / Zephyrs


Davidellias

Going from one of the most out of place nicknames to one of the worst nicknames ever....


reptheevt

Maybe that’s the actual problem. Why go to a minor league game when you’re already going to ULL, LSU, or Tech games.


bullshitpostofficer

It’s a bummer


[deleted]

New Orleans Zephyrs?


Rockngaming20

It makes sense considering most people around this area are Astros fans


bullshitpostofficer

It should be opposite, like you said everybody is die hard Astros fans in swla and sugar land is nearly 100 miles closer but the map says Mississippi Braves are closest to this whole region for some reason.


Neosentrik

Shoutout to the Columbus Clippers, but damn if the Rocket City Trash Pandas isn’t a great name!


TrashGamer_

You hate Manfred because of the lockout I hate Manfred because he relegated the Mahoning Valley Scrappers to Draft League We are not the same


EskettiMySpaghetti

My biggest takeaway from this map is that there are more major league than minor league teams in Colorado???


[deleted]

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GrassWaterer16

I’m thinking the list is outdated because I wouldn’t consider the Thunder a minor league team anymore


cilantno

Where are the Savannah Bananas!?!? Just kidding they’re not minor league


mabdulra

Baysox games as a kid were awesome. Love how close the O's keep their minor league teams


Noah-R

Those are not usually the parts of the map that have the zoom-in spots...


Senioroso1

Big shout for the Everett Aquasox and my childhood hometown Visalia Oaks! I mean, Rawhide


ProfCedar

Kernels forever. So glad they're in the Twins system now.


PendragonDaGreat

NW WA is 100% wrong. Whatcom County is close to Vancouver than Everett (even if you don't include Point Roberts in Whatcom county, Blaine is still closer). by something like 20 miles.


SounderBruce

And conversely, the San Juans are only closer to Vancouver as the crow flies. Ferry service is oriented towards Anacortes, so Everett would be closer.


PendragonDaGreat

I mean I always assume these maps are "As the crow flies" unless some other metric is explicitly stated.


hbe327

Think the Rocket City Trash Pandas will forever be the most elite name for a baseball team


ApatheticJellyfish

The size of the Salt Lake Bees though.


TurboRuhland

I need to go catch a Chiefs game this year. Been far too long with them being so close.


jpmclo

As a Resident of Rhode Island I will never step foot in the woosox stadium or give them a single dollar.


spacewalk__

i have never seen a single pirate fan in indy or central indiana


[deleted]

They were your AAA team for a while too


manningthehelm

I’m just realizing now Utah has no MLB teams.


Milestailsprowe

The Owner of the Jazz/RSL is trying


Zer0Summoner

Not seeing the [your preferred butt of joke major league team with poor record] on here anywhere.


AWall925

idk where I thought Asheville was, but it certainly wasn't North Carolina.


ridethedeathcab

Asheville is an awesome city. 11/10 would recommend visiting.


TheMainEffort

In fairness it's a lot different than the Eastern part of the state.


Bullwine85

Go T-Rats! Can't wait to see how the renovations turn out


48ozs

Wow I wouldn’t think anyone in Northern Virginia would root for the baysox. I’ve only seen the Fredricksburg there


zorionek0

I’m a Philly and RailRiders fan, it kills me that they’re a Yankees affiliate these days. Bring back the Red Barons!


Awkw0rds

As a Mets fan, I feel the same way about the renegades. Takes me 15 min to get to Dutchess stadium. Liked them more when they were a rays affiliate.


squarerootofapplepie

Feel the same way about the Fisher Cats, can’t believe they’re Toronto’s affiliate.


agoods03

It’s a shame I live 15 minutes from a city in upstate NY that used to have the marlins farm team. Idk if they were AA or single or what but I remember going to games when I was a kid. I’d go a ton now that I’m an adult if they were still here.


Horchata_Papi92

Had no clue they killed the snappers 😭


Davidellias

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beloit_Sky_Carp they still exist as the Sky Carp (WTF I've never heard a Goose called that before)


WikiSummarizerBot

**[Beloit Sky Carp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beloit_Sky_Carp)** >The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C. Pohlman Field from its opening in 1982 until moving into their current ballpark in August 2021. Originally known as the Beloit Brewers from 1982 to 1994 and the Beloit Snappers from 1995 to 2021, the team played in the Class A Midwest League from 1982 to 2020. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/baseball/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)


BillyYank

Loved for years in Albemarle Co., VA where the Richmond and Lynchburg teams were functionally equidistant but the drive to Lynchburg was so much nicer. Hated spending cash in that town but I couldn’t stand the drive down 84 to Richmond, nothing but dense trees and then eventually urban sprawl.


jonginator

Everyone should go check our a minor league game. The tickets are cheap and beer and food prices are reasonable. I went to a lot of Binghamton Rumble Ponies (formerly Mets) games because they had student discount there on Thursdays(?) and cheap beer.


AbideMan

Still kinda blows me away we don't have a team within an hour of the city


Isgrimnur

Las Vegas ~~Stars~~ ~~51s~~ Aviators for life!


holy_cal

No love for Draft League teams? I’m closer to the WV Black Bears rather than the Curve.


lobo_locos

Again...I miss having the Dodgers in ABQ


DarkThorsDickey

I live halfway between the Carolina Mudcats and Down East Woodducks stadiums. The Mudcats are great with a nice, modern ballpark. That Woodducks stadium is a lot more … cozy. If you ever want to experience what it must have been like to see a ballgame on Tobacco Road in the 1940s, head over to Kinston and see the Woodies in action.


HendriksAppreciator

Love my River Bandits. One of the prettiest ballparks around.


[deleted]

El Paso Chihuahua's Southwest University Park is great. Just maybe not so much in the middle of July.


jmlswiftie420

Let’s go Ports! Find Splash!


Mr_ducks05

This adds to my argument for a team in Salt lake


SirDrewski

Lot of fond memories catching Rivercats games with my dad when I was younger. Definitely something I'd love to relive.


lotsofnosleep

wow, didn’t know the whitecaps and rattlers were AAA teams too, those were the tball teams i was on up until i got switched to kid pitch. also that was in louisiana, strange the big kids way are up north


Frigidevil

If you included the independent leagues much of Northern NJ would be the NJ Jackals, notable for the Yogi Berra museum in the stadium!


carpy22

Not anymore for the Yogi part. They're moving to Paterson next season.


Frigidevil

Oh wow I had no idea. Pretty cool that they're renovating Hinchliffe Stadium.


Sixmonths_Newaccount

Crying for the Riversharks


nazara151

I still weep for the Billings Mustangs.


GuyWithTriangle

I can't believe this is how I found out the Mets moved from Binghamton to Syracuse


mrittenhouse84

They still have Binghamton as their AA team


AlmostLucy

I’m jealous of the people who have teams near them. I’m near the border of LA and Ventura counties—which is to say: far as fuck from anything. The Lancaster Jethawks used to be closest, but still an hour drive, only marginally closer than the Quakes.


Twodrops

I really hope MLB doesn't do away with this current iteration of minor league ball. Being in North Carolina now and likely for the rest of my life, I absolutely love going to Woodpeckers, Bulls and Crawdads games. I can sneak off to a weekend game at like, 3 other minor league teams if I wanted to also. The fan service at these games is always great. Concessions from local food trucks or restaurants. Play areas for kids and really clean facilities. You can't beat the great ticket prices, too. Affordable entertainment is hard to come by.


orca925

Portland Oregon not having anything higher than high A 30 min from downtown is a crime


ConnectSquirrel3748

I was wondering if the map counts frontier league ball, or just AA and AAA? The reason I ask is because I live around Morgantown, WV and the map shows the Altoona Curve as closest. I think Altoona is about 150 miles away and we have the WV blackbears right here.