Many of you probably aren't too familiar with how minor league operations work, as businesses. The person who essentially runs the business in the General Manager, but the role with that title is far different in the minors than it is in the majors.

 

So in an effort to cover the minors as fully as possible, we invited the GM of the Birmingham Barons to write a guest post for Future Sox, explaining the job first hand. Here is his article, which is quite detailed and includes some fun nuggets including a story about Bobby Jenks.

 

Give it a read - it was an honor to be able to have an executive write a post for us.

 

Nice!

It is a little odd that if you want to be a major league manager, you start by coaching and managing in the minors. If you want to be a major league player, you start by playing in the minors. If you want to be a major league GM, though, you're probably not going to be starting out as a minor league GM. I completely understand why (future GMs are in baseball ops/player development positions throughout the organization), but from the outside it seems strange.

It is a little odd that if you want to be a major league manager, you start by coaching and managing in the minors. If you want to be a major league player, you start by playing in the minors. If you want to be a major league GM, though, you're probably not going to be starting out as a minor league GM. I completely understand why (future GMs are in baseball ops/player development positions throughout the organization), but from the outside it seems strange.

 

It makes more sense if you focus on who is employing who -- Players, managers, coaches, training staff, are all employed by the Major League organization. The GM of the milb team is emplyoed by... the owner of the milb team. The affiliates are (mostly) independent businesses that are contracted by the MLB teams to provide a playing environment for their players. The milb team is a third party. The milb GM doesn't "work for" the MLB affiliate.

It makes more sense if you focus on who is employing who -- Players, managers, coaches, training staff, are all employed by the Major League organization. The GM of the milb team is emplyoed by... the owner of the milb team. The affiliates are (mostly) independent businesses that are contracted by the MLB teams to provide a playing environment for their players. The milb team is a third party. The milb GM doesn't "work for" the MLB affiliate.

 

Yes, except for rare circumstances when the MLB teams themselves owned the affiliates (pretty rare) and used those teams/front offices as training opportunities. Or the Az and Florida facilities that have short season teams.

 

Basically, the main reason, though....was to control the quality of the clubhouse/facilities and especially the playing surface quality. Used to be the case more in the low/er minors, think A ball and below.

It makes more sense if you focus on who is employing who -- Players, managers, coaches, training staff, are all employed by the Major League organization. The GM of the milb team is emplyoed by... the owner of the milb team. The affiliates are (mostly) independent businesses that are contracted by the MLB teams to provide a playing environment for their players. The milb team is a third party. The milb GM doesn't "work for" the MLB affiliate.

 

 

Yes, except for rare circumstances when the MLB teams themselves owned the affiliates (pretty rare) and used those teams/front offices as training opportunities. Or the Az and Florida facilities that have short season teams.

 

Basically, the main reason, though....was to control the quality of the clubhouse/facilities and especially the playing surface quality. Used to be the case more in the low/er minors, think A ball and below.

 

Right. It makes total sense, but the language is counterintuitive.