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Writer's pictureMatthew Ransom

Minor League Misfortunes

Updated: May 7

In the hobby world there are plenty of items to collect. You have cards, coins, cash, shoes,

bobbleheads, all types of items and many of these items are tied to major league sports teams.

For example, every major league baseball team has trading cards created for them and

managed by Topps and panini and fanatics. (personal preference and complaints aside) this

makes it easy for fans of any of the major league baseball teams to find a card of a team or

player they like to collect for their personal collection or of the hottest player due to performance

or other things such as the draft. But what about those that grow up near minor league teams as

children and eventually move away and can't find anything for the minor league team they

coveted as a child, Or even more relevant, what about the children that are by minor league

teams now and see all these players come through the farm system and have limited to no

cards created for the player or players they like.


There are creators of these items such as grandstand and others that have created minor

league cards in years past. There was a product during the junk wax era that came out called

Just minors. It had autographs and relics of minor league players that they believed were going

to go to the next level and make it to the show. Moreover, it was a product of just minor league

players and in this era of massive relics and autos of every player mentioned why do we not

have a governing body over all the affiliate teams for the major league teams.


Can, or should Topps or panini create more minor league cards for those that collect these

teams and go to the games more frequently than they can the major league due to distant, time,

money and the other barriers that create a more intimate bond with minor league teams than ,

many major league teams. For example, I grew up going to the then triple A affiliate for the

Colorado Rockies the Colorado Springs SkySox. I went to many sky sox games in the late 90’s

and early early 2000s. Three were many Rockies that came down for rehab assignments and

whatnot and many future stars that would also go on to stardom with other major league teams

but at that time there was not many choices for cards other than team sets, and the occasional

bobblehead. Compared to now as I live close to the Double A affiliate for the Chicago white sox,

the Birmingham barons. There is still a very limited card option for the card collector outside of

the team sets they offer at the team store. But this parallel between the 20 plus years since the

sky sox and now having the barons, brings me to my major question for the hobby and other

readers out there, why has there not become a governing body over minor league cards?


If fanatics wanted to grow and expand their reach, even further than it is now they could make

offices that focus strictly on a particular league such as the southern league or even a particular

level such as A, high A, Double A, Triple A, and even if the draw is there in the independent

league ball. This could bring many new collectors into the hobby, especially to those near a

minor league team but not a major league team. This could bring more items to have as a

collector of a player or team as you might be drawn to want all the jerseys to all the minor

league teams your PC player has possibly played for. As a Collector of Charlie Blackmon, I

personally would love to have Game Used relic cards of all the teams he has played for such as

the Modesto nuts, Tulsa drillers and yes even the Colorado Springs Skysox. Or even a dual auto

with one of the many stars he played with throughout his minor league tours. Having a

independent licensed creator of minor league cards will bring in many new collectors, here’s

looking at you Topps, Relics from the farm are some awesome inserts by the way I highly

recommend checking them out.


Thank you again for taking time to read my post about the need for minor league love in the

#thehobby, make sure to follow myself on X at @MDRANSOM1

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