Baseball’s Opening Day is less than two weeks away, so we’re making some predictions on the 2021 MLB season. On WISE Sports Radio, I gave my picks for the AL Central and AL West divisions.
Also, the Kansas City Royals signed catcher Salvador Perez to an insane contract extension and Joey Votto returns to the Cincinnati Reds after contracting COVID-19.
Broadcasting from Asheville, North Carolina, Major League Baseball’s initiative to shrink the minor leagues cut close to home with the Asheville Tourists in town. The Tourists were apparently never in danger of losing MLB affiliation, but did switch parent clubs from the Colorado Rockies to the Houston Astros. And they moved up a level from low-Single A to high-A.
Another factor in MLB wanting more control was the ability to use the minor leagues as a testing lab for the many rules changes the sport is considering. On WISE Sports Radio‘s weekly baseball segment, Pat Ryan and I discussed several of the new rules we’ll see in the minors this year, some of which will surely be seen in the majors soon.
Ian Casselberry 