We always talk about the Baltimore-to-Norfolk shuttle, about how the Orioles are always dropping down to Triple-A to get reinforcements.
Maybe like no other organization, the Orioles are continually promoting and demoting players between the majors and minors.
You knew that.
But did you ever wonder how it affects the players, the fans and the Triple-A club itself? Consider that the Norfolk Tides made 225 transactions in a 142-game season in 2017. That’s incredible.
Adam Pohl, the voice of the Double-A Bowie Baysox, explores that concept in this episode of “Minor League Podcast. He has an in-depth conversation with David Hall, the Tides’ beatwriter for The Virginian-Pilot.
Hall, who does a tremendous job covering the Tides and minor league baseball, discusses how it all works, and what the mindset is of the players and staff at Norfolk. He also looks at the way the Orioles roster their Triple-A team, mainly grabbing veterans that can help at the major league level instead of homegrown prospects looking to get to the bigs for the first time.
“Everybody the Orioles bring in to Norfolk, if they’re not ready for the major leagues, they’re very close. That’s the way they kind of look at it,” Hall said. “It’s just a whole roster full of insurance policies, basically.”
If you are curious about the process, or just love the minor leagues, you need to listen to this fascinating talk between two men who know a ton about the Orioles’ farm system.
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