A Journey through the
Giants Minor League System
with the Kellys

A lot of people make tours of all the major league ballparks. Our family has visited quite a few (and they have torn down several so that we have to go back to Cleveland, and soon will need to revisit Seattle and Milwaukee). But this trip gave us a chance not just to see the game or the real estate where it is played, but to see the players at different levels of development. We have seen players as they rose through the minors and we have seen players who have been sent down a notch. This trip has given us the opportunity to know a whole roster of young men we will watch throughout their careers.

Division Champions! Fresno Grizzlies Class AAA Pacific Coast League 31 July, 1998 1 August, 1998	We saw nine games of the five teams and only saw the home team lose three times. We learned that only Salem-Keizer, San Jose, and Fresno charge for parking, and that every team has a mascot except the San José Giants. Tickets are the cheapest in Bakersfield and most expensive in Fresno. The Volcanoes have the Lava Dog and the Volcano burger. San José has the bbq garden, Bakersfield has converted their Dodger Dog to a Giant Dog; Shreveport has muffelettas, and Fresno has the Grizzly Dog.	Shreveport Captains Class AA Texas League 22 July, 1998 23 July, 1998
The Salem-Keizer field is one year old, while the Bakersfield and San José municipal fields are in the neighborhood of 50 or more years old. The Shreveport Captains play at the fair grounds, and in Fresno the team plays at the Fresno State University baseball field. Only in Fresno are the fans actually kept away from the players after the game. In every other venue the players come right out of the locker rooms to meet the awaiting fans. At the lowest levels the players are almost eager to sign autographs. At every level they were willing to sign and chat with fans.	San Francisco Giants   National League	The Giants are apparently partial to their own former players as managers and coaches. Keith Comstock, Frank Reberger, Jimmy Davenport, Shawn Barton, and Bobby Bonds, all were present on the field leading the next generation of Giants players. The play is always interesting (It is baseball.), and there are more chances for excitement every inning in the lower level clubs only because the skills of the players are not as finely attuned and so there are mistakes and errors on almost any play. The skill of the double A and triple A players is almost interchangeable with the major leaguers.
League Champions! San Jose Giants Class A Advanced California League 5 May, 1998 12 July, 1998	League Champions! Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Class A Short-season Northwest League 23 June, 1998 24 June, 1998	Bakersfield Blaze Class A Advanced California League 5 May, 1998 30 July, 1998

It has been worth the time and effort.

Click on the logos to see my minor league autograph pages!

Questions? Comments? Let us know! edijkelly@aol.com

Go back to Edith's Web Site

This site was described in the Giants Virtual Dugout Perspectives July 29-August 5, 1998

August 5-12, 1998 Vote for the Fansite of the Year!