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Minor League Baseball is going to look much different in 2021 than it did in 2019 (the last time we had Minor League Baseball). We tracked some of those reported changes in December but now that the league affiliations and schedules have been made official, we can take a look at what these changes will mean for the Rockies. Minor Leagues, Major Changes In case you didn’t click the link above, here’s what you need to know. Major League Baseball’s contract with Minor League Baseball came to an end in 2020, prompting a reshuffle. In all, 43 teams lost affiliated status and three formerly ...

Geographically speaking, the Albuquerque Isotopes were part of a major relocation project Friday. The ‘Topes went to bed Thursday night as members of the Pacific Coast League’s Pacific Southern Division. They awoke as members of the directionally confusing Professional Development League. Albuquerque will compete in the East Division of the Triple-A West. Simple, right? According to a sweeping overhaul of baseball’s minor leagues announced Friday, the Isotopes will be part of the 10-team Triple-A West drawn up to be travel-friendlier than was the former 16-team PCL alignment. Albuquerqu...

That affiliation, however, wasn’t with the Dodgers but with the then-Florida Marlins. At spring training in 2006, Traub, then as now the Isotopes general manager (he since has added the title of vice president), ran into Lasorda in Vero Beach, Fla. With the Isotopes planning to host the 2007 Triple-A All-Star Game, Traub wanted Lasorda to bring his larger-than-his-midsection personality and countless funny stories to be the keynote speaker at the All-Star Game luncheon. Traub sweetened the offer by making Lasorda the first inductee to the Albuquerque Pro Baseball Hall of Fame, which is a fr...

Yes, or so it says here. With no room for argument, the brutal toll exacted by the COVID-19 pandemic ranks as the No. 1 New Mexico sports story of 2020. How could it be otherwise? Certainly, though, there could be debate as to where, when and how that impact was most severely felt. The Isotopes’ lost season is my choice. Here’s why: First, I would not argue against opinions that the COVID-prompted erasure of high school sports – spring and fall – cut more deeply, affected more people and stirred more controversy than the void at Isotopes Park. But, as always, I cede that territory to ...

And, oddly enough, the (cough) Albuquerque Isotopes. On Monday, Patrick, who hosts a popular national radio show that airs in the Albuquerque market, was talking with longtime “The Simpsons” voice actor Hank Azaria. And during their 10-minute chat, the conversation turned briefly to the Isotopes. “Who does Homer (Simpson) root for?” Patrick asked Azaria. “He’s in the Midwest, he’s probably a Chiefs fan, wouldn’t he be?” “The local minor league team is the Springfield Isotopes,” Azaria answered, adding, “I think there’s actually a real team named the Isotopes.” Back...