BCL: Gunma and Fukui Additions for 2008
Discussion in the NPB News forum
Comments
Re: BCL: Gunma and Fukui Additions for 2008
[ Author: Deanna | Posted: Jun 20, 2007 9:01 AM
| NIP Fan
]
That's great! I was actually about to post a response to the thread about the Marines buying a Shikoku team, thinking how "if the BCL could add two more teams, and the SIL could add two more teams, that'd be 12 and a perfect place for a second minor league level." Also, it'd be great to promote higher levels of baseball to more places in Japan. Fukui and Gunma were actually the likely places for the BCL that I was thinking of, with maybe Oita and Miyazaki on Kyushu getting the expansion from Shikoku. Yeah, it'd be more difficult travel, but with the money from the big team backing them it might not be as difficult.
Of course, this might ruin the local flavor aspect of these independent leagues - I sort of assume a lot of the players are local to the team. Skimming through the BCL rosters at least it looks like over half of each team is actually from that area, at least.
On the other hand, it might complicate the drafts more (since before, they drafted a few guys out of the Shikoku League, but if the NPB teams all own the Shikoku League teams then you can't draft out of there). And what happens to the people already playing on these teams if the upper-level organization puts a bunch of draftees there?
Overall I think the expansion for the BCL is good, regardless of whether it ends up becoming a minor league for the NPB. (I did notice that Shinano played the Fighters' farm team yesterday, though.)
Of course, this might ruin the local flavor aspect of these independent leagues - I sort of assume a lot of the players are local to the team. Skimming through the BCL rosters at least it looks like over half of each team is actually from that area, at least.
On the other hand, it might complicate the drafts more (since before, they drafted a few guys out of the Shikoku League, but if the NPB teams all own the Shikoku League teams then you can't draft out of there). And what happens to the people already playing on these teams if the upper-level organization puts a bunch of draftees there?
Overall I think the expansion for the BCL is good, regardless of whether it ends up becoming a minor league for the NPB. (I did notice that Shinano played the Fighters' farm team yesterday, though.)
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For those of you unfamiliar with the BCL, Houshinetsu is the north-western region that includes Ishikawa-ken, Toyama-ken, Niigata-ken, and Nagano-ken. BCL stands for "Baseball Challenge League." The ball players in the league are essentially challenging to become NPB or MLB players in the future. This league, along with its predecessor, the Shikoku Island League, are trying to create an independent set of minor leagues in Japan.
With the expansion of the BCL, it's looking like a minor league system may come about though private enterprise with or without Bobby's help. Furthermore, there has been word since the beginning of this season about a "Futures League" being formed in Kyushu next season, further developing a larger minor professional minor league system.