Minor League Turnstiles Spin Record Total

Minor League Baseball got off to a good start in a bid to break its all-time attendance record for the fifth consecutive season. The average crowd per playing date, through April, is up slightly from the 2007 total when the Minor Leagues drew 42,812,812 fans.

The actual fan total in April was 6,665,662, the highest in the 107-year history of the industry. That total, however, was spread over more playing dates, since the season opened on Apr. 3 for most of the 11-full season leagues, the earliest the season has ever opened.

The average crowd for the 1,780 playing dates was 3,745, an increase of 19 fans (0.5 percent) over April, 2007, when the 136 teams attracted 5,905,069 fans, the previous record for April.

The International League, which went over the one million mark in attendance in April for the first time ever, had the largest increase among the domestic leagues. Its average crowd of 5,699 was an increase of 425 fans (8 percent). The total was bolstered by a new franchise. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs, relocated from Ottawa, ranked second in the league with an average crowd of 7,164 for 12 playing dates.

Other leagues registering increases were Mexican, up 9.3 percent; Texas, up 5.4 percent; and Carolina, which had a gain of 3.9 percent.

Thanks to DBBC’s Matt DeMargel for this capcom story & photo.