Sunday, April 12

This edition of the Baseball Traveler newsletter is coming to you on the final day of the Minor League Baseball offseason. Things are about to get a whole lot more interesting 'round these parts.   

Today’s lead item is a collaborative effort between myself and Sam Dykstra, an MLB Pipeline reporter and really swell fellow. 

The Major League Baseball season is in full swing and now it's Triple-A's turn to join the party.

The 2026 Minor League season opens Friday, when all 30 teams in the International and Pacific Coast Leagues kick off their campaigns. It's the earliest start to a Triple-A season since 1951, when teams in the Pacific Coast League also kicked things off on March 27. 

Today marks the first of two MiLB Opening Days, as April 3 will feature the first full slate of Double-A, High-A and Single-A games. From top prospects to refreshed looks to goofy promotions, here's everything you need to know about the first week of the Minor League season, when Triple-A baseball has the spotlight all to itself. 

All Triple-A games are available on MiLB.TV, the web and via the MiLB app, and MLB.TV and MLB app subscribers can watch games of their favorite MLB club's Triple-A affiliate in the app at no additional cost.

Keep an eye on these games:

MARCH 27 

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) @ Buffalo Bisons (TOR), 1:05 p.m. ET
The Buffalo Bisons have made a tradition of hosting the first game of the Minor League season, kicking things off with a matinee at Sahlen Field that the team states will be the earliest game (by date) in their 141-season franchise history. Hope springs eternal, so the Bisons are once again offering a "50 Degree Guarantee" (if the first pitch temperature is below that, fans can redeem their ticket for a future game). As for the game itself, No. 6 Yankees prospect Spencer Jones could keep warm by providing plenty of firepower for visiting Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 6-foot-7 outfielder ranked second in the Minors with 35 homers last season and may just need to get his strikeout rate to a slightly more modest number to break through to the Bronx.

St. Paul Saints @ Indianapolis Indians, 6:35 p.m. ET
The Indianapolis Indians, established in 1902, will debut new look uniforms designed in partnership with the Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana. The ballgame also marks the Triple-A debut of No. 1 overall prospect Konnor Griffin, who spent much of the spring competing for the Pirates’ Opening Day shortstop job before just falling short. Only 19 years old, the 6-foot-3 slugger will likely be the youngest player on a Triple-A roster, but he has all five tools at his disposal. After he struggled to make consistent contact in the spring, he’ll be on a mission to prove he can get the bat on enough fastballs and join Paul Skenes in the Majors in short order. 

On the other side, the St. Paul roster could be one of the most loaded in the Minors with Top 100 prospects Walker Jenkins (No. 15), Kaelen Culpepper (No. 52) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (No. 74) each slated to open 2026 as Saints.

MARCH 28

Toledo Mud Hens @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 4:35 p.m. ET
The Phillies organization and their fans will be keeping a close eye on this game. Zack Wheeler, recovering from thoracic outlet decompression surgery, will make a rehab start for the IronPigs. Wheeler had a rib removed as part of the surgery, leading the team to offer a "Rehab Rib"” concession special. The veteran right-hander won’t exactly have an easy assignment in the Mud Hens, led by No. 10 overall prospect Max Clark. Despite a subpar stint in Major League camp this spring, Clark retains five-tool status as he heads to Triple-A for the first time, and his running and fielding ability in center field allow him to have a constant impact on games even when the bat may be down, which is not often given his quality swing decisions.

MARCH 31

Sugar Land Space Cowboys @ Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 7:05 p.m. ET
It's never too early in the season for a shamelessly ridiculous promotion, as illustrated by what the Jumbo Shrimp front office has planned for this evening. It's "Crayon or Crayon"” night, during which fans will be quizzed on the correct way to pronounce, you guessed it, crayon. Crown, cray-on or cran? You decide. For more where this came from: April 2 is Fantasy Football Punishment Night; the team is inviting league losers to come to the game so that they can be publicly humiliated. An apt punishment might be trying to steal a base against Jacksonville catcher and No. 62 overall prospect Joe Mack, who threw out 33 percent of attempted basestealers in the upper Minors last season.

Norfolk Tides @ Memphis Redbirds, 8:05 p.m. ET
A new season always means new concession options. To wit: The Redbirds' home opener marks the debut of the team's Heavenly Hot Dog Buffet, located in AutoZone Park's Party Deck. There are 21 toppings available, resulting in 2,097,151 unique combinations. There has to be a brave fan out there who will attempt to try them all. Just make sure you're back in your seats for any and all Joshua Báez plate appearances. The Cardinals outfielder vastly improved his contact rate in 2025, leading to a career high 20 homers at High-A and Double-A. He continued to flex plus power in Major League camp this spring and may not be long for Memphis if his adjustments hold into his first foray into Triple-A.

El Paso Chihuahuas @ Tacoma Rainiers, 9:05 p.m. ET

Top Mariners prospect Colt Emerson played only six regular-season games for Triple-A Tacoma last season, but he made them count, going 8-for-22 (.364) with two homers, two doubles and nine RBIs in that span. (He appeared in two more postseason games after that.) He's back with the Rainiers to begin his age-20 season with the goal of sticking around the Pacific Northwest, albeit at some point in Seattle. The left-handed slugger has a near-plus-plus hit tool and may need to split time between shortstop and third base to find his best route to the Majors.

APRIL 1

Sacramento River Cats @ Salt Lake Bees, 8:35 p.m. ET
It's the first Wednesday of the season, and for the Salt Lake Bees that means it's the first time that they’ll suit up as the Utah Dirty Sodas. This alternate identity pays tribute to a Utah phenomenon, in which creams and syrups are added to traditional carbonated beverages to create a customizable concoction. You can get dirty sodas at the ballpark, of course, courtesy of Swig ("Home of the original dirty soda.").

A veritable buffet of new concession items has been unveiled recently. I'd like to highlight two concoctions that unabashedly combine contrasting flavor profiles

.

Brisket Brownie (Augusta GreenJackets) – A split brownie with chopped brisket, caramel drizzle and crispy bacon. 

Piggy Waffle Sandwich (Albuquerque Isotopes) – A Belgian waffle with sweet and spicy pork burnt ends, chocolate whipped cream and sweet potato waffle fries.

Dessert: It’s what’s for dinner!

Thanks to the many people who have emailed me over the past couple weeks, sharing memories and opinions related to ballparks, team names, venerable managers and more. I will share some of these responses in future editions of the newsletter as time and space allows.

Get in touch any time: benjamin.hill@mlb.com and please follow me on Instagram (@thebensbiz), X (@bensbiz) and Bluesky (@bensbiz.bsky.social). Your engagement and support are deeply appreciated.

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