MiLB Attendance Down 2.7% To Date; Lehigh Valley, Dayton Lead All Clubs

The 160 teams affiliated with Minor League Baseball (excluding the Mexican League) are averaging 3,933 fans per game, down 2.7% from the same period a year ago. Both Triple-A level leagues, which are the most-attended MiLB leagues, are seeing drops in attendance to date. The sharpest drop belongs to the short-season Single-A New York-Penn League, which is down 7.4%. The leagues seeing the best gains are the two instructional level teams -- the Pioneer and Appalachian Leagues -- up 7.9% and 2.9%, respectively. Among individual teams, the Int’l League Lehigh Valley IronPigs continue to lead all clubs with 9,000 fans per game. The Single-A Midwest League Dayton Dragons rank second with 8,486 fans per game, and the club has continued to extend its sellout streak, which ranks as the longest ever among U.S. sports teams. Listed below is league-by-league attendance for MiLB clubs through July 17, with comparisons to the same period last year (THE DAILY).

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ATTENDANCE THROUGH JULY 17
LEAGUE	LEVEL	TMS	GMS	TOTAL	AVG.	% +/-	'11 GMS	'11 TEAMS
International	AAA	14	659	4,196,819	6,368	-3.2%	654	14
Pacific Coast	AAA	16	756	4,449,501	5,886	-1.4%	761	16
Texas	AA	8	370	1,964,541	5,310	0.4%	366	8
Eastern	AA	12	549	2,445,228	4,454	-4.5%	549	12
Midwest	Low-A	16	736	2,563,280	3,483	1.1%	710	16
Carolina	High-A	8	358	1,246,662	3,482	2.4%	356	8
Southern	AA	10	457	1,560,768	3,415	1.9%	461	10
New York-Penn	Short- Season A	14	197	659,874	3,350	-7.4%	222	14
South Atlantic	Low-A	14	640	2,122,876	3,317	-2.6%	637	14
Northwest	Short- Season A	8	125	358,085	2,865	-2.5%	132	8
Pioneer	Instructional	8	113	291,160	2,577	7.9%	114	8
California	High-A	10	469	1,080,095	2,303	1.2%	475	10
Florida State	High-A	12	532	866,753	1,629	-2.7%	556	12
Appalachian	Instructional	10	124	127,893	1,031	2.9%	142	10
MiLB TOTALS		160	6,085	23,933,535	3,933	-2.7%	6,135	160

NOTES: Mexican League figures excluded. All short season and instructional leagues begin each year following June MLB draft.