Farm Products: MiLB Clubs Generate $54.8M In '08, Up 12%

By David Broughton, Research Director, SportsBusiness Journal

Minor League Baseball (MiLB) generated record merchandise sales in '08, according to data obtained exclusively by SportsBusiness Journal/Daily. MiLB's 160 clubs brought in $54.8M in merchandise sales last year, a 12% jump over '07 sales and the ninth straight year-over-year increase. Sales have doubled during that nine-year stretch, despite MiLB having the same number of teams last year as it had in '00. The Triple-A Int'l League Durham Bulls and Double-A Eastern League Portland Sea Dogs have appeared on that list every time since it was first released in '93. The Triple-A Int'l League Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Double-A Texas League Northwest Arkansas Naturals were the only newcomers to the list, and both were playing their inaugural season in new markets. The Single-A South Atlantic League Greensboro Grasshoppers, who changed their name from the Bats following the '05 season, have made the list each year since. The Int'l League leads all classifications with six clubs. Market sizes ranged from the nearly three million in Pawtucket, R.I., to 60,000 in Batavia, N.Y. Listed below is an MiLB product category breakdown from '08, as well as a list of the top 25 MiLB teams in terms of merchandise sales, listed alphabetically. 

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