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.
