Farm system

The farm system is a slang term in American Major League Baseball. It refers to the systematic control or ownership of minor league baseball clubs by major league teams, who move players from the lowest to the highest classification as they gain experience and enjoy success at each level. This process is formally referred to as "player development" by most MLB teams. The minor league affiliates are often informally called farm teams and being sent to the minors by a major league team is sometimes referred to as being farmed out.

Related Topics:
Slang - American - Major League Baseball - Minor league

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The practice was invented by Branch Rickey, who as field manager, business/general manager or (briefly) club president helped to build the St. Louis Cardinals into a dynasty during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. When Rickey joined the Cardinals in 1916, players were commonly purchased by major league teams from independent, high-level minor league clubs. Rickey, a keen judge of talent, became frustrated when players he had scouted at the A and AA level were bought by wealthier rivals such as the Chicago Cubs and New York Giants.

Related Topics:
Branch Rickey - Manager - General manager - St. Louis Cardinals - Chicago Cubs - New York Giants

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With the support of Cardinal owner Sam Breadon, Rickey devised a plan whereby St. Louis would purchase and control minor league teams from Class D to Class AA (then the highest level), promote (or demote) players as they developed, and "grow their own" talent. During the 1930s, with as many as 40 owned or affiliated farm teams, the Cardinals controlled the destinies of hundreds of players each year. (The reserve clause then bound players to their teams in perpetuity.)

Related Topics:
Sam Breadon - Reserve clause

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The Cardinals won nine National League pennants and six World Series championships between 1926 and 1946, proving the farm system concept. Indeed, the second club to fully embrace such a system, the New York Yankees, used it to perpetuate their dynasty from the mid-1930s through the middle of the 1960s. When Rickey moved to the Brooklyn Dodgers as president, general manager and part owner in 1943, he proceeded to build a hugely successful farm system there as well. Moreover, teams that ignored the farm system (such as the Philadelphia Phillies and Athletics and the Washington Senators) fell on hard times.

Related Topics:
National League - World Series - New York Yankees - Brooklyn Dodgers - Philadelphia Phillies - Athletics - Washington Senators

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Although the advent of free agency in 1976 caused many to predict the demise of the farm system, it remains a strong component of a winning baseball strategy. The Atlanta Braves are often cited as a team that owes much of its on-field success to a strong player development organization.

Related Topics:
Free agency - Atlanta Braves

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