Opening Day 2018 MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL LEAGUE COLORS Or Use Solid Color Process Simulation Thread Color* P.O. Box A, St. Petersburg, FL 33731-1950 Minor League Baseball Opening Day Dark Blue PANTONE® 289 c 100 m 64 y 00 k 60 RA-2387 or MD-1044 9550 16th Street N. Petersburg, FL 33716 Minor League Baseball Opening Day Red PANTONE 186 c 00 m 100 y 81 k 04 RA-2263 or MD-1147 Phone: (727) 822-6937 Fax: (727) 821-5819 Minor League Baseball Opening Day Gray PANTONE 428 c 02 m 00 y 00 k 18 RA-2482 or MD-1011 Minor League Baseball Opening Day Brown PANTONE 465 c 20 m 32 y 58 k 00 RA-2568 or MD-1273 In lieu of the Logo Colors shown, you may use the League Colors or the PANTONE® Colors listed above. The colors shown on this page have not been evaluated by Pantone, Inc. for accuracy and may not match the PANTONE Color Standards. Consult current PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color. The CMYK values shown may not be equivalent to the ones cited in the current PANTONE Publications. PANTONE® is the property of Pantone, Inc. 2018 INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE*Robison-Anton (RA)PREVIEW thread color information: 800-932-0250 Madeira (MD) thread color information: 800-225-3001 April 5 Opening Day in Durham April 6 Opening Day in Indianapolis, Louisville, Norfolk, Pawtucket, Rochester, & Scranton/WB FULL COLOR OPENING DAY LOGO FULL COLOR OPENING NIGHT LOGO FULL COLOR OPENING WEEK LOGO April 12 Opening Day in Buffalo, Charlotte, Columbus, Gwinnett, Lehigh Valley, Syracuse, & Toledo May 25 Online fan voting begins for Triple-A All-Star Game June 27 International League All-Star Team Announcement Reproduce in dark blue or black only Reproduce in dark blue or black only Reproduce in dark blue or black only July 9 Triple-A Home Run Derby & Skills CompetitionONE COLOR OPENING DAY LOGO in Columbus,ONE COLOR OPENING OH NIGHT LOGO ONE COLOR OPENING WEEK LOGO The trademark notices (“TM” or “®”) on these pages are for placement purposes only. Licensees will be apprised of the appropriate Trademarks are proprietary to Minor League Baseball entities. notice for each product upon submission of product materials to Major League Baseball Properties for Quality Control review. Any use of these marks must be approved by Major League Baseball Properties. July 11 31st Annual Triple-A All-Star Game in Columbus, OH OpeningDay 1/18 Aug. 28 League Postseason All-Star Team & Award Winners Announcement Sept. 3 End of Regular Season Baseball’s Oldest 135th Minor League Consecutive Season 86th Annual Governors’ Cup Playoffs - Round One Sept. 5-6 South Division Winner at West Division Winner; North Division Winner at Wild Card Club Sept. 7-9 West Division Winner at South Division Winner; (as necessary) Wild Card Club at North Division Winner 86th Annual Governors’ Cup Playoffs - Championship Round Sept. 11-12 West/South Division Series Winner at North/Wild Card Series Winner Sept. 13-15 North/Wild Card Series Winner at West/South Division Series Winner (as necessary) Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game Manager Jared Sandberg received a celebratory shower after leading Sept. 18 IL Champion vs. PCL Champion in Columbus, OH the Durham Bulls to the 2017 Triple-A National Championship. LEAGUE ITEMS OF INTEREST IN 2018 HESSMAN & SCHNACKE SEVEN INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE TEAMS PACE OF PLAY AND EXTRA INNING ELECTED TO IL HALL OF FAME ENTER 2018 WITH A NEW MANAGER CHANGES COME TO MINORS IN 2018 Earlier this offseason the IL announced that Mike Hessman, Half of the circuit’s fourteen teams will have a new manager In mid-March Minor League Baseball announced rule and the League’s all-time Home Run King, and Columbus President leading the quest to capture the coveted Governors’ Cup trophy procedure changes aimed at reducing the length of extra innings & General Manager Ken Schnacke, currently in his 42nd season in 2018. Four of the incoming skippers are making a return to games and the number of mound visits during a game throughout with the Clippers, will be inducted into the circuit’s Hall of the circuit, while three will be managing their very first season Minor League Baseball. In addition, the Triple-A and Double-A Fame as members of the Class of 2018. Both inductees will at the Triple-A level. Randy Knorr is back in Syracuse where levels will use a 15-second pitch clock with no runners on base. be presented with “The Curtain Call” statue at individual he managed in 2011. Former Pawtucket skipper Gary Jones is Extra innings will begin with a runner on second base during enshrinement ceremonies later this season. Hessman was a back in the IL in Lehigh Valley, while Joel Skinner (Rochester) the regular season. The runner at second base will be the player three-time All-Star and former League MVP who crushed and Pat Kelly (Louisville) return after having managed in in the batting order position previous to the leadoff batter of the 288 home runs with Richmond, Toledo, Buffalo, and Louisville. multiple IL cities previously. The rookie managers are Bobby inning. Mound visits by coaches and position players will be Schnacke is a two-time IL Executive of the Year and the Mitchell in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Brian Esposito in Indy, and limited based on the classification level. Triple-A clubs will be current Chairman of the Minor League Baseball Board of Doug Mientkiewicz in Toledo. Meanwhile in Durham, Jared allowed six visits per team. For any extra-innings, each club shall Trustees and the National Association Licensing Committee. Sandberg is back to defend the Governors’ Cup. be entitled to one additional non-pitching change visit. 2018 INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE PREVIEW - NORTH DIVISION BUFFALO BISONS LEHIGH VALLEY IRONPIGS Triple-A Affiliate of the TORONTO BLUE JAYS Triple-A Affiliate of the PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES Manager: Bobby Meacham (2nd year in Buffalo) Manager: Gary Jones (1st year in Lehigh Valley) Coaches: Corey Hart, Bob Stanley, Devon White Coaches: Wes Helms, Dave Lundquist, Sal Rende Governors’ Cups: 1933, 1936, 1957, 1961, 1998, 2004 Governors’ Cups: None 2017 Finish: 65-76, 5th in North (21.0 GB) 2017 Finish: 80-62, 2nd in North (6.5 GB) / Wild Card Winners Ballpark: Coca-Cola Field (16,907) Ballpark: Coca-Cola Park (10,000) PROBABLE STARTERS: C - Danny Jansen; 1B - Rowdy Tellez; 2B - Gift Ngope; SS - Richard Urena; PROBABLE STARTERS: C - Logan Moore; 1B - Will Middlebrooks, 2B - Jesmuel Valentin; 3B - Tim Lopes; LF - Dwight Smith, Jr.; CF - Teoscar Hernandez; RF - Dalton Pompey; SS - Adam Rosales; 3B - Mitch Williams; LF - Andrew Pullin; CF - Roman Quinn; DH - Jason Leblebijian. RF - Dylan Cozens; DH - Matt McBride. KEY PITCHERS: Starters - RH Chris Rowley, RH Deck McGuire, LH Ryan Borucki, KEY PITCHERS: Starters - RH Zach Eflin, RH Tom Eshelman, RH Drew Anderson, RH - Nick Tepesch, RH Luis Santos. Relievers - RH Al Albuquerque, RH Rhiner Cruz, LH Brandon Liebrandt, RH Enyel De Los Santos. Relievers - RH Victor Arano, RH Yacksel Rios, LH Chad Girodo, LH Tim Mayza, RH Murphy Smith, LH Matt Dermody, RH Jake Petricka. LH Zac Curtis, RH Ricardo Pinto. STRENGTHS: The Bisons outfield could be so loaded with talent that it might be tough for last year’s STRENGTHS: Starting pitching should be a strong point for the IronPigs, led by players who are no team MVP Roemon Fields, who stole 12 more bases than any IL player, to get in the game. Even without strangers to Coca-Cola Park, Zach Eflin and Tom Eshelman...... Fans in Lehigh Valley will be excited the injured Anthony Alford, the Herd’s outfield core features prospects Teoscar Hernandez, Dwight Smith to watch one of the game’s fastest players in Roman Quinn...... One of the game’s most powerful young and Dalton Pompey....... The team could also have a very strong bullpen, in particular from the left side with the flame-throwing Tim Mayza and other southpaws Matt Dermody and Chad Girodo. players is also expected in Lehigh Valley, OF Dylan Cozens. WEAKNESSES: Other than Hernandez, no player had more than 11 home runs in 2017. This is where WEAKNESSES: Amongst the infield group, there is very little power. Most of the power this season will the team could really benefit from a bounce back year from 1B Rowdy Tellez...... While having prospects need to come from other parts of the lineup. Ryan Borucki and Chris Rowley, the rotation lacks veteran arms. TOP PROSPECTS: RHP Tom Eshelman, a 2017 IL All-Star and the May IL Player of the Month, is TOP PROSPECTS: Three of the Blue Jays top eight prospects were ticketed for Buffalo, but that number expected back in Lehigh Valley. Baseball America rates him as having the best control in the Phillies farm was reduced by one with a hamstring injury in camp to outfielder Anthony Alford (#3 prospect). When system...... OF Roman Quinn is also highly thought of by the experts at Baseball America. They say he is he returns, the Bisons will have a gifted athlete that also played football in college. Alford has great plate the organization’s best athlete, fastest base runner, and the best defensive outfielder...... OF Dylan Cozens awareness that allowed him to post a .406 on-base pct. at Double-A in 2017...... Pitchers at all levels have enjoyed an impressive debut at the Triple-A level in 2017. He returns rated as the farm system’s best power raved at how Danny Jansen (#6) calls and catches a game and the backstop proved he could do well at the hitter...... Among the other projected IronPigs considered highly though of prospects are starters Enyel De plate too in 2017 with a .323 combined average at three levels.....