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Editor’s Note: This article was updated on December 2, 2020, at 7:00 a.m.

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LoanMart Field in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, is exactly 47.9 miles from Dodger Stadium. It is the home of the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

Was.

Oh, The Epicenter (as LoanMart Field is more affectionately known … for obvious reasons) is still there, and the Quakes are still a Dodgers minor league affiliate, but they will no longer be their Advanced Single-A affiliate … or so the rumors go.

On Monday morning, longtime LA Times Dodgers beat writer Bill Shaikin posted this on Twitter:

Although there has been no official confirmation of this directly from MLB or MiLB, it falls in line with MLB’s much-publicized plan to restructure/consolidate Minor League Baseball by reducing MiLB from its current 160 teams to 120 teams. And while the Quakes are not among the 40 teams to be cut, they – along with the seven other California League teams – will now (reportedly) be Low Single-A teams instead of Advanced Single-A teams.

In all honesty, the change, although extremely unpopular and a potential local economic disaster, is long overdue. Simply put, there are (were) just too many teams – and leagues – in MiLB.

The problem, at least with moving the Cal League from Advanced Single-A to Low Single-A, is that a good many High-A minor leaguers actually make it to the MLB, whereas not nearly as many Low-A minor leaguers do. It’s a simple matter of the cream rising to the top at each successive level.

That being said, the Dodgers have long been known for working diligently with all of their minor leaguers, resulting in a good many of them actually making it to The Show (even if with other teams due to trades) than those of many other franchises.

There is another issue (so to speak) in play here. Due to its proximity to Dodger Stadium, rehabbing Dodger players often (and almost exclusively) did so with the Quakes. And meaning no disrespect whatsoever to Low Single-A players, the level of competition at Low-A is not – or at least was not – the same as High-A. Then again, the level of competition is generally not a factor for rehabbing players; it’s about getting healthy and getting back on that field 47.9 miles due west of LoanMart Field.

But here again, although unpopular, the MiLB restructuring means that the Colorado Rockies will no longer have to spend significant money to fly their former Triple-A affiliate Grizzlies to other PCL locations, including (but not limited to) Oklahoma City, home of the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, who are (believe it or not) still in the Pacific Coast League. As members of the new Cal League, the Grizzlies (who would presumably now be called the JetHawks) can be bussed to all seven other Cal League ballparks.

Although it was not mentioned in Shaikin’s tweet (or elsewhere), it is presumed that the Cal League will continue to have a North and South Division as follows:

Cal League North

• Modesto Nuts (Mariners)
• San Jose Giants (Giants)
• Stockton Ports (Athletics)
• Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks)

Cal League South

• Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Dodgers)
• Inland Empire 66ers (Angels)
• Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres)
• Lancaster JetHawks (Rockies)

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All of this being said, with COVID-19 numbers on the rise at a record pace and with a proven vaccine still (probably) a month or two away, this situation remains extremely fluid. In fact, it is still very much uncertain if there will even be a 2021 minor league season.

It is also worth mentioning that the powers that be in this situation (i.e., MLB, MiLB, the Fresno Grizzlies, the Lancaster JetHawks, the Cal League, the PCL, among others) – have, to this point, declined comment as to how all of this will eventually play out.

As for the source for this piece, much of it came from this article by David Taub of GVWire.com.

Stay tuned…

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