Minor League Baseball announced its 2026 award winners, honoring outstanding franchises and executives across the country. The Richmond Flying Squirrels earned Organization of the Year following record attendance at their new ballpark, while Asheville Tourists President Brian DeWine was named Executive of the Year for leading major stadium renovations.
Jay Wigley, author of "How Retrosheet Saved Baseball History," joins the show to discuss his new book about the origins and impact of Retrosheet. Wigley explained how Retrosheet began in 1989 with Dave Smith's vision to compile and digitize every Major League Baseball game's data for free, relying on a volunteer army.
The team's salary matrix tracks payroll projections through 2035, highlighting active roster contracts and retained financial obligations for former players. Offseason updates will reflect official arbitration tenders, free agency decisions, and potential non-tenders among pre-arbitration players.
The 2026–27 Major League Baseball off-season schedule includes early November free agency deadlines, the December Winter Meetings, and January arbitration filings. Spring Training begins in February 2027, leading up to Opening Day on March 25. The Hall of Fame voting results and various player drafts also occur then.
MiLB today announced the winners of the Head Groundskeeper of the Year and Home and Visiting Clubhouse Manager of the Year Awards for each of the full season Minor Leagues. The winners were selected using the results of surveys of league managers, players and executives throughout the 2026 season.
Chris Towers, a fantasy baseball writer at CBSSports.com and host of the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast joins the Fancestor to discuss his lifelong journey as a Miami Marlins fan. Chris shared his origins as a Marlins fan when the team debuted in 1993, through their World Series wins in 1997 and 2003, and the subsequent team teardowns and ownership revolving door.
Minor League Baseball has announced the 2026 award winners and All-Star teams for the Triple-A classification, spanning both the International League and Pacific Coast League. Columbus catcher Cooper Ingle and Albuquerque outfielder Zac Veen were named the Most Valuable Players for their respective leagues.
In an episode of The Fancestor podcast, Detroit Tigers fan John Marlatt reflects on his lifelong dedication to the team. His fandom spans childhood radio broadcasts, the 1984 World Series championship, the 2006 pennant race, and notable pitching performances by Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Tarik Skubal.
Minor League Baseball announced the 2026 High Class-A award winners and All-Star selections for the Midwest, Northwest, and South Atlantic Leagues. Position players Charles Davalan, Felnin Celesten, and Theo Gillen earned Most Valuable Player honors for their performance during the season across their respective leagues.
Aaron Cameron interviewed podcaster Charles Star (No Homework podcast and City Saint/Country Saint podcast) talk about his lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fandom, tracing its origins to the late 1970s and the "We Are Family" World Series team.
