MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

In the fall of 2015 , Tom Burns and Luke Yoder began discussions with a small group of seasoned Minor League Baseball ( MiLB ) groundskeepers to gauge their interest in an annual symposium that would provide them the opportunity to gather as a group . Burns attended the first Major League Baseball ( MLB ) Symposium in the year 2000 and every one after that until 2006 , when he was with the Texas Rangers . Yoder attended his first MLB Symposium in 2001 representing the Pittsburgh Pirates and every one after that through 2015 , ending while he was with the Padres . Burns and Paul Zwaska ( formerly with the Orioles ) helped coordinate that first symposium . Yoder eventually took the lead and coordinated successive symposiums for several years following Bob Christofferson ’ s ( retired from Seattle Mariners ) lead and then passing it on to Bill Deacon ( New York Mets ).

Attending those meetings provided valuable insights on many aspects of professional development and groundskeeping . It also provided the opportunity to strengthen existing relationships and develop new ones that would last a lifetime . Most years , there was a representative from MLB in attendance that would address the group and provide a glimpse of what was coming . They would answer questions on topics such as base jewels , base cameras , field inspections / compliance and communicating with umpires on all topics related to the field . Some years the symposium would be on the front or back end of the SFMA conference and other years would meet at an MLB facility to provide the opportunity to tour their operation . One year , the MLB hosted it in their New York office , during which everyone toured the field operations for both the Mets and Yankees .

Shortly after the SFMA ( then STMA ) conference in 2016 , Burns and Yoder began planning the first MiLB Symposium . Except for 2021 ( COVID ), the MiLB Symposium has met each January . With their experience at the MLB Symposium , Burns and Yoder knew this would be a huge hit and provide value to the attendees . They were adamant about ensuring the integrity moving forward by not dictating or running the show across the board . This meant their job was simply to provide the platform for the group and to give them the power to approve sponsors and content .

The 2023 MiLB Symposium in Salt Lake City was sponsored by two tiers . The first tier was DuraEdge and Beacon Athletics . The second was AerFlo , MVS / MVG , QualiPro , Hunter , and 4Most Sport Group . Keith Winter ( Fort Wayne Tincaps ) was the point of contact throughout the planning process . Winter met on a

28 SportsField Management | March 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com