"When Cedric Tallis, Lou Gorman and Charlie Metro were tasked with setting up the structure of what became the 1969 expansion Royals, they were also charged with finding enough players to man all their various minor league teams. Much has been written about the death of minor league baseball in America, and there is truth to that. In 1969, the Royals had nine minor league affiliate teams compared to just six today. In 1969, the team had two winter rookie league teams, one in Florida, the other in Arizona."
"Omaha is the perfect spot for an AAA team. The state of Nebraska has a strong baseball heritage, plus Omaha is the home of the College Baseball World Series. Add in that the population of the Omaha metro area has doubled in that time frame (now close to 1 million people) and its close proximity to Kansas City, and you can see why Omaha is the perfect spot for the Royals' top affiliate."
The 1969 Kansas City Royals built a large minor-league system with nine affiliates spanning rookie winter leagues, rookie level, Low A, High A, AA and AAA teams. The affiliates included winter rookie squads in Florida and Arizona, a Kingsport rookie team, Low A clubs in Winnipeg and Corning, High A teams in High Point-Thomasville and Waterloo, an AA squad in Elmira, and a AAA entry in Omaha. The number of affiliates has fallen due to operating costs and shifting youth interest toward other sports. Omaha has remained the enduring AAA partner due to regional baseball heritage, the College World Series and population growth. Waterloo held a long minor-league history and earlier White Sox affiliation.
Read at Yahoo Sports
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