Minor league baseball draws 30.9M fans, down from 41.5M in ’19

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Minor league baseball teams combined to draw 30.9 million fans this year, down from 41.5 million in 2019, the last season before COVID-19 and before Major League Baseball cutting affiliates.

Teams averaged 3,910 this season for 7,908 games, down from an average of 4,044 for 10,262 games in 2019, MLB said Friday.

In 2021, when many areas had coronavirus-related restrictions on capacity, teams drew 22.1 million for 6,828 games, an average of 3,235.

MLB cut guaranteed affliations from 160 to 120 ahead of the 2021 season, down from 176 teams in 2019. The 2020 minor league season was canceled because of the pandemic, and the new structure began in 2021.