Ichiro

[jhs5120]

Originally Posted by dgo71

Those are exactly the casual fans I referred to. Single-A, rookie ball for that matter, is pro. Why do you think there's such a fuss about eligibility with the recent draft picks. Ian Anderson, the #3 overall pick, cannot sign his professional contract until after June 23rd, when he graduates high school. Because it's a PROFESSIONAL contract.

Every single person I talk baseball with considers the minor leagues professional. Every player I've ever talked to considers it professional. The link from SABR, whose opinion on baseball is pretty relevant, considers it professional. I really don't even see where the debate is, this isn't a matter of opinion, it's a simple fact. Minor leaguers' rights are controlled by the parent club they are affiliated with, and they are paid from that same organization. It doesn't get any more professional than that.

Professional League and Major League are not the same thing and do not have the same meaning, although many confuse the two as being the same thing.

This is beginning to deviate from my original point. There is no logical reason to consider minor league statistics in assessing the historical records of professional baseball players. We don't consider spring training (also professional baseball) or barnstorming (also professional baseball) or off season foreign exhibition games (also professional baseball). We track stats at baseballs highest levels which is the MLB in America, Negro Leagues when relevant and the NPB in Japan.