This Minor League Food Is Gross!

[@nynole1]

Like my dad used to tell me: "When you get hungry enough, you'll eat it" 🤣

[@Regaltripper]

Your dad never lied 😂

[@NickPoeschek]

Matt: “The Dodgers road food was gross, chicken fingers and fries every day!” Me with the palate of a 9 year: 👍

[@NickPoeschek]

@Coding Crusader Ha, that does sound perfect!

[@JR-he6fn]

Tenders and nuggets are amazing. I’ll eat them for the rest of my life, I don’t care haha

[@mpa1931]

NGL that was the most appetizing thing Matt said amongst all the foods listed.

[@10whit10]

Video game Matt hasn't missed a meal. The Birmingham Barons are feeding him raw steak and AA pitchers daily.

[@TheEverymanReview]

this is nasty. as a college kid I worked in A ball as a visiting team Clubbie in Kinston NC (Cleveland affiliate). We made the teams a BP spread with all kind of lunch meat, breads, cheeses, chips, dessert snacks etc. We also made homecooked hot meals for post game. Chicken or seafood alfredo, burgers/hotdogs fries, Yellow Rice Veggies & Chicken breast. We would shop at costco and get everything in bulk. We made sure we feed the boys well and stocked everything they could want. PB&J / Drinks / Chips / Fruit / all the sunflowers and Gum you could handle. Even the home guys would come visit us to eat our grub! We took pride in it! We charged a whopping $5 a game but all the players love paying it since we made it worth it.

[@polishhammer1992]

Just appalling that they treat minor leaguers like this. You'd think teams would want to support the nutrition of their assets.

[@PASquared]

If they can charge fans $14 for a beer and $10 for a hot dog, they sure as hell can afford to give their minor league players decent food.

[@bradessary]

When I was younger I worked with a AA team (batboy then clubbie) that was with the Padres the first year I was there and Arizona for the rest of my time there. We always had a good post BP spread with fresh fruit, sandwich meat, tuna, and cereal. Then we would have a nice meal after every game. It normally was from the stadium catering. The Padres were more chill about snacks and sugar out. The Dbacks did not want any snacks out and were tight about diet for the guys.

[@DWeirich76]

Matt's story telling skills got me cracking tf up 🤣

[@Zach-mw5so]

I live near Sacramento and go to Rivercats games on occasion. If the food around the stadium for the fans is any indication the players are eating very well indeed 🍴

[@OccidentalonPurpose]

Thanks for acknowledging guys AND gals watching the channel!

[@mexicanusrex9418]

Damn, how disgusting I played pro ball in Mexico (AA ball) years ago with Tabasco Olmecs and the food wasn't the best but it wasn't this bad! 🤮

[@Peter_From_Lowell]

These stories are great, I always ended up laughing. I got my brother hooked to your videos.

[@nedlee5913]

We were a host family for A High A team in the California League for 20 years. Usually two guys at a time. Our rules were simple - if you find something in the fridge or pantry, then it’s yours. (They usually worked evenings, off course, so not too many opportunities to make them a sit down dinner.). Never heard much praise for the clubhouse food.

[@NovaScotiaNewfie]

Any of then make MLB? I hope that they and the family enjoyed their time staying with you.

[@87411969]

I have gone to a game or two this year in Lansing, Mi to the Lansing Lugnuts. They are a High A ball club for the Oakland A’s. I have been wondering in the back of my mind what is there food choice. Well, I think I know now. How sad! Great video Matt!

[@francissager3133]

I'm a bussie for a team in the Indy Can-am league, now Frontier League. I would only take the team I drive to Ottawa, Trois-Rivierés, and Quebec City. The post game meals from the host clubs could be pretty anemic. It's usually a tray of some basic pasta dish, like spaghetti and sauce (no meat), or chicken fingers. Occasionally, mostly in Quebec, they'd get a box meal from a local restaurant, which wasn't bad at all. Typically, getaway day meant I had to find a place they could get food before hitting the road. Not so bad after a Sunday day game, places are open. However, after a night game on a midweek getaway day. Something about Canada rolling up the side walks at 10pm every night left very few options. We wouldn't leave until 11:00 pm or so, and it was almost always a McDonald's in this case.

[@kevindinner670]

In 2014, when Gabe Kapler became director of player development for Dodgers at the time. Kapler had all the affiliates in Dodgers farm system and the major league team to switch from take out junk food to organic food to help with performance among its players. Because Kapler knew that better nutrition can translate better on field performance for its players.

[@RCfromtheNYC]

This week on Anto Cooks...how eating Spam and Doritos will improve your fielding!

[@cwalenta656]

Seeing the food offered by the A's I was amazed, I mean, I can't fathom how they aren't thinking, "Play ball, practice, work out, eat right" "24/7" --- Live and breathe baseball, practice, working out and optimal nutrition.

[@krissantana4660]

Perpetually one of the worst run franchises in the league. They're the Yankees farm team basically, the A's should be embarrassed stealing from their fans like they do with the product they put on the field year after year.

[@TuPapiRicoSuave]

5:58 such conscience excitement from a wholesome backstory

[@RolandDeschain1]

I always liked seeing on Trevor Bauer's vlogs what he gets to eat after each game. It's usually steak or salmon or something really tasty. Such is the life of a big leaguer.

[@mikeyisniceha]

It's awesome how excited you are talking about food from more than 10 years ago LOL. Good video!

[@johnharris6655]

I am not sure if it was Barry Zito or Eric Brynes, but one of them said if you played for the Rivercats in Sacramento, all you had to do was cross the tower bridge into old Sacramento and they never paid for good food at any restaurant.

[@KevinMTV]

“Don’t go bother Adrian Gonzalez, okay?” 🤣🤣

[@bennygarcia4]

Great video Matt. Question for a future Q&A: how influential/active are hitting coaches with the players ? Do they actively influence your swing?

[@SteelersCardinals1]

In Nashville, we get to eat what Centerplate feeds the players. Sometimes it's really good, like BBQ night, or Italian night. Sometimes is boring, like grilled chicken, but it's never bad. It would be a lot better if they could cook it on a smaller scale, but the quality is expected to drop a little when you're cooking for 1,000+ people a night. That includes players, grounds crew, press, and food in the club buffet line. We usually get breakfast for day games too, so that's nice. Our old chef used to feed us what I call "meat in gravy" everyday. You didn't know what meat it was and you didn't what gravy it was. Kind of gross, but it was free.

[@johnharris6655]

The River cats were the AAA team of the A's when he played. The A's are not big spenders on free agents so they usually take good care of their minor league players. That is why Team President Dave Kavall called the owners of that minor league team on the carpet and fired who ever was doing the food.

[@LouT1501]

Love your stories of the Emeralds...I attended many a game prior to your time there.

[@connorslusarscyzk-stanisla5561]

Considering you want your players to keep advancing up as an MLB team, you'd think you'd want to treat them as nicely as possible. Especially considering those multi billion dollar franchises aren't hard up for cash. Watching your vids I feel sorry for minor league guys and so few of them even make the MLB unlike you.

[@toddsmith5715]

I've never actually heard this mentioned, but I wonder if part of the problem is that there are still a lot of old timers involved at all levels who just see it as one part of the larger gauntlet a young player has to pass through to make it to the Show. Remarks like "It was good enough for me way back when," or "How bad do you want to be a professional ballplayer, son?" are things I imagine being often heard. There has to be this idea that it has to be tough at the lower levels to weed out the weak, at least in some circles. I'm not saying it's right. I just suspect that this is a big part of it.

[@anthonypang7927]

@@toddsmith5715 they sort that out across the pacific in high school where practice is like a boot camp Yet high schoolers in powerhouse schools in japan despite what would be deemed as abuse in usa still get proper food and nutrition So these schools may get hundreds join the baseball club but with the grueling regimen, the vast majority drop out early. Keep in mind however that the biggest annual event in japan is the national high school championship in which the popularity exceeds pro baseball and anything else there. Boys dream of playing on the sacred turf of koshien, thats how matsuzaka, tanaka, darvish, kikuchi, ohtani, matsui, ichiro became celebs there Even the pros there, the lowliest of farm leaguer still gets accom and decent food provided

[@Phoenix-pm2qr]

I could see that, but when regular kids in public high schools are eating better than minor league players there is a massive problem.

[@ethanlewis2963]

Another great video Matt.

[@bigcoconut7]

You haven't even finished the video. It came out 10 minutes ago, and the vid is 12 minutes.

[@ethanlewis2963]

@@bigcoconut7 every video he posts is great? Been watching him since I was 12 and now am 15.

[@bigcoconut7]

@@ethanlewis2963 Can't argue with that

[@blankname6629]

I want to say in the movie money ball the a’s did some cost cutting things with food in it. I think specifically they mentioned a vending machine that charged the players money. I think David justice complained about it.

[@lukegoter5796]

Im on grounds crew in AA and we get fed better than that😂

[@robg9236]

I've read that when major league stars are sent to the minors for rehab assignments they often pay for good meals for the rest of the team. Any experience with that?

[@day-me-inmoodley3283]

He's discussed this in previous videos.

[@jbd332]

I was born and raised in Wenatchee Wa. Left in my teens lived in seattle and oregon. Got a family came back to live in beautiful Wenatchee. Long story short I was in baseball as a kid to my teens, we have a field here called morris field and their concession stand had the BEST PRETZELS NACHOS AND HOTDOGS ON THE PLANET. Now 30 years later my 5 yr old daughter plays tball, and guess what, Morris park is still here, and their pretzels hotdogs and nachos are STILL THE BEST ON THE PLANET!!! Man they have some kinda magic.

[@msnell326]

When I was in high school I ate cold sandwiches every day. Peanut butter and jelly, cold meat loaf, bologna sandwiches. I brought my lunch every day so I didn't have to pay from my allowance ($2.50/week). Milk was 2 cents. I wanted to use my allowance to buy 45's(records). This was in the 60's.

[@bonefishboards]

As a band member (and baseball player), I was the epitome of cool.

[@stevetee5076]

That food is what’s sold at the Oakland A’s ballpark. That sandwich lunch is $9.25. The Fajita is $8:50

[@ThyPandora]

If that's the case, that's even MORE insulting then just feeding it to minor leaguers! =0

[@bodacious117]

Do your top 5 minor league hats.. for some reason I’ve always loved some of the new era hats for random minor league teams like Tampa Yankees back in the day, Hillsboro hopps etc

[@DATBOYX24]

Good to see the Fyre catering crew still finding gigs.

[@adrianbautista2308]

"Just go to the big leagues." Solid advice.

[@johnryal]

Play better

[@brettlawlor8921]

The way MLB treats the minor leaguers is despicable, considering they're the lifeline of major league organizations.

[@cameronclark3927]

How can a organization that makes so much money treat there future players so poorly. That looks like prison food

[@johnharris6655]

Give Dave Kaval of the A's credit for stepping up and firing the catering company.

[@johnfranco7371]

Hey the two pictures at the end of the food, the Army does the same thing on the left in the styrofoam tray when you are quarantined🧐😆

[@adynfowler8383]

What happens if you allergic to something?

[@kevinkosmatka7923]

Glad people are talking about this!

[@tomkmb4120]

Matt, Do you have a favourite baseball Documentary? or just any good recommendations?

[@geraldwestbrook7419]

Hey who had the best catcher arm you have seen or played with?

[@connorslusarscyzk-stanisla5561]

That's like prison food, jeez

[@thecman26]

Probably worse! Most definitely worse than the military chow!

[@DATBOYX24]

Grul sandwiches, Grul omelettes, Grul.

[@austinmeredith3352]

@@DATBOYX24 probably served by the dementors

[@dancramer5542]

If you make playoffs in the minors do you get better food to make a run deep in the playoffs or does the food stay the same?

[@captainkev10]

In all fairness, my employer doesn't feed me aside from office snacks. Most people buy their own food. Lol

[@SantachristFTW]

To be fair, most people don't have a job that requires them travel for months on end, as well as having their whole schedule and autonomy controlled by their employer, while being paid well below the poverty line like most minor leaguers. Kinda hard to buy and prepare a lot of your own meals when you have no free time, you're constantly in unfamiliar cities and surroundings staying in hotels, and the little money you have goes to other basic necessities like rent and utilities for an apartment you're barely at.

[@TheIrishAmish]

You also don’t work for 5K a year. You absolutely don’t get what is being discussed.

[@Rabbi_D]

Was Terrence Tucker your clubhouse manager in Lake Elsinore?

[@RollingTidePod]

The food is disgusting, in a way I kinda hope the A's do move to a better market so they can actually invest in the team more.

[@theoneandonly24]

I was with Everette AquaSox same time you were in Eugene and we had same PB & J pre-game meal lol

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Lol! 😂

10:15 cap tip says it all

[@RalphReagan]

Low pay and gross food oh no!

[@dubcott7652]

What’s worse minor league food or auntie Laura’s cooking

[@AntonelliBaseball]

It’s a toss up...but I don’t want to sleep on the couch tonight, so I’ll say minor league food 😂

[@anthonypang7927]

I hear in the aussie league they give lite n easy meals in melbourne, most players eat two

[@eaistrash4032]

I saw your video about MLB salary from about a year ago, I always wondered about the clothes they wear, the sweatshirts and hats and shorts, are they free to players? Or how do to buy them?

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Free if it’s team issued stuff

[@thecman26]

Yet ANOTHER reason to get better and move up! Crap pay, crap lodging, crap travel, and now crap food... Yeah...

[@jeffmichel4312]

A lot of people want that big league job. Big league teams want to people who would eat dirt and worms.

[@dmurphy1578]

Was waiting for this

[@Morgan423Z]

That looks like prison food.

[@ryanthomas8955]

Your gear is on point Matt

[@Pedicrap]

Nice Sandler reference.

[@mikes7446]

Looks worse than grade school food.

[@martingalvez4097]

Matt I remember you would talk about this a long time ago. Cool it finally got called out! Those guys should get treated better.

[@mikewestfall827]

Too bad Brian Giles isn't rehabbing there. I heard he's a great,great guy. I think the sandwich was supposed to be a BLT with cheese but they forgot the bacon.

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Great guy!

[@RobKandell]

Don’t dis the band kids. 😂 Looking at that pic, guys in jail get better food.

[@Swoop187OG187]

That thing on the right looks like a 3-day old pickled human ear, lol.... Yea, sometimes it's better to offer nothing then offer that...

[@jgonzales912]

The sandwich and potato salad didn’t look bad.

[@modelbehavior1508]

after high school..... all the band kids are cool!

[@ThyPandora]

People should see what players in the independent leagues go through, like the Pecos League - 50 dollar paychecks, and PB&Js after games (with a dream of being resigned to minor league contracts.) With occasionally getting fruit from hotels on road games in the past (dunno how they do it with hotels keeping their breakfast shuttered due to COVID now). Stories from the Pecos League are interesting, but that's not even minor league ball, that's independent ball!

[@ThyPandora]

Outside of that, thanks for the insight, Matt! Always fun to watch!

[@kenspeedbicycle]

it still bums me how low minor leaguers are paid, especially AA and AAA..grew up going to Knights games so that was my team since MLB was hours away

[@duckfan2448]

It's peanut butter jelly time!!! Peanut butter jelly time!!! Peanut butter jelly time!!! Now Where he at? Where he at? Where he at? Where he at? Now there he go There he go There he go There he go Peanut butter jelly Peanut butter jelly Peanut butter jelly Peanut butter jelly Its Peanut butter jelly Peanut butter jelly Peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat

[@kyletucker3811]

Wait, you played in Eugene? I probably saw you play at Em's games.

[@michaelwilber774]

I'm sorry, I don't care if your low minor A ball or in the majors, clubs should hook up the food for players. They make enough money

[@3_KNIVES]

A lot of people will wish they had that food to eat once hyper-inflation of food comes to a town near you!

[@pamoon_]

Pb&j and cup noodles. Minor league cuisine.

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Literally exactly that

[@BabuBabu-fp2is]

Imagine just playing your entire professional baseball career in single a and eating only peanut butter and jelly. Thats pure tourture mike trout is lucky hes at the major league level

[@dannyrichardson5873]

I thought of you when I first heard of this story.

[@100k-q2o]

this js even worse the school lunches

[@brucegilbert7243]

It's amazing that MLB teams trying to develop talent would feed them PB&J.

[@anthonypang7927]

You should see the food japanese farm league players get, it looks awesome! Its like what i get at restaurants sometimes I think carter stewart made the right choice and no wonder ohtani's dad forbade him to go directly to usa through the minor league season At the very least the lowliest player there gets a living wage and accom is provided for you in the team dorms which are definitely liveable and clean along with food from the canteen Im not sure treatment of minor leaguers and their wages would bd legal in any other western nation When avispas de santiago de cuba were in isolation after their covid outbreak, the food they got looked similar to the photos in this video and boy did the players complain on social media!

[@Nihilianth]

Also, im from Williamsport, PA. Those 12 year old little leaguers are fed much better food than this crap. Matter of fact, LLI (Little League International) and the "aunts" and "uncles" would go out of their way to make sure the kids from other countries get the food their guts are used to. It sucks when the Japanese players get sick because theyre fed tacos and cheesesteaks. The store of choice, since it was built in Williamsport about 15 years ago or so, is Wegman's. They yabe an excellent international section, and the chef there always makes sure there is food on hand to be taken over to the Little League complex dormitories South Williamsport for the players and their parents. The aints and uncles (basically, like the clubbies) would pick it up bring it over to them.

[@nickj6817]

That’s gourmet compared to what I got in the Marines

[@cometogether999]

It's really a travesty that minor leaguers are paid so little and get served this slop.

[@joshualee-gs9yv]

sheesh i think korean school lunches are better then any minor league food hands down 🤣🤣

[@johnnycatR58]

Looks better than Army food.🤷‍♂️

[@bullbaseballleague9851]

At least it's not army food!

[@drpzfn225]

I hate peanut butter to

[@betterbaseball8990]

Hey matt!

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Hi! 🙋‍♂️

[@Metal_Hed]

sounds like an incentive to do better. Minor leaguers don't make a lot of money. How many people in low-paying jobs get free meals every day from their employers? not too many.

[@Flyersfan28]

YUM!

[@joshuabernard8035]

That food looks like the Flyers season in a nutshell

[@Flyersfan28]

@@joshuabernard8035 ouch

[@joshuabernard8035]

@@Flyersfan28 sorry had to bud I'm a Bruins fan

[@Flyersfan28]

@@joshuabernard8035 that food tastes as salty as zdeno chara feels after realizing he could be with the bruins how bout that Joshua?

[@joshuabernard8035]

@@Flyersfan28 dawg that shit hurts cause I had a Chara jersey😭

[@msnell326]

Why are they suspending minor league players (I'm assuming without pay) for sticky substances when they're not doing anything to major leaguers. Also considering minor leaguers are paid much less?

[@devynodyssey7734]

They are suspending major leaguers and giving them a fine.

[@elvynmariano5454]

Antonelli Grossball

[@vktesla]

sucks bro, can you believe this shit: I have to pay for my OWN LUNCH. At one point I thought you said you got meal, or mail, money everyday, even during spring training. Is that accurate still?

[@mikereyes4283]

Memphis is bad I’ve heard. Iowa on the road always catered and the food they would have to get looked horrible. You always here guys talking about food

[@mikereyes4283]

San Antonio too, all around terrible stadium

[@prorobo]

The entitlement of the new generation is pathetic. Players aren't owed anything. Oh you're in low A ball with zero chance of making the show and griping about the food? Go get a real job that pays a livable wage and you'll be able to buy all the food you want. Otherwise, heed Matt's advice and make it to the show if you want the high life.

[@devynodyssey7734]

They have way too many levels to baseball. Majors, triple A, double A are all that are needed. If you dont think you can make it to the majors from there then play for college. Low A/High A whatever sounds like a dying mans dream. Invest more time and energy into the ones who will become major leaguers but need more time to develop. Maybe extent roster spots but let the rest go.

[@matthewbanta3240]

Giving your players, even your low level minor league players, unhealthy crap just seems like a shortsighted and stupid idea. Some of those players might be high draft picks that you gave a nice signing bonus to. You need them to be at their best. If you just give them a tiny amount of food that isn't nutritionally balanced then they won't be. At the lower levels, it doesn't have to be gourmet. That is fair. But it should at least have enough nutrients and calories to keep the players that you invested at least some time and money in healthy.