According to Clay Davenport's Translations, the International League has the highest degree of difficulty of all the minor leagues. The Pacific Coast League is well known for high-scoring games and skewed statistics, but the IL is neutral, favoring neither batters nor pitchers.
Most successful prospects serve an apprenticeship there.
Last season, Pat Burrell , Russell Branyan , Aubrey Huff , and Jon Garland passed through the IL on their journey from the prospect lists to the big leagues. This season, few IL names have generated much interest, though Josh Hamilton , Baseball America 's top prospect, could take a quick spin through the league. 69 players wore the Bisons' colors, and Skinner endured 191 roster moves. This was a reflection of the massive amount of roster shuffling at the major-league level, which put downward pressure on the entire organization. So if it seems like the Indians are flailing, they are.