It's time to explore those "Grass Routes" again. The Minor League Baseball docuseries is back!
The travelogue, hosted by MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo, which celebrates the unique vibe of Minor League cities and spotlights how the local baseball teams are woven into the fabric of the community, is set to return with the debut of Season 2 on Sunday, May 3 at 1 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
The series launched its pilot episode last year and brought viewers to Portland, Maine, with an up-close look at the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs and the surrounding community. This year, the series returns with four new episodes featuring four all-new cities. Sunday's episode will showcase Asheville, North Carolina, and the High-A Asheville Tourists, affiliate of the Houston Astros.
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The city of Asheville was devastated by the destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Helene in September 2024, but it has rebounded in a big way thanks in large part to the Minor League baseball community, which raised $200,000 to support rebuilding efforts. Baseball in Asheville brings locals and visitors alike, together, as even MLB's top prospect Konnor Griffin found out when he made some time to visit Skinny Beats Sound Shop, where he took part in some sound therapy with Jonathan Mayo.
Viewers will also get a tour of Trackside Studios, a premiere art studio and gallery in the city, where a couple of Tourists pitchers, Colby Langford and Derek True, go from trying to paint the black when they're on the mound to painting a colorful canvas. A pair of 2024 Astros Draft picks also make an appearance as Drew Vogel and Houston's No. 26 prospect Ramsey David take viewers on a driving tour and share lunch at Corner Kitchen, where Vogel reveals his favorite part of playing home games at HomeTrust Park:
"You can hear [the fans] cheering, talking the whole time. Their sound is just right on top of you, which I think is cool. And it's always really good crowds and people are there having fun no matter what it is. No matter winning or losing, everybody is there having a good time. I've always enjoyed that the whole year."
"Grass Routes" -- the storytelling series that explores baseball through the Minor League Baseball communities that shape it, spotlighting where the game lives beyond the field and where the people, places, and traditions behind it matter just as much as what happens between the lines -- will also feature Tulsa, Oklahoma, Montgomery, Alabama, and Rochester, New York, in the following episodes after Asheville's airs on Sunday. The Tulsa Drillers will be featured on May 17th, the Montgomery Biscuits on May 31st and the Rochester Red Wings on June 14th. All episodes air on Sundays at 1 p.m. ET on MLB Network.