The same day teams could tell former partners about an impending breakup, the Jackson Generals (Class AA; Southern League) and the Seattle Mariners extended their player development contract (PDC) through 2016. “We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the Seattle Mariners,” said General Manager Jason Compton. “We are lucky to have an affiliation with […]
Tag Archives | southern league
Smokies named Southern League organization of the year
Nice honor for an organization on the rise: The Tennessee Smokies were awarded the Class AA Southern League’s 2014 Don Mincher Organization of the Year Award, as voted on by the league’s general managers. The franchise is also the circuit’s nomination for Minor League Baseball’s John H. Johnson President’s Award, which the Smokies also won […]
2014 Affiliated Attendance by League
With the 2014 Minor League Baseball regular season over, we’ll begin looking at what happened this season on the attendance front. We’ll start with a look at teams by league, ranked by average attendance. We’ll follow this up with listings of affiliated attendance by average and attendance by total. Summer-collegiate attendance has already been posted, […]
Cole, Sayre, Boesch nail year-end honors
We have some year-end awards to announce: Jesse Cole is the Coastal Plain League executive of the year; Ray Sayre is the Southern League’s groundskeeper of the year, and Brian Boesch is the Carolina League broadcaster of the year. Cole is the managing partner for the Gastonia Grizzlies and Forest City Owls, while also serving […]
Young: Stars may spend part of 2015 in Huntsville
The Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League) could spend half or all of 2015 at Joe Davis Stadium if a new Biloxi ballpark isn’t completed, as owner Ken Young reviews his options for the coming year. That the new Biloxi ballpark is far behind schedule is no secret: Biloxi officials are bracing for a construction […]
Goodbye to Greer Stadium
No preservationists have stepped forward to demand its survival, and with a spiffy new ballpark on the way, we’re guessing there won’t be too many tears shed tonight during the last Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) game at Greer Stadium. Greer Stadium opened in 1978 as the home of the Sounds, and along […]
Jacksonville Suns, Miami Marlins extend PDC through 2016
The Jacksonville Suns (Class AA; Southern League) and Miami Marlins announced a two-year extension of their player development contract (PDC), through the 2016 season. There has not been a losing season for the Suns as a Marlins affiliate, a partnership that began with the 2009 season. “I am proud to renew our affiliation with the […]
Tennessee Smokies set season attendance record
We expect many stories like this in coming days: The Tennessee Smokies (Class AA; Southern League) set a new single-season attendance franchise record Saturday evening after welcoming their 268,034th fan of the season. The new mark eclipses the 268,033 total from the 2002 campaign, which was the third year of play at Smokies Stadium. The […]
Birmingham set to approve Negro Southern League museum funding
Birmingham officials are expected to approve a museum honoring the Negro Southern League, to be built near Regions Field, home of the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League). The museum, which has a price tag of $2.8 million, will be run by the Public Athletic, Cultural and Entertainment Facilities Board of the City of Birmingham, […]
Biloxi ballpark construction finally underway
Talk about starting off in a deep hole: construction of a new Biloxi ballpark for the relocating Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League) is finally starting this week, with the city still looking for ways to cut costs. The construction is starting off modestly — just a crane and working installing some test piles — […]
Naming rights in play in Aberdeen, Pensacola
Two Minor League Baseball teams — the Aberdeen IronBirds (short season A; NY-Penn League) and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Class AA; Southern League) — are shopping naming-rights deal to their ballparks. Of the two, the more surprising move is from the IronBirds, who play at Ripken Stadium, so named for the famous Ripken family that […]
Changes on tap in Chattanooga?
Atlanta businessman John Woods has signed a letter of intent to buy the Chattanooga Lookouts (Class AA; Southern League), with Hardball Capital‘s Jason Freier acting as a consultant to the deal. The Lookouts are owned by Frank Burke, Charles Eshbach and the estate of the late Dan Burke. It’s not clear whether the sale of the […]
Blue Wahoos on verge of 100th sellout
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Class AA; Southern League) are on the verge of the team’s 100th sellout after recording the 98th sellout at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium on Saturday night. To date, the team has welcomed over 855,000 fans through its gates since its inaugural campaign, hitting the 200,000 fan mark for this season on Thursday, […]