The Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) may be playing in Tucson for the 2011 season, but apparently there’s no full commitment in place: today it was announced the Tucson Padres (or whatever we’re calling them today) will be playing a four-game series at Fort Wayne’s Parkview Field in 2011.
There’s a good chance the T-Pods will be playing before more fans at the home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Low Class A; Midwest League) than at a typical game at Tucson Electric Park. The series is slated for July 14-17, 2011, and the TinCaps have planned a series of promotions to draw in the fans, including two post-game fireworks displays.
“Our fans can get a taste of Triple-A baseball right here at Parkview Field,” TinCaps President Mike Nutter said. “These players are on the cusp of the Major Leagues and several have already reached that level. The opportunity to bring these games to Fort Wayne is a testament to our great relationship with the Padres and their appreciation for all of the support from the team and fans here. It is also another example of the incredible things we can do at Parkview Field.”
The Padres’ Triple-A roster for the upcoming season is expected to include several players that have previously played in Fort Wayne and potentially some members of the TinCaps’ 2009 Midwest League championship team. Stars from that team included RHP Simon Castro, the author of the only no-hitter in TinCaps history and 1B Matt Clark, who hit 11 home runs and batted .266 in a half-season with the team at Parkview Field in 2009.
It is a weird situation, to be sure; any mention of the Portland Beavers has been deleted from the Pacific Coast League’s website, and the team is not listed in milb.com’s listings, either. There’s a name-the-team competion in the works, but so far information about the FIghting T-Pods remains elusive — especially for fans.
Share your news with the baseball community. Send it to us at editors@augustpublications.com.
Subscribers to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter see features before they’re posted to the site. You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!