The Columbia Fireflies (Low A; Sally League) and the New York Mets are continuing their affiliation, as the two sides have extended their player development contract (PDC) through 2020.
The Mets have been affiliated with Hardball Capital’s South Atlantic League franchise since 2007 when the team was located in Savannah, Georgia. The affiliation followed the team to Columbia when they became the Fireflies in 2016.
The Mets are no stranger to fans in the Midlands as they were the Major League affiliate for the Columbia Mets / Capital City Bombers from 1983 until 2004.
”We’re excited to extend our relationship with the New York Mets through 2020,” said Fireflies team President John Katz. “We’ve had a terrific working relationship with the Mets for over a decade, and we look forward to watching their future stars play here at Spirit Communications Park.”
The announcement comes a few months after the Mets announced the purchase of the Syracuse Chiefs. Starting in 2019, the Mets triple-A affiliate will be much closer to home moving from Las Vegas to Syracuse. This move makes the Fireflies one of the few remaining Mets Affiliates outside the state of New York.
“We are extremely happy that we will be in Columbia for at least the next three years,” said New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson. “Jason Freier, John Katz and all their staff do a terrific job for our players and for Fireflies fans.”
Although no Fireflies have yet to don the royal blue and orange at Citi Field, six former players were invited to major league Spring Training this year. That list includes P.J. Conlon, Kevin Kaczmarski, Patrick Mazeika and David Thompson – all of whom played in Columbia in 2016. Tim Tebow and Adonis Uceta round out the list of invitees – both members of the 2017 Fireflies roster.
You can read more about the current affiliation situation on our Affiliate Dance page.