The upcoming Joplin Miners (independent; Southwest League) have named a general manager, as Derek Wohlfarth has been appointed to the position. The Miners are not slated to begin play until April 2019, but Wohlfarth will begin his new role on June 13.
The Southwest of Professional Baseball signed an agreement in January, 2018 with the City of Joplin to lease and operate Joe Becker Stadium for one of its six inaugural franchises slated to begin in April, 2019. This past April, team officials announced that the team would be called the Joplin Miners after holding a name the team contest. The name “Miners” received a majority of the votes from over 700 submissions.
Wohlfarth, a Missouri native, attended Syracuse University where he earned a double degree in Sport Management and Accounting. In 2014, Wohlfarth began working for the Auburn Doubledays (Short Season A; NY-Penn League), where for three years he served as the team’s Assistant General Manager handling many duties including stadium operations and accounting. In 2017 Wohlfarth went back to Syracuse to earn his Master’s Degree in accounting.
“I am so excited to come back to the Midwest to my home state and run the day to day operations of the Miners”, stated Wohlfarth. “Joplin has such a long and rich history of professional baseball and I am honored to be part of such a wonderful city and exciting league.”
“Derek is an incredibly talented sports professional who has a passion for being part of bringing fans back to Joe Becker Stadium” stated Mark Schuster, Managing Partner of the Miners. “Derek made it clear to us early on in the interview process that he wanted to be part of the Joplin community and wanted to market the Miners at a grassroots level.”
“For my first executive decision as General Manager, I am instituting a free parking policy for anyone attending a Miners game”, stated Wohlfarth. “We will strive every day to provide first-class entertainment, exceptional customer service and bring the “fun” back to Joe Becker Stadium at an affordable price.”
The Miners join the Waco BlueCats and the Royse City Griffins in the Southwest League of Professional Baseball, which will play a 112 game schedule with 56 home games and 56 games on the road. The remaining three inaugural members of the SWL will be announced this summer. Opening Day for the Miners is Thursday, April 25, 2019.