The State College Spikes (Short Season-A; NY-Penn League) and the St. Louis Cardinals have extended their player development contract (PDC), pushing their affiliation through 2020.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with a first-class organization in the St. Louis Cardinals,” said Spikes Chairman & Managing Partner Chuck Greenberg. “The Cardinals have provided a great on-field product for our fans, and have also provided tremendous support to our community outreach and promotional efforts. We look forward to what the relationship with the Cardinals will provide for fans in the future.”
The Spikes have developed a tradition of major on-field success as a Cardinals affiliate, as 31 players have been selected to the New York-Penn League All-Star game from the Spikes as a St. Louis affiliate, including a record six players in 2017. Three more from this year’s squad – Nick Dunn, Edwin Figuera and Delvin Perez – will be showcasing their talents on Tuesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the South team.
In addition, State College’s NYPL championships in 2014 and 2016 were both earned as a St. Louis affiliate, along with three NYPL Pinckney Division titles and a stretch of five consecutive 40-win seasons.
The extension is the third renewal of the Spikes’ PDC with the Cardinals since the two franchises resumed their affiliation with one another in 2012. St. Louis also served as State College’s Major League Baseball affiliate during the club’s inaugural season in 2006.
“We have enjoyed our seven years in State College and are looking forward to many more,” said St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak. “We are grateful to Chuck Greenberg, Jason Dambach, and Scott Walker as they provide a tremendous environment to our players to grow on and off the field.”
The Spikes are set to host the 2018 New York-Penn League All-Star Game presented by the Central PA Convention & Visitors Bureau on Tuesday, August 14. The All-Star festivities begin with the NYPL All-Star Tailgate Gala presented by Reinhart Foodservice on Monday, August 13, with ballpark gates then opening at 3 p.m. on Tuesday for autographs from the All-Stars and the opportunity to watch batting practice.
You can read more about the current state of affiliations on our Affiliate Dance page. We expect a number of affiliations to be renewed in coming weeks, but there are always intriguing openings at every level of baseball. As you can see on the Affiliate Dance page, MLB and MiLB teams can renew their existing affiliations at any point. At the end of the 2018 season, teams can file to search new affiliation options, so there’s always a shuffle of sorts at the end of the year.