Another renewal that’s not a surprise: the Inland Empire 66ers (High A; California League) and the Los Angeles Angels extended their player-development contract (PDC) through the 2022 season.
“We are delighted to continue our amazing relationship with the Angels for at least four more seasons,” Inland Empire General Manager Joe Hudson said. “We are so thankful to work with all the great people in the Angels front office and player development departments beginning with General Manager Billy Eppler and his entire staff. The job that he, Mike LaCassa, Mike Gallego and Chad Tracy, among many others, do is appreciated by the 66ers and our fans. The 66ers are proud that the Angels have their future ballplayers come through San Manuel Stadium. We are also very pleased the Angels feel our operation is worthy of sending big league rehabbers to us consistently, including in 2017 when we welcomed their greatest player ever in Mike Trout.”
“The Los Angeles Angels are excited to extend our relationship with the Inland Empire 66ers for at least the next four seasons,” Angels’ Director of Minor League Operations Mike LaCassa said. “This is a strong partnership and we’re grateful to Dave Elmore, Joe Hudson and the rest of the 66ers staff for their continued support.”
Roughly one third of the Angels roster (both 40-man and current) is made up of former 66ers during their minor league playing days. When coupled with players that have spent time with Inland Empire on MLB injury rehab assignments, 26 players on the Angels roster (including 60-day DL) have donned a Sixers uniform. Over the course of the PDC, the Angels will become the longest tenured MLB affiliate in San Bernardino professional baseball history.
You can read more about the current state of affiliations on our Affiliate Dance page. We expect a number of player development contracts to be renewed in the coming week, but there are always intriguing openings at every level of baseball. As you can see on the Affiliate Dance page, we’re now at the point where MLB and MiLB teams can search for new affiliation options, so there’s always a shuffle of sorts at the end of the season.