We have personnel news to report from the Tri-City Dust Devils (Short Season A; Northwest League) and the Lowell Spinners (Short Season A; NY-Penn League).
A member of the Dust Devils front office has been recognized with an award, as Assistant General Manager Sponsorships Ann Shively has been named as the 2018 Northwest League Woman Executive of the Year.
The award comes after a season in which the Dust Devils set a franchise single game attendance record with 3,830 fans and set a record for the highest nightly attendance average of 2,332.
“Ann has spent six seasons with the Dust Devils and has been instrumental in providing excellent customer service to both our fans and partners of the Dust Devils. She has grown as a leader in that time and is very deserving of this honor,” stated VP, General Manager Derrel Ebert.
As the Northwest League Woman Executive of the Year Ann is also nominated for the Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year which is a national award to be given out at the Baseball Winter Meetings this December in Las Vegas, NV.
“I am extremely honored and excited to receive this award. I am truly grateful that I get to work in baseball and provide a great product for our fans and partners,” said Ann Shively. “I love the people I work with and what we are able to accomplish as a team.”
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In Lowell, the Spinners have hired Chris Taylor as their new Assistant General Manager. Taylor will oversee group ticket sales as part of his new role while also working with season ticket accounts and assisting with the team’s marketing.
“I am excited to join the Spinners,” Taylor said. “They’ve long had a reputation as the premier Minor League team in New England, and I can’t wait to become a part of it. I’m really looking forward to working with Shawn Smith, Brian Lindsay, and the great team they have in Lowell,” Taylor said.
Taylor began his career in sports in 2006 working for Blue Sky Sports & Entertainment as a marketing intern before becoming a baseball operations assistant for the Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Cost League) in January, 2007. In September of that year, Taylor joined the Albuquerque Isotopes as a stadium operations assistant.
Taylor later joined the New Orleans Zephyrs (now the New Orleans Baby Cakes) as Assistant Director of Operations. In March, 2010, Taylor was promoted to the Director of Operations.
Taylor spent the last five-plus years with the Maine Red Claws, the Boston Celtics’ NBA G League affiliate. He served a senior account executive from 2013 until 2017, when he was promoted to the Manager of Game Day Operations and Ticket Sales. During his time with the Red Claws, Taylor not only created opportunities for new businesses, he also directed and coordinated all stadium and facility operations.
Taylor grew up in Hingham, Massachusetts, and earned his bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Saint Joseph’s College in Standish, Maine.
“Chris Taylor is a New Englander, a Massachusetts native, and a rising star in Minor League Baseball,” said Spinners owner Dave Heller. “We are really delighted to be able to bring him to Lowell. He has a lot of exciting ideas already planned for next season.”
“We are thrilled to have Chris’ expertise and experience,” added Spinners General Manager Shawn Smith. “We know our fans and community will love working with him.”