Two Diamond Baseball Holdings purchases to pass along, which were totally expected: the MiLB operating giant picked up the Norfolk Tides (Triple-A; International League) and the Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A; Pacific Coast League) from Ken Young.
As has been the case with prior Diamond Baseball Holdings acquisitions, no staff will be laid off: General Manager Joe Gregory and the current front office staff will remain in place at Harbor Park, while Vice President & General Manager John Traub and the current front-office staff will remain in place at Isotopes Park. Young will also be an advisor in Albuquerque. The game plan, we assume, will be the same in both markets as has been in the case among other Diamond Baseball Holdings teams: elevating the fan, player, and community experience by investing in technological innovation and expanding the activation of the ballpark as a social, entertainment center of the city.
“The Tides are stronger than we’ve ever been, and it feels like the right time to pass the baton to Pat, Peter, and the DBH team to carry forward the rich history of professional baseball in Norfolk,” said Ken Young, President of the Norfolk Tides, via press release. “Thank you to the Norfolk community and our fans for so many incredible years. I am confident that there is so much more to come for this club and am excited to see what Joe and the front office will do next with the support of DBH and in continued partnership with the Baltimore Orioles.”
“On behalf of everyone at the Isotopes, thank you to Ken for his unwavering leadership,” Traub said via press release. He has created something uniquely special here, and we are excited that DBH shares the same vision of the future of Albuquerque baseball,” said Traub. “The Isotopes are already ramping up for more fun at the ballpark next season and beyond, including a stop on the Savannah Bananas World Tour, and we are eager to watch our community offerings flourish under DBH’s ownership.”
“We are thrilled to add this iconic Triple-A franchise to the DBH family and immensely appreciative to be entrusted with continuing Ken’s notable legacy in Norfolk,” said Pat Battle and Peter Freund, Executive Chairman and CEO, respectively, of DBH, via press release. “We are very enthusiastic about the Tides future, the incredible staff that is already in place and the continued partnership with the Orioles in the Norfolk community.”
The transactions are expected to be completed promptly after Minor League Baseball review.
The Tides and the ‘Topes become the 23rd and 24th teams under Diamond Baseball Holdings ownership, joining Triple-A’s Iowa Cubs, Memphis Redbirds, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, St. Paul Saints and Gwinnett Stripers; Double-A’s Altoona Curve, Birmingham Barons, Midland RockHounds, Mississippi Braves, Portland Sea Dogs, Springfield Cardinals, Tulsa Drillers and Wichita Wind Surge; High-A’s Hickory Crawdads, Hudson Valley Renegades, Lansing Lugnuts, Rome Braves, Salem Red Sox and Vancouver Canadians; and Single-A’s Augusta GreenJackets, Down East Wood Ducks and San Jose Giants in being operated by DBH. We could see a total of 50 licensed MiLB teams from DBH in the future.
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