The Visalia Rawhide (High Class A; California League) and Arizona Diamondbacks anounced a four-year PDC extension yesterday, ensuring that the D-Backs will remain in the South Valley through 2016. “We were eager to continue our relationship with Visalia, and this long-term extension gives us stability and ensures that our prospects have a great place to […]
Tag Archives | minnesota twins
Twins present spring-training wish list to Lee County
Player dorms, more seats at Hammond Stadium and infrastructure improvements are on the Minnesota Twins’ wish list for the team’s Lee County spring-training complex. Opening in 1991, Hammond Stadium and the Lee County Sports Complex are showing their age; once the complex was the state of the art for spring training but now come up […]
Target Field lands Big Ten baseball tourney
Target Field, home of the MInnesota Twins, will host the 2013 Big Ten baseball tournament, as the event moves out of Columbus for the first time since 2008. It’s also the first time the event will be played at a Major League Baseball facility. In most of the tournament’s history it was played at the […]
Wedge: Let’s look at moving in Safeco Field fences
This wasn’t an issue when the Seattle Mariners won 116 games under Lou Piniella in 2001, but apparently the Safeco Field dimensions are a problem for Eric Wedge in 2012. Talk about moving in the fences came up again this week after two long drives that could have been homers at other parks ended up […]
Marlins: No plans to move in ballpark fences
Though the craze seems to be for MLB teams to move in their fences, Miami Marlins management say they see no need to change the dimensions at newly opened Marlins Park. Over the last 20 years most new ballparks have opened with some fairly spacious outfield dimensions. The thinking was straightforward: fair dimensions mean fair […]
Selig: Rivalry series may survive interleague play
The two annual rivalry series may survive a scheduling reconfiguration in 2013 because of their popularity with fans, according to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Right now there are two three-game rivalry interleague series — Yankees/Mets, Cubs/White Sox, Twins/Brewers, Rays/Marlins, A’s/Giants, Angels/Dodgers, etc. — that are popular in terms of box-office appeal and ratings, particularly in larger cities where […]
Reports: Mets to host 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field
Not exactly a surprise: New York media outlets are reporting Major League Baseball will be announcing that the 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. It’s been expected for months that the Mets would land the 2013 game. MLB awards the game alternately between the league; the […]
Affiliated ball in St. Paul? Don’t hold your breath
A hot rumor in Twin Cities baseball circles has the St. Paul Saints possibly going affiliated if a new downtown ballpark opens. Forget it: the chances that happens are slim and none. Not that there’s no precedence for a market switching from indy to affiliated in the wake of a new facility: it’s happened in […]
Adios, Metrodome
The decision last week to build a new stadium for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings had one bittersweet side effect: the Metrodome will be torn down to make way for the new facility. The decision really wasn’t hard: though other downtown Minneapolis sites were under consideration to house the new 65,000-seat football stadium (including a site […]
Lee County commissioner: “50-50” chance Nats will move spring ops to Fort Myers
A Lee County commissioner pegged the odds at “50-50” about the chances of the Washington Nationals moving spring-training operations to Fort Myers after the two sides met today. Lee County (Fl.) Commissioner Frank Mann, who did not attend a meeting between Lee County officials and two Nats reps but did discuss it with them afterwards, […]
Connie Marrero, oldest former major leaguer, turns 101
Connie Marrero, who pitched for the original Washington Senators and is the oldest former major leaguer, turned 101 years old yesterday. The Cuban-born Marrero pitched for the original Senators — now the Minnesota Twins — at the tail end of his career, making his Major League Baseball debut as a 39-year-old rookie with the 1950 […]
Lee County, Nats to meet about spring training
Reps from the Washington Nationals and Lee County will meet today to discuss the team shifting spring-training operations to Fort Myers’ City of Palms Park. We don’t expect anything big to come from the discussions; the two are just a third into a 90-day exclusive negotiating period. Both sides have made their goals public: the […]
Padres looking at moving in Petco Park fences
Another team looking to pump the ballpark juice: The San Diego Padres are considering whether to move in the fences at Petco Park to make the place more batter-friendly. Right now Petco Park is a spacious ballpark, reaching 400 feet in both power alleys. As a result, pitchers tend to do well at the ballpark: […]