Atlantic League mogul Peter Kirk has pitched Frederick (Md.) officials on taking over the lease at Harry Grove Stadium for an independent-league team — but will settle for buying the Frederick Keys (High Class A; Carolina League) as a consolation prize. Kirk certainly is one of the more interesting people in baseball, and he’s seizing […]
Archive | Minor-League Baseball
Rendell: Clock is ticking on new SWB ballpark financing
The offer of $20 million in state money for a new Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) ballpark definitely has some deadlines attached, as Penn. Gov. Ed Rendell warns dueling Lackawanna and Luzerne counties they need to end their spat in the new few weeks. As we reported yesterday, Rendell is growing impatient with the […]
Counties continue spat; SWB Yankees likely to be sold this week
It’s increasingly likely that the New York Yankees and Mandalay Baseball will exercise their option to buy the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) before a Friday deadline, but that’s not stopping the owners of the team, Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, from squabbling over the proceeds. You know the drill. Lackawanna and Luzerne counties jointly […]
Rockies schedule exhibition in Tulsa
The Colorado Rockies will be making an additional stop during Spring Training 2011: the MLB parent has scheduled an exhibition game against farm team Tulsa Drillers (Class AA; Texas League) at ONEOK Field on March 30. It will be the second-ever appearance for the Rockies in Tulsa, but their first at ONEOK Field. Colorado faced […]
P-Nats, Prince William County working on new ballpark plan
After making several runs at a new ballpark in several years, the Potomac Nationals (High Class A; Carolina League) is in discussions with Prince William County on yet another new ballpark plan. Let’s face it: Pfitzner Stadium is one of the worst facilities in minor-league baseball and needs replacing. And although Prince William County is […]
Ballpark financial issues hit Reno
A decrease in property values in the area and an assessment that Aces Ballpark is now worth less than half the construction price is forcing Reno to pay $1 million this year in subsidies to its developer, the Reno Aces (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) — and that payment may need to be repeated annually […]
Suns officially sold
The sale of the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) has officially been completed, with a group of investors buying the franchise from Mandalay Baseball for a reported $6.7 million. The new ownership group is lead by Bruce Quinn, general manager of Polo Trace Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla. The group also includes […]
Burlington squared: Oakland signs PDCs with Bees, Lake Monsters
The Oakland A’s joined forces with two of the three Burlington minor-league teams today, as the last teams left standing in low A — the Vermont Lake Monsters (short season A; NY-Penn League), playing out of Burlington, Vt., and the Burlington Bees (Low Class A; Midwest League), from Iowa — officially announced player-development deals. “We […]
Cleveland, Columbus extend PDC to 2014
No, the deal wasn’t slated to end, but the Cleveland Indians and Columbus Clippers (Class AAA; International League) decided they wanted to keep the dance going, extending their player development deal by two more years, to 2014. The two-year extension comes two days after the Columbus Clippers captured the Triple-A Championship after Tuesday night’s 12-6 […]
Lackawanna County: In a ballpark bind and mad
After years of neglect, Moosic’s PNC Field is falling apart. But Lackawanna County officials, lacking the funds to fix the ballpark and increasingly unwilling to sell the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League), find themselves with no attractive choice to address the future of baseball in the area. Commissioners yesterday discussed the future of the […]
Suns, Nats extend PDC for two more years
No surprise: the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) and the Washington Nationals extended their player-development deal by two more years, through 2012; it also means Oakland will be sending players to Iowa. The renewal was never in doubt; the complicating factor was the impending sale of the team, which is now complete. “Our […]
Nats switch short-season affiliate to Auburn
The Washington Nationals changed their affiliation lineup on the short-season level by moving from the Vermont Lake Monsters to the Auburn Doubledays for the 2011-2012 seasons. “We are delighted to add Auburn to the Nationals’ family,” said Nationals President Stan Kasten. “This agreement again narrows the footprint of our Minor League system, and starting next […]
Phillies: Not so fast on the new West Chester ballpark
Officials with the Philadelphia Phillies tell us they made no commitment to bringing a minor-league team to West Chester, Pa., as a press conference today to announce the project showed plenty of holes in the plan for a new $40-million ballpark. The press conference today had been billed as a presentation for a fait accompli […]