51s, Blue Jays officially extend PDC
It was a foregone conclusion, but that can’t mask all excitement surrounding the announcement that the Las Vegas 51s (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) and the Toronto Blue Jays extended their player-development contract by two years. Not. “We’re very happy to have the Blue Jays back in Las Vegas,” 51s General Manager Don Logan said. […]
U of Washington revives ballpark project
A $9.8 million makeover of Husky Ballpark at the University of Washington is back on, as the school is soliciting qualification statements from design-build teams. The university had planned to solicit bids for the ballpark renovation back in July, but pulled back the process because of financial issues. A new plan is in place calling […]
Fresno Grizzlies clean house
The Fresno Grizzlies (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are cleaning house this offseason, dismissing three front-office executives and bringing in Richard Fleming as new CEO of the franchise. It’s an interesting choice for the Grizzlies: Fleming is a business consultant who has worked with the likes of Monsanto and Microsoft, but not with a professional […]
Batavia, Cardinals extend PDC
The Batavia MuckDogs (short season A; NY-Penn League) and the St. Louis Cardinals announced a two-year extension to their current player-development contract, despite the uncertainty swirling around the franchise. “The Genesee County Baseball Club is pleased to announce that we will be extending our working relationship with the St. Louis Cardinals for two more years. […]
Phillies, West Chester agree on new ballpark
After years of rumor and false starts, the city of West Chester, Pa., has snared the Philadelphia Phillies as a partner of sorts on a new ballpark, with the Phils pledging a Class A team for the facility if the city will build. And the city will build. The plan is for the West Chester […]
After voter rebuke of public funding, Ramapo looks to private sector
After voters overwhelmingly spanked down proposed public funding of a new ballpark for an independent Can-Am Association team, the city is looking to the private sector for assistance. The referendum, which was rejected by a 2-1 margin, halted the city of Ramapo (N.Y.) from borrowing $16 million to build a new ballpark for the Ramapo […]
Yanks honor Steinbrenner with Monument Park plaque
The late George Steinbrenner officially joined the ranks of Yankee immortals with the installation of a plaque honoring the former team owner in Yankee Stadium’s hallowed grounds, Monument Park. The tribute to Steinbrenner — weighing more 760 pounds but, more importantly, larger than the tribute to Col. Jacob Ruppert — was unveiled last night in […]
RedHawks, Astros new partners
Fresh off an affiliation with Round Rock, the Houston Astros have struck an affiliation deal with the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), bringing back Astros players to the city where old Colt .45s had their original Triple-A affiliation in 1962. “We are very excited to have our Triple A affiliation coming home […]
ValleyCats, Astros extend PDC
The Houston Astros and the Tri-City ValleyCats extended their player-development contract (PDC) for two more years, the pair announced today, after the ValleyCats ended perhaps the most successful season in team history. “We are pleased to continue our close relationship with the Astros. It provides the ValleyCats a strong partner to continue our recent success,” […]
Escondido to begin ballpark process this week
The process for Escondido (Cal.) to finance and build a ballpark for the relocated Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) should begin this week when the City Council decides whether to spend money on engineering and environmental studies. The agenda item on Wednesday’s meeting calls for the City Council to “consider and approve a […]
Smith stepping down as Scrappers GM; Taylor promoted
Personnel changes are now starting in the minor leagues now that most seasons are over. For the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (short season A; NY-Penn League), Dave Smith is stepping down as GM, to be replaced by assistant GM Jordan Taylor. Smith has been with the team for eleven seasons after joining the Scrappers in 1999 […]
2010 Baseball Attendance by Average
Here are the complete attendance figures of affiliated, independent and summer-collegiate baseball teams, as ranked by average, with a comparison to 2009 attendance figures when possible. All stats come directly from league websites, league officials and last year’s Ballpark Digest attendance rankings. TEAM LGE TOTAL GMS AV 2009 +/- 1 Lehigh Valley IronPigs IL 645,905 […]
2010 Independent Attendance by Average
Here are the complete attendance figures of independent baseball teams as listed by average, with a comparison of 2009 attendance figures. All stats come directly from league websites and last year’s Ballpark Digest attendance rankings. TEAM LGE TOTAL GMS AV 2009 +/- 1 Long Island Ducks AtL 410,619 68 6,038 6,014 0.00 2 Winnipeg […]