Latest in Sky Sox affiliation saga - Latest: Upgrades confirmed in San Antonio's Stadium

[jerichoholicninja]

I may have missed this previously, but does SA have a stadium or would they build one?

 

San Antonio currently has a AA team and their stadium was built in 1994 and was just upgraded in 2006. Not sure how it compares to AAA stadiums though. Unless the Missions are planning to move already it seems like a big mess if a AAA team wants to move to a city that already has a AA team.

[Mass Haas]

Sky Sox Release Statement on Potential Move

 

Reports Thursday surfaced that Triple-A baseball could be leaving Colorado Springs.

 

The Elmore sports group has owned the Sky Sox organization since 1981. They also currently own the San Antonio Missions, a Double-A team. There were reports that the owners were set to meet with the city council in San Antonio announcing their mission to bring a Triple-A team to the city.

 

The Sky Sox released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

 

The Elmore Sports Group and Sky Sox have been loyal and dedicated members serving the CS community for 28 years. We love Colorado Springs and certainly have a desire to keep baseball in Colorado Springs

 

With that said, If the City of San Antonio, the 37th largest TV market in the country calls and says they would like to talk about a downtown stadium and the possibility of bringing Triple A Baseball to San Antonio, it would be imprudent as business owners not to listen.

 

That is where we are right now. This is a process, there is no deal in place, no downtown ballpark and no agreement of any kind with any city. We don’t know frankly what is going to happen at this point but if or when discussions do take place they would be the beginning of the process, not the end. And if anything were to materialize from the discussions it would be well off into the distant future.

 

In the meantime, as always its business as usual for the Sky Sox. We begin our 29th season here in CS on April 15th. We have a fantastic team of young prospects joining us this year that should give us one of the most exciting seasons in years along with the best promotional calendar we have ever created. 2016 is going to be a fantastic season ahead.

[Mass Haas]

This is how Baseball America thinks things may play out (full article):

 

Colorado Springs moves to the new park in San Antonio (once ballpark is ready) and becomes a Rangers Triple-A affiliate. The Sky Sox’s current affiliation agreement with the Brewers expires after 2016, though the Rangers’ contract with Round Rock currently goes through 2018.

 

The Double-A Missions move to the new park in Amarillo; the affiliation with the Padres expires after the 2016 season (the Padres had no comment about the reported shift)

 

Triple-A Round Rock, where Nolan Ryan is part of the ownership group, switches affiliations from Rangers to Astros.

 

Fresno, the current Astros affiliate, comes free (its PDC expires after the ’16 season) and could be a landing spot for the Brewers.

 

This leaves Colorado Springs with a ballpark (although one that consistently draws some of the Pacific Coast League’s smallest crowds), but no team. The Gazette, however, theorizes that the Pioneer League’s Helena club (Rookie-level Brewers), also owned by Elmore, could move in there and fill the void.

 

***

 

To be honest, that last statement about Helena is very speculative, it makes little sense logistically in terms of Pioneer League travel.

[patrickgpe]

i would hope with the brewers current prospect rankings, they can turn that into a better PDC than fresno or CS in 2017.

[jerichoholicninja]

This is how Baseball America thinks things may play out (full article):

 

Colorado Springs moves to the new park in San Antonio (once ballpark is ready) and becomes a Rangers Triple-A affiliate. The Sky Sox’s current affiliation agreement with the Brewers expires after 2016, though the Rangers’ contract with Round Rock currently goes through 2018.

 

The Double-A Missions move to the new park in Amarillo; the affiliation with the Padres expires after the 2016 season (the Padres had no comment about the reported shift)

 

Triple-A Round Rock, where Nolan Ryan is part of the ownership group, switches affiliations from Rangers to Astros.

 

Fresno, the current Astros affiliate, comes free (its PDC expires after the ’16 season) and could be a landing spot for the Brewers.

 

This leaves Colorado Springs with a ballpark (although one that consistently draws some of the Pacific Coast League’s smallest crowds), but no team. The Gazette, however, theorizes that the Pioneer League’s Helena club (Rookie-level Brewers), also owned by Elmore, could move in there and fill the void.

 

***

 

To be honest, that last statement about Helena is very speculative, it makes little sense logistically in terms of Pioneer League travel.

 

That seems like an awful lot of moving parts to make a AAA team in San Antonio work.

[MadScientist]

That seems like an awful lot of moving parts to make a AAA team in San Antonio work.

 

But since all franchises are owned by the same group, the logistics aren't too bad. As long as the stadiums are built the franchise moving should work well.

 

The problem for the Brewers is that the potential nice stadium will be waiting for the Rangers, so in the mean time they will either be stuck in CS or in a AA park in SA for the next two years. And after that, the Brewers' AAA team will wind up wherever else has the worst stadium/attendance. The only hope is that the Brewers' AA and AAA teams do really well this year and some other team will actually want to be a Brewers' affiliate.

[FVBrewerFan]

Can I ask what is sure to be a stupid question? Why can't they play in Maryvale until they have an acceptable, permanent home for AAA? Or even one of the other ST parks in the Phoenix area?

[jerichoholicninja]

Can I ask what is sure to be a stupid question? Why can't they play in Maryvale until they have an acceptable, permanent home for AAA? Or even one of the other ST parks in the Phoenix area?

 

Isn't Maryvale used practically year round for Extended ST, Instructional League, Rookie League, and Arizona Fall League? I don't think the logistics of all that would work out. Same thing for every other ST facility.

[FVBrewerFan]

Can I ask what is sure to be a stupid question? Why can't they play in Maryvale until they have an acceptable, permanent home for AAA? Or even one of the other ST parks in the Phoenix area?

 

Isn't Maryvale used practically year round for Extended ST, Instructional League, Rookie League, and Arizona Fall League? I don't think the logistics of all that would work out. Same thing for every other ST facility.

 

But they have multiple fields they use for that. Just like in ST, the other fields are still being used during games. Or, worst case scenario, just schedule accordingly for when AAA team has home games. All other dates can be used, and even on game nights the field could be used all day long.

[And That]

At 7,000 people, the Maryvale stadium would have the smallest capacity for any AAA park in either the IL or PCL. Some AAA parks have more than twice that capacity. Day games in the summer are almost out of the question. And how many people are realistically going to show up for a Brewers AAA affiliate in Arizona for a 7pm game when it's 110 degrees, in the neighborhood the park is in?

[AlMaFi]

An important thing to remember about these type of things is that even though the Brewers have control over their players, they have little to no control over their affiliates. They can't just house their players wherever they choose--they must align with a Triple-A team. 30 AAA teams for 30 MLB teams.

 

There's far from any guarantee that Colorado Springs will be affiliated with the Crew for the 2017 season. The open window for PDC negotiations will be this upcoming September. As of right now, there are 12 expiring AAA PDCs (including Colo. Springs) in 2016. Many of these will re-up before September, but my guess is that the Crew and Sky Sox will go down to the wire. The determining factor here will be whether there are any switches made or whether they will be simply the last two without a partner.

 

Speculating this early is a bit foolish, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Colorado Springs/San Antonio linking up with the Astros this fall just to initiate the process. That would free up Fresno. Rochester and New Orleans might be other possibilities. Way too early to tell.

[AlMaFi]

Just a side note about the Pioneer League...if Colorado Springs is no longer a Triple-A market, the Pioneer League would definitely be a logical fit, especially considering the dearth of Indy/Collegiate leagues in that part of the country. There would be plenty of empty seats in a bigger minor league ballpark, but since the break-up with the Rockies, attendance has already tanked to a level more befitting of the lower leagues.

 

Geographically, Colorado Springs is close to Grand Junction and relatively close to the Utah-based teams. Geography within leagues is relative once you get west of the Mississippi. The distance from the Utah teams to the Montana teams is much greater than that of the southerly teams to Colorado Springs.

 

One more thing...even though Helena is perennially in the basement for Pioneer League attendance, a new opportunity in Colorado Springs wouldn't necessarily mean relocation. To me, that's the most speculative part of the article. Class Rookie-Advanced level currently has 18 clubs within the Appy League and Pioneer. Expansion wouldn't be a stretch at all if Elmore decides to field two teams with the Pioneer. I wouldn't be surprised if the NABPL moves to expand Class A-Short Season and Rookie-Advanced to a full 30 (or more, if MLB expands) within the next decade or two. Of course, that's a whole 'nother ballpark of speculation.

[FVBrewerFan]

At 7,000 people, the Maryvale stadium would have the smallest capacity for any AAA park in either the IL or PCL. Some AAA parks have more than twice that capacity. Day games in the summer are almost out of the question. And how many people are realistically going to show up for a Brewers AAA affiliate in Arizona for a 7pm game when it's 110 degrees, in the neighborhood the park is in?

 

Good points. All games would need to be night games. I don't think attendance matters, we're only talking about one interim season. They would need a new, permanent home in 2018.

[nate82]

At 7,000 people, the Maryvale stadium would have the smallest capacity for any AAA park in either the IL or PCL. Some AAA parks have more than twice that capacity. Day games in the summer are almost out of the question. And how many people are realistically going to show up for a Brewers AAA affiliate in Arizona for a 7pm game when it's 110 degrees, in the neighborhood the park is in?

 

Good points. All games would need to be night games. I don't think attendance matters, we're only talking about one interim season. They would need a new, permanent home in 2018.

 

I don't think the D-backs would allow for a AAA team to be placed in Phoenix even temporarily. The next best option would be in Tucson but the University of Arizona baseball team currently plays there now but that shouldn't be all that much of a problem to schedule around their games as that would only be for the 1st half of the season. Majority of the games would have to be at night.

[DHonks]

nate, not sure which stadiums still exist in Tucson. The Dbacks and White Sox used to share a nice facility for Spring Training at one park, while the Rockies had Hi-Corbitt Field. Not that most in the Cactus League would like it, but I wonder if the Cactus League has any interest in returning to Tucson. It's only about 1.5-2 hours drive from most of the parks.

[Mass Haas]

Pacific Coast League doesn't see the Sky Sox moving anytime soon from Colorado Springs

By Rich Laden, Colorado Springs Gazette

 

The head of the Pacific Coast League doubts a move by the Colorado Springs Sky Sox to Texas is imminent, and doesn't expect the Sky Sox or any of the league's 15 other teams to relocate from their existing cities for at least two to three years.

 

PCL president Branch Rickey said Friday that relocations depend on many factors and no assumptions should be made about a team's plans or intentions.

 

"If I look through it through my lenses, I don't anticipate a single franchise in our league is going to be in a different city than it is in today in '16, '17 and I'll throw '18 in there, too," Rickey said.

 

His comments came in the wake of a report that the Elmore Sports Group, the Sky Sox's owner, will meet with San Antonio's City Council next week to discuss moving the Triple-A team out of Colorado Springs.

 

The Sky Sox, the top minor league affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers after many years as the Colorado Rockies' No. 1 farm team, have been in the Springs since 1988.

 

But San Antonio officials reportedly want to use the lure of a possible new downtown stadium to attract a Triple-A team. Currently, San Antonio has a Double-A team - also owned by the Elmore Group.

 

If a deal were struck between San Antonio and the Elmore group, the owner likely would move the Sky Sox to that city and relocate its Double A team - possibly to Amarillo, Texas.

 

Dave Elmore, head of the Elmore Sports Group, was approached this year by someone in San Antonio who wanted to gauge his interest in moving the club, Rickey said, based on what Elmore told him. Rickey said he didn't know if city officials or civic leaders approached Elmore, who didn't respond to several calls from The Gazette.

 

But Rickey said Elmore also was approached by San Antonio officials five years ago - and nothing happened.

 

Rickey, PCL president since 1998 and grandson of the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers executive, said teams routinely evaluate their business interests. The costs of running a team are significant and drive many decisions, he said.

 

And it's not unheard of for a team to listen if someone calls, Rickey said. In the case of San Antonio, it's an attractive market that could appeal to anybody, he said.

 

A statement by the Sky Sox this week said that if San Antonio, as the 37th largest TV market in the country, "calls and says they would like to talk about a downtown stadium and the possibility of bringing Triple-A baseball to San Antonio, it would be imprudent as business owners not to listen."

 

Yet, the Sky Sox have been financially successful in the Springs, which is the former home to the PCL's headquarters, Rickey said.

 

"It's a very viable franchise," he said. "There's not a compelling need from the side of business difficulty for that club to have to do anything."

 

The Springs - in the middle of three time zones that the PCL covers - also is conveniently located as the league schedules games, he said.

 

A team that might want to relocate needs an overwhelming majority of the PCL's 16 teams to approve a move, Rickey said.

 

"If it got to that point, there would be a burden on a club to convince its fellow members why this would be advantageous to the membership in general," Rickey said. "The league doesn't want to take a step backward."

 

Regardless of pros and cons, Rickey warned about reading too much into what might happen; as PCL president, he said he doesn't want to engage in conjecture. During his years with the PCL and with the now-defunct American Association, Rickey said he watched teams explore moves that ultimately went nowhere.

 

"Trying to forecast that a team is going to relocate when there are so many unknowns in front of that equation is a thing you want to be very cautious about," Rickey said "That's what I'm doing."

[Mass Haas]

Full statement released Monday --

 

This is a long process and any decision or potential moves will be years in the future.

 

As for a rookie team move to Colorado Springs (likely Helena) --

 

So while the process of exploring a potential move of our Triple-A franchise is ongoing, we will also be exploring the possibility of moving a Short-season-A team to Colorado Springs. Any relocation of any team at any level is a complicated process that can take seasons to accomplish and involve approvals at many levels.

[Mass Haas]

Should it ever become a future default option, remember that Las Vegas' stadium is also in crappy shape (literally).

 

Darn Nashville...

[Mass Haas]

VIDEO: Altitude a problem for keeping Sky Sox in Colorado Springs

[wildcat2237]

nate, not sure which stadiums still exist in Tucson. The Dbacks and White Sox used to share a nice facility for Spring Training at one park, while the Rockies had Hi-Corbitt Field. Not that most in the Cactus League would like it, but I wonder if the Cactus League has any interest in returning to Tucson. It's only about 1.5-2 hours drive from most of the parks.

 

DHonks and Nate,

 

I am good friends with many individuals on the Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority Board.

 

Tucson is still very interested in bringing back spring training and AAA baseball.

 

Hi Corbett Field and Tucson Electric Park(Kino Stadium) Still Exist.

 

Hi Corbett has been collegized by the U of A and now looks very amateurish IMHO. Much like what ASU has done to Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

 

Kino Stadium is good to go. It is still AAA quality and ready for move in.

 

Unfortunately, however, in order to get good attendance a new stadium would need to be built. Kino Stadium is on the south side. Middle class people with cash do not want to drive down there to catch a game. If a stadium were built in east, north, or northwest tucson I think you could get the attendance needed.

[wildcat2237]

Sky Sox Officially headed to San Antonio...

 

http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_29737764/colorado-springs-sky-sox-are-moving-san-antonio

[patrickgpe]

I just hope Stearns learned from Melvin's handling of Nashville (not saying that Doug did anything wrong) and not sign a 2 year extension this offseason, only to loose the affiliate to Texas in the fall of 2018

[And That]

Sky Sox Officially headed to San Antonio...

 

http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_29737764/colorado-springs-sky-sox-are-moving-san-antonio

 

Prior to that, the franchise had been in Honolulu as the Hawaii Islanders from 1961-87.

 

Did not know that. Keep going east, young men.

[wildcat2237]

I just hope Stearns learned from Melvin's handling of Nashville (not saying that Doug did anything wrong) and not sign a 2 year extension this offseason, only to loose the affiliate to Texas in the fall of 2018

 

I can almost guarantee the Astros will want to partner up with the new San Antonio franchise.

 

That will free up Fresno.

 

The issue is, until the new stadium in San Antonio opens up in 2019, I doubt anyone will want to move.

 

Even then, would the Brewers want to affiliate with Fresno?

 

I imagine maybe the Dodgers would want Fresno and the Brewers could land in Oklahoma City?

[patrickgpe]

my ideal move is New Orleans, due to its proximity to Biloxi / Brevard County. The marlins have a poor minor league system.