December 14, 2016
Minor League Expansion Roundup
NY-Penn League expands; Sally League in focus
NYP League Expands, Reorganizes: The final pieces of the puzzle for the 2018 Minor League Baseball expansion have fallen into place with the announcement that the New York-Penn League (
SS-A) will add two new teams for 2018.
Lancaster, Penn. and Springfield, Mass. will host teams beginning in 2018. The
Lancaster Red Roses will be an
Orlando Orcas farm team, while the Springfield club will become a part of the
Charlotte Monarchs organization and take the name of the parent club. Although both Lancaster and Springfield have minor-league long histories, this will be the first team for both in the NYPL.
In addition, the
Batavia Muckdogs (
SS-A New York-Penn) are on the move, as expected. The team, which was purchased by Opening Day Partners in September, will relocate to Waldorf, Md. in 2018. The newly-minted
Chesapeake Blue Crabs will play at Regency Furniture Stadium, the current home of ODP's
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (
Ind. Atlantic League). ODP hoped to keep the name of their old team, but league officials wanted a name that was less unwieldy.
The delay resulted from the fact that the Muckdogs were hoping to move into the
Washington Nationals' and
Baltimore Orioles' shared territory. An agreement was reached that will see the Blue Crabs sign a PDC with the Nationals for 2018-19. Presumably, the Nationals' current SS-A affiliate, the
Auburn Doubledays, will sign a PDC with the
Miami Marlins, parent club of the Muckdogs.
Tallahassee, Savannah Reveal Identities: The two South Atlantic League (
Class A) expansion teams announced their team nicknames, colors and uniforms in the past few days. The
Tallahassee Chiefs and
Savannah Sandpipers will begin play in 2018.
The Chiefs, who also announced an affiliation with the Orcas, unveiled a blue and red color scheme. The Sandpipers, meanwhile, opted for an yellow and blue look.
The selection of the Sandpipers name could mean that rumors of a PDC between the new club and the Atlanta Braves may prove false. The Braves organization prefers that its affiliates take the Braves name.
Baseball Returns to the Rocket City: It would appear that Joe W. Davis Stadium in Huntsville, Ala. may get a reprieve, with news that the
Greenville Drive (
Class A South Atlantic) will relocate to the city in 2018.
Davis Stadium had been slated for demolition in 2015, after the
Huntsville Stars moved away to become the
Biloxi Shuckers (
Class AA Southern). However, that demolition never occured, and it now seems that the stadium will be needed to host the Drive, at least temporarily.
The Drive are on the move as a result of a promotion, with owner Craig Brown having purchased the
Jacksonville Suns (
Class AA Southern) and moved them to Flour Field at the West End in time for the 2018 season. That transaction was made possible by Jacksonville winning one of the two Triple-A expansion franchises.
No word on what the new Huntsville team will be called, but it is a safe bet that they will not keep the Drive name, which will be assumed by the Double-A club.