In what looks to like a surprising move until you dig below the surface,the Atlanta Braves have left their affiliation in Myrtle Beach in order to move to Lynchburg and base their Carolina League team in Virginia.
The move was surprising to me,as Myrtle Beach being the closest team in the CL to Atlanta and was considered Braves country.
It is quite a coup for Lynchburg with the amount of Braves fans in the area from their long tenure with Richmond as the Braves AAA affiliate and should help pick up attendance some for the Hillcats.
Considering the location and recent ballpark renovation in Myrtle Beach,it doesn't appear that Atlanta gained much,but the Braves apparently didn't have much choice as the Pelicans owner Chuck Greenberg initiated the move.
Greenberg recently bought the Texas Rangers and wanted the Pelicans to be affiliated with his squad,so Myrtle Beach will be with the Rangers.
Kinston and Potomac announced deals to stay with the Indians and Nationals respectively and ended the Carolina League affiliate dance with only the following changes-the Braves in Lynchburg,the Rangers entering the CL in Myrtle Beach and the Reds looking to be the odd team out and looking to be stuck in the California League.
The South Atlantic League looks to be standing pat as the only two Low A teams in all of the minors that have not renewed deals are your Hagerstown Suns and the Kane County Cougars.
That leaves just Washington and Oakland available and it would make no sense for either team to swap and it likely is just a formality keeping both teams in their current affiliations...
The Eastern League will be the same as last season,although there could be a few changes in the short season New York/Penn league as there are a few teams not locked in for 2011.....
2 comments:
Like rehab starts, parent-club affiliation is vastly overrated. I used to think that in some markets it was the end-all, be-all until what happened in the Eastern League this year... New Hampshire and New Britain both drew 5,500+ per date and in the top five for the league and they did it in Red Sox country w/o Boston affiliation. I believe that having their own identities (Fisher Cats*, Rock Cats) helps more than anyone will ever admit.
* I may be the only one that preferred the name that won the contest but got changed due to backlash... The New Hampshire Primaries
The New Hampshire Primaries!
That is good,too good to be used,I suppose.
Some markets affiliation is more important than others.
I know Hagerstown has never recovered from losing the Orioles.
One theory that I have is this-the further south you go,the less important that affiliation is.....
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