“POD ’10” – ’Birds of a Feather Flock Together
This is now the very definition of “fantasy baseball.” In case any new onlookers sees this for the first time, I want to clearly state that none of the following is true, factual or even remotely going to happen. This is purely a “what if”/hypothetical case study of what the birth of a new Minor League Baseball team could be like leading up to Opening Day 2010….
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cardinals fortify Minor League operations closer to St. Louis; buys and moves Class A team to Columbia, Mo.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (November 3, 2009) – The St. Louis Cardinals today announced the purchase and relocation of the Class A Midwest League Beloit Snappers to Columbia (Mo.) for the 2010 season. The franchise will be called the “Columbia Cardinals” and play at Taylor Stadium.
In addition, the St. Louis Cardinals transferred its Player Development Contract (PDC) with the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for the PDC with the new Columbia franchise. St. Louis’ PDC with Columbia now runs indefinitely due to its ownership of the affiliate.
“As we continue to maximize efficiencies within our baseball operations department, we look for opportunities to bring affiliates closer to St. Louis,” said Bill DeWitt III, President of the St. Louis Cardinals. “By placing our Midwest League team in Columbia, we consolidate our on-field operations while also providing a new outlet for Cardinal fans in mid-Missouri to enjoy our brand of baseball when they cannot make it to games at Busch Stadium.”
The Columbia Cardinals join other full-season, St. Louis affiliates within a 4.5-hour drive from Busch Stadium: Class AAA Memphis Redbirds and Class AA Springfield (Mo.) Cardinals. The Palm Beach Cardinals, St. Louis’ Class A-Advanced affiliate in the Florida State League, plays at St. Louis’ Spring Training complex in Jupiter, Fla.
To lead the “Baby ’Birds” – as some within the organization have already begun to dub the new team, Columbia hired University of Missouri alum Kurt Hunzeker as its first General Manager. Hunzeker previously served as a consultant for a previous attempt to bring affiliated baseball to Columbia in 2005.
“I have always maintained that Columbia is an ideal Minor League Baseball market for numerous reasons,” Hunzeker said. “The smartest affiliation is obviously with St. Louis, considering the fact that Mid-Missouri is deep in the heart of ‘Cardinal Nation.’”
As the closest affiliate to St. Louis, Columbia should also benefit from having big-league rehab assignments come through Taylor Stadium in 2010. St. Louis has shown a penchant to send big leaguers to Springfield more than Memphis in recent years for rehab assignments due to proximity.
With the relocation to Columbia, the Midwest League expands its boundaries again after extending further eastward and to the south with the addition of the Lake County (Eastlake, Ohio) Captains and Bowling Green (Ky.) Hot Rods, respectively. The Captains and Hot Rods will transition from the South Atlantic League beginning in 2010.
Hunzeker announced that the Columbia Cardinals will unveil its full brand identity package and unveil a first-of-its-kind partnership in sports later this week.
