With the MiLB season nearing its end, there will be several changes for the 2019 season. Of course, there will be some affiliation changes as many PDCs expire after the 2018 season but there will several moves of teams due to the big overhaul by the Elmore Sports Group. And another team will move into a new stadium.
With the moves made by the Elmore Sports Group, three teams will move to different cities. First of all, the Colorado Springs SkySox will move to San Antonio. The current San Antonio Missions (AA, Texas League) will make room for the AAA SkySox, who will adopt the Missions’ moniker. The current San Antonio Missions will move to Amarillo, where they will play in a brand new stadium. The name and team colours will be unveiled later this year. The void that is left in Colorado Springs will be filled by the Helena Brewers. One can only wonder how an AAA ballpark will be a good fit for an Advanced Rookie team.
As the Elmore Sports Group was pushing for a new AAA ballpark in San Antonio, the city did not seem to be interested as it was courting the MLS for a team. Now the MLS has surpassed San Antonio, all options are open again.
Linked to these moves is the future of the Fresno Grizzlies, the Round Rock Express and the future AAA San Antonio Missions. It is expected that the Houston Astros will return to Round Rock and the Texas Rangers will take the place of the Milwaukee Brewers with the future AAA San Antonio Missions, which leaves Fresno without a partner for now. But several other AAA PDCs are about to expire, so there are plenty of opportunities for the Fresno Grizzlies.
Another team that will be on the move is the Las Vegas 51s. The team will move into a new stadium at adjacent Summerlin. After years of looking for a new ballpark as Cashman field became rather obsolete, the team finally found a partner in the Howard Hughes Corp. which joined forces with Play Ball Owners Group in a joint venture named Summerlin Las Vegas Baseball Club LLC. The Howard Hughes Corp. owns the ground on which the ballpark is built.
Of course, the PDC of the Las Vegas 51s and the New York Mets will expire after this season. The Mets will move to Syracuse as they bought the local Chiefs, leaving the 51s without an MLB partner. But with a brand new ballpark, the club will be courted by many other MLB clubs for sure.
With several PDCs set to expire, more changes may be expected. You will read them here as soon as they take place.
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