ValleyCats May Be Left Out In The Cold
Major League Baseball recently announced it is reducing the number of affiliated minor league teams from 160 to 120. It appears, one of the victims of this contraction will be the New York Penn League, which the Tri-City ValleyCats have been a part of for 18 years as a Houston Astro’s affiliate. Already, four teams from this league have announced they will become part of a new MLB Draft League, which will feature amateur (mostly college) players considered to be high draft prospects.
While there is no guarantee that the ValleyCats will be among the 120 teams to be picked to continue with major league affiliations, there is a strong push on to see that they are, including by New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who just happens to be the U.S. Senate Minority Leader.
According to a report in MiLB.com, Major League Baseball (MLB) plans to make an announcement in the next couple of weeks. If the ValleyCats are fortunate enough to retain an affiliation, just what league they would play in, remains to be seen. According to the Milb.com report, keeping a MLB affiliation is also predicated on a number of upgrades the minor league stadiums would need, including training, locker room and meal facilities. It is believed that some who retain their affliction, may decline because of the cost of these upgrades.
ValleyCats President Rick Murphy has been quoted in several publications as saying whatever the affiliate outcome is, they continued to be committed to providing their fans the best on-field product and entertainment value as possible.