Why does MLB want to send Fresno Grizzlies to A ball? It’s not team’s fault, nor fans
This feels like getting plunked in the ribs by a 98 mph fastball. But it’s more a slap in the face by the baseball gods.
Fresno’s eminence as a Triple-A city, a distinction it has held for the last 23 years, is in serious peril. And not through any fault of our own, which makes the impending demotion all the more frustrating.
Minor league baseball is undergoing its biggest upheaval in decades. Forty teams are on the chopping block as MLB clubs seek to cut expenses and exert more control over their farm systems, and the seismic impact will reverberate here.
Since their inception in 1998, the Fresno Grizzlies have been a Triple-A team. One step below the big leagues. But if MLB’s proposal goes through — and there’s little indication it won’t — they’ll be four steps below the majors as a member of the California League, which is shifting from High Class A to Low Class A.
Even though we’re not losing the pleasure of professional baseball in downtown Fresno on all those spring and summer evenings (pandemic permitting, of course), that’s quite the plunge.
Why are the Grizzlies taking the fall? Before I answer that question, let’s take a quick stroll through three factors that aren’t in play.
The stadium — Chukchansi Park may turn 20 years old next year (indeed), but it remains an above-average facility by Triple-A baseball standards. The field is well-maintained and there’s plenty of space for all the player development facilities and needs (i.e. clubhouses, training rooms, indoor batting cages) that MLB teams require.
Team ownership — The Grizzlies gained a large measure of stability in 2018 when Fresno Sports and Events LLC, a group headed by Michael Baker, purchased the franchise. More than $4 million has since been spent on stadium upgrades, and ownership’s commitment to Fresno is backed by a “non-relocation agreement” with the city.
Fan support — Over the last decade, attendance has been decent. The Grizzlies consistently rank between sixth and 10th in the 16-team PCL, which could be reduced to as few as 10 clubs as MLB seeks to tighten the geographic footprint between major-league teams and their minor-league affiliates.
MLB teams shun Fresno
That tightening is why the Washington Nationals on Thursday ditched the Grizzlies for the Rochester Red Wings. That 2,700-mile partnership was never going to work for more than two years.
Now, during this larger industry-wide shift, the lack of an MLB affiliate located on the West Coast is what’s working against the Grizzlies the most.
The Grizzlies had this from 1998 to 2014, of course, but the San Francisco Giants preferred Sacramento. After the Giants departed Fresno, the Oakland A’s didn’t show the slightest interest in moving here, opting for Nashville and then Las Vegas instead.
The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t an option — not for as long as Dodgers co-owner Peter Guber has a controlling interest in the Oklahoma City Dodgers.
The rest either have longtime affiliates (Los Angeles Angels and Salt Lake City; Seattle Mariners and Tacoma, Wash.; Arizona Diamondbacks and Reno) or seem satisfied where they are (San Diego Padres and El Paso, Texas; Colorado Rockies and Albuquerque, New Mexico).
All of which leaves the Grizzlies among the most logical (at least from MLB’s perspective) Triple-A franchises to demote. The California League, made up primarily of cities in the San Joaquin Valley and Inland Empire, is the only landing spot. Fresno does have history in the Cal League, the Fresno Cardinals played there (1941-42, 1946-56) as did the Fresno Giants (1958-87). Still, right now, it feels like a Pablo Sandoval-sized letdown.
Windfall for Grizzlies owners?
What’s the impact from all this? For fans who go to games to drink beer and socialize, the biggest change will be the age of the players. Some will be teenagers. More astute fans will notice subtler differences. A pitcher with a live arm but little command. A hitter who can’t lay off sliders in the dirt. An infielder going to the wrong spot during a relay throw home.
Attendance could take a dip, though at least some revenue losses will be offset by a reduction in travel expenses. After all, chartering a bus is a whole lot cheaper than ponying up for flights in and out of Fresno Yosemite International.
I don’t believe MLB can demote the Grizzlies against their will. Rather, they’ll soften the blow.
According to Baseball America, MLB’s proposal lays out set values for minor-league franchises at different levels. Triple-A teams are valued at $20 million, Double-A at $15 million, High Class A at $10 million and Low Class A at $8 million, and franchises asked to move down levels will be compensated accordingly.
Meaning if those figures are accurate, Grizzlies ownership can soon expect a $12 million check.
Which will certainly cover plenty of bus trips to Stockton and Rancho Cucamonga.
This story was originally published November 22, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
