Fresno may get Class AAA affiliate.
Colorado Springs moving franchise
The Milwaukee Brewers apparently will get their wish to relocate their Class AAA affiliate from the undesired location in Colorado Springs but not until 2019.
The Brewers, however, are not expected to follow the franchise to San Antonio and likely will end up in Fresno.
The Elmore Sports group announced Wednesday it is responding to “pressure from within major-league baseball” and will move the Class AAA franchise to San Antonio, Texas, for the 2019 season. It will be replaced with the short-season rookie ball club currently playing in Helena, Mont., another affiliate of the Brewers.
The Class AA San Antonio Missions will move to a new ballpark in Amarillo, Texas. The Elmore Group owns all three affected franchises.
The industry buzz is that the Texas Rangers will change Class AAA affiliations from Round Rock, Texas, and go to San Antonio. That move is expected to result in the Houston Astros changing affiliates from Fresno, Calif., to Round Rock.
That likely would leave Fresno as the Brewers’ only choice as a Class AAA affiliate unless another city looks to make a change for 2019. Whether the Brewers’ would retain their affiliation with the relocated Helena rookieball team is to be determined because that player development contract also expires after next year.
Asked what he thought might happen with Brewers affiliates, general manager David Stearns said, “We have a good relationship with the Elmore group. Our PDCs in both Colorado Springs and Helena run through the 2018 season, so we’re status quo for a while.
“As always, when PDCs expire, there is movement. So, we’ll see where the dominoes fall. I’ve certainly heard certain things. But things change. A year ago at this time, we had no idea we were going to be in (Class A) Carolina. We’re still a year and a half away from everything moving as people are predicting.”
The Brewers were left with no other option but to relocate to Colorado Springs after the Class AAA Nashville Sounds decided to change their affiliation to the Oakland A’s for the 2015 season. The Brewers signed a twoyear player development contract with the Sky Sox, then re-upped for two more years when there again was no alternative.
The Colorado Rockies were affiliated since 1993 with Colorado Springs but opted to leave after the 2014 season and relocate to Albuquerque, a red flag considering the geographical proximity of the Sky Sox. With an elevation of nearly 6,500 feet – the highest for a ballpark in the United States – Security Service Field has been a nightmare for pitchers because of the way baseballs carry there.
The Brewers had prospects such as Jorge Lopez and Taylor Jungmann struggle so badly at Colorado Springs that they were moved back to Class AA Biloxi last year. Jungmann is back with the Sky Sox now and doing much better (4-0, 1.03 ERA in five games).
“There is a reason why that group has decided that Colorado Springs is not a great place for a Triple-A team or that there are preferable places elsewhere,” Stearns said.
“Part of it is the run environment. Part of it is the weather as well. That will be solved by putting a short-season team there and start in June when the weather in Colorado Springs is nice.” Road trip coming: Second baseman Jonathan Villar and Ryan Braun will go Thursday to Class A Wisconsin on minorleague rehab assignments. Villar has been on the disabled list since June 10 with a lower back strain, and Braun has been out since May 26 with a strained left calf.
It will be the first minor-league rehab assignment
for Braun during his 10 years in the majors.
“Most likely, it’ll be through the weekend for both of them,” manager
Craig Counsell said. “(Joining the team next week in Cincinnati) is kind of the tentative plan. We have to see how it goes for both of them. There are some weather concerns, too.” Suter replaces Peralta:
Left-hander Brent Suter came up for the fifth time from Colorado Springs to replace right-hander Wily
Peralta, who was placed on the 10-day DL with a right calf strain.
There had been no previous indication that Peralta’s calf was bothering him, but it came at a convenient time with him struggling mightily since moving to the bullpen (10.54 ERA in last nine outings).
Suter showed up in the clubhouse before that move was made, and the joke was that he has become so accustomed to being called up, he reported on his own.
“He’s on a biological clock. It’s like the geese migrating,” Counsell joked.
As for Suter being summoned five times already from the minors, Counsell said, “It’s a little bit of a credit to him that we’re counting on him. His versatility as a pitcher — you don’t always use that word with a pitcher — but he’s been versatile and that’s valuable.”