Sutter Health Park
At long last, Major League Baseball has unveiled its overhaul of the minor league system, complete with changed affiliations, leagues that will take some getting used to and axed clubs.
For new and former Giants affiliates, all of that applies.
San Francisco formally invited its four full-season affiliates into its player-development system Wednesday, keeping Sacramento at Triple-A and Richmond in Double-A (although some negotiations are needed with the Flying Squirrels). The Giants invited the Eugene Emeralds to be their High-A team, replacing San Jose, which has been reorganized as the Giants’ Class-A affiliate. Augusta, formerly the Giants’ A-ball team, will become a Braves affiliate.
Major League Baseball teams invited 119 minor league teams into affiliated ball while eliminating dozens more. Included in that latter group are the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, who had been a feeder team of the Giants for 26 years, a team that has fought against contraction and appears to have lost. Short-season ball will no longer exist, and what was the short-season Northwest League will become a smaller High-A league.
The Emeralds — who won Baseball America’s 2020 award for the short-season team with the best overall operation, the organization coordinating blood drives and mask making and distributing programs — were formerly a Cubs affiliate. Six clubs from the league have been invited into affiliated ball.
“Best of luck to the @SFGiants. Through our 26 year partnership, 112 players made it to The Show, we won 7 Divison titles and 5 NWL championships,” Salem-Keizer tweeted. “Our next chapter will be just as fun.”
Even for the operations the Giants invited, the next chapters are not solidified.
There likely won’t be much haggling from the nearby Sacramento River Cats, who have been promoting Giants prospects in selling tickets for next season. San Jose, which is owned by the big club, said it is “proud to extend our decades long relationship” with the Giants. Eugene said it was excited at the “prospect” of joining the Giants. The Richmond Flying Squirrels hinted there will be more negotiating to do before they formally accept. The nearby Nationals reportedly would have interest in Richmond if a new stadium is built there.
“We look forward to reviewing the specifics of the invitation and final document,” the team said in a statement. “In the meantime, we will continue to focus on being an impactful member of the Richmond community and look forward to welcoming fans back to The Diamond as soon as it is safe to do so.”
It is possible the Flying Squirrels want a longer-term arrangement to be an affiliate. Regardless, it would be a major surprise if they do not accept.
“It’s a privilege to extend invitations to the four communities in Sacramento, Richmond, Eugene and San Jose to become our affiliates under Major League Baseball’s new player development structure,” Farhan Zaidi said in a statement. “Our affiliate relationships with Sacramento, Richmond and San Jose have provided outstanding player development environments while producing many on-field successes. We’re excited to now have the opportunity to develop the same type of rewarding partnership with Eugene.”
Provided the two sides agree, this will be a reunion between the Giants and the Emeralds, partnered from 1959-1962.
“As we look to the next chapter of Ems Baseball, we are excited at the prospect of being a San Francisco Giants affiliate,” general manager Allan Benavides said in a statement. “There is no denying the San Francisco Giants reputation in player development. They have dominated the Northwest League for years winning five League titles since 1998. Just knowing the sheer amount of Giants fans in the greater Eugene market, we know this will be a game-changer for Ems fans. At the end of the day, we are just incredibly eager to get back on the field and showcase our award-winning gameday experience for our fans at PK Park next year.”