Peter Kirk, the chairman of Opening Day Partners, the group that owns the York Revolution, is looking to develop a Caribbean connection for the Atlantic League. Kirk said the league has been approached by representatives from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
The connection might not mean adding a team with a full slate of 140 games per season. Instead, it might mean pitting some Atlantic League all-stars against stars from one of those countries.
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York Daily Record/Sunday News Sportswriter Jim Seip has covered minor league baseball since 2001. He's covered the York Revolution since the franchise's first game in 2007.
The idea is absolutely nuts. They haven’t even begun to expand in the Houston market, Louden isn’t even off and running yet, and they want to go to the islands?? ODP is barely able to properly run the clubs they have already.
I think you touched on one of the reasons why the league might entertain a look at the islands. Expansion in the northeast is dragging. Several markets (Frederick, Richmond, Nassau County) have stalled or turned down the league. Loudoun County has picked a new location, but still hasn’t put a shovel in the ground.
Look what’s available to the league right now: Major markets outside the continental U.S. where the MLB won’t place a team.
Is it nuts to pursue those interested locales?
The league is not talking about adding teams ready to jump into a 140-game season. They are looking for some type of connection in baseball-rich areas.