BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — After questions revolved around the future of minor league baseball in Bluefield and Princeton this summer, those clubs finally have answers and baseball fans should be thrilled.
Major League Baseball (MLB) and USA Baseball announced Tuesday a new format for the Appalachian League, home of clubs in those two respective West Virginia cities, with a planned launch opening day in June 2021.
The league will feature the top rising college freshmen and sophomores in a 54-game game wood-bat season from June to August with an All-Star Game and playoffs.
“We are thrilled. The format that MLB has provided for us will ensure that we hold baseball here in our communities for quite some time,” Rocky Malamisura, the General Manager of the Bluefield Baseball Club told MetroNews.
As part of the deal, Bluefield will drop its MLB affiliation for the first time in over 60 years and its nickname associated with the Toronto Blue Jays. All 10 teams in the league will go through a rebranding process and create nicknames, logos and uniforms at a later date as they will no longer be a professional rookie league through Minor League Baseball (MiLB).
Malamisura said MLB will still be represented in games through scouting departments. According to a joint release, the Appalachian League will become a part of the Prospect Development Pipeline, the collaborative effort between MLB and USA Baseball that establishes a player development pathway for amateur baseball players in the United States.
MLB also said players will receive instruction from former MLB players and educational programming designed to prepare them for careers as professional athletes. The players will no longer be paid and controlled by a MLB parent club.
The parties are in communication with the NCAA to ensure athlete eligibility requirements are met. Malamisura said the league will feature Division I athletes along with Division II, II and NAIA where players could move on to the famed Cape Cod wood-bat league.
MLB and USA Baseball have already begun the process of identifying and inviting the 320 players to participate in next year’s league.
“The communities of the Appalachian League have supported baseball since our founding in 1911. We are grateful to MLB and USA Baseball for bringing this exciting opportunity to our fans and look forward to welcoming players, coaches, MLB scouts, and fans into our cities next summer,” Dan Moushon, the President of the Appalachian League said.
The future of those teams had been in doubt as MLB had been in discussions with MiLB to cut down the minor leagues by roughly 40 teams, even before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the 2020 season. A 10-year Professional Baseball Agreement between MLB and MiLB was set to expire at the end of the 2020 season.
Malaisura said the news is reassuring for his 42 gameday staff employees and the near $14 million impact on the economy between Bluefield and Princeton.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D- W.Va.) released a statement about the announcement, “After months of conversations with Major League Baseball, USA Baseball, and the Appalachian League, I am pleased by this agreement to bring the Appalachian League into the Prospect Development Pipeline. This collaboration will directly benefit our two Appalachian League teams in Bluefield and Princeton, which provide many West Virginians with entertainment and family time and foster a love of the American pastime.”
“Through this new arrangement, our communities will host the premier baseball players in the country, giving West Virginians a chance to see baseball’s future stars before they reach the big leagues. I am committed to ensuring the future of all of West Virginia’s minor league teams, and I will work with everyone involved to ensure these teams receive the support they need to succeed during this transition and look forward to seeing top talent play in the Mountain State for many years to come.”
In a similar statement, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), “Though we have missed baseball this summer on the diamonds across West Virginia, today’s announcement is great news for Bluefield and Princeton, and frankly for anyone who enjoys watching our nation’s game in a West Virginia summer. The announcement of this new format for the Appalachian League made today by MLB and Baseball USA ensures future summer nights in Princeton and Bluefield will be spent watching our national pastime. This partnership will enable the baseball tradition that has existed for decades in Mercer County to continue for many to come. I couldn’t be happier.”