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08-19-2004, 11:40 PM
The four-year partnership between the High Desert Mavericks and the Milwaukee Brewers looks like it is about to end. First-year general manager Bruce Mann is hoping to land a new major league affiliation that will breathe some life back into the fledgling franchise.
High Desert is one of a handful of California League teams whose Player Development Agreement with their parent club runs out at the end of this season. Others rumored to be looking for new affiliations are Stockton (now with the Texas Rangers), Visalia (Colorado Rockies) and Bakersfield (Tampa Bay Devil Rays).
The courting process is about to begin. The seven-day period in which minor and major league teams can file paperwork declaring their intention to look around starts Friday. Official talks can begin Sept.6. Teams that haven't found an affiliation by the Sept.25 deadline are assigned one.
"Neither one of us has made a call,' Mann said of the Mavericks and the Brewers. "You would think if they were interested they would have made a call. And if we were interested we would have made a call. A new affiliation would be a great way to re-energize this franchise. I think it's just what we need.'
The Mavericks' biggest frustration with the Brewers lies with the lack of a competitive product it has delivered for the duration of the partnership. They were slightly above .500 in 2001 at 71-69 but are just 143-257 (.358) in the last three years. Their 42-98 record in 2003 was the worst in all of minor league baseball and their 41-79 this season is the second-worst to only the Low-A Greensboro Bats (Florida Marlins) of the South Atlantic League.
"Three years of .300 baseball is enough,' Mann said. "We have a core of very loyal fans and we owe it to them to get a better product in here.'
And it isn't that the Brewers don't have talent in their farm system. Last year, Baseball America ranked the Brewers' minor league system No.1. Yet the Brewers' top prospects never get sent to Adelanto.
Second baseman Rickie Weeks, the organization's top prospect, went from Low-A Beloit of the Midwest League to Double-A Huntsville (Ala.) of the Southern League. As did No.2 prospect Prince Fielder, son of former major leaguer Cecil Fielder; No.6 prospect Mike Jones; No.12 Dennis Sarfate; and No.17 prospect Anthony Gwynn, son of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.
Over the weekend the Brewers sent No.16 prospect Dana Eveland, a left-handed pitcher, from Beloit to Huntsville even though the Mavericks are down to 10 pitchers due to injuries.
"They're not sending a good message to the guys that are here,' Mann added. "And when you're as short on bodies as we are here, it gets to be a safety issue.'
The Rockies would appear to be the most likely future partner, especially with their agreement with Visalia also expiring. The Rockies have had a good working relationship with Visalia, but Mavericks Stadium would be a significant upgrade over Recreation Park as far as a setting in which to develop players.
The similarities between Mavericks Stadium and Coors Field would also make the partnership a good fit.
The poor product on the field has not helped attendance. The Mavericks are seventh in the league at 1,800 fans per game, worst among South division teams but better than North division teams Stockton, Bakersfield and Visalia.
The closure of the Air Force Base nearby in the mid 1990s also caused attendance to dip, but Mann thinks that trend could easily be reversed. The High Desert area is one of the few in the state where housing is affordable and there still is plenty of land for new housing to be built.
"We're looking forward to hitting the ground running next year,' Mann said. "There are people moving out here every day. We just need to let them know we're out here.'
High Desert is one of a handful of California League teams whose Player Development Agreement with their parent club runs out at the end of this season. Others rumored to be looking for new affiliations are Stockton (now with the Texas Rangers), Visalia (Colorado Rockies) and Bakersfield (Tampa Bay Devil Rays).
The courting process is about to begin. The seven-day period in which minor and major league teams can file paperwork declaring their intention to look around starts Friday. Official talks can begin Sept.6. Teams that haven't found an affiliation by the Sept.25 deadline are assigned one.
"Neither one of us has made a call,' Mann said of the Mavericks and the Brewers. "You would think if they were interested they would have made a call. And if we were interested we would have made a call. A new affiliation would be a great way to re-energize this franchise. I think it's just what we need.'
The Mavericks' biggest frustration with the Brewers lies with the lack of a competitive product it has delivered for the duration of the partnership. They were slightly above .500 in 2001 at 71-69 but are just 143-257 (.358) in the last three years. Their 42-98 record in 2003 was the worst in all of minor league baseball and their 41-79 this season is the second-worst to only the Low-A Greensboro Bats (Florida Marlins) of the South Atlantic League.
"Three years of .300 baseball is enough,' Mann said. "We have a core of very loyal fans and we owe it to them to get a better product in here.'
And it isn't that the Brewers don't have talent in their farm system. Last year, Baseball America ranked the Brewers' minor league system No.1. Yet the Brewers' top prospects never get sent to Adelanto.
Second baseman Rickie Weeks, the organization's top prospect, went from Low-A Beloit of the Midwest League to Double-A Huntsville (Ala.) of the Southern League. As did No.2 prospect Prince Fielder, son of former major leaguer Cecil Fielder; No.6 prospect Mike Jones; No.12 Dennis Sarfate; and No.17 prospect Anthony Gwynn, son of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.
Over the weekend the Brewers sent No.16 prospect Dana Eveland, a left-handed pitcher, from Beloit to Huntsville even though the Mavericks are down to 10 pitchers due to injuries.
"They're not sending a good message to the guys that are here,' Mann added. "And when you're as short on bodies as we are here, it gets to be a safety issue.'
The Rockies would appear to be the most likely future partner, especially with their agreement with Visalia also expiring. The Rockies have had a good working relationship with Visalia, but Mavericks Stadium would be a significant upgrade over Recreation Park as far as a setting in which to develop players.
The similarities between Mavericks Stadium and Coors Field would also make the partnership a good fit.
The poor product on the field has not helped attendance. The Mavericks are seventh in the league at 1,800 fans per game, worst among South division teams but better than North division teams Stockton, Bakersfield and Visalia.
The closure of the Air Force Base nearby in the mid 1990s also caused attendance to dip, but Mann thinks that trend could easily be reversed. The High Desert area is one of the few in the state where housing is affordable and there still is plenty of land for new housing to be built.
"We're looking forward to hitting the ground running next year,' Mann said. "There are people moving out here every day. We just need to let them know we're out here.'