Missions to name new affiliate

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Just got a release from Missions PR.



Missions to Announce New MLB Affiliate





What: Press Conference to Announce a New MLB Affiliation Contract



When: Thursday, September 28, 2006 -1:00 PM



Where: Home Plate Wolff Stadium

(Media can enter through 1st or 3rd Base Gate)





Missions President Burl Yarbrough will announce the San Antonio Missions new Major League Baseball affiliate Thursday, September 28 at 1:00 pm at Nelson Wolff Stadium. The General Manager of the new affiliate will be on hand as well to field questions and address the media.



The new affiliation will be San Antonio’s 10th different affiliate in the organizations long history. It will mark the end of a six-year affiliation with the Seattle Mariners (2001-2006).
Missions Major League Affiliates



St. Louis Browns – 1933-1942 1946-1953

Baltimore Orioles – 1954 – 1958

Chicago Cubs – 1959 – 1962 1968 -1971

Houston Astros – 1963 – 1964

Milwaukee - 1972

Cleveland Indians – 1973 –1975

Texas Rangers – 1976

Los Angeles Dodgers 1977 - 2000

Seattle Mariners – 2001 - 2006

[Solid D]

An article on the 16th said that possible affiliates might be the Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Padres Since the above article says the new affiliation will be San Antonio’s 10th different affiliate, that rules out the Cubs.

[T Park]

I thought I heard the DBacks signed with someone already.


If its the CUbs, gauranteed to have great pitchers.

Padres have good prospects as well, as the DBacks.

[Das Texan]

dbacks would be the best organization to have.

[FromWayDowntown]

I'm guessing Padres.

[sa_butta]

any update on this??

[MosesGuthrie]

According to The Ticket, its the Padres.

[Ignite]

I live in Germany, so can anyone give a definitive answer?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I live in Germany, so can anyone give a definitive answer?

It was the Padres.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/baseball/missions/stories/MYSA092906.05D.BBMmissions.padres.2fc87c6.html

Baseball: Padres pledge winning attitude with Missions

Web Posted: 09/28/2006 10:26 PM CDT

David King
Express-News Staff Writer

Missions president Burl Yarbrough was beaming Thursday.

"We could not have made a better deal," he said, moments after signing a two-year player development agreement with the San Diego Padres.

Both Padres executives who came to Wolff Stadium on Thursday — Kevin Towers, the team's executive vice president and general manager, and Grady Fuson, the vice president for scouting and player development — emphasized the club was dedicated to fielding winning teams in the minor leagues.

On top of that, Towers said he would be working with Yarbrough to bring the big-league club to San Antonio for an exhibition game.

"We'd like to give fans here a look at our players, and the best way to do that is to come here at some point," Towers said. "We know people are familiar with our team, since they play over in Houston regularly, but playing here is something we're open to doing."

It would be at least 2008 before the game could be arranged, but Yarbrough said he would talk to the Padres about the idea. The last exhibition game at Wolff Stadium was in 2001, the first year of the Missions' affiliation with the Seattle Mariners.

The Padres are returning to the Texas League for the first time since 1994, but both Towers and Fuson are familiar with the league. Towers pitched for Beaumont from 1983-85, and Fuson has served as scouting director for both the Texas Rangers and the Oakland Athletics, longtime parent clubs in the league.

Both said the organization was dedicated to a stable farm system — the Padres had been with their previous Double-A affiliate, in Mobile, Ala., for 19 years and have been at Class A Fort Wayne, Ind., for 20 — as well as developing a winning attitude.

"We believe in winning at the minor-league level," Towers said. "We had three of our lower-level clubs in the playoff this year. That's how guys learn how to win."

The Missions' last two seasons with the Mariners were marked by constant turnover on the roster — 52 players wore Missions uniforms this season and 44 the year before. This year's team finished last in both halves of the season for the first time since 1987.

Fuson said the group that would come to San Antonio at the end of spring training — incidentally, from the facility in Peoria, Ariz., that the Padres share with the Mariners — will include the nucleus of a Lake Elsinore team that made the California League playoffs.

"We were a pitching-driven team in (Class A) Lake Elsinore, so the pitching will be pretty good," Fuson said. "We may pick up some six-year minor-league free agents, too."

Fuson said he expected to name the on-field staff within a month. Last season's Double-A manager was a Texan, Gary Jones, who is a 14-year veteran of the minor leagues. The native of Henderson has won four championships as a minor-league manager.



Future Missions
Some of the players expected to be in San Antonio in 2007 with the Missions:
-Tim Brown: Started at first base at Class A Lake Elsinore this season ... led the team with 37 doubles and 75 RBIs.
-Chase Headley: Started at third base at Lake Elsinore ... a switch-hitter, he had a .291 average with 12 homers and 73 RBIs ... a second-round pick in 2005.
-Neil Jamison: The closer at Lake Elsinore, he had 31 saves, second in the league ... he struck out 71 in 69 innings and allowed only 18 walks ... a sixth-round draft pick in 2005.
-Cesar Carrillo: A starter at Double-A Mobile, but only appeared in nine games because of injuries ... had a 3.02 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 502/3 innings ... a former first-round pick.

[T Park]

Much rather have had the D Backs or the Cubs.

Thats where the Cubs best players are is in the minors.