TRENTON — When the Trenton Thunder opted for the MLB Draft League after being left out of the minor league baseball reshuffle, there was uncertainty whether the club that has called the capital city home for 30 seasons could continue to draw fans to the ballpark the way it had as a Yankees affiliate.
Team president Jeff Hurley, however, was confident he and his staff could still sell the “Thunder Entertainment Experience” as he likes to call it.
Even though the Thunder came up short in their quest to capture a second Draft League title in three seasons when they lost the championship game, 9-4, to West Virginia on Sunday night, the summer came to a close with per game attendance jumping from 4,890 per game to 5,455.
“The fans are tremendous and the support that we have year after year is nothing short of awesome to see,” Hurley said. “… We promote ourselves as more than just baseball. You’re always going to have a good time at the Trenton Thunder and see good baseball at the same time.”
Thunder toppled by Black Bears in MLB Draft League championship game
With evidence in place that the Greater Trenton area is still a vibrant minor league market, it begs, as it has for two summers now, the big question.
Is affiliated baseball returning to the banks of the Delaware River?
As a refresher: Major League Baseball assumed control of the minor league system prior to the 2021 season and sliced the number of affiliated teams from 160 to 120. When the Thunder lost their Double-A affiliation with the Yankees it was too late in the process to link up with another organization and ownership chose the Draft League — a 6-team venture that serves as a showcase for draft-eligible amateur players in the first half of the summer and converts to professional ball for the second half — as the best path back to an affiliation.
"Our goal is to be affiliated again," Hurley said. "We are doing everything in our power to do that, but we do have to be patient. It's not just us who can snap our fingers and get an affiliate. It's going to take things to come together."
Hurley said the organization is ready to welcome a major league affiliate as early as next season, but it takes two to tango and as of now the hunt for an opening is ongoing.
"We got the Blue Jays real quick that 2021 year," Hurley said. "There's no timeline. We're taking it as it comes. We try and keep communications where we need to. Their season is still ongoing on the MiLB side and ours is done. We'll pay close attention, but we'll see what happens."
Once of the MLB mandates when it took control of MiLB was for facilities to be upgraded, and the 30-year-old Trenton Thunder Ballpark is no exception. Hurley said there would need to be work done on the clubhouses — there is space to underneath the stadium as well as a third clubhouse that is used for storage — and the field will likely need a renovation to accommodate a big league club.
"It's certainly on the list," Hurley said when asked about the field, while acknowledging they want a natural grass surface and not a turfed infield. "We've dealt with that the past couple years. We always try to put forth the best effort to play every game and unfortunately a couple times we were unable to. That is one of the things we want to address. We still feel like we have a good field, but it's just an older field."
In the meantime, the Thunder are expecting to press forward with year four in the Draft League, which has improved its quality each season.
"I think the players got a little bit better the second half, but there are still some hiccups internally that we have to turnaround as far as evaluating talent, evaluating staff and evaluating stadiums," Thunder manager Jeff Manto said. "I think it's on the right direction, but there needs to be a little more of a plan where we're going. What is the identity?"
There's a sense the Draft League wants to attract more established professionals for the second half of the year. Last summer, the pro portion was mostly players 24 and under, but this go round there was more of a veteran presence. West Virginia starter Brady Tedesco, who threw eight innings of one-run ball in the championship game, turns 27 next month and was in the independent Frontier League before moving over to the Draft League.
"That's a good thing," Manto said. "I think that's where it's headed. When you have a guy like that, you have to use it. It's professional baseball. The age range of professional baseball does do that."
Whatever is on tap for next season, Hurley and his staff will be ready.
"I think we have a top facility in all of minor league baseball," he said. "We want to do things here and there, but we feel like we're ready. We do what to upgrade some things in the clubhouse area, but we feel like we could be an affiliate tomorrow. It's a 30-year old facility so there are some ins and outs we would like to improve, but we still feel like this is a great place."
