North Carolina Minor League Baseball

Batter up in North Carolina minor league baseball. North Carolina minor league baseball teams.
Batter up in North Carolina minor league baseball.

Minor League Baseball: North Carolina’s Biggest Block Party

By Beth Reiber

North Carolina minor league baseball teams
Minor league baseball is big in North Carolina.

Take a diamond of sod about half the size of a city block. Pepper it with youngsters with big-league dreams.

Add fans, family, friends, fireworks, food, freebies and wrap it all in the flag. And you’ve got the reasons why Minor League Baseball will connect with tourists and Tar Heels alike even bigger this year than it has in recent memory.

Which is saying quite a bit, really. In a state known more for basketball passion, Minor League Baseball in NC has enjoyed a boom in popularity in the past several seasons, a surge more related to sheer family entertainment value than to any team’s position in the standings of their respective league.

Going back to the ’80s, minor league owners realized that the product was as much showmanship as split-finger fastball. Ever since, the nine clubs strung like beads along the I-40 and I-85 corridors have served as a laboratory of fan promotions and ballpark improvements, generating a level of enthusiasm many GMs in “the Show” would envy.

North Carolina’s
Siamese Twins

As a result, the minors in North Carolina offer tourists and travelers a unique opportunity to connect with the real spirit of the state’s cities and towns – and the real spirit of baseball – in a setting that’s often as much block party as it is ballpark.

North Carolina brings baseball and the spirit of baseball to people, which gives people the opportunity to grow in friendship and support. Baseball trading pins are also often used as an olive branch for friendship. Trading pins are now popular among baseball players and baseball fans alike, who cherish the memories of each game by exchanging and collecting commemorative pins on the field. Going home with a trading pin is usually expected.

If you’d like to make custom trading pins for your team, check out at GS-JJ, which offers free online design and fast shipping.

Oh, there’s a game going on, alright. North Carolina has always been a proving ground for Major League talent, including such Hall Of Fame probables as Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken, Jr., Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, and Chipper Jones. And this year will be no different. Though rosters are never firmly established in the minors, here’s a brief overview of what holds in store for traveling fans in North Carolina.

Minor League Baseball Teams in North Carolina in 2020

Asheville Tourists

asheville touristsWhen you’ve been around since 1897, chances are you’ve sent a lot of players to the bigs – 497 to be exact. Even the batboys here have included such notables as Thomas Wolfe and University of Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams. Asheville’s McCormick Field is unique in that it’s both an urban park and, as befits this mountain destination, sports a wooded backdrop.

Thirsty Thursdays, the Tourists’ discounted beverage night, the brainchild of GM Ron McKee, is probably the most popular ongoing fan promotion, although the club has the usual number of family-oriented giveaways. This year, this Colorado Rockies’ affiliate expects to field an aggressive team heavy on the pitching. www.theashevilletourists.com

Winston-Salem Dash

The Dash, once known as the Warthogs, have played continuously since 1945, claim the title of the longest consecutively playing team in North Carolina. The Dash play in a stadium called BB&T Ballpark Winston-Salem, after decades at the former Ernie Shore Stadium. The Winston-Salem Dash are the Chicago White Sox affiliate in the Carolina League.

Before 2009, the team was known as the Winston-Salem Warthogs.

Greensboro Grasshoppers

The Grasshoppers were once known as the Bats. Today they are affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Class A South Atlantic League, and managed by Former Reds catcher Miguel Perez.greensboro grasshoppers

RHP Steven Jennings is the No. 13 prospect in the Pirates system. A second-rounder in 2017, he has four pitches that he blends well to go along with his 94-mph fastball.

The Grasshoppers are in their first year with the Pirates after 16 years as a Florida Marlins affiliate. Other than Jennings, the only other top-30 prospect on the roster is outfielder Lolo Sanchez. The team plays at the new 7500-seat  First National Bank Field, where they have luxury boxes and a playground for the kids. www.milb.com/greeensboro

Burlington Royals

royals

The B-Tribe is unique to North Carolina for a different reason, they play in the Rookie Advance Appalachian League. Burlington plays a short season which doesn’t begin until after the Amateur Baseball Draft in June. The team has a mini-camp in Burlington in June, “which gives us the opportunity to know who our roster is going to be.”

One year, Burlington sported four of Cleveland’s top-five draft picks, pitchers all. Also that season, Burlington selected their first All-Time team, which included such current stars as Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and C.C. Sabathia. The most popular fan offering will be the return of the Six-Pack Promotion, a ticket package that includes six of the best dates during the season including batting helmet night and a t-shirt giveaway.shim

Durham Bulls

durham bulls
Durham Bulls baseball team

What could possibly be bigger than winning two of the last three Southern Division IL titles? How about a 100th Anniversary? That’s the best reason for the Durham Bulls, now in the Tampa Bay organization. And party the Bulls will, as they celebrate no fewer than 10 different team affiliations in a century of play. Every Friday night, the Bulls will don a uniform from their past and honor fans with special autograph signing sessions.

Popular bobblehead doll promotions, which in the past have included David Justice, Andruw Jones, and Chipper Jones, will also be continued. Even the Bulls, whose ballpark has been immortalized in film, say you can’t look at the minors purely as baseball.

“We are the most inexpensive family entertainment value around. We treat our ballpark like Disney World, with Wooly Bully, the clowns, great food…” The team? A little older, wiser than last year. Watch for hot prospect Powell Crawford. www.dbulls.com

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, Class ‘A’ affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, kick off their 2020 season on April 16 in their new stadium called Kannapolis Ballpark with a game against West Virginia.

The newest ballpark in North Carolina is the Kannapolis Ballpark, home of the Cannon ballers
The newest ballpark in North Carolina is the Kannapolis Ballpark, home of the Cannon ballers.

With the picturesque North Carolina Research Campus as a backdrop, fans will enjoy the first of 70 scheduled home games for in the South Atlantic League starting with the home opener against the West Virginia Power. Almost half of the 2020 slate of home games will fall on weekends (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) and will include all three summer holidays (Memorial Day, Independence & Labor Days).

Charlotte Knights

knights

The Chicago White Sox AAA affiliate, whose home is just off I-77 two miles south of the state line, lights up the sky with fireworks to start the season on April 9th, end it on August 30th, as well as two sky shows on July 4th and 5th.

Charlotte Knights Stadium personifies what minor league baseball is all about. Down the 1st base side, a playground features mini golf, speed pitch, and a working horse carousel. Meanwhile, the 3rd base side has an adult beverage garden where group outings congregate.

Upstairs, a full-service restaurant offers all you can eat. Though the Sox are famous for setting the table with talent, this year’s

Appropriately, manager Nick Capra is the first Knights All-Star player to return as skipper. www.charlotteknights.com/

Carolina Mudcats

carolina mudcats

This team is affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers.

This AA Rockies affiliate plays in the Southern League and calls Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC home. The home slate is spiced liberally with fan promotions. Children’s’ giveaways alone include Notebook Night, Bat Night, T-shirt Night and Replica Jersey Night. The stadium holds 6500 fans.

Adult giveaways include gym bags, magnetic schedules, 6-pack coolers, and umbrellas. Fans will enjoy Friday night fireworks, with two extravaganzas on July 3 & 4. www.milb.com/mudcats

Downeast Wood Ducks

downeast woodducks

The Ducks are a Carolina league team affiliated with the Texas Rangers. Down East finished down at the bottom of the Carolina League standings last year, but an infusion of talent should help. The Ducks have outfielders Bubba Thompson (No. 5) and Leody Taveras (6), pitcher Tyler Phillips (14), A.J. Alexy (20) and Demarcus Evans (24) and infielder Diosbel Arias (19), all highly ranked Texas prospects.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THE GAME

Get there early. The minor leagues offer the kind of player/fan interaction that has long been absent from the majors. The kids can get autographs, ask questions and watch the guys warm up.

Enter Contests. Minor league ball is all about promotions, giveaways, and contests. Don’t be bashful — get involved. You just never know what you might win. Sing. You’ll bring a tear to your own eye if you join in with The Star-Spangled Banner. And you wouldn’t want to miss chiming in on “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

Pin your child’s ticket onto a jacket or pocket. If you get separated, the usher will know where to find you. Don’t forget the sunscreen, bug spray, and a baseball hat or visor. No whining allowed during the game, so be prepared. Cry Foul. If you don’t always pay attention, sit behind the screen behind home plate to avoid foul balls. If you want to catch a foul, hang out near the bullpen. At many stadiums, you can also stand right behind where the pitchers and catchers sit just past the first and third bases.

Don’t push the mascot. Your child may be afraid of a large baseball with legs. Don’t force little Ashley or Cole to say hello — there’s plenty of time for that next season

GoNOMAD thanks the North Carolina Div. of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. contact: 800-VISITNC

Read another story about minor league baseball teams in the NY/NJ/PA area

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Latest posts by GoNOMAD Contributors (see all)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to Top
Skip to content