North Carolina Baseball Team Mired In Potentially Crippling Financial Struggles
The Atlantic League is an independent minor league of professional baseball that is a partner with Major League Baseball. The Gastonia Honey Hunters are in just their third season of…
The Atlantic League is an independent minor league of professional baseball that is a partner with Major League Baseball. The Gastonia Honey Hunters are in just their third season of competitive play in the league. And they are experiencing some serious financial difficulties. How difficult?
Well, last Friday, the team was scheduled to take the field against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs at 6:35 p.m. However, the game was delayed until 7:15. It's summertime in the Carolinas. Weather can be an issue and baseball is an outdoor sport. This delay had nothing to do with rain. It had everything to do with the team's ownership not having the ability to make it rain in their players' bank accounts. The team refused to take the field until their payment issues were satisfactorily resolved.
How bad is it? Veronica Jeon, the chief operating officer of the Honey Hunters. She confirmed the rumored player protest to WSOC-TV and was quoted as saying, “There have been some challenges, specifically around cash flow that other startups face. We’re working through it quickly and as diligently as possible.”
The team is working with the Atlantic League to ge the players paid, but the financial difficulties of the club appear to extend beyond just that. Gastonia City Councilman Robert Kellogg posted this to his Facebook page.
The city of Gastonia invested some $26 million dollars in the team's stadium and is in a contractual arrangement with the Honey Hunters and owner Brandon Bellamy (Momentous Sports and Entertainment). And honestly, the citizens of Gastonia have to shoulder some of the blame here. The Honey Hunters have this brand new, 5,000 seat stadium, yet are averaging just a little more than 1/4 capacity in attendance for each home game. Oh, and the team? They're in first place.
Money fixes everything. The populace of Gastonia needs to get behind their team and support their investment.
Do You Know Every North Carolina Minor League Baseball Team?
Baseball is widely regarded as America's pastime. Without a major league team closer than Atlanta or DC minor league baseball takes the stage in North Carolina. So it's a good thing that we have plenty of North Carolina minor league baseball teams to be a fan of! It can seem like there are so many teams that it's hard to make sense of what they all mean. It seems like every town has a baseball team. Are they all the same level?
The short answer is no. Minor league baseball is made up of several different levels. These are used for player development and getting players ready to hopefully one day compete in the "big leagues". Each major league team has 4 minor league teams affiliated with them for a total of 120 teams in the country. Additionally, there are other independent baseball leagues that players can play in and fans can take in games.
Minor league baseball can be a fun and relatively inexpensive outing for families and friend groups alike. Most tickets are very affordable with fun promotions as well as food and drink specials. North Carolina is home to 10 official minor league teams in the triple A, high A, and single A levels. We also have 5 independent baseball teams. Keep reading to learn a little about each of the teams, where they are located, their major league affiliate, and their level!
Triple A Teams
Triple-A is the level just under the major leagues. These players are often good enough to play in the major leagues but there just isn't space on them on the roster. They can easily be called up due to injury or other situations. North Carolina has 2 Triple-A teams.
Charlotte Knights
Major League Team: Chicago White Sox
Location: Charlotte, NC
Durham Bulls
Major League Team: Tampa Bay Rays
Location: Durham, NC
High A Teams
High-A formerly known as Class A-Advanced the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball. North Carolina has four High A Teams.
Asheville Tourists
Major League Team: Houston Astros
Location: Asheville, NC
Greensboro Grasshoppers
Major League Team: Pittsburgh Pirates
Location: Greensboro, NC
Hickory Crawdads
Major League Team: Texas Rangers
Location: Hickory, NC
Winston-Salem Dash
Major League Team: Chicago White Sox
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Single A Teams
Single A or Class A is is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball. North Carolina has 4 single A teams.
Carolina Mudcats
Major League Team: Milwaukee Brewers
Location: Zebulon, NC
Down East Wood Ducks
Major League Team: Texas Rangers
Location: Kinston, NC
Fayetteville Woodpeckers
Major League Team: Houston Astros
Location: Fayetteville, NC
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Formerly Intimidators)
Major League Team: Chicago White Sox
Location: Kannapolis, NC
Independent League Baseball Teams
North Carolina is also home to 5 teams that play in independent baseball leagues that are not part of Major League Baseball.
Burlington Sock Puppets
League: Appalachian League
Location: Burlington, NC
Gastonia Honey Hunters
League: Atlantic League
Location: Gastonia, NC
High Point Rockers
League: Atlantic League
Location: High Point, NC
High Point Thomasville HiToms
League: Coastal Plain League
Location: Thomasville, NC
Wilson Tobs
League: Coastal Plain League
Location: Wilson, NC
