Mike Couzens has been named manager of broadcasting and media relations, the Fort Wayne TinCaps announced today.A month remains in the TinCaps’ regular season. That could also be all the time left with their affiliation with the San Diego Padres.
Fort Wayne’s two-year agreement with San Diego ends after the final out of the season. Negotiations, outside of those with the current partner, are prohibited during the season. Executives are not even allowed to discuss the process, to avoid the possibility of tampering.
Contracts are signed in two-year increments. One attractive option in terms of location to Fort Wayne and fan base, the Chicago White Sox, opted to stay in North Carolina after signing a four-year deal with Kannapolis on July 2.
The Cubs are tied to Peoria through 2012. The Reds, Tigers and Indians are not leaving Dayton, West Michigan and Lake County anytime soon. In the case of Dayton and Lake County, the Reds and Indians are partial owners of the clubs.
Here are three directions Fort Wayne can go:
San Diego
Strengths: Familiarity. Fort Wayne has been affiliated with the Padres since 1999 and has made six playoff appearances in that time, including last year when the TinCaps won the franchise’s first Midwest League title. Even with a reshuffled front office in San Diego, Fort Wayne has a strong relationship with minor league player development director Randy Smith, a former Padres general manager.
Weaknesses: Location of the big-league club. One neat thing about West Michigan’s close proximity to Detroit is the Tigers will send a player down for a game on a rehab assignment. The chances of a Padre appearing in Fort Wayne while rehabbing are incredibly slim.
St. Louis (currently affiliated with Quad Cities)
Strengths: It would be easier to track the progression of a player from Fort Wayne to the majors. An area cable provider carries some Cardinals games on Fox Sports Indiana. The Cardinals are the closest available Midwest option.
Weakness: This area isn’t flooded with Cardinals fans. Would St. Louis be any more exciting a choice than the Minnesota Twins, who were affiliated with Fort Wayne from 1993-98?
Los Angeles Dodgers (currently affiliated with Great Lakes)
Strength: History. Like the Cardinals, the Dodgers are one of the most storied franchises in the game. Former manager Tommy Lasorda made an appearance in Great Lakes when it hosted the All-Star game in 2008.
Weakness: Like the Padres, the location of the big-league affiliate is not ideal. Even with legendary broadcaster Vin Scully calling games, most Fort Wayne fans won’t stay up to catch a Dodgers game that starts at 10 p.m.
According to the site minorleaguesource.com, other Midwest League teams with contracts that expire at the end of the 2010 season are Tampa Bay (currently in Bowling Green), Kansas City (Burlington), Seattle (Clinton), Oakland (Kane County) and Toronto (Lansing).
The South Atlantic League is the other low Class A league. Potential major league affiliates are San Francisco (Augusta), Florida (Greensboro), Washington (Hagerstown), Texas (Hickory), Philadelphia (Lakewood) and the New York Mets (Savannah).
Prediction: Fort Wayne sticks with San Diego. The Padres have done a better job of sending high draft picks to Fort Wayne. Four first-rounders appeared on last year’s championship team.
