Chris Smelley, former South Carolina QB, found safe 10-15 miles off shore by Coast Guard
LOCAL

Here's why Spartanburg leaders believe Upstate SC can support two minor league teams

Bob Montgomery
Herald-Journal
  • Major League Baseball has "no such rule against" Minor League teams locating near each other
  • Close team proximity is not new in Upstate
  • Relocation of Kinston team to Spartanburg approved by Major League Baseball Professional Development Leagues
  • Greenville Drive owner says his franchise will continue to build on its success in the community

Business leaders and city, county and state officials celebrated last week's announcement that a Minor League baseball team and a new stadium is coming to downtown Spartanburg.

But there was little mention that another Minor League team, the Greenville Drive, are located just 30 miles away.

Last year, 317,150 people attended 65 home Drive games at Flour Field, an average of 4,879 each game. The new Spartanburg stadium behind the AC Hotel will seat 3,500, according to officials.

Is there room for two professional teams in the Upstate?

Yes, according to Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt, who was among Spartanburg leaders who pushed for bringing a team to the Hub City.

"The Greenville Drive will continue to be great," Britt said. "This will just help Greenville, too. A rising tide will float all boats. A friendly level of competition will just add to the level of excitement."

For those who may wonder, Minor League teams can be located within the same proximity. In addition, the new Spartanburg team and the Drive will play in different classifications and leagues.

"There is no such rule against that," Zee McCabe, a customer service representative for Major League Baseball, said of team proximity.

Another Major League Baseball source with knowledge of the situation said, when the league approved the sale of the Teas Rangers' Kinston, N.C., team to Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) and planned relocation to Spartanburg, "No waiver was required," despite the proximity to the South Atlantic League's Greenville Drive franchise, a High-Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

The new Spartanburg team will compete in the Low-A, Carolina League.

"The Texas Rangers look forward to working with DBH and The Johnson Group as they move forward on the stadium project in Spartanburg," Neill Leibman, Texas Rangers COO and president of business operations, said in a statement. "We are excited about having our Minor League affiliate in a tremendous new facility in the next couple of years."

Jamie Lovegrove, a spokesman for NP Strategy of Columbia, which represents Diamond Baseball Holdings, said he wasn't aware of any team proximity hurdles.

The Johnson Group, a family of companies based in Spartanburg, will develop Spartanburg's new stadium.

"What I can tell you is that all necessary approvals needed to bring the team to Spartanburg have been secured," Geordy Johnson, president of the company, said.

Britt said he believes there is plenty of room for both teams. He believes the Drive will continue to thrive while the Hub City builds its fanbase.

"Without a doubt, the Upstate can support two minor league teams," Britt said. "We have already excited supporters asking to buy season tickets and the ink is barely dry on the deal. We will set attendance records and that will just help Greenville, too.

"Spartanburg will draw fans from neighboring counties as well as our neighboring North Carolina counties and our new downtown will flourish. Spartanburg will make MLB look like geniuses for their decision to come here."

Allen Smith, president and CEO of OneSpartanburg, Inc., said the Upstate is large enough for the federal government to designate multiple statistical areas, and Major League Baseball recognizes that.

"Spartanburg is adding 18 residents a day and interestingly enough, the greatest majority of new residents are coming from Greenville County," Smith said. "Furthermore, Spartanburg County for years has led the Upstate and South Carolina in investment and new job creation.

"Anyone who contends Spartanburg cannot support a team should become more familiar with local demographics and the notion that regionalism can co-exist with competition," Smith added.

Craig Brown, owner of the Greenville Drive

Greenville Drive owner says focus is on his franchise

Meanwhile, Greenville Drive owner Craig Brown said he remains focused on his franchise continuing to offer a quality entertainment venue that draws hundreds of thousands of people to Fluor Field each year.

Brown also owns Fluor Field. In Spartanburg, the city will own the stadium that officials said could open by 2025.

Brown wouldn't say whether the Upstate can support two minor league franchises. Instead, he said the focus will be on making the Drive the best it can be.

"You're always trying to be relevant," Brown said. "Nothing will change in our approach to the community. South Carolina is a growing state and we will continue to have our impact. Everything we do is with operational excellence and community impact in mind."

Each year, the Drive hosts a Spartanburg Night at Fluor Field. This year, the event is scheduled for Tuesday, July 20.

"We've always approached the Upstate as a unified market, and many of our events and programs go across the Upstate," Brown added. "I love Spartanburg and everything about it. Our platform is a strong community platform, 100% about the Upstate, with Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson and more. We do take pride in where we are."

In 2017, The Drive was awarded the John H. Johnson President's Award as the top franchise of the 160 teams in Minor League Baseball for its contributions to baseball and the community.

Brown noted that since the Drive began playing at Fluor Field in 2006, the organization has played a major role in Greenville's West End revitalization, helping to spur the opening of retail businesses and restaurants within a half-mile radius.

Map shows location of Spartanburg team in relation to other minor league baseball teams in the region.

A history of multiple teams in the Upstate

Spartanburg, Greenville have supported multiple baseball teams before

It won't be the first time Upstate SC has two Minor League teams in close proximity.

From 1963 to 1980, and 1986 to 1994, the Class A Spartanburg Phillies played at Duncan Park in Spartanburg.

In 1966, when the Spartanburg Phillies won the Western Carolinas League title, the team broke a Class A baseball season attendance record at 4,000-seat Duncan Park with a total of 173,010 in 66 home games, or an average of 2,746 per game. The previous yearly attendance record of 119,346 was set by Kingston, N.C., in the Carolina League in 1963.

In 1967, another championship year, total attendance in Spartanburg was 141,680, or an average of 2,304 per game.

But in subsequent years, attendance began to fall off sharply, averaging fewer than 1,000 fans per game from 1969 through 1994, with the exception of 1989 when it was 1,335 per game. The lowest annual total of 16,833 was in 1986, with an average of 249 fans per game..

By the 1980s, the Spartanburg Phillies were part of the South Atlantic League. In 1995, the club moved to Kannapolis, N.C., and was renamed the Piedmont Phillies.

Meanwhile, the first Greenville Braves played in the Western Carolinas League in 1963 and 1964 and won the league title in their first season.

From 1984 to 2004, the Greenville Braves, a Class AA farm team of the Atlanta Braves, played in the Southern League at Greenville Municipal Stadium on Mauldin Road, winning titles in 1992 and 1997.

After the 2004 season, the club moved to Pearl, Miss., and became the Mississippi Braves.

Then in 2006, The Greenville Drive, a High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, debuted at the newly built Fluor Field in Greenville's West End. The Drive, which was formerly the Capital City Bombers in Columbia, has become one of Minor League Baseball's most successful franchises.

Currently, the nearest other baseball city to Greenville is about 63 miles away in Asheville, N.C., home of the Tourists, a High-A farm team of the Houston Astros. The Low-A Columbia Fireflies (Kansas City Royals affiliate) are roughly 100 miles southeast of Greenville. The new Spartanburg team will play the Fireflies in the Carolina League.

By comparison, Pennsylvania is home to Minor League teams in York and Lancaster, roughly 26 miles apart; and in Allentown and Reading, roughly 30 miles apart. In California, Minor League Baseball cities Modesto and Stockton are roughly 33 miles apart.

Reach Bob Montgomery via email at bmontgomery@shj.com.