2016 April Gameday2

Thank you for joining us this season and helping the PCL continue its tradition as one
of the most prestigious leagues in professional sports.
16
OMAHA STORM CHASERS
LETTER FROM THE
PCL PRESIDENT
BRANCH RICKEY III
Baseball Enthusiasts:
It is a pleasure to have you join us in sharing another thrilling year of Pacific Coast
League Baseball. Now in our 114th season, we take great pride in being one of the
premier leagues in all of Minor League Baseball. Our 16 clubs have spent the offseason
hard at work preparing to bring you another season full of lasting memories.
Their success in these efforts has never been more transparent than with the 7,230,514
fans that walked through the gates last season. Not only was that figure up 3.3 percent
from the previous year, it marked the fourth highest total in the PCL’s storied history.
El Paso, following up their inaugural season, set an attendance record, while seven
other clubs saw their totals rise from 2014.
The action on the field was equally historic. The Fresno Grizzlies, in the first season as
the affiliate of the Houston Astros, won a franchise-best 84 regular season games
before beating El Paso and Round Rock, the latter in an epic five-game series, to
capture their first PCL title. In the 10th Triple-A National Championship Game, the
Grizzlies beat the International League’s Columbus Clippers, 7-0, to cap the most
successful season in their franchise’s 19-year PCL history.
The PCL takes great pleasure in developing some of the sport’s finest young talent.
This was especially true last year, as six of Baseball America’s Top 10 prospects
played in our league, with many going on to make an immediate impact with their
parent club. In total, 118 players from the PCL made their major league debuts, a
number that increased for the third consecutive season. Oklahoma City saw a PCLbest
11 players advance to the big leagues for the first time, while seven other clubs
had at least eight!
Not only is the PCL as healthy as it’s ever been, so too is Minor League Baseball,
with our league as a driving force behind it. In a day and age in which popularity is
measured by retweets and likes, social media has allowed fans to say engaged with
content all year long. Minor League Baseball’s Facebook and Twitter accounts both
saw their networks grow over 15 percent last year, garnering nearly 4 million combined
engagements.
As the 2016 season progresses, we are looking forward to another record-breaking
season that will culminate with the Triple-A National Championship Game, hosted
by our Memphis Redbirds. While it remains to be seen which teams will compete in
that contest, one item can be certain: It would not be possible without your continued
support.