Frontier League adds former New York-Penn League team
The Frontier League is back at an even number of teams.
The independent baseball league announced Thursday the addition of the Tri-City ValleyCats as its newest member.
Tri-City was a member of the short-season New York-Penn League and an affiliate of the Houston Astros for 19 years until the restructuring of minor league baseball this offseason ended the NYP League.
Tri-City is located in Troy, N.Y., about 160 miles north of New York City. The ValleyCats play at 4,500-seat Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, located on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College. Over the past five seasons, the ValleyCats averaged more than 4,100 fans per home game.
“We are honored and excited to welcome the Tri-City ValleyCats to our league,” Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee said. “They enjoy a tremendous reputation in professional baseball for their strong ownership and exemplary management. The ValleyCats also have a great fan base. We are anxious for their fans to see Frontier League baseball. The year 2021 could not start better for the Frontier League than to have the ValleyCats join our family.”
The Frontier League merged with the Can-Am League to form what would have been a 14-team league in 2020 but the season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The league added Ottawa as its 15th franchise in September. Tri-City is the 16th team.
“We are excited to join the Frontier League and eager to start this new chapter in ValleyCats baseball,” said Tri-City president Rick Murphy. “We feel that this opportunity is the best fit for our fans, franchise, and facility as we look forward. We thank commissioner Bill Lee, the entire leadership of the Frontier League, and the 15 other teams for welcoming us as new members.”
The Frontier League, which includes the Washington Wild Things, plays a 96-game schedule that begins in May.