The Los Angeles Dodgers extended their Minor League affiliation agreements with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers of the Pacific Coast League, the Double-A Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League and the Low-A Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League.
All three partnerships were set to expire after this year, and now continue through the 2018 season. With respect to Oklahoma City, the Dodgers, through Mandalay Baseball LLC, are part of the ownership group.
Los Angeles has been affiliated with Oklahoma City and Tulsa since the 2015 season. “We’re tremendously excited about extending our Player Development Contracts with Great Lakes, Tulsa and Oklahoma City,” Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler said in a released statement.
“We are excited to see our relationship with these great franchises continue to blossom and are especially grateful for the leaders we’ve gotten to work with at each affiliate, as they have been an integral part of our development of the young men in the Dodger organization. We are honored to participate in this process with each partner and know we will continue to see strong returns from these relationships.”
Oklahoma City won the American Northern Division and finished with a team-record 86 wins last season (86-58). They enter play on Wednesday with a 62-47 record, leading the division by eight games.
“Our partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been better than we ever imagined,” OKC Dodgers president/general manager Michael Byrnes said. “We have had an incredible string of success both on and off the field, and we’re looking forward to continuing it through the 2018 season.”
The Drillers led the circuit with 12 selections to the Texas League All-Star Game this season. “The Drillers are pleased to be able to continue our affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Drillers co-chairman Dale Hubbard said.
“The Dodgers are one of the most recognizable and most famous brands in the game of baseball, and we value having Tulsa partner with such an iconic team. The Dodgers and Player Development Director Gabe Kapler have shown a commitment to build a strong minor league system, and we look forward to a successful partnership that will bring an exciting and successful team to the baseball fans of Tulsa.”
This season marked the Loons’ 10th as a Dodger affiliate. The partnership with Great Lakes dates back to the franchise’s first season in 2007. Current Dodgers Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, Corey Seager, Joc Pederson and Scott Van Slyke are among those who played for the Loons during their Minor League career.
“Through the first 10 years of Loons baseball, the Dodgers have sent 43 future Major League players to the Great Lakes Bay Region and helped to build many lasting memories for our fans,” Loons general manager Scott Litle said.
“We value our long-term relationship and are looking forward to the next two seasons of developing the Dodgers’ next great players.”
The Dodgers have yet to announce the extension of affiliation agreements with Rookie-level Ogden and High-A Rancho Cucamonga, both of which expire at the end of 2016.
