PRESS RELEASE – The Oklahoma City Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers announced today they have extended their Player Development Contract for two years. The extension keeps the OKC Dodgers as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate through the 2018 season.
“Our partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been better than we ever imagined,” said OKC Dodgers President/General Manager Michael Byrnes. “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 affiliation began in September 2014, when Oklahoma City’s Triple-A franchise was sold to Mandalay Baseball, LLC – a partnership that includes ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In 2015, the Oklahoma City Dodgers won the American Northern Division and finished with an 86-58 record, setting a new team record for most wins during the team’s PCL era. As of today, the OKC Dodgers are 62-47 this season and are in first place in the American Northern Division. Over the past two seasons, several of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ top prospects have spent significant time in Oklahoma City, including shortstop Corey Seager and pitcher Julio Urias.
“Oklahoma City has been a great home to our players and we’re excited to extend our partnership with Mandalay Baseball and the OKC Dodgers’ organization,” said Los Angeles Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten. “It’s been a fantastic partnership, and we’re grateful for the community support we’ve received in our two seasons in Oklahoma City.”
Discussions about rebranding the team commenced soon after the ownership change, and in December 2014, the Oklahoma City RedHawks transformed to the Oklahoma City Dodgers, along with changes in team colors, logos and uniforms. The fans in Oklahoma City immediately embraced these changes and in June 2016, Minor League Baseball announced that in its inaugural season as the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the franchise finished among the top 25 of Minor League Baseball’s 160 teams in 2015 licensed merchandise sales.
The OKC Dodgers open a four-game series against the Round Rock Express tonight at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available through the box office on S. Mickey Mantle Drive, by calling (405) 218-1000, or ordering through okcdodgers.com.
PRESS RELEASE – The Tulsa Drillers and the Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that they have extended their Player Development Contract for an additional two years. The new agreement between the two organizations means the Drillers will continue to operate as the Double-A affiliate of the Dodgers through at least the 2018 baseball season.
“The Drillers are pleased to be able to continue our affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers,” said Drillers Co-Chairman Dale Hubbard. “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.”
The Drillers are currently in their second season as a Dodgers affiliate. In the first year of the affiliation, highly touted prospects Corey Seager and Julio Urias played in Tulsa before making their major league debuts.
This season, the Drillers have an overall record of 55-52 and finished just short of winning the Texas League’s first-half North Division title.
“We’re tremendously excited about extending our PDC agreement with the Drillers’ organization,” said Dodger Director of Player Development Gabe Kapler. “We’ve nurtured and developed our relationship over the past two seasons, and we are excited to see it continue to blossom. We’re especially grateful for the leaders we’ve gotten to work with in Tulsa, as they have been an integral part of our development of the young men in the Dodger organization.”
The Dodgers franchise has operated continuously since beginning play in 1890 in Brooklyn, New York. The team moved to Los Angeles, California prior to the 1958 season.
In their long history, the Dodgers have appeared in 18 World Series, and there are over 60 players, managers and executives who spent time with the team who are currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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