MiLB President & CEO O’Conner Announces Retirement

PRESS RELEASE – After 38 years in professional baseball and 28 years with the Minor League Baseball office, Minor League Baseball President & CEO Pat O’Conner [this week] announced that he will retire on Dec. 31, 2020.

TinCaps Host Midwest League Fall Meeting, MiLB Commissioner Heaps Praise

The last time Pat O’Conner was at Parkview Field was opening day of 2009, the first baseball game ever played in the downtown stadium.  O’Conner, president of Minor League Baseball since 2007, returned to Fort Wayne on Wednesday for the Midwest League’s Fall Meeting, which the TinCaps played host to for the first time this week.  Read more here.

Bill Smith Joins Minor League Baseball Staff

PRESS RELEASE – Minor League Baseball today announced that longtime Major League Baseball executive Bill Smith has joined its staff as Assistant to the President & CEO, Pat O’Conner.

President of Minor League Baseball Visits Beloit, Talks New Ballpark

PRESS RELEASE – Pat O’Conner, President of Minor League Baseball, visited Beloit on Tuesday to meet with prominent members of the community. He described his visit as “enlightening and positive” to acknowledge the need for a new stadium as a long-term solution to keep affiliated professional baseball in Beloit.

MiLB Prez Puts Squeeze on Spotsylvania County Ballpark Negotiations

Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner recently sent an email to Hagerstown Suns (Single-A, South Atlantic League) owner Bruce Quinn stating that it is “unlikely” the league will extend the team’s July 31 deadline to negotiate with Spotsylvania County (VA).  Read more here.  You know the drill here.

MiLB Chief Visits Providence to Bolster PawSox Ballpark Effort

Minor League Baseball chief Pat O’Conner was in Providence (RI) Wednesday to help build public support for construction of a downtown ballpark for the Pawtucket Red Sox (Triple-A, International League).  Read more here.

MiLB President Applies Soft Ballpark Pressure in Beloit

Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner was in Beloit (WI) Wednesday for the Single-A Beloit Snappers’ (Midwest League) Hot Stove Banquet.  During his visit, O’Conner said Beloit must decide its baseball future in the next few years as it relates to procuring a new or updated facility for the franchise.  Read more here.

MiLB President Pat O’Conner’s Opening Session Speech

PRESS RELEASE – It is about this time of year that we look back on the last 12 months and etch into our memory the more salient points of the year. 2012 was a very good year for Minor League Baseball, but was not without challenges, moments of peril and losses we would rather have not experienced. Coming out of the Thanksgiving holiday I feel it is important we all give thanks for the life we lead…and

MiLB Prez Concerned About Hunstville Stars

Minor League Baseball president Pat O’Conner dropped in on the troubled Double-A Huntsville Stars (Southern League) on Monday night, and he expressed serious concerns about the long-term future of the franchise.  The team, which has remained a rumored target for relocation, is averaging just under 1,700 fans per game at 26-year-old Joe Davis Stadium.  Read more here.

MiLB President Visits SeaWolves, Other Teams

As part of his multi-team tour this season, Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner recently visited Uht Park, home of the Double-A Erie SeaWolves.  In an interview with the Erie Times-News, O’Conner stated: “I don’t come into towns with an agenda. I come with three questions I ask: What’s your biggest concern, what keeps you up at night, and what can we do for you?”  Read more here.