Bluefield Ridge Runners now Mercer County's only Appy League team
Oct. 12—BLUEFIELD — The sad news broke Wednesday that Princton Baseball Association's long association with Appalachian League Baseball beginning with the Tampa Bay Rays rookie league team has ended.
The good news is that Mercer County's oldest connection with the Appalalachia League appears to remain intact for the forseeable future.
In the wake of Princeton's dissolution of the WhistlePigs, officials from Bluefield Baseball Club has reassured local fans that the Bluefield Ridge Runners intend to return to Bowen Field to play a league schedule in the summer of 2024
"No, it does not affect us. Of course, Bluefield Baseball Club and Bluefield Ridge Runners are sad to see this decision," said Bowen Field General Manager Rocky Malamisura on Wednesday.
"It's going back to the old days. We're going back to having a single [Appalachian League] team in the county. Hopefully the baseball community and advertisers can recognize that we still have baseball. We want to be relevant," Malamisura said.
Princeton Baseball Association, which brought minor league baseball to Princeton in 1988, announced that "the 2023 season was the last season Princeton would be represented in the Appalachian League."
"The growing demands of the Appalachian League and its players and coaches have exhausted the financial and philanthropic return that the Princeton Baseball Association, our donors, our volunteers and our citizens have grown to expect," Wednesday's press release read.
Malamisura said he was as surprised as anyone to learn of Princeton Baseball Club's announcement. He said he is completely unaware of whether or not another community will take over the vacated spot in the Appalachian League formerly occupied by Princeton.
"I was sent the [official announcement] that appeared on Facebook and I was like, 'What? Wait a minute!' I had no knowledge of any internal plans within the Appalachian League," Malamisura said.
"I don't know if there is any plan to replace [the WhistlePigs] or just move on. I have no idea."
Prior to the minor league contraction brought about by Major League Baseball, the Princeton Rays and the Bluefield Blue Jays were professional rookie league ballclubs affiliated with the Tampa Bay and Toronto big league organizations, respectively. All teams in the Appalachian League at that time were so affiliated.
But the infamous minor league contraction process that began in 2020 radically transformed the Appalachian League — which unlike many affected minor league basetball organizations, was owned outright by Major League Baseball. The retooled Appy League ceased to be traditionally 'professional' and was comprised of off-season college baseball talent fielded by the
Fan reception of the new product has been decidedly mixed, but most Appalachian League communities appeared to have weighed in on the side of having baseball as opposed to having none. Princeton's exit implies that at least one community could not make the new model work.
Bluefield Baseball Club, which is one of the oldest still-functional organizations in the history of the Appalachian League, is doubling down on the belief it can make Appalachian League basetball continue to succeed at Bowen Field.
"I've been in communication with Princeton Baseball Association and they're happy to pitch in and help in any way they can. We will be here. We're proceeding and pushing along."
