(This post originally appeared on Bus Leagues Baseball.com)
The buzz in Central Florida is that the Tampa Yankees may be headed to Orlando. In September of last year, real estate developer Armando Gutierrez, Jr proposed buying the Yankees' Florida State League team and moving them out of Tampa to the Orlando area, about an hour away. According to articles in Tampa and Orlando newspapers, Gutierrez and his conglomerate would pay for a 5,000 seat stadium as well as a museum, restaurants, and rental space. The proposed facility would be located near the Orlando Convention Center, between Sea World and Universal Studios.
Things to consider:
1) Orlando's minor league history
The city of Orlando has has quite an extensive history as a minor league city. Currently, however, they have not had a team since 2003, when the Tampa Rays Class AA affiliate Orlando Rays moved to Montgomery to become the Biscuits. Interestingly, the Orlando Rays played in two locations in Orlando. From 1997 to 2000, they played in historic Tinker Field, and later moved to Champion Field at the Disney Sports Complex, spring home of the Atlanta Braves.
Before the Rays, from 1963 to 1997 Tinker Field was home for the Orlando Cubs, Sun Rays, and Twins, likewise all of the Class AA Southern League. Prior to '63 and stretching all the way back to 1919, the city and field hosted various teams in the Class A, D, and C levels with conventional names such as the Twins, Dodgers, Senators, and Nationals and some not-so-usual names such as the Flyers, Seratomas, C.B.s (probably due to the Naval base that was once in the area), Gulls, Bulldogs, Tigers, and Caps.
(Interesting aside: what if the Montgomery Biscuits had stayed in Orlando? Would they draw now? How many fans would want to see the future of the Rays an hour away from the big league club? Players would go from Class A Port Charlotte, Fl to Class AA Orlando, Fl to St. Petersburg. I know I would make the trip to see Tim Beckham, Matt Moore, Chris Archer, and many other future Rays at least once a month. Even more if there was a train to take me from ballpark to ballpark. Oops, it just got political.)
2) Why the Yankees?
According to the Gutierrez plan, the Yankees would conduct their spring training in Tampa, but the Tampa Yankees would play in Orlando. Currently, the T-Yankes play in Steinbrenner Field, one of the biggest minor league parks in the State of Florida. The Yankees have been in the stadium located in mid-Tampa across the street from where the Tampa Bay Bucs play for almost 15 years. Steinbrenner Field is lavish, comfortable, and makes many nods to the Yankees long history.
And consider this: according to an Orlando Sentinel column, "The plan is to build a baseball-themed museum and a ballpark that is a miniature replica of the original Yankee Stadium". According to Wikipedia, "the dimensions of the (Steinbrenner Field) precisely mimic that of the old Yankee Stadium".
Even as a Rays fan, I appreciate the Yankees history and the Steinbrenner legacy in Tampa. However, it makes no sense to move any minor league team away from their major league facility. Especially when that means each player, coach, and personnel member has to make the hour long drive every day. Or would Steinbrenner Field, the colossal southern home of Yankee Tradition, sit empty for nine months a year?
3) Whither the Tampa Bay Rays?
Any proposal to move the Tampa Yankees out of Tampa will be met with ideas to move the Rays from St. Petersburg across the bay, across the street from the Bucs, and across from the location of old Al Lopez Field, former home of the Tampa Tarpons.
As much sense as this might make, it's not happening. The Rays are under lease with the City of St. Petersburg until 2027. That doesn't mean they have to stay in Tropicana Field, but it does mean they have to stay within city limits.
My opinion is that if the Rays were to break their lease early it would come with the caveat that they could not move to Tampa or Orlando. The City of St. Petersburg, which already lost the Lightning to Tampa, does not want to be baseball-less.
After all, like Tinker Field, historic 7,000-seat Al Lang Field in downtown St. Pete also sits empty, it's field only groomed for exhibitions such high school tournaments and international competition.
4) Attendance and the Gutierrez Estimates
In 1999, the Orlando Rays left Tinker Field partly due to lack of attendance. According to Wikipedia, they drew less that 1,000 per game in their downtown Orlando location.
Last year, the Tampa Yankees drew 99,700 people for over 60 home games and were in the middle of the pack for the Florida State League, which drew an average of 1,424 per game. The Clearwater Threshers led the way with nearly 3,000 per game and a total attendance of over 172,000 while the Dunedin Blue Jays, only 15 minutes from Clearwater, were last with barely over 36,800 total attendance.
From talking to people affiliated with and around the Florida State League, many of the teams do not make money during the season. They stay in the black thanks to spring training and season ticket deals. And speaking from experience, although seats sold may average over a thousand a game, actual gate attendance is far lower. Probably by as much as 50%.
The Gutierrez business plan estimates an average of 3,500 people would attend games at the new Yankee Town complex. Honestly, I don't think this is possible.
As a matter of fact, I think it is incredibly pie in the sky.
5) Orlando Baseball as Entertainment
Without spring training games to make them money, the Orlando-based Yankees would have to draw on local support or tourism dollars. I'm only guessing here, but although there is a strong New York-based Hispanic population in Orlando, I don't think there are more Yankees fans in Orlando than there are in Tampa. Or not enough to make a stark difference in minor league attendance. I am also not sure tourists would be swept off their feet to see minor league baseball when Sea World and Universal Studios (and its associated night life, bars, clubs, and concert venues) are only a short drive away. And then of course, there is the huge specter of Disney World lurking over all Central Florida entertainment.
I guess this is a really long winded way of saying I don't think the Tampa Yankees are going anywhere. Unless the powers that be can transport Steinbrenner Field to the Al Lang Field location and a magic legal fairy can move the Rays to the Tampa Yankees current location in Tampa. And maybe a team moves back into Tinker Field.
Then only Tropicana Field would be empty. Which is fine.
That place is a dump.