By @MarkKnudson41
As the 2021 baseball season ends and the game begins roughly four months of weather induced hibernation for the winter in Colorado, it’s a good time to start to look ahead at what will be new and improved about Colorado baseball in 2022.
Preparations for normal seasons will begin for everyone from local high schools (which had shortened late spring seasons in 2021), to colleges like Northern Colorado to professional teams, including the Colorado Rockies…and the NoCo Owlz of the independent Pioneer League.
After the relocation process from Orem, Utah and COVID-related delays, the Owlz are on schedule to open the Future Legends complex in Windsor and begin their first season in Windsor in late May of next year. The complex should be the crown jewel of baseball facilities located anywhere and everywhere north of Coors Field.
“We want to give our fans the best possible experience when they come to an Owlz game for the first time, making sure we prioritize their health, and welcoming them to Future Legends Complex with a fully finished stadium, retail, restaurants, and other sports fields,” Team owner Jeff Katofsky said in a press release last winter that announced the delayed start date.
Katofsky wants the Future Legends complex to serve as a hub for all baseball activity in the region, including hosting high school and college games in the future. But the first priority will be fielding a competitive Pioneer League team. For more than 80 years, the league had been affiliated with Major League Baseball, but was dropped as a minor league affiliate by Major League Baseball in 2020 when MLB opted to downsize it’s minor league operation, presumably to save money.
The move actually makes sense of everyone involved. MLB organizations still have too many minor league affiliates to take proper care of. Minor leaguers are still woefully underpaid and often times many simply get lost in the sheer numbers of a farm system. Fewer teams to oversee should help MLB clubs better operate those they still have. Meanwhile, the growth of independent leagues will continue as fewer colleges decide to field varsity teams and young players look for better options to build big league resumes.
Even though the Owlz – and their new nature rivals the Rocky Mountain Vibes in Colorado Springs and the Grand Junction Rockies – aren’t affiliated with MLB teams any longer, they will still undoubtedly produce several players that will go on to make big league rosters in the future. As it stands now, players on the Owlz won’t have their career paths roadblocked by a glut of prospects at their position higher up in the organization. They can pick and choose which MLB affiliate to sign with when the opportunity presents itself based on the best opportunity for advancement…and where they can secure the best financial deal they can get for themselves.
Players on the Owlz won’t be raking in huge salaries, but they will be hungry for success and exposure. That combination should provide fans with an entertaining brand of baseball. When it comes to the national pastime, the more the merrier.