Baseball season is here, which brings with it minor league baseball. Minor league baseball is great! You get cheap tickets, cheap food, and cheap drinks. What can be better?
Okay, maybe playoff hockey would be better. Baseball season coming means the end of the New Jersey Devils’ year, as the team will miss the playoffs once again. There is the old joke that teams out of the playoffs are heading towards the golf course. Why not head to the baseball field? Or more specifically the stadium. The Devils should partner with minor league baseball teams for in season activities and promotions.
Why Minor League Baseball?
Out of all of professional sports, minor league baseball is one of the most that reaches out to their community around them. Partnering up with the state’s only self-identified New Jersey major league team would help build connections with sports’ fans throughout New Jersey communities. Plus, the Devils are out of season, so it would keep the marketing team busy. Let them build some excitement for next season early!
Minor League Baseball In The Garden State
New Jersey is currently home to five minor league baseball teams, two of which have major league affiliations. There’s one Double-A (the second-highest level of the minor leagues) team, the Somerset Patriots, who are affiliated with the New York Yankees. The Jersey Shore Blue Claws are the Philadelphia Phillies’ High-A affiliate. The New Jersey Jackals and Sussex County Miners are both in an independent league, while the Trenton Thunder are MLB affiliated, but a part of the MLB draft league for draft eligible players. Fun fact, at one time Six Flags Great Adventure almost had a minor league baseball team. How’s that for some Garden State trivia!
The Jackals and Miners are both located in Northern New Jersey, which is typically New Jersey Devils’ fan territory. That’s especially true for the jackals, who play in Montclair at Yogi Berra Stadium. Yogi Berra was a noted hockey fan and Devils’ fan. Even if Jersey Shore (who play in Lakewood) are a Philadelphia affiliate, they still play in a Devils’ fan area. Maybe that would make a fun event. We can see N.J. Devil fighting the Phillie Phanatic during an in game intermission. In fact, we’d pay money, and we mean big money, to see that happen. While we’re at it, make it WWE style (“There goes N.J. Devil with a glass window!”)
What Would it Entail
Okay, we were joking about the N.J. Devil versus Philly Fanatic bum fight (no we weren’t), but there’s plenty of opportunities for the Devils here. Minor league baseball is famous for being promotion heavy. Have a “New Jersey Devils,” themed night at the ballpark. Have Ken Danyeko throw out the first pitch. Have a promotional item giveaway, everyone loves free t-shirts. While you’re at it, have giveaways for Devils’ tickets. We all know that the season ticket reps would be able to get a lot of potential sales leads by reaching a new market base of minor league baseball fans.
Even if hockey is out of season, there are still a few ice hockey leagues happening during the summer months. Invite those kids to the game. Put them on the jumbotron and let them have their moment, even if they’d rather be watching a game on the ice instead of a baseball diamond.