Here's how Spartanburg landed a Minor League baseball team, downtown stadium project
Minor League Baseball is returning to downtown Spartanburg, and along with it, a $250 million project that will transform the West Main corridor.
County Councilman David Britt said the project is the biggest development project to happen to Spartanburg since BMW's 1992 announcement that its North American manufacturing plant would be built in Greer.
The announced was made Tuesday, and the team currently known as the Down East Wood Ducks should be hitting home runs in downtown Spartanburg’s Grain District in the summer of 2025.
What paved the way for Spartanburg to get the Kinston-based baseball team was Major League Baseball approval of the Texas Rangers sale of the "High A" Hickory (NC) Crawdads and the "Low A" Down East (NC) Wood Ducks to Diamond Baseball Holdings.
The purchase was approved by MLB Professional Development Leagues, according to the Texas Rangers organization. Both teams will remain affiliates of the Texas Rangers under the ownership of DBH.
Concurrently, it was announced that a new 3,500-seat stadium will be built on a 16-acre mixed-use site next to the A.C. Hotel in downtown Spartanburg to be home of the Wood Ducks team, which will presumably be renamed.
The stadium is part of a $250 million development project that will also include multifamily housing units, office space and entertainment options.
There are a number of hurdles before ground-breaking on and around Daniel Morgan Ave. and West Main.
In addition to going through the city’s site and design review processes, Communications Manager Christopher George said staff anticipates the project requiring a development agreement that would be approved by City Council before construction can begin.
Here's a breakdown of the major players, numbers, and impacts of Minor League Baseball's return to Spartanburg:
Public, private entities involved in getting team to Spartanburg
Downtown Spartanburg is getting this boon due to the collaborative efforts of the city of Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, OneSpartanburg Inc, the state of South Carolina, The Johnson Group, and Diamond Baseball Holdings. But there are a lot of names involved:
The Johnson Group ― The developer of the project and owner of the 16-acres behind the AC Hotel where the stadium will be constructed.
Diamond Baseball Holdings ― The new owners of the team. While the Texas Rangers have sold the team, it remains a Texas Rangers affiliate.
Robins & Morton ― The Birmingham, Alabama contractor that will build the stadium. Robins & Morton also constructed the AC Hotel, Wofford College's Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium and Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts and Chandler Center for Environmental Studies.
"Low A" Carolina League ― The league the team will be playing in, which includes their competitors the Carolina Mudcats, Delmarva Shorebirds, Fredericksburg Nationals, Lynchburg Hellcats, Salem Red Sox, Augusta GreenJackets, Charleston RiverDogs, Columbia Fireflies, Fayetteville Woodpeckers, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers and Myrtle Beach Pelicans. The nearby Greenville Drive play in the "High A" South Atlantic League.
What to know about Diamond Baseball Holdings
Diamond Baseball Holdings was founded in 2021 by Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.
The new owner of the Wood Ducks, Diamond Baseball Holdings, owns more than a dozen other Minor League clubs, including the Mississippi Braves, Augusta Green Jackets, Rome Braves, Gwinnett Stripers, Iowa Cubs.
In August 2022, DBH was acquired by Silver Lake, a global private equity form with more than $95 billion in assets.
"The new stadium is an exciting next step for Minor League Baseball and for the future of Spartanburg," DBH Executive Chairman Pat Battle and CEO Peter Freund said in a joint statement.
There will be 3,500-seat stadium behind the AC Hotel
The stadium will be developed by The Johnson Group, built by Robins & Morton and owned by the city of Spartanburg. It will feature a 3,500 seat stadium, a 5,000-square-foot club room and will be available year-round as a venue for public and private events.
Robins & Morton built Regions Field Baseball Stadium for the Birmingham Barons, a minor league baseball team in Alabama. That 8,500-seat stadium was also build under a tight deadline.
Stadium project next big piece in revitalizing West Main corridor
The first major project in the Grain District was the AC Hotel, which opened in 2017. The hotel features 114 rooms and a rooftop bar and restaurant, Rick Erwin’s Level 10.
The city will also be starting a $4.5 million streetscaping project on West Main in the new fiscal year.
The Grain District and West Main area has seen several new bars and restaurants open in the last several years, including: El Paso Tacos & Tequila, Konnichiwa, Smallcakes and Craft Axe Throwing.
New Spartanburg franchise's history
The Down East Wood Ducks moved to Kinston, North Carolina in 2016. The team was previously located in Adelanto, California, where they were known as the High Desert Mavericks.
It won't be their first name change either. WNCT reports that according to Kinston Mayor Don Hardy, while the city is losing the physical team, it wants to keep the Down East Wood Ducks name.
When the team moved to North Carolina, a fan contest was held to choose the new mascot, with the Wood Duck being chosen from a list of finalists. The “Down East” part of their name was a nod to Kinston’s region, but most teams in the league simply use the name of the city they're located in.
No information has been provided about the team's rebranding or the renaming process in Spartanburg.
Samantha Swann covers city news, development and culture in Spartanburg. She is a University of South Carolina Upstate and Greenville Technical College alumna. Contact her at sswann@shj.com or on Instagram at @sam_on_spartanburg. Can't get enough food news? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for foodies, Spartanburg Eats.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Here's how downtown Spartanburg landed a Minor League baseball team
