Boston Red Sox: Revisiting Triple-A Pawtucket’s move to Worcester
Friday it was announced that the Boston Red Sox’s AAA Affiliate, the Pawtucket PawSox would be moving to Worcester, Massachusetts after nearly half a century in Pawtucket.
After years of rumors, the Pawtucket PawSox finally announced they were moving. The Boston Red Sox’s AAA Affiliate is heading to Worcester.
The suspected place for years was moving the team to downtown Providence. Rhode Island’s capital is lively and is also a college city, The move there seemed destined to go through.
Pawtucket management and Bay State officials had other ideas though.
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The city of Worcester got the rights to the team in late August, and there have been lots of public talk on both sides of the move and what they mean for each respective city.
What it means for Pawtucket
The loss of the PawSox is a major blow for the city of Pawtucket as well as the surrounding area.
The team has resided in the city for over 40 years to the delighted of many fans. Although they had streaky success, it was still great to catch a game close to home.
Living about a half hour away from McCoy Stadium, a few trips to the ballpark was always in store during the long summer months.
Whether it was going to see a rehab assignment or get a passing prospects autograph on the way out, it was always a great time.
The ballpark wasn’t the best by any means but had a rustic vibe about it that made it quite enjoyable. I would say it is among the upper echelons of minor league ballparks as far as quality is concerned.
They always seemed to pull a decent crowd, and of course, the weekends in the summer would draw a great number of people. Being close to Rhode Islands state capital, it was also placed well geographically.
The state of Rhode Island, however, could not agree to a relocation. Although it was in a great spot geographically, the city itself wasn’t the best.
The part of the city where the stadium is located is a bit run down and can be quite dirty. A relocation has been needed for some time now, but it was thought to be a short distance away in Providence.
However, losing the team all together is a huge loss. The Pawtucket PawSox were the closest thing to a professional team as you could get in Rhode Island, and now they don’t have that anymore. The area will for sure take a financial hit and lose some visitors as a result
What it means for Worcester
The team moving to Worcester is a huge get for the second largest city in all of New England.
After Rhode Island legislation couldn’t find a home for the team, it was basically an open market for who could have rights to the team.
However, Worcester ended up with the winning pitch as they have been very interested in the organization for some time now.
The stadium will be called Polar Park (after the beverage company with the same name), and sit over 10,000 people. The $90 million dollar stadium is set to be one of the best MILB has seen.
The plan is for Worcester to create a beautiful downtown area near the hotel that includes a shopping complex, hotels, and restaurants.
All of this is expected to really boost Worcester’s economics and should make it a hot spot for baseball fans and tourists alike.
The team’s official name will be the Worcester Red Sox, but that isn’t all. The team will be having fans send in suggestions for a nickname and mascot. A popular name as of late has been the “WooSox” which residents of the city have been chanting since the move was announced.
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Worcester is welcoming the team with open arms and should be a great sign of things to come for the Boston Red Sox AAA affiliate.