GARDEN CITY, Idaho — The Boise Hawks are entering a new frontier after the minor league baseball team lost its affiliation with the MLB's Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.
The Hawks aren't shutting down operations or flocking to a new locale to call home. Instead, the team will join the independent Pioneer League, which has teams in Idaho, Utah, Montana and Colorado.
The other eight teams of the league include the Idaho Falls Chukars, Billings Mustangs, Grand Junction Rockies, Great Falls Voyagers, Missoula Paddleheads, Ogden Raptors, Orem Owlz and the Rocky Mountain Vibes.
President of the Boise Hawks, Jeff Eiseman, said in a statement that losing the affiliation can be blamed on the aging Memorial Stadium.
In part, Eiseman said,
"We were told our current facility ultimately led to the decision. As we have stated since the day we purchased the Hawks, the venue is a challenge. The failure to not have replaced it in all of these prior years led to this move. Our efforts remain the same today as they were yesterday, to continue to seek development of a new facility to secure baseball, as well as deliver a United Soccer League Championship franchise in the Treasure Valley for generations to come and to provide Boise with a showcase facility that will meet and exceed the new requirements of Major League Baseball and ultimately deliver Triple-A baseball to this market.”
Boise Hawks General Manager Mike Van Hise said fans should expect a better level of play in the Pioneer League than their now-former home of the Northwest League.
“Scouting and development of our players and coaches will be our responsibility, and with that an emphasis on winning. The league draft pool will consist of professional players with less than four years of professional playing experience," he said.
Van Hise added that the fan experience for Boise Hawks' games won't change next summer.
This isn't uncharted territory for the Hawks. The team used to call the Pioneer League home from 1939 to 1963 when they were first known as the Pilots, according to the team.
The Hawks are one of 40 minor league teams to lose affiliation with the MLB as it tries to restructure the minor league system. On Wednesday, the MLB trimmed the number of minor league teams down from 160 to 120.
However, the Hawks' new home will still receive some help from the MLB. The team said that Major League Baseball will help cover some of the league's operating expenses and that it will install new scouting technology at each of the Pioneer League team stadiums so they can provide "first-class scouting information on Pioneer Baseball League players."
The Pioneer League is a "partner league" with the MLB and plays a 92-game regular season. The Northwest League, the Hawks' former home, played a 76-game regular season.