Five questions with Andy Shea about minor league baseball in Lexington
Baseball season is back in Lexington.
The city is now a two-team town, which means there will be double the amount of opportunities to watch Atlantic League of Professional Baseball action this summer.
Both the Lexington Legends and Kentucky Wild Health Genomes will play at the recently renamed Wild Health Field this season, and the venue will host more than 120 Atlantic League games from April 21 to September 18.
Both the Legends and Genomes operate under the same ownership group.
Lexington-based Stands LLC, which owns the Lexington Legends, will also oversee the Genomes.
Before minor league baseball returns in a big way, the Herald-Leader spoke with Stands LLC CEO Andy Shea to learn more about the upcoming season.
What will be the biggest challenge hosting so many games at Wild Health Field?
“I think some of the stuff is almost no matter how many games, it’s just your standard kind of upkeep, cleaning, making sure everything’s fresh, making sure everything looks good. That goes for people as well. . . . Our goal always is to make sure the stadium, the operation, the fun, the food, the drinks, everything is as fresh and awesome as possible.”
What has the reception been like to Lexington becoming a two baseball team town?
“It’s been fantastic. I think a huge piece is with group and company outings because so often groups of companies have to pick based on the date and on a traditional season it’s a 50-50 chance we have that particular date available. So we’ve seen that become very valuable right out of the gates. For season ticket holders and for suite holders it’s been very valuable because they’re paying the exact same, so it’s not like there’s any extra charge, but they have twice the amount of opportunities to reward clients, hang out with friends, reward employees, whatever the case may be.”
What do the Legends and Genomes rosters look like?
“(The Legends) is a little bit more Reds heavy. The Genomes roster is definitely a little bit more heavy in terms of defining local, more of UK, EKU, Lexington, a little bit less experienced roster, but they’re both fantastically great.”
Why does minor league baseball still resonate with people in Lexington?
“The main thing, generally speaking, is that now more than ever, with costs of every single thing in the world going up, minor league baseball is the most affordable family entertainment venue and opportunity in the country. Being the father of two young kids, I see it in a totally different context now and it makes me as a parent that much more happy of having something that we can provide to other parents, families and companies and everything that is extremely accessible and extremely affordable always, but especially in a time when not everything is.”
What can fans look forward to this season at Wild Health Field?
“There’s always something. ... Every single week. Every single Tuesday game that we have is free hot dogs. Every single Thursday is Thirsty Thursday and bring your dog to the ballpark. We’re going to have giveaways every single Friday. Every single Saturday is either an awesome new light show that we have or fireworks. Sundays is kids’ day and autographs and players on the field pregame. There’s something providing even more value every single night.”
On Kentucky.com
View a drone video of the installation of the new turf playing surface at Wild Health Field in Lexington.
