Finally, some good news: On heels of contest win, Legends’ ballpark hosting baseball
It has been a tough spring for Lexington’s professional baseball team.
Coming off winning back-to-back South Atlantic League championships, the Lexington Legends were set this season to pursue one of the most illustrious achievements in sports: the rare three-peat. That quest was sidelined when the coronavirus pandemic brought athletics pursuits across the globe to a screeching halt.
Adding to the uncertainty surrounding the Legends’ future is a proposal from Major League Baseball to contract its farm system — a plan which, if enacted, could strip from dozens of minor league teams their affiliation with their respective MLB franchises.
But the news emanating from Whitaker Bank Ballpark is not all grim. The home of the Legends was recently named the No. 1 stadium among low-A franchises after winning a contest hosted by Ballpark Digest. The champion of the 32-team tournament was determined by fan votes in a head-to-head five-round format.
Legends president and CEO Andy Shea was delighted to earn the honor.
“I loved winning that. Ballpark Digest is a great publication and always has been for the entire baseball world,” Shea told the Herald-Leader in a recent phone interview. “To be able to win that … I was just so happy and proud. I love this ballpark and I was so pumped to see that so many other people love it as well.”
On the heels of that achievement it was announced last week that Whitaker Bank Ballpark will, in fact, host baseball games this year. A college wooden-bat league featuring five teams and dozens of players from Kentucky universities is staging its inaugural season this summer and baseball fans can catch the games in person at Whitaker Bank Ballpark.
Two Commonwealth Collegiate Baseball League games will be played at Whitaker this week with first pitches at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
Kentucky’s coronavirus guidelines allowed for baseball and softball games to be played beginning June 29 under certain safety protocols. Some local youth leagues also plan to stage postseason tournaments at Whitaker Bank Ballpark this summer. Shea said procedures will be in place at the park to promote social distancing and mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19.
College wooden-bat leagues have long existed as a way for college players, who typically use aluminum bats, to hone their skills with wood bats during the offseason. Shea is stoked for the opportunity to help those players gain extra experience and to provide a place for baseball fans to get back to enjoying the sport.
“I think it’s going to be awesome hosting these games,” Shea said. “And the fact that they’ll involve so many local guys just adds another layer of excitement and community. Being able to see those guys out on the field and have fans at the stadium will be a lot of fun.”
Future uncertain
While the sounds of cheering fans and the crack of bats is set to return to Whitaker Bank Ballpark, the immediate future of the team which calls it home remains in limbo. Though there has been no definitive word on when or if minor league baseball will be played this year, rumors have begun to circulate that the season could be canceled. But until an official decision is announced, Shea is holding out hope that the Legends will take the field this year.
“The fact that it’s not an official zero percent chance offers some glimmer of hope,” he said.
Now that Major League Baseball and its players union appear to be nearing the final stages of implementing a framework for a 60-game schedule, Shea hopes a decision on the status of the minor league season and the proposed contraction plan will be rendered soon. That would at least offer some clarity and allow the Legends to begin planning for the future.
“We’re just hoping we find out sooner rather than later. Having the clarification on what our future may hold during a time that’s filled with uncertainty would be nice one way or the other,” Shea said. “I think that the internal thinking is that the first domino that needed to fall was the agreement between the owners and the players’ association in terms of what will happen with the 2020 major league season. The hope is that after that, we can turn to the agreement between MLB and the minor league teams. Hopefully, that’s still on track and we get some good news in the future.”
Though it’s not ideal to live with such uncertainty, Shea is at least thankful for the certainty that baseball will be played at Whitaker Bank Ballpark this summer, beginning with Tuesday’s CCBL game.
“We’re so excited about the college wooden-bat league as well as some of the high school showcases and youth games we’ll be having,” Shea said. “It’s great to know that there will be baseball here at this beautiful facility that’s built for the summer time.”
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 6:59 AM.
