Great Lakes Loons Dodgers High A Affiliate

Can you hear me now? Breathing, that is. When I first read J.P. Hoornstra’s breaking news that the Loons would no longer be a Dodger affiliate, I didn’t stop breathing but held my breath which is just as uncomfortable. J.P. likes to be out front on things – as we all do – and sometimes does just that. I wasn’t sure but felt it might be fake news after checking the Loons web site.

At that time Great Lakes Loons’ interim president and general manager Mike Hayes said  that rumors about the Los Angeles Dodgers ending their lengthy affiliation with the Loons were just plain false. Still, the Dodgers had not made an invitation to the Loons. So it was wait and see. As we know now, the invitation has been made by the Dodgers and  accepted by the Loons.

Looking back at the Loons franchise, which was born in Midland in 2007, it has been a successful franchise with which the Dodgers have been affiliated and a well-run baseball venue.

The Dodgers moved out of Vero Beach for the 2007 season and for a second time broke my heart. Their new Class-A affiliate became the Great Lakes Loons in Midland, Michigan which has a population of just under 42,000. At least they were no farther away from me and in the same time zone  (EST) as Vero Beach just one-hour removed from my AST time zone. Sometime after that I discovered MiLB.TV so my broken heart mended.

I thought it might be OK to write a bit of a Loons primer for those who are not so familiar with the Midland franchise. The Loons have a relatively short history, and it has all been affiliated with the Dodgers.

As mentioned, the Loons took flight after the 2006 season having  transferred from Battle Creek, Michigan for the 2007 season. That might also be called the year of CK007, or YCK as Clayton Kershaw was part of the Loons inaugural team. Former MLB catcher Lance Parrish was the first Loons manager.

One trend the Loons management has been trying to stem is that average attendance has continued to fall since the Clayton Kershaw year.  In their inaugural season in 2007 they drew an average attendance of 4,773. That average had continued to drop each year since 2007 to a low of 2,839 during the 2019 season. Was it just the novelty of the new stadium and team in 2007 or was it the Kershaw effect that year? The stadium capacity is listed at 5,200. Hopefully that trend will start to reverse itself in 2021 with an advance A team moving in.

Having said that, Loons management has not stood still in its efforts to bring a top notch baseball product to the Michigan fans. The stadium was built for the 2007 season on land donated by Dow Chemical. Hence, the name Dow Diamond. The warning track is made from bricks that were ground up as any brick buildings on the lot were demolished. Dow Chemical has maintained a strong commitment to the Loons franchise helping with a number of charitable ventures over the years.

Over the past few years a number of upgrades were made to the stadium. One significant one  was an upgrade to the playing surface for the 2017 season. Preparations for the season actually started the previous September when Nolan Thomas and Company out of Stovall, North Carolina rolled into Dow Diamond with heavy equipment and flatbed loads of sod. The existing sod at the 10-year old ball park was quickly removed in preparation for an entire face lift on the field, complete with improved drainage. Nolan Thomas and Company has earned a reputation as one of the top athletic field development and improvement companies in the United States. The new sod came all the way from Tuckahoe Sod Farm in New Jersey. Tuckahoe Sod Farm also has gained a reputation for being at the top of their game having provided playing surfaces for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, among others.

For the 2018 season a new video board was installed featuring  state-of-the-art technology.

Partnering with Daktronics, the Michigan Baseball Foundation  installed a new video board measuring 31 feet tall by 80 feet wide.  At that time it was the largest display to feature 13HD technology, as well as the brightest display and fifth largest overall that Daktronics had installed in the minor leagues.

At over 2,500 square feet, the equivalent to 235 60-inch televisions, the display features more than two million LEDs with a resolution of 1876×728 capable of generating up to 281 trillion colors. Variable content zoning capabilities allow the Loons to show either one large image, or provide a seamless display with any combination of video, statistics, line score, sponsor advertisements and other animations.

Paul Swaney in his stadium review in his Stadium Journey Magazine had high praise for the Loons home ball park:

“ Dow Diamond provides one of the best ballpark experiences in minor league baseball, and it is clear that the Loons organization is continuing to make strides to maintain and improve that experience.”

Of note, besides the aforementioned Clayton Kershaw, 78 other Loons alumni have gone on to play in MLB including Kenley Jansen, Dee Gordon, Joc Pederson, Julio Urias, Dustin May, Edwin Rios, Will Smith, Walker Buehler and Corey Seager. Thirteen players on this year’s Dodger World Series roster have passed through Midland, Michigan.

As with many lower minor league teams – perhaps all – players are teamed with host families in Midland. It has been and no doubt will continue to be a rewarding experience for both parties.

The Servinski family of Midland served as a host family to one of the 2020 World Series championship players. They fondly remember time spent with World Series MVP Corey Seager  who played with the Loons in 2013 as a friendly 19-year-old.

“He was always doing stuff with (our family), usually after Sunday (afternoon) games,” said Zach Servinski, who is now 20. “We’d play video games or mess around outside on our golf cart.”

Seager lived with Jean and Steve Servinski and their kids, Zach and Carlie.

“He was a nice kid. He was right out of high school when he lived with us,” Jean Servinski recalled. “It’s been exciting to see him really climb and do a great job with the Dodgers,“ she added.

Her son agreed.

“When he played for the Loons, he was a really good baseball player,” Zach said. “But I don’t think anybody could have imagined he’d be the MVP of the World Series seven years later.”

It is exciting to have a High-A team coming to Midland to watch players play at  a higher level.  The Loons management is also excited for a continuation of the partnership.

“We’re thrilled to be invited … all looking good,” Great Lakes general manager Mike Hayes said. “We’re working out the details right now. The two Class A’s, there is a bit of a difference in age and ability. . We’re thrilled that they reached out to us once again. We’re looking forward to having quite a long tenure together.”

According to Hayes, other teams came calling but the decision was made to wait on the Dodgers and go from there.

“We had a feeling that things would work out, but it’s nice to see it on paper. Our franchise has had a tremendous relationship with the Dodgers over the last 14 years and we are truly excited to be extending that partnership for many, many years to come,” Loons Interim President & General Manager Mike Hayes said. “The Dodgers have played a key role in the success of our franchise, and we are committed to providing a first-class experience for their Minor League players so they may reach their full potential and contribute to the Dodgers success.”

Another note – the Loons were the only Dodger affiliate in 2019 that did not have some semblance of Dodger blue as part of their uniforms. I wonder if that might change.

It seems that the move to the high-A class has provided the Loons management with a feeling of security and an opportunity to continue to affiliate with the Dodgers over the longer haul.

Hope so. Let’s hear it in 2021: “ Good evening and welcome to Loons baseball”, with Loons announcers Brad Tunney and Blake Froling who according to the Loons web site will return to call the games on radio ESPN 100.9-FM (WLUN) and MiLB.TV.