GREENSBORO, N.C. -- For the first time in 16 years, the Greensboro Grasshoppers have a new Major League Baseball affiliate.
- The Greensboro Grasshoppers have a new affiliate.
- This is the first time the minor league team has had a new MLB affiliate in 16 years.
- They have moved from the Miami Marlins to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
After being the Minor League affiliate for the Miami Marlins since 2003, they will now be affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The news was announced on Friday.
The new affiliation will run through 2020.
"We are proud to partner with an organization that has a long history of outstanding achievements. We look forward to working with Larry Broadway and his entire staff for the next two seasons. Our players will represent Pittsburgh and Greensboro very well on and off the field," said Grasshoppers President and General Manager Donald Moore.
"We are extremely excited to begin a new relationship with the Greensboro Grasshoppers franchise. It is a first-class operation that plays in a first-class facility in front of a first-class fan base. We are looking forward to the player development opportunities that this new partnership will present. We are also looking forward to becoming entrenched in the greater Greensboro community by, among many other connections, bringing our Pirates Community Commitment Program in to ensure that help our players impact the community in a positive way," " said Larry Broadway, Pirates senior director of minor league operations.
The new season begins April 4, 2019.