Birmingham Barons ready to kickstart 2021 season after 2020 cancellation
The Birmingham Barons are excited as they gear up for the 2021 season after missing the 2020 baseball season completely, General Manager Jonathan Nelson told the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce today.
Nelson said he got a sneak peek at the likely roster for this year on Wednesday and is confident that the Barons are getting some of the best prospects that the Chicago White Sox have this year.
The staff at Regions Field is also excited to be able to serve a community that is hungry for out-of-home entertainment options after having so much shut down for so long due to COVID-19, Nelson said at the chamber luncheon at the Hoover Country Club.
The Birmingham Barons took a significant loss due the cancellation of the 2020 season, from which it will likely will take years to recover.
The organization tried to serve the community last year despite not having the Birmingham Barons team playing. The ballpark continued its Thirsty Thursday tradition with a men’s softball league for men over age 35 on Thursday nights and hosted a men’s softball league for men under 35 on Friday nights during the summer.
The ballpark held occasional Friday night fireworks shows and invited people to movie nights at the park on Saturday nights, in addition to opening the ballpark on Sundays to give people a place to go outside.
This year, health officials have lightened the safety protocols, but the Barons want to ensure that fans have a safe and fun experience at the same time, he said. Discussions are still underway, but Nelson said he expects the stadium crowd will be limited to less than 50% of capacity.
Also, the Barons are still working out details of their new relationship with Major League Baseball. Changes in the minor league organizations meant the elimination of team affiliations for 42 minor league teams and more financial responsibility on the minor league clubs, Nelson said.
However, the Barons are thankful to maintain their affiliation with the Chicago White Sox and to be part of the Double-A South League, formerly known as the Southern League.
Other than a limitation on the number of fans allowed in the stadium, the experience for fans should be much the same as in the past, he said. But there will be some changes this year.
No one will be allowed on the field except the teams and the umpires, so the national anthem performers will do their performance from elsewhere, Nelson said. Also, the length of homestands is changing from five games to six to cut back a bit on the amount of travel for teams. Each six-game home series will begin on Tuesdays and end on Sundays.
The Barons will now have three team buses instead of one to give players more space to spread out, Nelson said said.
"The players currently are at spring training in Glendale, Arizona, and likely will get vaccinated next week during spring training," Nelson said. "They will receive COVID-19 tests weekly."
This year’s season is getting a late start because Major League Baseball separated the spring training times for major league and minor league players. The Barons normally start their season in early April, but this year the season begins on May 4 with a six-game series against the Biloxi Shuckers at Regions Field. It will be the first time since 2015 that the Barons have started their season with a home series.
The Barons will visit the newest team in the league, the Rocket City Trash Pandas in Madison, with a series beginning on May 25. The Trash Pandas will visit the Magic City for the first time on July 13-18 and will return for the Barons final homestand of the year set to begin on Sept. 7.
The Barons will have two extended homestands of 12 games each. The first starts with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on June 22-27, followed by a series against the Chattanooga Lookouts on June 29 to July 4. The second extended homestand will see the Barons host the Mississippi Braves on Aug. 3-8, followed up with a series against the Lookouts on Aug. 10-15.
The Barons will conclude the 2021 regular season with a six-game series against the Montgomery Biscuits on Sept. 14-19. The season is ending later than usual due to the later start, Nelson said.
Weekly promotions such as Dollar Hot Dog Night on Tuesdays, Wet Nose Wednesdays (with dogs allowed), Thirsty Thursdays (discounted beer and wine), and post-game fireworks shows on Fridays will continue this year.
The Barons also especially look forward to celebrating the 101st anniversary of the Negro League this year since they missed the opportunity to celebrate the 100th anniversary last year, said Rich Smyth, corporate sales manager for the Barons.
The team hopes to be able to lead the league in attendance for the eighth consecutive year, and he can feel the anticipation from the public.
“Our phones have been ringing off the hook for getting Barons baseball back,” Smyth said. “At the end of the day, folks are wanting basically to get to the ballpark. They wanting to get a [hot] dog and a beer, and they want to get back to normal.”