Flying into the Season
The countdown to the return of professional baseball to Hagerstown is on
By Charles Jeffries
Check in on the Flying Boxcars website and it will give you the exact time down to the second before professional baseball makes its return to Hagerstown. Check in on the Visit Hagerstown website for a live feed of the progress on construction of the new downtown ballpark, officially the Hagerstown Multi-Use Sports and Event Center. As the time ticks away and construction continues, it all needs to meet on May 3 at 6:30 p.m. when the Boxcars start their home season against the Long Island Ducks.
“Ballpark construction is progressing well, and we are on schedule for our home opener on May 3,” says Boxcars general manager David Blenckstone. “It’s an exciting time.”
An exciting time, indeed. Hagerstown civic officials hope the Flying Boxcars can soar into the space vacated by the Class A Suns. When the Suns’ 39-year run ended in 2020 it left Hagerstown without its largest tourist attraction, meaning there was no commerce generated at the stadium and the city’s profile diminished.
Hagerstown officials are counting on that commerce returning when the $90 million downtown stadium comes to life for the 2024 season The Maryland General Assembly voted to fund the project in 2021, meaning no local tax dollars are being used to build the stadium.
The downtown stadium will bring visitors and visiting teams to Hagerstown and officials are hoping it will help revitalize the struggling downtown economy, which will in turn encourage new businesses to invest in the city.
It has now been three full seasons since minor league baseball has been played in Hagerstown. Now, as the countdown to the return of baseball in the Hub City gets closer, the buzz around town grows louder.
“The enthusiasm from the community has been incredible,” says Blenckstone. “People are excited for minor league baseball and a new, state-of-the-art downtown ballpark.”
The stadium at the corner of Summit Avenue and West Baltimore Street will be the best in the Atlantic League and one of the most innovative stadiums in minor league baseball.
It will have a 360-degree concourse, a kids’ zone behind first base with inflatable slides and a funhouse-type of atmosphere, the Power Alley Pub next to the bullpens in right field and an elevated picnic deck beyond the leftfield wall. The ballpark will also have a club level with eight suites and banquet space for up to 300 people that will be open year-round. Fans in the main seating areas will have views of downtown Hagerstown.
“The ballpark will be one of the finest in the country, and we can’t wait for the community to show its pride,” Blenckstone says.
Manager Mark Mason
As for who will take the field for the Boxcars on opening day, that process will play out over the next couple of months as Blenckstone and manager Mark Mason begin the process of signing players. The roster will be assembled by reaching out to free agents.
“We negotiate with the players and many times their agents to come to terms and get the players signed for the upcoming season,” Mason says. “It’s a process, especially when negotiating with players and agents who have been at the highest levels of professional baseball.”
One thing fans can certainly expect is a quality of play much higher than the single A level of the Suns, and, in fact, much higher than most of minor league baseball.
“The overwhelming majority of players in the Atlantic League have AA to MLB experience, so the players will be a little older and have played at higher levels of professional baseball, including the Major League level,” Mason says.
The Boxcars started from scratch in looking for players, whereas other Atlantic League teams retained some players from last season. Although the Boxcars have signed a few players already, the announcements of who they are will be made on the team and league website and social media platforms.
Spring training for the Atlantic League is just the 10-day period before the season opener. Between the end of Major League spring training and the opening of the Atlantic League spring training is a key period as teams look to sign players that didn’t make Major League rosters.
“Many of the players want to wait to see if their agents can find them another opportunity with an MLB organization,” Mason says. “So sometimes there is a waiting period before those players will commit to the teams in our league.”
Atlantic League spring training is held at each club’s stadium, opening on April 15. The Boxcars open their season April 25 with a four-game series against the York Revolution. Then they head to Lancaster for three days before heading home to reacquaint Hagerstown with professional baseball and continue the Hub City’s 150-year relationship with professional baseball.
The original Flying Boxcar airplane manufactured in Hagerstown.