LATE INNING SAVE: Asheville is spending millions to keep Tourists in town.

• Author: Ellis, Kevin

Part of the allure of a summer night of baseball watching at Asheville's McCormick Field comes from the Blue Ridge Mountains enveloping the city. The city-owned stadium, which opened in 1924 and was last renovated in 1992, lacks modern amenities for Asheville Tourist players and fans, to be sure. But the natural beauty and history make it among the most eclectic in the baseball world.

The Tourists start their season April 6 at home against the Bowling Green (Kentucky) Hot Rods. It could have been the last Opening Day for minor league baseball in Asheville, if not for a late-inning save. Major League Baseball told the Tourists it would lose its minor league license alter this season unless it makes major improvements at the 4,000-seat downtown stadium.

In mid-March, Asheville City Council voted unanimously to spend $875,000 a year for the next 20 years to pay for a $37.5 million upgrade to McCormick Field. Buncombe County and its tourism authority had previously agreed to kick in a combined $1.6 million annually for the project. The team, which had been paying $1 a year, will start making annual lease payments averaging about $470,000 over two decades.

"This is the city's largest investment in any one project since the building of the Civic Center in the 1970s," says Chris Corl, director of the city's community and regional entertainment facilities, which includes McCormick Field.

Efforts to keep the team in Asheville stemmed from sentiment and economic factors. Almost 180,000 fans attended 66 home games at McCormick Field last year for the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, contributing an impact of nearly $10 million to the county.

AGAINST A DEADLINE

A decision to invest in a stadium project did not sneak up on the Asheville Tourists or the city. In 2020, Major League Baseball issued a facility standards requirement to its minor league affiliates, along with a deadline for improvements. Under a scoring system for minimum standards, McCormick Field scored in the bottom 10% of more than 100 stadiums across the nation. Major League Baseball warned that not making improvements would cost teams their licenses.

Asheville nearly lost its minor league affiliation in 2020 when Major League Baseball contracted from 160 teams to 120 in an efficiency drive. So the team knew that improvements were required to avoid the team's departure, says Tourists' owner Brian DeWine. His family, which includes his father, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, bought the...