Triple-A baseball is coming in 2019, but exactly where in San Antonio is the question.
“Trying to get one downtown is extremely hard to do because downtown is booming,” Judge Nelson Wolff said. “No developer has come forth and said, ‘I want to build it this way and I want a ballfield in the middle and I’m willing to this.’ So that’s where they are. They’re nowhere right now.”
For now, the options include downtown, along I-35, along I-10, or an improvement on the existing Nelson Wolff Stadium. The final choice would be the easiest and least expensive option.
But why have no developers come forward?
“What is the core interest in San Antonio when it comes to going to a higher level of baseball here? My sense is that San Antonio is ready for it,” said builder and philanthropist Gordon Hartman. “You’ve got to really make sure, number one, not only building a stadium, building it in the right location, but building a stadium that’s also friendly to the spectators, which has become a big element in today’s sports. Having that discussion in a major way to see what opportunities might exist.”
Judge Wolff said the stadium bearing his name was built to upgrade.
“We built it where you could add a couple thousand more seats, or even more,” Wolff said. “Which would bring it up to Triple-A standards.”
So stay tuned for developments as the Missions continue down the road toward Triple-A play beginning next season.