Baseball experts: Single-A minor league team could work for Macon-Bibb

They met with commissioners Tuesday to find out what their goals are for the study. The county hired B&D Venues to see if baseball is a good fit for the county.

Some commissioners said they were concerned about the number of people that would attend the games. B&D Venues representatives explained they factor location drive-times into the study. They mentioned a Single-A minor league team might be best for the county. Two examples given were the South Atlantic League and the Carolina League, but representatives said concerns about distance is a factor. B&D explained some teams would be interested in the Macon-Bibb, but recommended the county have a plan for a new stadium. Representatives said a new minor league stadium in Columbia, South Carolina cost about $42 million. 

“A large investment, what they were talking about. If we’re going to do it, [it] will be done with a whole lot of studying and consideration. I’m still a proponent of doing the most we can with our current facilities,” said Commissioner Virgil Watkins. Watkins recently told the commission a collegiate summer league showed interest in Luther Williams Field. Watkins said Coastal Plain League representatives toured the historic stadium recently, but there was no other update.

B&D said they’ve started the market analysis which takes about 3-4 weeks to finish. A site analysis will follow. The entire baseball feasibility study should be complete in January. B&D plans to visit Macon two more times.