Amarillo Sod Poodles Sign 10-Year MLB Affiliation With Arizona Diamondbacks
The Amarillo Sod Poodles organization has officially accepted the Arizona Diamondbacks invitation to join as their new Double-A affiliate. The player development agreement, which begins the 2021 season, will last through the 2030 season. The Phoenix-based D-backs become the second MLB affiliate in the brief history of the Sod Poodles,
The Amarillo Sod Poodles organization has officially accepted the Arizona Diamondbacks invitation to join as their new Double-A affiliate. The player development agreement, which begins the 2021 season, will last through the 2030 season.
The Phoenix-based D-backs become the second MLB affiliate in the brief history of the Sod Poodles, following a two-year partnership with the San Diego Padres.
"We are thrilled to announce our new 10-year MLB partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks!" said Sod Poodles President and General Manager, Tony Ensor. "The D-backs winning culture mixed with their top-rated farm system and a strong commitment to player development ensures our franchise and community with long-term success. We cannot wait to welcome the highly-talented D-backs prospects to Sod Poodles country with the support of the best fans in all of baseball when we return to HODGETOWN in 2021!"
“We are excited to enter into a partnership with Amarillo and once again be affiliated with the Texas League,” said D-backs Player Development Director Josh Barfield. “The Sod Poodles organization and ownership group have shown a tremendous amount of support for its players and staff, which was evident in winning the league championship in its first season. We feel extremely fortunate to be associated with this first-class organization and are looking forward to a successful relationship for years to come.”
With an operation filled with top position prospects and quality pitching prospects, Arizona remains in the top 10 farm system rankings coming into the 2021 season and was most recently ranked as the fifth-best in baseball by The Athletic. Four D-backs prospects are featured on MLB’s most up-to-date Top 100 prospects list including Corbin Carroll, OF (No. 47), Kristian Robinson, OF (No. 55), Geraldo Perdomo, SS (No. 79), and Alek Thomas, OF (No. 81).
The D-backs organization was a part of the Texas League for a total of six seasons (1999-2004) when affiliated with the Double-A El Paso Diablos. Over the last 15 seasons, Arizona’s Double-A organization has held three different affiliations in the Southern League, most recently with the Jackson Generals which started in 2017. (Tennessee Smokies, 2005-06; Mobile BayBears, 2007-16).
In 2018 and 2019, the D-backs Double-A squad won back-to-back division and Southern League championships. Over their three seasons in Jackson, the team compiled a regular-season record of 224–190 (.541).
Established in 1998, the D-backs compete in the National League West division, playing their home games at Chase Field. The franchise has won five NL West Championships (1999, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2011), one NL Wild Card (2017), one National League title (2001), and one World Series title (2001). For more information, visit www.dbacks.com.
Under the new player development structure, Minor League Baseball will feature 120 teams competing across four levels: Triple-A, Double-A, High-A and Low-A, a change from the previous structure that included 160 clubs competing across six levels.
For the most up-to-date news on the Sod Poodles along with detailed information on the 2021 season, promotions, and tickets, follow the team on social media @sodpoodles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For questions and more information, call 806-803-7762 or email [email protected].