Statement from Power Managing Partner Tim Wilcox

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (June 5, 2020) – The following is a statement from West Virginia Power Managing Partner Tim Wilcox in response to Governor Jim Justice’s comments about his conversations with the MLB Commissioner’s Office:

“We very much appreciate the Governor’s hard work to preserve professional baseball in West Virginia, and his effort to show how all our teams add value to our communities in terms of jobs, quality of life, and charitable and business partnerships. We hope the Governor’s conversations with The Commissioner’s Office mean that the West Virginia Power will remain within MLB’s new Minor League system next year and beyond.

The Commissioner’s Office has said it wants to keep full season clubs with high quality facilities that are centrally located to cut down on travel. Appalachian Power Park is only 15 years old and has undergone several significant improvements in just the past five years to the field, facility and ballpark technology. In addition, 26 full-season Class A teams and 32 more current minor league teams are within a 350-mile radius of Charleston. By displaying that the Power actually exceeds MLB’s own criteria for teams to be kept in the new system, we believe we should not have been on the elimination list in the first place. We appreciate any help from the Governor to convince Commissioner Rob Manfred of that fact.

If the Commissioner’s promise to the Governor means that the West Virginia Power will survive the cuts being pursued by Major League Baseball, we look forward to working with any Major League team to continue Charleston’s long history as a training ground for the Major Leagues. If it means that our West Virginia teams will be part of some kind of other league outside the MLB/MiLB system after the cuts are made, that’s not as promising.

Thanks again to Governor Justice for joining us in the fight to preserve affiliated professional baseball in West Virginia, along with Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, every member of the West Virginia Legislature and Charleston City Council, U.S. Representatives David McKinley and Carol Miller, and our amazing fans who’ve remained loyal through all of these challenges.”