ValleyCats and Astros agree on new Player Development Contract

TROY, NY-The Tri-City ValleyCats, member of the Short-Season Class A New York-Penn League, have announced the signing of a Player Development Contract (PDC) with the Houston Astros, which extends their 10-year relationship until September 30, 2012.

"We are pleased to continue our close relationship with the Astros. It provides the ValleyCats a strong partner to continue our recent success," said ValleyCats President Bill Gladstone.

"Our ties with the Astros run deep and have been rewarding, as seven former ValleyCats are on the Astros Active Major League Roster," said ValleyCats Vice-President/General Manager Rick Murphy.

Astros General Manager Ed Wade, who visited Troy for the first championship playoff game said, "We're excited and extremely pleased that our relationship with the ValleyCats has been extended for an additional two years. The ownership and management at Tri-City are outstanding, we play in a beautiful facility there and our players are given every opportunity to continue their development in a first class, state-of-the-art, fan friendly environment. This is a great partnership for Tri-City and the Houston Astros."

For the seventh consecutive season, the ValleyCats set a new record drawing 155,315 total fans to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in 2010 with an average of 4,314 per game. The ValleyCats also went on to win their first New York-Penn League Championship, sweeping the Brooklyn Cy clones in the championship series.