An Independent Success, Ogden Raptors Prepare to Host Pioneer League Playoff Game Saturday
OGDEN — The first season of independent ball for the Pioneer Baseball League and the Ogden Raptors is coming to an end and, looking at available data, it seems the league found solid standing despite soul-crushingly losing major league affiliation just after the 2020 season was canceled due to a
OGDEN — The first season of independent ball for the Pioneer Baseball League and the Ogden Raptors is coming to an end and, looking at available data, it seems the league found solid standing despite soul-crushingly losing major league affiliation just after the 2020 season was canceled due to a pandemic.
And, it’s nearly playoff time. The Raptors (53-40) host the Boise Hawks (47-46) this Wednesday through Friday for a three-game series to end the regular season.
After that, Boise and Ogden play at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, in a one-game South Division playoff round to determine who advances to the league championship series.
Ogden is assured to claim the PBL’s attendance title for the 24th consecutive season. Coming into this weekend, the Raptors have drawn 148,900 fans over 44 contests, an average of 3,384 per night.
Though it’s not quite the franchise-high of nearly 4,000 per night from 2019 before the world fell apart, so to speak, it’s well within the range of what was normal from affiliated times. The per-game average over the last 24 seasons since Linquist Field opened has ranged from 3,100 to 3,900.
“It was an incredible season, even if we didn’t make the playoffs. Because baseball remained relevant, and it was alive and well in Ogden. We have the fanbase and the corporate community to thank for allowing that success to happen,” team president Dave Baggott told the Standard-Examiner. “We didn’t know quite what was going to happen but our Raptor fans came out in full force to lead the league in attendance once again. We’ll cross the 150,000 mark, which is fantastic.
“And we will have some player successes even after the season where some players will move on with major league organizations.”
The rest of the league is in an OK range as well. Rocky Mountain (Colorado Springs), Boise, Billings and Idaho Falls are all averaging between 2,300 and 2,750 fans per night. The bottom tier — Missoula, Grand Junction and Great Falls — are between 1,400 and 1,600 per night.
Billings and Colorado Springs took a dip from 2019, too, but remained near the top of the league. Even with a dip in Missoula, top to bottom, the league’s attendance looks similar to how it always has — especially with Orem, underperforming for a metro area of its size, and Helena, unable to break 1,000 on most nights, out of the league.
Baggott said despite COVID-19 protocols cutting into the team’s ability to build a promotional schedule for the full season, fans, civic leaders and sponsors stepped up to keep the Raptors on solid ground.
“We’re going to continue to put the best product we can on the field to warrant the trust of the fans and the community to keep coming out,” he said.
Baggott said he felt stressed but liberated by being in full control of the team’s operations, outside the umbrella of Major League Baseball.
“I’ve worn every single pitch on my sleeve, in a positive way and a negative way,” he said. “But it’s been a lot of fun. Having total control of how you run your operation is very freeing, even though it’s stressful … I couldn’t ask for anything better. It’s been a great season, it really has been.”
THE FUTURE
There have been some hiccups in the Pioneer League. A dearth of pitching talent causing games to last too far beyond the three-hour mark is probably chief among them.
The Rocky Mountain Vibes did not field a competitive team from the jump (they’re 21-71 as of Tuesday). Also, schedules were not equitable or balanced, which was odd. Ogden played Missoula 21 times despite being in different divisions, and will have only played Rocky Mountain and Boise 12 times each despite sharing the same division. Idaho Falls played the Vibes more than 20 times.
Some of that may not matter next season, anyway. The league will expand to 10 teams as a privately financed expansion team will launch near Kalispell, Montana, and the once-Orem Owlz will resume operations in Windsor, Colorado, as the Northern Colorado Owlz.
Both will have new stadiums, and Baggott said he hopes Boise’s playoff berth — its first since 2014 — will help the Hawks find a way to realize their goal of building a new facility, which was the main reason that while the Northwest League remained affiliated, Boise got the boot.
“It’s their first year in the league, they wanted to feel like they were part of something, and they did. I think that builds momentum for them, not only in their operation and getting a facility built there in Boise, but momentum for the Pioneer League as well,” Baggott said.
The current one-game divisional playoff round will change next season, Baggott said. That’s in part because, with 10 teams, they haven’t yet decided how to align divisions. He said there’s talk of using three divisions (Montana, Colorado, and Utah/Idaho), or also of just playing with no divisions and re-tooling how teams qualify for the playoffs. The number of regular-season games may change, as well.
“We’re going to welcome Kallispell into the league, and the Northern Colorado Owlz into the league, play 10 teams and make it even more competitive, and try to turn ourselves into the envy of other leagues, including affiliated leagues,” Baggott said. “Our league did not have the same dip in attendance as most affiliated minor leagues.”
THE PLAYOFFS
When Boise and Ogden play at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, in the South Division playoff game, fans will be rooting not just for the Raptors to advance, but for the opportunity to see them play again for free.
All tickets for Saturday’s game will be for reserved seats at $15 apiece, or $1 more than the reserved-seat price from the regular season.
If Ogden wins and advances to the three-game championships series, it will host Games 2 and 3, if the third is necessary, on Sept. 15-16. Fans with tickets from the Saturday divisional game can return to one (or both, if it happens) of the championship series games and get in for free.
“Let’s fill this place up and create a home-field advantage, and then you get to come back when we win,” Baggott said.
If the Raptors can defeat the Hawks on Saturday, it would play Game 1 of the title series Monday in the city of whoever emerges from the North Division, which will be Missoula, Idaho Falls or Billings.
Ogden and Boise have played competitive games this season, with the Raptors owning a 5-4 advantage going into this final regular-season series that may see some managerial chess as both coaches try to reserve pitching, especially, for the Saturday playoff game.
The series is 3-3 in Ogden, with the Raptors taking 2 of 3 to open the season back in May. That series included scores of 5-3 and 2-1, and Ogden also took a 4-4 game on July 3 in Boise when outfielder Jakob Goldfarb won the Knock Out home run derby to break the tie.
The final regular-season set and the playoff game give fans a last chance to see some of Ogden’s league-leaders as well. Goldfarb is second in the Pioneer League with 23 home runs and first in stolen bases with 41. The top two hitters by average play for the Raptors, too, in David Maberry (.419) and Josh Broughton (.409).
MiLB podcast breaks down Spring Training storylines
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Leaf Peepers? Thunder Chickens?! Coming to the Minors this year
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Dodgers greats Newcombe and Campanella made history as Minors teammates
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
15 prospects primed for a bounceback season from injury
A lot of players will be getting a fresh start heading into the 2025 season. Prospects who missed significant time due to injury have had upwards of six months between regular-season games to return to health. Now they'll be looking to re-establish their value and maybe even reach new heights.
Check out the newest Minor League team logos for 2025
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Here are 18 prospects who also starred on the gridiron
The two-time defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs are set to meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, and plenty of baseball prospects will be keeping a close eye. After all, many current Minor Leaguers played football at a high level before committing fully to the diamond. No, there aren't any
Did you know the Superdome was once home to a Minor League team?
On Sunday, one of the world’s most-watched sporting events will take place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Believe it or not, decades before Super Bowl LIX came to town, the same building was home to a Minor League Baseball team for one season. The 1977 Triple-A New Orleans Pelicans
How a Black pitcher's brief PCL stint in 1916 generated a historic card
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2010. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
The Show Before the Show: Episode 489
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minors legend Jones still holds batting record
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2008. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers. Grover "Deacon" Jones spent more than a half-century in baseball, serving the game at almost every level and in
Hooks have a new look -- and more -- on the line for 20th season
In advance of a milestone season at Whataburger Field, the Corpus Christi Hooks are making a change. The Houston Astros' Double-A affiliate unveiled new logos and uniforms on Friday evening, marking the first time they have significantly altered their look since debuting in 2005. According to Hooks general manager Brady
Here's how Jackie Robinson fueled Montreal to a Minor League title in 1946
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
They're due! MiLB's longest active title droughts
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
These players could earn teams extra Draft picks in 2025
Since the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) was implemented under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, four players have earned their clubs extra Draft picks. The PPI rewards teams for promoting their best prospects to the big leagues at the start of the season, enabling them to earn a Draft pick if
Each team's best non-Top 100 prospect
There just isn't enough room to fit all the worthy talents on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. We unveiled our latest rankings last Friday, and now we're going to spotlight the best prospect in each farm system who couldn't quite make the cut. We undertook the same exercise last
MiLB collaborates with Stand Up To Cancer
Minor League Baseball announced a new collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C), an organization that funds the development of new and promising cancer treatments to help patients today. Founded in 2008, SU2C raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients.
These are the best tools on the new Top 100 Prospects list
Players featured on last year’s edition of the best tools among Top 100 prospects should look familiar to even casual baseball fans at this point. Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (best fastball, slider) took the Major Leagues by storm as the NL Rookie of the Year, thanks to his hard-throwing ways
Answering your Top 100 Prospects list questions
MLB Pipeline released its new Top 100 Prospects list on Friday, and it was met with a bevy of questions and comments about fans' favorite prospects. To help make sense of all the inquiries, Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo took to Reddit and responded to fan questions in a Top 100 Prospect-focused
Here are every organization's Top 100 prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline’s 2025 Top 100 Prospects list went live on Friday night, led by the newest Dodger, right-hander Roki Sasaki, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony and Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins. There’s a lot of offensive firepower throughout the list, beyond those two outfielders at the top, but while the bats
Check out MLB Pipeline's 2025 Top 100 Prospects list
He was one of the most sought-after talents this offseason, and he hadn’t even played stateside ball yet. Now, he can add another bullet point to his already lengthy baseball resume. Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki tops MLB Pipeline’s 2025 preseason ranking of the Top 100 prospects, followed by Red Sox
The Show Before the Show: Episode 488
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Get ready to cheer for ... the Bathtub Donkeys?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to The Baseball Traveler newsletter here.
These are MLB’s No. 1 prospects at each position
MLB Pipeline's 2025 rankings of the Top 10 prospects at each position are official and the 2025 Top 100 Prospects list will be revealed at 7 p.m. ET on Friday on MLB Network and MLB.com.