The Akron RubberDucks and the stadium they play in are a “crown jewel” in minor league baseball, John Abbamondi, one of the team’s new owners, said Tuesday.
It’s one of the reasons he and his partner, Ben Boyer, chose to purchase the Double-A baseball affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians from previous owner Ken Babby. They also bought the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, a Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins.
The partners, friends since business school at Stanford nearly 25 years ago, started Prospector Baseball Group earlier this year with the goal of acquiring about 15 minor league baseball teams. They’re now up to three.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to purchase this ball club,” Abbamondi said in a virtual press conference. “You have a beautiful ballpark there in downtown Akron and a rabid fan base.”
Abbamondi and Boyer said they may make changes in behind-the-scenes technology to help the team operate more efficiently — Boyer was an early investor in Lyft and uses his venture capital background to reimagine how technology can be used in spaces where it hadn’t been previously used. They’ve already approved an investment in upgrading the sound system at 7 17 Credit Union Park. But other than that? They don’t expect fans to see much change.
Affordable family fun? The catch phrase will stay. Hot dogs for $2.50 apiece? Prices won’t rise. And the RubberDucks name?
“We love it,” Abbamondi said. “We think it’s one of the best names in all of sports. We’re not screwing that up.”
A greater mark to be made on Akron’s downtown
From April to September, the team is a “critical component” of bringing people to downtown Akron, Christopher Hardesty, the executive director of the Downtown Akron Development Corp., said Tuesday at an Akron Press Club forum. Hardesty said he’s looking forward to talking to the new owners about their plans for the stadium and the team.
Those plans include activating the ballpark beyond the season, Abbamondi said. In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where Prospector Baseball Group owns the Lancaster Stormers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, he said there were paying guests on site at that stadium 331 days last year.
“We want to activate the ballpark more often,” Abbamondi said of his plans for Akron.
That will be welcome news for nearby business owners. Michael Kim, the owner of the Spaghetti Warehouse downtown, said acquisitions can sometimes breathe new life into areas that had become stale.
“I’m hopefully optimistic that this new owner will bring some energy and some money into the stadium,” Kim said.
The restaurant’s general manager, Grant Jackson, said Spaghetti Warehouse has benefitted from the games since the stadium was built.
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Future of minor league baseball ‘is promising and bright’
Abbamondi said he had met with Akron Mayor Shammas Malik and was aware of the Lock 3 renovation and other work that’s been completed, or is underway, downtown. Malik said in a statement that he was excited about the future of the team under the new owners’ leadership and looked forward to working with them “as they aim to elevate the fan experience and continue providing fantastic games and memories for Akron residents and guests for years to come.”
Babby purchased the team in 2012. Before the 2014 season, he changed the name to the RubberDucks from the Akron Aeros. In a statement announcing the sale, the new CEO of the Tampa Bay Rays called the sale bittersweet, saying he would miss the community.
Still, Babby said, he was careful in selecting the new owners, saying they would be “worthy stewards of this beloved franchise.”
“The future of minor league baseball in Akron is promising and bright, and we will enjoy watching the RubberDucks’ success on and off the field,” Babby said. “I am beyond proud of our front office staff, our culture and the work family we have built together.”
Babby’s vision for the team “contributed immeasurably to the vibrance” of downtown, Dominic Caruso, a spokesperson for the Downtown Akron Partnership, said in a statement. The team is in a great place and with Babby’s confidence in the new owners as thoughtful leaders, Caruso said, he looks forward to many more years of success.
RubberDucks fans are wary of change
George Miller, a season ticket holder who lives in Ravenna, called Babby’s leadership phenomenal. He said he’s willing to give the new owners a shot — but he’s worried that they acquired three minor league baseball teams in just three months and that the press release announcing their acquisition of the RubberDucks was so similar to that of the Lancaster Stormers, which they acquired in October.
He’s also worried that there’s an ownership group, not an individual.
“It’s kind of scary baseball approved these guys,” Miller said of Major League Baseball, which signed off on the acquisition. “I think everybody’s just a little nervous right now about what’s going to be coming.”
Abbamondi’s background is in sports, having worked for Major League Baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Diego Padres for about eight years after leaving the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant, according to his LinkedIn profile. Abbamondi also worked for the National Basketball Association and was the CEO of the company that owned the Brooklyn Nets and its G-League team, the Long Island Nets.
Both the partners are lifelong baseball fans, Abbamondi said. Boyer said buying the teams was a great privilege.
“I never really dreamed of having this type of opportunity,” Boyer said.
Jim Pfander, the team’s general manager since 2012, said the pair would continue Babby’s legacy.
“It’s a new time and a new day for the Akron RubberDucks,” he said. “I’m excited about the next era of RubberDucks baseball.”
Some fans hope the next era doesn’t look dissimilar from the current one. Phil Singh, who lives in Lakewood and attends between five and 10 games a year, said he hopes the new owners don’t change the quality of the experience.
“You’re just always looking for the product to be the same,” he said. “It’s just a fun thing to do.”
The owners intend for that to continue to be the case.
Abbamondi said he’s walking into ownership with the plan to “do no harm.” Pfander will stay in his role, and while Abbamondi and Boyer expect to be at the park often — since they have no office space, Boyer said, the company intends to use the three teams’ stadiums as meeting places — they will be doing so in support of Pfander and the team.
“The broader theme is continuity. I think this is a really well-run organization,” Abbamondi said. “I don’t believe it needs massive change.”
Editor’s note: The Akron RubberDucks are a financial supporter of Signal Akron.