Hartford Yard Goats Win Team of the Year Honor

HARTFORD, CT — The Hartford Yard Goats Baseball Club, the Double-A Eastern League Affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, has been named the 2017 Team of the Year by BallparkDigest.com. The Ballpark Digest Team of the Year Award is given to the club that made the biggest mark on the industry with improved operations, increased attendance and noticeable buzz.

The Yard Goats were chosen among the 160 minor league teams across the United States for this award. This past summer, Dunkin’ Donuts Park won the Ballpark Digest fan vote for the Best Double-A Ballpark in America.

“This award really shows that our fans are the best in the business,” Yard Goats General Manager Mike Abramson said. “To look around the ballpark and see the stands full each night says a lot about this community. We thank Ballpark Digest for this honor and we can’t wait to play ball in April of 2018.”

The Yard Goats sold out Dunkin’ Donuts Park 41 times in 2017, including the final 21 game days and 26 of the last 30 game days (since July 1) in Hartford. The season total of 395,196 is the largest attendance of any professional baseball team in the history of Connecticut. It was also the second highest total in the entire Eastern League.

In addition to playing in front of capacity crowds, the Yard Goats had some dramatic wins in Hartford. Two players played for both the Yard Goats and Colorado Rockies (Ryan McMahon, Stephen Cardullo) and the top shortstop prospect in baseball, Brendan Rodgers, played the final two months at Hartford.

Visit ballparkdigest.com for the story and list of finalists for the 2017 Team of the Year.

Story and photo courtesy of Hartford Yard Goats