Jesús Luzardo The final out of the Vermont Lake Monsters season was recorded at Burlington s Centennial Field in September 2019. In its wake, a cloud of uncertainty hung over the franchise like infield dust after a play at the plate. As winter rolled in, whispers that the team might not be long for the world became full-on rumors about a Major League Baseball proposal to shrink Minor League Baseball and eliminate teams. Vermont s only professional sports team was likely to be among them. Then, in February 2021, rumor became reality. MLB announced the elimination of 40 minor league franchises, including the Lake Monsters. There was no joy in Mudville; the mighty Champ had struck out.
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Former Oakland A s affiliate the Vermont Lake Monsters sold, will join Futures League
BURLINGTON, Vt. The Vermont Lake Monsters will be sold and join a different league, the Burlington baseball club has announced.
The investment group Nos Amours Baseball Club, led by Montreal native and businessman Chris English, plans to purchase the club. The team will join the Futures League, a summer collegiate league with franchises across New England. We have all been fortunate to be able to share our summer evenings with you over the past 28 years, Lake Monsters Vice President Kyle Bostwick said in a written statement on Thursday. We are all looking forward to continuing to root for the home team, and we thank all of our fans, partners, staff, and supporters for an amazing ride.
Photo provided by Vermont Lake Monsters
Good morning, Athletics Nation!
The minor leagues got a major realignment this winter. The whole system was pared down to 120 teams, with four affiliates for each MLB parent club. The Oakland A’s will still play Triple-A in Las Vegas and Double-A in Midland, while Stockton moves down to Low-A, and Lansing joins the organization in High-A. Beloit switches to the Marlins’ farm. Click here for more details on the new setup.
However, one former A’s affiliate was left out in the cold entirely. The Vermont Lake Monsters spent nine years as Oakland’s short-season Low-A club, as part of the NY-Penn League, where particularly young prospects and recent draft picks would often get their first brief taste of pro ball before moving up to a full-season league. But the short-season level was eliminated entirely as part of the recent changes, and the Lake Monsters weren’t re-assigned higher up the ladder.