Rock Cats to Stay in New Britain Through 2014; This Blogger is Happy

It's no secret, if you read this blog with any frequency, that at least half of what I write is about the New Britain Rock Cats. Earlier this season, there were rumors floating around that the new Rock Cats ownership group was interested in aligning with the Mets organization, and thus severing ties with the Twins after the parties' contract was set to terminate. There were legitimate reasons why such a switch might have made sense for the Rock Cats. I wrote about it here and here. In the end, though, the Twins and the Rock Cats have just agreed to extend their business relationship through the 2014 season. The press release isn't out on the Rock Cats' website yet, but it has been confirmed by several sources, including John Shipley of the Pioneer Press. So in the end, it sounds like those creative promotions -- like the meet and greets with Mets or Yankees farmhands -- were just that: ways to get more people in the door.

As a Twins fan living in Connecticut, I'm glad the parties are continuing to work together. The current AA roster is pretty stacked when it comes to offensive prospects: Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, Joe Benson and Chris Herrmann all currently call New Britain home. This has been a fun team to watch and cover, and I'm sure that the Twins will continue to make sure that their best prospects spend ample time here.

I've had a couple busy work weeks, which has resulted in fewer blog posts. But rest assured that I'll continue to cover the team down the home stretch of the season. As it stands today, they just took 3 of 4 from the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and begin a 4-game weekend series at Harrisburg. The Rock Cats are in second place in their division, with a 54-43 record, and trail division-leading Trenton Thunder by 3.5 games. This very well could -- and should -- be a playoff-bound team, as long as the pitching can hold up (anyone with a pulse has already been sent to AAA Rochester, it seems). This offense won't get shut out very often, and is capable of putting runs on the board in a hurry. In addition to the names I just mentioned, Chris Colabello has been arguably the most productive player for this team, and he's not even a legitimate prospect!

So stay tuned, not just this season, but through 2014, for continued Rock Cats coverage.