Rockhounds Under New Ownership, Does This Mean a Move From Midland?

The Midland Rockhounds announced this week that the franchise has gone into an agreement with new ownership, but does this mean a move away from Midland?

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, The Rockhounds went into an agreement with Diamond Baseball Holdings, a company that owns select minor league organizations that are affiliated with Major League Baseball.

If you are a sports fan, then you know new ownership sometimes means that that team will move from its current location to a new location when a team is sold.

The good news is, that will not happen with the Midland Rockhounds, in fact, General Manager Monty Hoppel and his staff will remain in place working for Diamond Baseball Holdings and the club will remain a Double-A affiliate of the Oakland A's.

DBH prides itself on supporting local club management as well as community partnerships and helping the organizations it owns to grow and prosper on a national scale with technological innovation and working directly with the MLB on sponsorship and merchandising.

“It has been an honor watching future big league players in Midland over the last three decades, but what stands out the most is the relationships we have built with our staff, city officials, sponsors, and fans.” said current owners Miles Prentice and Bob Richmond. “We are grateful for their unwavering commitment to the growth of baseball in the Permian Basin and, while the decision to hand off the ownership baton is an emotional one, we are confident that this is the right time and that DBH’s passion for baseball and community engagement makes them the right partner for the RockHounds.”

“We appreciate the important role the RockHounds play in the community and are dedicated to further enriching the club, its fans, the City of Midland, and the broader region,” said Pat Battle, Executive Chairman of Diamond Baseball Holdings.

“Emphasizing Midland’s unique attributes and winning traditions while tapping into learnings and opportunities from DBH’s national network of clubs can take the RockHounds to the next level. We look forward to building further on the club’s long track record of success,” said Peter Freund, CEO of Diamond Baseball Holdings.

This upcoming season marks the 51st anniversary of Texas League Professional baseball in the Permian Basin beginning in 1972 as the Midland Cubs (an obvious affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) switching affiliations in 1984 to the then California Angels, and then in 1999 changing affiliations to the Oakland A's and choosing a new name for the Midland affiliate to the Rockhounds.

The transaction will be done by the end of the year.