Austin groups gear up to draw Major League Baseball to Central Texas

What's happening

MLB hasn't expanded since the late 1990s and the prospect of adding any new teams is uncertain for now. The league didn't respond to a request for comment about future expansion.

But even with no official process underway, Mackowiak and fellow commission co-founder Derrik Fox believe it's time to start planning and community outreach ahead of any official league initiatives.

While it remains an untapped pro sports market, Central Texas didn't have any publicized MLB-related efforts until this summer. The pair said similar, more organized groups in places that may end up competing with Austin for MLB rights like Nashville, Portland, Salt Lake City and Orlando inspired them to act.

The duo said the Austin Baseball Commission will now attempt to build community buy-in, review possible stadium sites, and put together a financial plan that includes a "credible" ownership group.

As of this summer, they're not the only ones eyeing a role for Central Texas in the major leagues. Austin MLB was formed last spring and has been working behind the scenes on a potential major league plan since then.

Its founder Jason Gindele said he doesn't expect to see MLB move to expand for at least five years, if not longer. Until then, Austin MLB is preparing a coalition of former baseball players, business and community leaders, and possible owners to set up a path forward.

"MLB has told us that a strong ownership group, a viable stadium plan and a coalition of key stakeholders will be necessary to secure a franchise. Those are all in progress," he said in an email.

The approach

Mackowiak, Fox and Gindele all said factors like Austin's growing population, income levels, diverse economy, recent track record launching a pro team, and longtime experience with international events make it a strong option.

"Very few cities can match those qualifications," Gindele said.

As long as stakeholders in the region figure out what'll likely be a $3 billion-plus plan, Mackowiak said Austin would be the best new market.

"If this is a fair fight—meaning if Austin gets in the game, gets organized, shows community support and pulls an investor group together ... the only conclusion the league can reach is that Austin needs to be one of their two expansion markets," Mackowiak said.

Jeremy Martin, president and CEO of the Austin Chamber, agreed that the city is on much stronger footing than in the `90s when the Phoenix and Tampa Bay metro areas became the latest teams added to MLB's franchise roster.

He noted that Central Texas is "underserved" on the pro sports front and has the financial capacity to sustain a new team, but that Austin will need to cement any stadium and finance plans to eventually meet league expectations.

"[MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred] has made it clear that he wants every existing franchise to have a stable, long-term strong operating agreement with their stadiums, and that has been the key priority to ensure that franchise stability," he said.

He cited COTA, Austin FC's Q2 Stadium and the partnership between the Gamblers and the Moody Center as examples of the kind of local venue arrangements that are "critically important" for team success—especially given MLB's months-long season with more than 80 home games, plus any playoff appearances. And like the private groups working to promote Austin, Martin said the Austin business community would need to have a strong advocacy role to support any future team as it did when Austin FC was pitched.

Kristin Marcum, owner and CEO of the communications firm ECPR Texas, was involved in the outreach efforts planning for the soccer club's arrival through the late 2010s. Based on that experience, she said anyone now angling for MLB's attention should first focus on building up grassroots support citywide, in addition to answering bigger-picture stadium and financing questions.

"One thing the Austin FC team did really well was having conversations in all corners of the community early, early on," she said. "If there’s someone leading this effort or a group of people, that’s the best thing to do, is to have conversations. What would people like to see in an MLB team? How can it be additive to the community?”

Put in perspective

Any new club would face an array of challenges before first pitch.

For one, stakeholders noted that dealing with the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros would be part of the process. Gindele said the two established Texas franchises likely wouldn't give up their presence in Central Texas without compensation, an issue he said would have to be figured out "inside baseball."

"I understand that the Rangers and the Astros are probably not going to want a third Texas team. But there are 30 owners, and 28 of them don’t have teams in Texas," Mackowiak said. "They’re going to be making their decision not on Austin’s proximity to Dallas and Houston but on Austin’s relative value to the league and to the value of their team, and to the value of the next television deal."

The Rangers and Astros didn't respond to requests for comment.

A future team and stadium in the Austin area may also be supported by public funds, something the MLB pushed for in previous expansions.

While Gindele said it'd be too early to lock in any specifics on government collaborations—especially as many local officials could leave office before any expansion is underway—he pointed to Austin FC's stadium deal on city-owned land as a model approach. Mackowiak and Fox also highlighted the importance of getting local government buy-in as team and stadium planning proceeds.

In Austin, Mayor Kirk Watson only said he'd been briefed on the commission's work and anticipated more to come.

"I love professional sports and look forward to seeing how things go," he said in a statement.

Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell said he's been working on the possibility of bringing MLB north of Austin for years and is excited by the conversations now taking place. He said the county's work with Samsung, Dell and Apple and the presence of attractions like Dell Diamond and Kalahari Resort position it as a competitive option for the league. Baseball had also been one piece of Williamson County's early efforts to draw Samsung to Central Texas.

“I’m an optimist, and I’ve worked on landing billion-dollar companies. And to me this is just another billion-dollar project that we’re working on," Gravell said July 16. "What do I think the possibilities are? Look, if you have passion with the right location and right people, anything’s possible. Williamson County is a place where big things happen, and this is just another big thing that I think is coming our way."

Even if Williamson County isn't the home of a future MLB team, Gravell said he'd still campaign to bring a franchise to Central Texas. For now, he said he's been in touch with the league and that more conversations with the MLB, equity investors and those involved in stadium site selection are on tap.

Marcum also advised any groups seeking to support an MLB team to work regionally outside of Austin as early planning continues.

"Maybe don’t even look at this as Austin’s team, but is there a way to say this is Central Texas’s team and can we work alongside all of the communities up and down the I-35 corridor," she said.

The outlook

Another key piece of any future MLB expansion effort would be longtime Texas baseball fixture Reid Ryan.

Ryan, son of Baseball Hall of Fame member Nolan Ryan, is the CEO of Ryan Sanders Baseball that owns and operates the Express and is involved in operating the minor league San Antonio Missions. He's been involved in the baseball business for years and currently serves on the MLB's player development board overseeing the minor leagues.

Despite the anticipation building in Austin and elsewhere over MLB's future plans, he said he believes any hopes for a new team may not match today's league realities. And even if MLB does look to add teams, he said several other issues would likely take priority before expansion kicks off.

“Once that process is communicated to the baseball community and to the world, then I think that’s when people can get serious about putting plans together as to what that would look like for a group to actually be able to come in and do that," he said.

If Major League Baseball seeks to expand, Gindele also said Austin MLB is readying for an extended process.

"Cities vying for a team have to be in this for the long haul—think of it as a 162-game season and not just a weekend series," he said. "Not only is there uncertainty about whether expansion will take place, but there is no definitive timeline for that potential window of opportunity. On top of that, the selection process could take up to two years, and a team likely wouldn’t start play until 2-4 years after that."

With control of the territorial rights for Austin's market, Ryan noted that his baseball partnership would be involved in any future discussions over a Central Texas major league team. For now, he said ongoing work with the local baseball community—supporting RBI Austin's move to a new home near Colony Park, overseeing the Express, and planning for a new stadium in San Antonio—remain top of mind.

"We’d definitely want to be a part of anything that came to Central or South Texas. But until we believe that’s a reality, we really want to focus on the here and now which is continuing to make sure that we have one of the best facilities in Triple-A baseball. And when the time comes, we’ll be ready," Ryan said.