February 27th, 2016 at 6:00 am 
by Harold Uhlman The Great Lakes Loons are the Dodgers Low Single-A affiliate in the Midwest League. The team moved to Midland, Michigan in 2007 after completing the 2006 season at the historic Dodgertown complex in Vero Beach, Florida. That kind of bothered me but I got over it. The Loons are the minor league team that I now follow more closely during the baseball season than any other Dodger affiliate team – thanks to MiLB.com and a time zone only one hour removed from my Atlantic Standard Time Zone. The 2007 Loons season might also be classified as YCK. That is, the year of Clayton Kershaw.
The Midwest League has two eight-team divisions with the Loons part of the Eastern Division. In 2015 the Loons went 68 and 69 on the season. They did secure a play-off berth by finishing second in their division in the first half but lost two straight games in post season play to the Lansing Lugnuts. Both games were decided by one run.
The Loons are now gearing up for a new season with some things old and some things new. They will again play their home games at Dow Diamond. The stadium – opened in 2007 – is operated by the Michigan Baseball Foundation, which also owns the Loons. The Dow Chemical Company donated the site and purchased the naming rights to the stadium. Baseball Digest named Dow Diamond the best new ballpark of 2007.
Dow Diamond is one of the most beautiful ballparks in the minor leagues.
(Photo credit – Loons.com)
Paul Swaney in his stadium review in his Stadium Journey Magazine had high praise for the Loons home ball park: “ Dow Diamond provides one of the best ballpark experiences in minor league baseball, and it is clear that the Loons organization is continuing to make strides to maintain and improve that experience. It is natural for fans to lose some interest and attendance to fall off after the first five years or so after opening a new ballpark. Hopefully the local fans will remember to appreciate this jewel, and it remains a destination for ballpark enthusiasts around the country.”
Paul Swaney did note one trend that the Loons would like very much to change this year. In their inaugural season in 2007 they drew an average attendance of 4,773. That average had continued to drop each year since 2007 to a low of 3,360 in the past season. Was it just the novelty of the new stadium and team in 2007 or was it the Kershaw effect that year? Hopefully that trend will start to reverse itself in 2016.
The Loons begin the upcoming season with new uniforms. They are described on the Loons Official Site: “Home uniforms with the nostalgic cream color are an instant classic and harkens back to yesteryear. The road set is your classic gray with red lettering across the chest. The new alternates are green with the interlocking GL and Loon in flight anchored on the chest. All caps are the official New Era on-field hats with the road and alternates having the ability to interchange for select road games.”
Loons President Paul Barbeau indicates that a number of logos will be used this year – interlocking GL, Loon head, Loon L, Winter Loon, Dive In, interlocking GL with Loon in flight, Swinging Loon, Summer Loon and the Loons primary logo. He feels they have a logo for every fan.
2016 Great Lakes Loons logos.
(Image courtesy of Great Lake Loons)
When the Loons take to the field on April 7th in Lansing against those same Lugnuts that eliminated them in the 2015 play-offs they will do so with a revamped coaching staff.
John Valentin, who was the Dodgers’ assistant hitting coach last season, takes over as the Loons hitting coach following a three-year stint as the Dodgers’ major league assistant hitting coach.
Bobby Cuellar was the pitching coach for the Dodgers’ Pioneer League team in Ogden last season and he moves into the same position with the Loons in the upcoming season. He has coached at both the major and minor league levels and is the team’s elder statesman in the coaching ranks at age 63.
Gil Velazquez, 36, will make his managing debut with the Loons in 2016 after having coached with the Arizona League Dodgers in 2015.
After spending one season as manager of the Arizona League Dodgers, former Miami Marlins infielder Gil Velazquez will manage the Dodgers Low Single-A Great Lakes Loons.
(Photo credit – Ronald C. Modra)
The only returning member from the 2015 Great Lakes coaching staff is Fumi Ishibashi who returns as a bench coach and was also described as the “fourth” coach last year.
Chris Vosters will return as the play-by-play announcer on the Loons flagship radio station ESPN 100.9-FM and also on home games featured on MiLB.TV.
The uniforms are new, the coaching staff is revamped, the play-by-play is ready to go and a wide variety of promotions have been planned in an effort to help attract more families to the Loons home games in 2016. All that is left now is to fill out the roster which will soon start shaping up as minor league spring training is getting ready to kick into high gear.
It most likely is total folly to try to predict which players will fill out the Loons roster on opening day especially since a whole new set of dynamics has been set in place with the Dodgers restructured front office and a revamped coaching staff with the Loons. However, it might be fun to try to do just that.
I think it is quite safe to say that there will be very little movement in a downward direction from the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the A+ California League except in the case of rehabbing due to injury. The bulk of the Loons roster will come from returning players from the 2015 squad and the Ogden Raptors of the rookie level Pioneer League. There may be a leap or two from the 2015 Arizona league Dodgers roster. Needless to say, another strong draft in 2016 would add some players to the Loons during the last two months of the season as it did in 2015.
I can see 19-year old right-hander Yadier Alvarez playing in Midland this season at some point but not on opening day. I am equally as interested to see if any of these other youngsters make it to the Loons this year – OF Mitch Hansen (19), C Gersel Pitre (19), OF Ariel Sandoval (20), 3B Brendan Davis (18), 3B Jared Walker (20).
Gage Green presents a bit of a conundrum. He played four games only with the Loons at the tail end of the 2015 season after tearing up the rookie Pioneer League. The question is whether he will be returned to catching, the position for which he was drafted and in which he played only eight games in 2015. On the basis of his all out style of play and his bat I expect he may well start with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes this season.
The choices for the 2016 Great Lakes Loons opening day roster include these prospects, among others.
C Julian Leon (19)
Garrett Kennedy (23)
Jake Hansen (22)
1B Scott DeJong (22)
2B Tyler Wampler (24)
Deion Ulmer (21)
3B Ivan Vela (23)
SS Christian Gomez (20)
OF Alex Santana (22)
Jordan Paroubeck (21)
Matt Jones (21)
Michael Medina (19)
P Andrew Sopko (21)
Jairo Pacheco (19)
Philip Pfeifer (23)
Kevin Brown (22)
Nolan Long (22)
Chris Powell (23)
Adam Bray (22)
Michael Boyle (21)
Bernardo Reyes (20)
Wes Helsabeck (23)
M.J. Villegas (21)
Ivan Vieitez(22)
Corey Copping (22)
The Loons outfield could be an exciting one, especially if Gage Green starts the season in Midland, while the starting staff may also be a bit surprising.
Posted in 
The Loons have seriously reinvested in themselves this off-season and have spent a lot of time and money re-branding themselves. I sincerely hope that it pays off for them but I have never been a big fan of “alternate” uniforms (especially several of them) and an even lesser fan of having multiple logos – but such are the way of things in the minor leagues these days.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dodgers 2015 first round draft pick Walker Buehler pass through Midland at some point this season in his rehab and recovery from Tommy John surgery, although I expect his time there to be very brief. There is little doubt that the Dodgers wand him to move through the system very quickly – especially at 21 years of age.
I actually wouldn’t be surprised to see Julian Leon begin the 2016 season at Rancho – if he has a great spring, that is (ditto for Gage Green).
Great stuff, Harold – thanks again.
I’m sure you are right about Buehler and hopefully he gets back to pitching in 2016.
I also expect Leon to make his way to RC but expect he might spend some time with the Loons to see if his bat has improved over 2015. There are several catchers in the system with some promise so moving up for Leon during the season is pretty much a sure thing.
I like the home and road uniforms better than last year’s red.
I’ve always liked when a franchise’s minor league teams have similar unis to their parent team – at least somewhat. But with PDCs changing so frequently these days, it’s understandable why they are reluctance to do so.
BTW – I REALLY like the Loons new “main” logo (the larger one in the photo).
The other Dodgers minor league affiliates are falling in line with the Dodgers uniforms but for some reason the Loons have not. I guess Loons don’t look good in blue.
EVERYTHING looks good in Dodger Blue.
To Ron: You got it, dude!
Loons? Lugnuts? What other team names does that league have?
I expect that all team names have some kind of significance. Loons would be apt because of the area in which the team is located with rivers and lakes near by. Loons would be common to the area just as Cardinals, Orioles, Blue Jays are for those teams.
The Midwest teams do have quite a variety of unusual team names: Lumber Kings, Timber Rattlers, Bees, Chiefs, Kernels,Snappers, Tin Caps,Whitecaps,Dragons,Captains,Hot Rods,Cougars, Bandits, Lugnuts, Loons.
The Lugnuts stadium used to be called Oldsmobile Park so I guess they had to pick some car part.
What’s funny is when a team changes location but not it’s name. Neither the Dodgers nor the Giants have names relative to their present location. I think the oddest one though is the NBA’s Los Angeles (formerly Minneapolis) Lakers. What do lakes have to do with LA?
I LOVE some of the MiLB team names. I do, however, draw the line with the Modesto Nuts.
How about Yusniel Diaz? If Gage Green can’t stick in the outfield, how about third base? Always seems to be a void there. I also miss the Vero Beach Dodgers. Maybe with all the prospects they’re signing they’ll need another minor league team soon. I think the Cuban players would be more at home in Florida for their first taste of pro ball.
Third base is a bit of a problem. I am looking at the opening day roster and don’t think the Cuban guys will be with the Loons on that day. Maybe extended ST or Raptors to begin. I am hoping Brendan Davis has completely healed from his arm injury last year. If so he may make it to the Loons at 3B in 2016.
I couldn’t figure out why Gage Green wasn’t used as a catcher last year. It is sort of like the Tyler Ogle thing. I wish Green could play 3B. He has the grit to do it.
A while back the Dodgers released these minor league players with Luis Rodriguez being one of them. He was drafted in 2015 as an 18-year old.
Colin Hering
Clint Freeman
Edwin Drexler
Luis Rodriguez
Brian Wolfe
Matt Shelton
Randy Fontanez
Jeremy Rathjen
Looks like they are making room for new acquisitions.
Respect the Rivalry
I expect that is because of the national recognition of established MLB, NBA, NFL teams and marketing with the fans that continued to buy team items even though they have moved. Look at the Dodger hats, jerseys, jackets, etc. at so many MLB parks.
I can speak from experience. I began following the Dodgers in Brooklyn in 1952 from my Lunenburg, Nova Scotia home. There is no doubt in my mind that if they had changed names I would have quickly drifted to another team. I was imprinted on “Dodgers”.
The Vero Beach Dodgers didn’t become the Great Lakes Dodgers. The franchise itself was moved from Battle Creek (Southwest Michigan Devil Rays) at the same time in 2007 that it became a Dodger affiliate so the opportunity was there to be Dodgers. Opportunity missed perhaps.
Here is a picture of the right field wall at Dow Diamond!
Very cool ebbetsfld!
This picture is from 2010 with Loons’ Manager Juan Bustabad (fourth from left) and a bunch of Dodger Fantasy campers from Texas, Utah, New York, Indiana, California, Arizona, and Ohio who made a road trip to visit with Busty and then went on to Chicago for a Dodger series with the Cubs.