The Fireflies are now part of the Royals, but that’s not the only change for 2021
Like every team in Minor League Baseball, the Columbia Fireflies didn’t play a single-game in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The good news: There will be a minor league season played in 2021. But the minors are coming through a major overhaul, and they’ll be managed now by Major League Baseball. Teams were eliminated, and leagues were renamed and rearranged.
Salaries will be increased for minor-leaguers, and travel also will be cut down.
The Fireflies’ partnership with the New York Mets ended after five years. Columbia officially signed its new partnership with the Kansas City Royals last week. The Fireflies will be the Royals’ Low-A affiliate in the Low-A East league.
“You go back through history of baseball here in Columbia and we have been a Mets affiliate,” Fireflies president John Katz said. “But the Royals are one of those teams that is hard to dislike. From a neutral fan, to the way they play the game. It is a great situation.
“We have had very little negative response to the new affiliation, and there is excitement in the run-up to the start of the 2021 season.”
Katz, Royals general manager Dayton Moore and vice president/assistant general manager of player personnel J.J. Picollo met with reporters this week to talk about the partnership and the upcoming season.
New division and new in-state rivalry
The Fireflies are no longer in the South Atlantic League. The club’s new home is the 12-team Low-A East league, with eight teams located in North or South Carolina.
The Low-A East will be divided into three four-team divisions. The others in the Fireflies division will be the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs), Augusta GreenJackets (Braves) and Charleston Riverdogs (Rays). This will be the first time the Fireflies compete against Myrtle Beach, which was previously in the High-A Carolina League.
“I’m familiar with Myrtle Beach with my time in Carolina League,” Katz said. “I am very friendly with Ryan Moore, the general manager in Myrtle Beach. He and his assistant came up this week to check out the ballpark. We are really excited about having another rivalry in the state. We will miss our friends in Greenville, but Myrtle Beach will be a suitable alternative for us.”
Will the minor league season start on time?
No. Major League Baseball begins its season April 1, and Minor League Baseball usually starts a week or so later. This year, the Fireflies season will start May 4 at Augusta and end Sept. 19 at home against Kannapolis. The home opener will be May 11 against Charleston.
The season will have 120 games, down from the 132-games Major League Baseball had planned for Class A teams. All series will feature six games. Of those games for Columbia, 102 are against either Charleston, Myrtle Beach or Augusta.
Game times in 2021 will remain similar to past Fireflies seasons. Tuesday through Friday games will be played at 7:05 p.m. Saturday games will be at 6:35 p.m., and all Sunday games will start at 5:05 p.m.
Will fans be allowed at Segra Park?
Yes. Fans will be in the stands at 9,077-seat Segra Park, but it’s unclear yet what the new capacity will be during the pandemic.
As an example, the University of South Carolina is allowing 2,100 fans for its baseball games at Founders Park this season, or 25.4% of capacity. If the Fireflies allow 25.4%, that would mean a little over 3,600 fans.
Katz said the club is going through its proposed capacity plan but likely won’t submit the request to the S.C. Department of Commerce until mid-March so the team can see what is happening with COVID-19 at that time.
“We want to get the most up-to-date information so that we aren’t planning for something that is two and half months away,” Katz said.
Will players have to have COVID testing?
It is a given that Fireflies players will be tested for the coronavirus during the season, but the frequency has not been set, Picollo said.
“We are prepared for testing,” Picollo said. “It is just a matter of what the MLB commissioner’s office requires all the minor league players to do. I can promise you it will be a safe environment. We don’t want to put our players in any jeopardy or make them do anything that they aren’t comfortable with.”
Gamecock-Royals ties
Picollo played for current USC athletic director Ray Tanner when Tanner was baseball coach at North Carolina State. Tanner coached the Wolfpack for nine seasons before leading the Gamecocks program to a pair of national titles.
“I learned quite a bit from him,” Piccollo said. “He was a tenacious competitor, and it isn’t surprising that he was a hall of fame coach.
“I talked to him in the dugout before we played a game at TD Ameritrade Park in 2019. He talked about the Columbia Fireflies and the city and I had been there before. So through this process, I recalled that conversation and how he felt about the city of Columbia. I can’t say enough about what he has done for the game of baseball.”
Former Gamecock Whit Merrifield’s name also came up during this week’s press conference. Merrifield was a star at USC and has been all-star in the Royals’ organization. Moore, the Royals GM, said they will try to get Whit involved in the offseason with the Fireflies.
“Whit is a special guy,” Moore said. “You talk about a player with grit and determination and plays the game the right way. He has been so inspirational to our entire organization and just a generation of players. He represents what is really, really good and important about our game.”
Columbia Fireflies 2021 game schedule
- May 4-9: at Augusta
- May 11-16: vs. Charleston
- May 18-23: at Kannapolis
- May 25-30: vs. Augusta
- June 1-6: at Myrtle Beach
- June 8-13: at Charleston
- June 15-20: vs. Augusta
- June 22-27 vs. Myrtle Beach
- June 29-July 4: at Augusta
- July 6-11: vs. Charleston
- July 13-18: at Myrtle Beach
- July 20-25: vs. Augusta
- July 27-Aug. 1: at Charleston
- Aug. 3-8: vs. Myrtle Beach
- Aug. 10-15: vs. Fayetteville
- Aug. 17-22: at Charleston
- Aug. 24-29: at Myrtle Beach
- Aug. 31-Sept. 5: vs. Charleston
- Sept. 7-12: at Augusta
- Sept. 14-19: vs. Kannapolis
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 7:15 AM.
