After years away from the baseball diamond, the Lowell Spinners are making their return in a different form.
The Spinners announced on Tuesday that they will become the seventh franchise in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. The league allows college players to showcase their talents for professional scouts during the summer months while maintaining their collegiate eligibility.
Lowell’s newest team will play at LeLacheur Park, which was the previous home of the Spinners.
The Boston Red Sox cut ties with the Spinners ahead of the 2021 season amid changes around the country in minor league baseball.
Lowell had been an affiliate of the Red Sox since 1996 and produced a number of well-known players.
Mookie Betts, Kevin Youkilis, Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury are just some of the players who started in Lowell and went on to become key contributors to the Red Sox.
After the Spinners shuttered as a minor league team, UMass Lowell purchased LeLacheur Park and has operated it as the home of the school’s baseball team.
UMass Lowell players have played for FCBL teams in the past.
The league also includes franchises in Worcester, Westfield, and Nashua, New Hampshire. There are also teams in Burlington, Vermont, and in Connecticut the teams are located in New Britain and Norwich.
Retired MACOM and Pison CEO John Croteau and former professional baseball player Marc Deschenes are the general partners of the new Spinners. Among the limited partners is former Red Sox star Johnny Damon.
“The Futures League and the Spinners’ ownership group have been tremendous partners as we’ve worked to bring this new team to Lowell. We thank them for their commitment to the city and look forward to growing our relationship as we all enjoy many summer nights watching baseball under the stars,” UMass president Marty Meehan said in a statement.
More from CBS News