SAN FRANCISCO—Major League Baseball organization is planning on opening a second replay center in San Francisco. They will be closing the Western Operations office in Phoenix, which opened in 2005. In 2008, MLB opened a replay center at MLB’s Advanced Media Office in the Chelsea Market building in New York.
After its successful operations, they expanded in 2014. The facility includes 900 square feet of video monitors and other replay technology. Baseball Commissioner, Rob Manfred, spoke Thursday, June 25 at AT&T Park and said that the sport will expand the facility at MLBAM’s San Francisco office located near the ballpark.
”The proximity to the Silicon Valley for a technology company like MLB Advanced Media is very important,” he said. He added, “…and it just makes sense in terms of the economics to do it where we have an existing facility.”
The new planning room is currently in the development stages and no planned date for an opening has been set. Manfred spoke about the situation in Oakland, where A’s owner, Lew Wolff is pressuring for a stadium in the San Jose Area. This would require three-fourths of the owners to agree to change the territorial rights, and Manfred has said the team is staying where it is right now.
“The fundamental goal is to help the A’s get a new facility, which they desperately need, in Oakland,” said Manfred. “It’s a long process and it’s a difficult process, but progress is being made. The A’s preference is for the Coliseum site. I see a new facility that is really, really successful.”
Manfred added Portland, Oregon and Charlotte, North Carolina have said potential expansion is a possibility that could come in the future ”People being interested in having a franchise is an indication of the health and popularity of the game,” Manfred said.
”In terms of expansion I do not see this as a short-term interest, but I do believe we have a strong and growing business, and over the longer haul strong and growing businesses often expand.”
