The Salt Lake Bees will face off against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on March 22, 2016, at Smith's Ballpark, the two teams announced in a joint news release on Monday.
It will mark the first meeting between the two clubs since the Bees became the Angels' affiliate back in 2001 and the first meeting between the Bees and their parent club since squaring off with the Minnesota Twins back in 1999.
“A lot of bodies will be moving, but it should be fun,” Angels General Manager Jerry Dipoto told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s a great way to connect with the fans in Salt Lake, to give our players something different than the run-of-the-mill spring-training day. It will give the Salt Lake fans a chance to see players who have come through in the past and some guys who have achieved great things but maybe never passed through Salt Lake.”
Bees General Manager Marc Amicone, who was in Tempe for the announcement, said he expects a sellout for the game at Smith’s Ballpark, which has a seating capacity of just over 15,300 seats. Amicone also stated that the game will likely begin in the late afternoon.
During the 15 seasons as the Angles’ senior farmhand stop, the Bees have helped produce the likes of 2014 A.L. MVP and 2012 Rookie of the Year Mike Trout, three-time All-Star Jered Weaver, 2014 A.L. All-Star Erick Aybar, Garrett Richards and Kole Calhoun among others.
As it currently stands, 22 Angels on the current 40-man roster have appeared during their careers with the Bees.
Both team stated that ticketing information, game time and other details will be announced at a future date.
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Xoel CÀrdenas, MA, is a writer with Deseret News: Sports. Xoel is also a columnist at SB Nation, the largest sports blog site in the country, where he covers FC Barcelona. Follow him on Twitter @XoelCardenas.