Utah’s dream of welcoming an MLB team just gained some surprising support from 2,000 miles away.
Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner recently asked members of the Baltimore Orioles about which cities they’d like to see included in future MLB expansion, and Salt Lake City emerged as the second-most popular choice behind only Nashville.
“The one I think would be absolutely awesome, I think, would be Salt Lake,” Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso told Kostka.
“... Salt Lake is booming. ... A ton of families and kids who love baseball out there. I think, for them, having a major league team, I think there would be a lot of positive buzz about having a major league team there. Salt Lake is a sneaky really, really big city. The weather there in the summer is impeccable.”
Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday is no stranger to the mountain west, having spent some of his childhood years in Denver as his father, former big league All-Star Matt Holliday, played for the Colorado Rockies.
But after traveling to Utah during the All-Star break in July, the Hollidays grew fond of the Beehive State and saw its potential as an MLB destination.
“It was beautiful,” Holliday said. “Weather was great, and it’s high elevation so it’ll probably be a good place to hit. I think that would be pretty sweet.”
Holliday’s teammates took notice of how much he enjoyed his trip to Utah, with some being impressed enough by his endorsement to want to travel there themselves.
“(Holliday) said it was awesome, and I think in general Utah is a pretty place to go,” said Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo.
“I’d like to go on vacation there. It’s just different, and they do well with the Jazz in the NBA and Mammoth now. I know they draw really good crowds for the NHL and NBA, so I don’t think it’d be a bad place at all to go.”
Of course, Utah’s famous mountain landscape was viewed as a selling point by the Orioles for bringing MLB to town.
“Mountains somewhere in the background (of a Utah stadium) would be a good choice,” said Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson. “I’m all about the cool backdrops and stuff.”
But with those mountains comes higher elevation, resulting in a more hitter-friendly environment. It’s no wonder why so many Oriole batters were vouching for Utah.
“l’ve heard rumors of Salt Lake City. I think that would be cool,” said Orioles relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge. Maybe not for pitchers, but maybe the hitters.”
