TRENTON — Jeff Hurley has been in minor league baseball for so long that nothing surprises him anymore.
So a pop-up rain storm that nearly flooded out the infield while everybody was out at lunch wasn’t going to stop the final home game of the regular season from being played.
“We joke about that the longer you are in this business the more chapters you have in your book,” Hurley, the team president, said this week. “It’s a testament to the staff that everybody is willing to help out. Then the hard work from the grounds crew to make sure the field was ready to go and playable.”
While the Thunder closed the book on the 2024 home slate on Sunday evening, the ballpark is expected to begin a facelift ahead of the 2025 season.
The Mercer County Board of Commissioners approved an executive grant through the New Jersey state department of community system funding at their Aug. 18 meeting to begin “the design and construction of Phase I clubhouse facility upgrades for the Trenton Thunder Stadium.”
Phase I construction, according to the meeting agenda, is set to run through June of 2025.
“We want to make sure we are not only meeting the PDL standards, but we are above,” Hurley said. “Mercer County and the Trenton Thunder are making sure we review the documents and the projects that are ongoing over the next few years are getting us to the standards and above and making sure we’re ready to go.
“This ballpark has been great for the last 30 years, it’s a beautiful ballpark, but there are some things we have to make sure that we get done before an affiliate comes in. … We have a list: clubhouses, video board, field … you’re going to hear more about that over the next few months. It’s an exciting thing for this organization.”
While the Thunder have had success in the stands and on the field in the MLB Draft League — they lead the league in attendance at 5,319 per game and are on the verge of clinching the second-half title and a spot in the championship game — the ultimate goal remains bringing affiliated baseball back to the capital city.
Major League Baseball took control of the minor leagues ahead of the 2021 season and reduced the number of affiliated clubs from 160 to 120. When the Yankees opted to abandon Trenton for posh Somerset it was too late in the process for the Thunder secure an affiliation with a different club.
The Thunder chose the MLB Draft League — a new venture for the 2021 season under the umbrella of MLB that serves as a college showcase for draft eligible players from June through July’s draft and then turns into a professional league until the end of the season.
The quality of the Draft League has improved in each of its four seasons, even luring the Japanese prospect Rintaro Sasaki for the first half of the summer. Sasaki played for the Thunder to help prepare him for his freshman season at Stanford University.
The 2025 season seems unlikely for an affiliation, barring a catastrophe with another MiLB organization, according to multiple people, and the expectation is a fifth season in the Draft League.
“We are working behind the scenes,” Hurley said when asked for an update. “We have a great partnership with Mercer County. County Executive (Dan) Benson has done a fantastic job trying to help us get back to the affiliated side. We have a lot of projects that are going on starting this offseason. We’re excited to move in that right direction and hopefully it happens and happens soon. I can’t put a timetable on it.”
If an opportunity to bring in an affiliate were to suddenly crop up, the Thunder would be ready. They successfully hosted the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on short notice for most of the 2021 season.
“What we’ve done over the last four years has been noticed by not only other minor league (teams), but major league affiliates,” Hurley said. “I think it’s a testament to the community, to our fans, to our partners and everybody who comes out and enjoys a night at the ballpark.”
Whatever level the Thunder are at, Hurley can promise one thing. “It’s about the fun, entertainment aspect. But there’s also good baseball going on,” he said.
