2019 Freitas Awards: Tulsa Drillers (Double-A)

When the offseason arrives, the hard hats usually start showing up at the Tulsa Drillers’ ONEOK Field.

The downtown ballpark opened in 2010, so the stadium itself is quite new. But the Drillers have steadily continued to improve their home park to keep it fresh year after year.

New flooring was installed in the player facilities over the past couple of years as well as other amenities that Drillers general manager Mike Melega said he believes makes them among the nicest in the Texas League.

Upgrading the fan experience at the downtown ballpark has also been a priority of ownership and the Tulsa Stadium Trust. The suite-level corridors have been redone to feature the history and hall of fame of the Drillers franchise. Professional baseball has been played continuously in Tulsa since the end of World War II. For 2020, a new 2,133-square foot LED screen will be both nicer and larger than the 10-year-old board it replaces. The Drillers are also putting in a new line score/video board in right field and a ribbon board that runs across the front of the suite level.

Fans have noticed. The Drillers are one of only two Texas League clubs to average 5,000 or more fans per game every year in the 2010s. Coming off a Texas League championship in 2018, Tulsa capitalized on its success with a variety of promotions, ranging from special uniforms during the opening homestand of 2019 to a special flex ticket plan that helped the club record an average attendance of 5,507 fans per game, more than 250 more than the previous year. Tulsa also hosted to the 2019 Texas League all-star game.

For its consistent focus on improving the fan experience and a solid all-around operation, Tulsa is the Baseball America Double-A Freitas Award winner for 2019.

“That was big as far as marketing the game and the lead up to it, as well as hosting folks from around the region,” Melega said.

“The Freitas Award honoring us is tremendous for our staff and fans. It’s one of the biggest awards we can get—to be recognized as one of the top organizations in Double-A. Our staff is brimming with pride to get that type of award. We were fortunate to get it in 2013, and to get it again just seven years later was quite an honor.”

Having completed five seasons as a Dodgers affiliate, fans of the Drillers have seen firsthand the impact of the pipeline from Tulsa to Chavez Ravine.

Cody Bellinger, the 2019 National League MVP, starred for the Drillers in 2016. Bellinger and fellow Tulsa alumnus Corey Seager each won NL Rookie of the Year honors in recent years. Shortstop Gavin Lux, the BA Minor League Player of the Year, and righthander Dustin May started the 2019 season in Tulsa before rising to make the Dodgers’ postseason roster.

“The fans usually realize how great players were in Tulsa when they reach the major league level,” Melega said. “We had 12 of the 25 members of the Dodgers’ postseason roster that wore a Drillers uniform at one time or another. Those types of things are really fun for our fans to be part of. There’s nothing better than seeing your former players perform in the playoffs on national television. We’re already talking about doing a Cody Bellinger jersey night and a Bellinger bobblehead night.”

Melega added that the Dodgers have invested in the Tulsa operation by passing down their approach to analytics and other improvements to the player development process.

The entire concourse was recently redesigned to feature team colors and promote a feeling of newness within the facility, which hosts a wide range of fundraisers for nonprofit and community organizations during the year. Major groups, such as the American Heart Association, hold events during the season, Melega said, but the franchise also provides a springboard for smaller entities as well.

“We have a community spotlight which is supported by U.S. Cellular,” Melega said. “Every night at every game, we feature a local nonprofit that comes out free of charge with tickets for their volunteers and staff, as well as a table for them to educate patrons on what they do. It gives us a chance to highlight a lot of the smaller nonprofits just starting up who might not get the same recognition as the United Way, and those larger ones that can hold big walks and marathons, but are making a big impact in Tulsa just the same.”