From Staff Reports 

 Will 2023 be the Asheville Tourists’ final season at McCormick Field?

The answer depends on whether the minor league team can secure about $30 million in new funding.

McCormick Field first opened in 1924, so it is nearly 100 years old

So, who’s going to foot the bill?

The clock is ticking 

So... what exactly is going on with the Asheville Tourists?

That’s a question many are wondering after the minor league baseball team recently shared that it may have to leave McCormick Field after its 2023 season. 

The fate of the team — which has represented Asheville under various monikers since the 1920s — rests on whether or not the Tourists can secure $30 million of upgrades for McCormick Field.

Where will the money come from? 

As of now, no one knows for certain — but many are eyeing local government entities.

As for the upgrades, in December 2020, the MLB published a new list of requirements for its minor league baseball facilities, the majority of which McCormick Field does not currently meet. 

That list includes: shower facilities for female umpires, a larger press box, weight room upgrades, and more — for a total of $13 million.

As for the the other $17 million, the rest of the proposed upgrades — including new HVAC systems, updated seating, a replacement scoreboard, and an expansion of guest facilities — would work in tandem with the required upgrades.

In an interview with the Asheville Citizen Times, Asheville Tourists’ owner Brian DeWine explained the stadium needs these additional funds to “modernize for the 21st century.”

It’s nearly one-hundred-years old

McCormick Field has been around since 1924 and sits at the edge of downtown Asheville — just off Biltmore Avenue. 

The original $200,000 stadium was named after Dr. Lewis McCormick, a local bacteriologist famous for his “Swat That Fly” campaign. At the time, the Field was known as the “most complete athletic field in the South.”

Over the decades, the stadium has fielded talent like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jackie Robinson. It has also been the headquarters for various teams, including the Asheville Orioles, Asheville Skylanders, and most notably the Asheville Tourists.

In 1992, the stadium was rebuilt for $3 million, which led to the Tourists becoming a longtime affiliate of the Rockies, and more recently the Houston Astros. McCormick Field draws in upwards of 180,000 fans per year and has an annual economic impact of $9.8 million in Buncombe County.