Sacramento River Cats: Baseball America's 2024 Triple-A Freitas Award Winner (original) (raw)

Skip to content

Even as rumors eventually became reality, there was still nothing more important to the Sacramento River Cats than delivering on a highly-anticipated 25th anniversary season.

Did they ever.

The Triple-A affiliate of the Giants—and soon to be temporary host to the Athletics for the next three seasons at Sutter Health Park—earned the Freitas Award this season not only for their grace and execution under difficult circumstances in 2024, but for a banner year for the organization in which they saw significant growth in key categories.

“Our overall success is attributed to our cohesive front office that is motivated toward the same goal of providing a clean, safe, fun and family-

friendly environment where the greater Sacramento region can come together to enjoy America’s pastime,” said Sarah Hebel, River Cats director of marketing.

“Even among the planning and preparation to also host the Athletics next season, our team continued to provide exceptional service to our fans and remained focused on creating the memorable Sacramento River Cats fan experience that our community knows and loves.”

On the field, the River Cats enjoyed stays of varying lengths of the Giants’ top three prospects—first baseman Bryce Eldridge, shortstop Marco Luciano and lefthander Carson Whisenhunt—which helped them finish 80-70 on the season, good for 13 more wins than the previous year.

Off the field, the team enjoyed a significant boost in attendance in multiple metrics that serve as a true hallmark of their overall success.

The River Cats saw an 8.8% increase in per-game turnstile numbers, sold their highest number of season ticket memberships since their inaugural year in 2000 and averaged 5,563 fans per game, eclipsing more than 400,000 total fans over the course of the season for the first time in the post-pandemic era and hearkening back to a time in which they led the entire minor leagues in attendance for nine consecutive seasons.

Sacramento found success in special ticket offers that celebrated the anniversary season, as well as reintroducing a throwback jersey from that inaugural year of 2000 that was wildly popular with their fans. They also held a well-received parade in advance of 2024 Opening Day in conjunction with the West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce and Bridge District.

Additionally, the organization has shown itself to be ahead of the curve in sustainability practices, earning four medals this past season from Green Operations & Advanced Leadership (GOAL) for is work on Waste Reduction, Diversity & Inclusion, and Sustainable Partnerships.

Geography certainly played a factor when the Athletics were looking for a temporary home as they departed Oakland and awaited their new ballpark in Las Vegas to be completed—in a best case for the 2028 season.

The existing infrastructure of both the Sacramento River Cats organization and its facility made it a perfect fit for both sides.

Sutter Health Park will be fully renovated prior to the start of the 2025 MLB season with a new natural grass playing surface, a two-level clubhouse and new premium seating options, among other changes that will benefit Sacramento in the long run.