Starting in the spring of 2021, baseball will be getting a fresh start in Ottawa … again.
The Frontier League announced on Sept. 25 that it would be expanding to Ottawa.
The Ottawa Titans are set to join the Québec Capitales and the Trois-Rivières Aigles as
the third Canadian club in the 16-team independent pro baseball league. The Titans will play at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park, filling a vacancy left behind by the now defunct Ottawa Champions in 2019.
The Ottawa Baseball Titans Club is owned by businessman Sam Katz, who also owns the
Winnipeg Goldeyes in the American Association of Professional Baseball. Katz has
partnered with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group to oversee the team’s operations.
The Titans will now become Ottawa’s fifth pro baseball team since 1993. If you’re a long-time baseball fan in Ottawa, you’ve seen teams come and go. Your optimism about the viability of baseball in the nation’s capital has likely decreased with each passing season.
Naturally you’ve heard this before, but—dare I say it—the Ottawa Titans can be different.
This club is poised to inject some life into the veins of Ottawa’s dormant baseball community.
Why the Ottawa Titans can find success in 2021
Katz has made it very clear the club intends to distance itself from the failed Ottawa Champions brand—and for good reason.
“(Champions) is a name we will stay far, far, far away from—no interest,” Katz told the
Ottawa Sun in September 2020.
The Titans name was chosen via a name-the-team contest that received over 1,200 entries. The logo features a muscular, pin-striped red giant with a maple leaf tattoo on his left arm and a bat slumped over his shoulder.
Minor league baseball is often celebrated for its wacky team nicknames and logos, so the cartoonish branding is a great start for the club. At the very least, it’s a step up from the Ottawa Champions, who were anything but successful during their five seasons in the city.
Secondly, the Titans will inherit a top-of-the-line baseball facility in RCGT Park.
Some fans think the stadium’s massive capacity of 10,000 people negatively contributes to the lack of atmosphere during games.
I’ve spent lots of time at RCGT Park during my two years as a catcher for the Carleton Ravens baseball team. That park is a blessing to the city of Ottawa.
The playing surface is pristine. The amenities could use an upgrade and the Vanier
location isn’t totally ideal, but it’s short-sighted to argue the stadium itself has to
do with baseball’s lack of success in Ottawa.
Last and most importantly, the Titans have joined a league that is associated with
Major League Baseball.
On Sept. 24, 2020, MLB announced it had partnered with the Frontier League to
“provide organized baseball to communities throughout the United States and Canada.”
From 1993-2002, the Ottawa Lynx served as the Triple-A affiliate to MLB’s Montreal Expos. Attendance was highest during this time, with a peak average of 9,351 fans attending games in 1993.
While the 2021 season won’t involve a direct affiliation with MLB, this new partnership
should serve to boost the popularity of the Ottawa Titans and the Frontier League at large.
How do the Titans avoid becoming the latest addition to Ottawa’s baseball
graveyard?
At the grassroots level, success starts with a quality product on the field. By all accounts,
the Titans are off to a good start in that department.
They’ve signed former Major League catcher and 2012 World Series champion Héctor
Sánchez. While big names like Sánchez are likely to draw a crowd, young talent is key to
engage a fanbase.
The Titans signed infielder Elliott Curtis and pitcher Mateos Kekatos in December, two
young Canadians who will immediately compete for playing time.
Manager Steve Brook appears to be a solid choice to lead the club. As a manager, he’s
accumulated a 0.556 win percentage over nine seasons in the Frontier League, including
two championships.
A roster can only take you so far, however. Titans management will need to borrow fan- engagement tactics from Katz’s Winnipeg Goldeyes, who have averaged a remarkable 4,945 fans per home game since 2011 according to the Baseball Cube.
Theme nights are very popular in minor league parks, such as the Star Wars Night in Buffalo during the 2017 season.
Live music and tailgate parties (physically-distanced, of course) in the stadium’s massive parking lot could add to the fun. Even something as innovative as a beer garden down the left-field line could boost ticket sales.
Celebrity first pitches are a must, assuming Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has a better heater than rapper 50 Cent.
A successful Ottawa ballclub does not need 10,000 fans in attendance per game to
thrive. With COVID-19, that certainly won’t be possible for the 2021 season. But with a
creative ownership group that has experience engaging fans and bringing baseball
stadiums to life, I have faith in the Titans.
Verdict
A new ownership group, a talented roster and an MLB partnership lines the Titans up for a successful 2021 pandemic-altered season.
So rejoice Ottawa, because baseball is back.
At the very least, be optimistic, because—come springtime—the Ottawa Titans should
be on track to restore Ottawa baseball to its glory days … if those days ever existed.
