Fresno County Supervisor Sal Quintero welcomes new Grizzlies owner Mike Baker at a 2018 press conference. Photo by Edward Smith

April’s rent is in for Chukchansi Park and the Fresno Grizzlies are crediting strong ownership and loyal fans for maintaining cash flow.

“Our priority is making sure the City gets paid,” said Derek Franks, president of the Fresno Grizzlies. The stability of the new ownership group, Fresno Sports and Events, has put the Triple-A baseball team in a good position considering current events, he said.

Coronavirus did not stop a number of season ticket holders as well as single-ticket buyers who chose to hold on to their tickets rather than ask for refunds.

“People are saying they’re here for the long haul,” said Stephen Rice, media relations administrator for the Fresno Grizzlies. For larger group sales, they are being moved back to July, August and September.

This has allowed them to pay their portion of the $500,000 annual rent payment to the City of Fresno, according to Mark Standriff, director of communications for the City of Fresno.

The team’s lease for city-owned Chukchansi Park lasts through 2036.

And while Standriff said the Grizzlies ownership has expressed the ability to pay for May as well, with no concrete plans for reopening Major League Baseball, the Triple-A teams’ future is up in the air.

“The thing is, we don’t know how long this thing is going to go on,” said Rice.

Minor League Baseball relies on Major League Baseball for their plans and MLB has proposed a number of options for how to play a shortened baseball season, but nothing has been made official.

Some proposals include playing games in Phoenix, Arizona, where the league can isolate players and staff. Other options include limiting games to television, minus in-person spectators.

Minor League games don’t have the same television appeal as Major League games, said Rice.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said sporting events might not even return until 2021.

But despite what MLB decides, once they make a decision, “our job is to make a season happen,” said Franks.

For their part, the Fresno Grizzlies have been engaging fans via social media. People stuck at home can watch interviews with former players and have sent in pictures of their animals, as per online promotions being held by the baseball team.

Seasonal hiring has been put on hold, but ownership group Fresno Sports and Events, which acquired the team in 2018, has been making sure front office staff are still working and getting paid, said Rice.

“We have an ownership that has been outstanding,” said Rice. “They have completely helped us make sure we’re on the right financial track.”