TUCSON TOROS
When the Tucson Toros begin their first season in the Golden Baseball League on Thursday night, a new chapter in Tucson baseball will begin.
The Toros replace the Tucson Sidewinders, who moved to Reno, Nev., after owner Jay Zucker sold the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A team.
Zucker said he hopes the independent-league Toros will be more successful — at least in terms of attendance — and draw 170,000 fans at Hi Corbett Field.
The Sidewinders often struggled at the gate, averaging 3,552 fans last season, last in the Pacific Coast League.
Community support has been very positive, Zucker said.
"It's so overwhelming, the positive response we're getting," Zucker said. "If I would have known that years ago, I would have considered moving them back here sooner. I say it tongue and cheek, but … I say with a bit of sincerity as well."
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If the Toros were to attract 170,000 in their 38 GBL games, they would have to average 4,474 fans.
The schedule lost six home games when the Tijuana Potros canceled their season because of concern about the swine flu, but the Toros are hoping to replace those games.
So far, the team has scheduled an exhibition game against International Performance Baseball on June 4, which Zucker said would count in attendance, as well as a fantasy camp June 5-6, and a kids camp June 23-24.
Zucker said the team has generated significant interest because it will play at Hi Corbett, the Toros' former home before they were the D-backs' Triple-A affiliate, and likely a more popular venue than the Sidewinders' home at Tucson Electric Park.
Zucker said he thinks attendance also will benefit from the timing of the season, which runs until late August. He said April and early May were typically slow months in attendance because children were in school.
Zucker also expects the team's level of play to be high — around Triple-A or Double-A — and said he wishes it could play against the Reno team.
The team features four players with major-league experience — Lorenzo Barcelo, Jason Jacome, Emiliano Fruto and Jim Rushford — as well as Dustin Yount, son of Hall of Famer Robin Yount.
"When I had a meeting, I said, 'If your dream isn't to play in the big leagues, I don't want you here,'" manager Tim Johnson said.
The team planned to cut its roster to 22 players today. Tucson natives Blake Eager, Chris Luera, Tom Wilhelmsen, Jason Hanna and Jacome, all pitchers, remained on the roster before Tuesday's scrimmage against the D-backs extended spring training team.
"Everyone wants to play in front of their home crowd," Luera said.
Inside pitch
• Franklin Gonzales and Lyndon Poole homered Tuesday night, and the Toros had 13 hits in a 10-3 exhibition victory over an Arizona Diamondbacks extended spring training team.
Poole reached base in each of his three plate appearances.
UP NEXT
• What: Chico Outlaws at Toros (season opener)
• When: 7 p.m. Thursday
• Where: Hi Corbett Field
• Cost: $5 general admission, $8 reserved, $10 VIP
