MiLB: Philadelphia Philles Extend PDC with Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs

The Philadelphia Phillies have recently announced that they will extend their Player Development Contract with their Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

This extension is for four more seasons, keeping the IronPigs and Phillies together until the 2016 season.

The four years is the most that a minor league team and a major league franchise can hook up. For example, the Everett AquaSox of the Seattle Mariners extended their PDC earlier this month for only two years.

So why four years between the Phillies and IronPigs?

“This has been an exciting run for us here in the Lehigh Valley. The Phillies and IronPigs have a great relationship and we think it’s something that is going to be special for a long, long time,” said Steve Noworyta (via MiLB.com), the Phillies assistant director of player development.

The relationship between the two has been strong since the IronPigs joined the minor leagues in 2008. Ten current players that are on the Phillies roster have played for the IronPigs, and they are among 50 former IronPigs who have gone on to play in the bigs. 

The IronPigs have everything going for them other than extending their relationship with the Phillies.

Lehigh Valley, who plays in the International League, has the lead in its division with a record of 54-43, good for third best in the IL.

Lehigh Valley also leads the International League in attendance even though they are based in the third smallest city in Triple-A. Its ballpark, Coca-Cola Park, has received honors from Ballpark Digest as “Best New Ballpark.”

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