Several Boston Red Sox prospects have appeared at Hadlock Field this season, playing for the Portland Sea Dogs.
Next year more prospects from Boston and other teams likely will gather at Hadlock for one special night.
The Sea Dogs are expected to announce Tuesday that the 2015 Eastern League All-Star game will be played in Portland. The team notified the media Monday of plans to hold a news conference Tuesday “to announce a major event at Hadlock Field for the 2015 season.”
Hadlock was the site of the 2005 All-Star Game, which featured shortstop Hanley Ramirez, then a prized Red Sox prospect playing for the Sea Dogs.
The game rotates among teams with the better attendances in the league. Binghamton and Erie, with the two worst crowd totals in the league, never have hosted the game.
The game usually alternates between teams from its two divisions. The 2014 game was played in Altoona, Pennsylvania, a member of the West Division.
Several Sea Dogs staff members attended the Altoona game.
Since it last hosted the game, every team in Portland’s division except Binghamton – Reading, Manchester, Trenton and New Britain – have hosted the game at least once.
It appears to be Portland’s turn. Sea Dogs officials declined to comment before Tuesday’s press conference.
The 2005 game, played July 13 at Hadlock, was a success, played before a soldout crowd (then 6,975). That game also featured four other Sea Dogs – Brandon Moss, Kenny Perez, Jared Sandberg and Chris Durbin. Jon Lester was named to the game but the Red Sox prohibited Lester from pitching.
Jonathan Papelbon, then a starter in the Red Sox system, also was named to the game but was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket 10 days before the event.
In 2005 the league was divided into North and South divisions. The North won 9-6 with Perez getting the winning double.
The game isn’t a guarantee of future success. Neither Perez nor Durbin reached the majors (Sandberg did before joining Portland). Ramirez, Moss and Lester are still in the majors.
The Eastern League reinstituted its own All-Star Game in 2003. For the previous 12 years, the three Double-A leagues – Eastern, Southern and Texas – combined for one All-Star game.
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