Baseball America selected the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, as the recipient of the 2022 Double-A Bob Freitas Award. The award named after longtime minor league baseball ambassador Bob Freitas recognizes clubs that have demonstrated long-term success and sustained excellence in the business of Minor League Baseball.
Baseball America, the baseball industry’s premier publication, has presented the Freitas awards annually since 1989. One franchise from each of Minor League Baseball’s four classification levels are honored each year. This marks the second time the Sea Dogs have collected the award, previously earning the accolade in 1999. The Sea Dogs are one of four Double-A teams to have received the honor multiple times joining Harrisburg, Reading, and Tulsa.
“This award is a testament to our dedicated and talented staff, both full-time and part-time, their hard work has created a wonderful experience for our fans,” stated Sea Dogs President & General Manager Geoff Iacuessa. “We are incredibly blessed with the tremendous amount of support we have received from the community since 1994.”
“The Freitas Award attempts to honor the entirety of an MiLB team from the ownership and general manager to sales representatives and hot dog vendors,” said Baseball America Editor-in-Chief JJ Cooper, said. “The Portland Sea Dogs are viewed around baseball as a top-notch organization and operation, which made them a clear choice as our 2022 Double-A Freitas Award winner.”
The Portland Sea Dogs drew 379,100 fans in 2022, an average of 5,744 per game, which ranked third in Double-A and was the most the Sea Dogs have drawn since 2010. Portland was one of just 19 teams that had an increase in attendance over pre-pandemic levels in 2019. The Sea Dogs also sold out Hadlock Field 16 times in 2022, the most sell outs since 2009.
The Sea Dogs experienced a record-breaking season in 2022, setting franchise records for sales in tickets, merchandise, concessions, and sponsorships.
During the pandemic, the Sea Dogs were the only Minor League Baseball team that kept their full-time staff in-tact with pay and paid all part-time seasonal staff as well, despite there not being any games.
In the community, the Sea Dogs’ Strike Out Cancer in Kids Program continues to be one of the premier fundraising campaigns throughout baseball as the program has now raised more than five million dollars for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. Among the community highlights in 2022 was the return of our Mother’s Day 5K road race that attracted nearly 2,000 runners and raised over $20,000 for Maine breast cancer patients and research. Three jersey auctions were held in 2022, raising a total of $20,000 for our charity partners including Make-A-Wish Maine, Maine Children’s Cancer Program, and STRIVE.
The Sea Dogs mascot, Slugger is one of the most beloved mascots in Minor League Baseball. His skits, antics, and community presence frequently garner national attention. This season he was the recipient of two Mascot Hall of Fame awards honoring his community involvement and in-game skits.
Since the team’s inception in 1994, over 10 million fans have enjoyed Sea Dogs baseball at Hadlock Field.
Book your nine inning vacation with the Sea Dogs today by going to seadogs.com or calling 207-879-9500.
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