text: Importantly, the team estimates that more than 1,700 hotel rooms are booked annually for Spinners games and events, totaling more than $150,000 in direct revenue and even more for restaurants and local businesses in downtown Lowell.
  Our city knows the value that the Spinners and their affiliation with the Red Sox brings, which is why the city has continued to invest in making LeLacheur Park even better for players and fans. In 2017, the ballpark was named the best short-season park by Ballpark Digest — a recognition that brings with it the lure of more tourists and away-game fans.
  However, the Red Sox-affiliated Spinners haven’t only been beneficial and profitable to fans, businesses, and the city. They’ve been good for the Red Sox too. The club can scout prospects and rehab players just up the road from Fenway, and since the team’s relocation to Lowell, the Spinners have sent 119 players to the major leagues, including Jackie Bradley Jr., Andrew Benintendi, and Mookie Betts — otherwise known as the entire starting outfield of the 2018 World Series Champion Red Sox.
  Despite the financial and cultural value of the Spinners’ affiliation to everyone involved, they were included in a contraction plan put forth by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, which proposed the elimination of MLB affiliations for 42 minor league teams.
  At a time when the coronavirus has stolen so much from our community and our everyday lives, it’s more important than ever that we give people something to look forward to – a light at the end of this long tunnel.