Shelby Mets

South Atlantic League (1980)

Background

The small town of Shelby, North Carolina managed to hold on minor league baseball long after most communities of its size lost their ball clubs during the 1960’s and 1970’s. But by 1980, Shelby’s modest population of just over 15,000 ensured that the vultures were circling.

Between 1977 and 1982, Shelby held on to a Class A ball club in the Western Carolinas League and that circuit’s successor, the South Atlantic League. The Cincinnati Reds sponsored the team in 1977 and ’78. The Pittsburgh Pirates took over for the next two summers and the New York Mets arrived in 1981.

Prospects

The Mets sent several promising prospects to Shelby for seasoning in 1981 and 1982. The assignees included the team’s 1981 first round draft pick Randy Milligan and two players who would go on to come key contributors on New York’s 1986 World Championship team, outfielder Lenny Dykstra (Shelby ’81-’82) and pitcher Roger McDowell (Shelby ’82). Shelby fans would miss out, however, on the Mets’ sensational 1982 first round pick, 17-year old pitcher Dwight Gooden. Gooden would spend most of his first pro season at New York’s lower-level Appalachian League outpost in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Move To Columbia

The Shelby Mets spent the 1982 season as a lame duck franchise. New York businessman Herb Wishengrad bought the ball club in February 1982 with open plans to move the team to Columbia, South Carolina for the 1983 season. Attendance crashed accordingly from 51,324 fans in 1981 to only 11,784 for 70 home dates in 1982.

The Shelby Mets moved to Columbia as planned in 1983. The franchise still exists today after several  subsequent name changes and a 2005 move to Greenville, South Carolina. The former Shelby Mets are known today as the Greenville Drive in the High-A East league.

Pro baseball never return to Shelby, North Carolina after the Mets left town in 1982.

Links

South Atlantic League Media Guides

South Atlantic League Programs

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