Mission Viejo Steps Up to the Plate for Long Beach Riptide

City officials have reached a tentative agreement with the Long Beach Riptide to bring minor league baseball to Orange County by building a $5.5-million baseball stadium at Saddleback College.

Although the deal still hinges on the college’s approval, City Councilman William S. Craycraft said he is optimistic.

“I’m excited. I am thrilled,” Craycraft said. “It’s going to bring one of the best forms of family entertainment to Mission Viejo. There will be people calling tomorrow wanting to know where they can get tickets.”

The Riptide has been in existence for two years and has won the championship of the Western Baseball League both seasons.

Under the agreement, the team would play at the 4,500-seat ballpark for 15 years with an option for another 10 years. The team would not pay rent but would share revenue from ticket sales and concessions.

The city would finance the stadium by selling redevelopment bonds, which would be paid back through ticket sales, concessions and other stadium income.

Team owners could not be reached for comment. Riptide Manager Jeff Burroughs said he hadn’t heard about the move, but added that “I know we were looking for a better deal. . . . I was told the lease [in Long Beach] is too high and there is no concession money.”

A spokesman for the California Angels, however, said he has “major concerns” about the proposed move.

“We’re trying to build our fan base throughout Orange County,” said Bill Robertson, director of communications for Disney Sports. “This would impact us severely, and we’d like more information as it becomes available.”

But city officials said the Long Beach Riptide is an independent team without contractual ties to major league baseball and would not need permission from the Angels.

A sports-minded community, Mission Viejo built a $3-million training facility for the U.S. World Cup soccer team and hosted an Olympic bicycle competition in the 1984. It also supports the former national champion Nadadores swim club.

When Riptide officials called City Hall recently to inquire about moving to South County, city officials began looking for sites.

“This is a community that embraces sports,” said Councilwoman Susan Withrow. “Our whole planned community evolved around the recreation theme, and we have a reputation for being sports-oriented.”

The ballpark would be built where Saddleback College’s own baseball team plays. (The college team’s season ends at about the time minor league baseball’s season begins.) Located on a hilltop in the south end of Mission Viejo, the site overlooks a scenic vista of grass-covered hills, reminiscent of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Saddleback College officials could not be reached for comment. The college’s Board of Trustees is expected to discuss the proposed ballpark in closed session Oct. 22.

Craycraft said he has spoken with two trustees who expressed some concerns about parking and public safety, but otherwise were “very receptive to the idea” of having a $5-million facility.

If the college agrees, he said, construction could start as soon as December, Craycraft said. The ballpark could be ready for the next season, which starts in mid-May, he said.

The team plays at Blair Field, a well-maintained ballpark seating about 3,000. Burroughs said the Riptide averaged nearly 2,000 fans per game.

“We were starting to turn the corner in attendance,” he said. “We were just starting to get name recognition” in Long Beach.

But other teams with new ballparks in communities hungry for professional sports have done even better.

In recent years, the cities of Rancho Cucamonga and Lake Elsinore have built new ballparks where fans flock to see minor league baseball.

“Minor league baseball is hot right now,” Burroughs said.

However, both cities paid far more for their fields than Mission Viejo plans to spend. Rancho Cucamonga invested $11.5 million, and cost overruns have cost Lake Elsinore about $22.5 million for its state-of-the-art baseball diamond.

Craycraft, a fiscal conservative in the past, said he is convinced that the proposed Mission Viejo ballpark will pay for itself.

“Our redevelopment consultant is as excited about this as I have ever seen him,” he said.

The city did a demographic study of the area south of Irvine that showed “the potential for this team to do well is phenomenal,” Craycraft said. “The communities are affluent, so there’s lots of income to spend and a huge demand for youth sports activities. We’re ready for minor league baseball.”