Myrtle Beach Pelicans remaining a Cubs affiliate, moving to Low-A East League

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - Things will look a bit different for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans starting with the upcoming 2021 season.

The team announced Friday that it will remain an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, but will move to the Low-A East League as part of realignment across Minor League Baseball. Team president Ryan Moore announced the team officially signed a 10-year agreement with the Cubs.

The Pelicans were formally the Class A Advanced affiliate for Chicago under the previous classification system. The Cubs invited Myrtle Beach to continue its partnership in December, one that was formed back in 2015. Before partnering with the Cubs, the Pelicans were previous affiliates of the Atlanta Braves and the Texas Rangers as part of the Carolina League.

Myrtle Beach will be in the Low-A East’s South division with fellow South Carolina teams in the Columbia Fireflies and the Charleston RiverDogs as well as the Augusta GreenJackets.

Two other divisions, the Central and North, will make up the remainder of the Low-A East League. Other teams in the league include the Carolina Mudcats, Fayetteville Woodpeckers and the recently-rebranded Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.

The team has not announced a schedule for the 2021 season as of Friday but said it does expect to play in front of fans in the upcoming season.

The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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