MINOR LEAGUE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR MIKE ABRAMSON, HARTFORD YARD GOATS

Hartford GM Mike Abramson’s tireless dedication has made the Yard Goats one of the best tickets in the minor leagues

- J.J. COOPER

As Hartford Yard Goats general manager Mike Abramson admits, he and his club’s staff have a problem.

Success is wonderful. But it’s hard for them to ever stop and enjoy what they’ve accomplished, because what has made Hartford successful is a group of like-minded individuals who aren’t ever happy to rest on their success.

The ballpark can always be improved. The on-field entertainment can be better. Something can be new and better every single night, even if that means jettisoning something that’s already pretty good.

“Probably 10 times a year, I say to the guys I work most closely with in the office, ‘Can we all just enjoy this for 10 minutes?’ Because we never do,” Abramson said. “We bemoan every little thing. We’re always asking, ‘How can we make this better?’ ”

That approach is working for Hartford and Abramson. He is Baseball America’s 2024 Minor League Executive of the Year as he leads a team that has made the Yard Goats a consistently successful operation that figures out ways to grow each year.

“We have a large group of people here who have been here since we opened the ballpark, and everybody shares in sort of that relentless pursuit of something new. That’s definitely why we’re successful,” Abramson said.