SPRINGDALE — Eric Edelstein is on the verge of making a move that every Northwest Arkansas Naturals player hopes to someday take.
He has been promoted from Double-A to Triple-A.
Edelstein will step down as the Naturals General Manager at the end of the month to take a front-office position with the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Edelstein said Thursday that he’ll assume his new role as the Aces’ Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President on June 3. His departure means the Naturals must replace the only general manager in the team’s five-year history since moving to Springdale from Wichita, Kansas.
“I couldn’t have had a better opportunity here with the Naturals and starting a franchise and building a stadium and seeing it from the honeymoon into a real part of Northwest Arkansas,” Edelstein said. “It’s always been my life’s work up until now.”
Justin Cole, the Naturals’ Assistant General Manager and Director of Sales, will fill in as Edelstein’s replacement for the remainder of the season.
Edelstein hired Cole as an intern, and since then, the 31-year-old team official has worked his way up the organization.
Cole oversaw the Wichita Wranglers during their final year before relocating to Northwest Arkansas in 2008, and he has spent the past eight years as Edelstein’s “right-hand man.”
“He’s been involved in just about every decision that we’ve made since moving to Northwest Arkansas,” Edelstein said of Cole. “So there wasn’t even a second thought that he’s the right person to take this.”
Edelstein said his decision to leave the Naturals was a tough one. And he insisted that he doesn’t view his move to Reno as a way to get a step closer to someday working in a Major League Baseball front office.
Edelstein will oversee the business and baseball operations in his new role with the Pacific Coast League’s Aces. During his tenure as the Naturals General Manager, the team moved into Arvest Ballpark and won the Texas League Championship in 2010.
“Just the whole idea of leaving them and this area was very challenging. But the opportunity presented itself to me,” Edelstein said. “There are only 30 Triple-A teams in the United States, and they’ve got a great thing going in a great city.”
Jonathan Dandes, President of Rich Baseball Operations, praised Edelstein for his work with the Naturals. Rich Baseball Operations oversees several Minor League teams, including the Naturals.
“Over the years, Eric has done a tremendous job directing the creation of the Naturals, the building of Arvest Ballpark and bringing great baseball and family fun to the Northwest Arkansas area,” Dandes said in a statement released through the Naturals.
“We want to thank him for his dedication, his service and the passion he brought to Naturals baseball.”