Appealing to families is a major driver of the Fisher Cats’ success in New Hampshire. (Courtesy photo)
When New Hampshire Fisher Cats General Manager Taylor Fisher was hired on Halloween of 2024, his bosses at Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) advised him to use his first year on the job to observe and evaluate the organization, and figure out what needed to be tackled.
Now in his second full season as general manager, Fisher and his front office staff have implemented some major changes to the way the AA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays create unique and memorable experiences for their fans.
“I want to make sure that everything we do positively impacts as many fans as possible,” said Fisher, a 36-year-old native of Merrimac, Mass., who grew up attending Fisher Cats games.
With the transient nature of the lineups in the minor leagues, the role of a front office is to attract as many people as possible who may not be attending games solely for baseball.
More than 40% of people who attend Minor League Baseball games don’t identify as baseball fans, according to data compiled by DBH, which owns 49 other minor league teams. Therefore, the fan experience while in the ballpark becomes paramount.
“Fans, in general, don’t live and die by the wins and losses of a Minor League Baseball team, so we have to create a positive vibe and an experience that keeps our fans coming back,” Fisher said. “We’re looking to become an entertainment venue that happens to have a baseball team that plays here.”
Young fans participate in a Fisher Cats “Toy Story” theme night at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. (Courtesy photo)
And this season, the Fisher Cats organization, along with their partnership with DBH, has gone “all-in” on improving the fan experience, investing more than $1 million in stadium upgrades at Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester, as well as other additions and promotions to keep people filling the seats.
Taylor Fisher and Assistant General Manager Andrew Marais also personally respond to feedback provided through an automated survey that goes out to fans after they attend a game.
“At the end of the day, we’re all humans, and we’re going to make mistakes,” said Marais, who was promoted to assistant general manager in the off-season after 10 years with the organization. “But we have to make sure that we’re responding to the feedback, good or bad, and showing the fans that their voices are being heard.”
One of the additions to the pregame experience this season has been Hot Dog Happy Hour, which was named by Marais and includes live local music starting one hour before each home game, which is a DBH initiative for all of its minor league teams designed to connect with the crowd at the ballpark before first pitch.
“I want to create a vibe for people when they come through the gates. I want your foot tapping,” said Marais, a native of Lowell, Mass. “I want you to hear the music as you’re coming into the ballpark.”
The live musical events are held outdoors beside the Samuel Adams Brewhouse near the entrance to the stadium, at the newly rebranded Cold Shoals Beach Bar, with the musicians performing on the Smuttynose Stage.
With 69 home games scheduled, the Fisher Cats have booked 60 different local acts this season.
Concord-based musician Lucas Gallo performed at Hot Dog Happy Hour in April.
“The Fisher Cats organization was nothing short of incredible — efficient, kind and communicative,” he said. “Every employee was cordial and enthusiastic. They all seemed to have genuine excitement about the live music and the Fisher Cats baseball team.”
Outfielder Victor Arias sports a “Toy Story” shirt during a Fisher Cats’ theme night game. (Courtesy photo)
Along with the addition of Hot Dog Happy Hour, the Fisher Cats also invested $200,000 to enhance the hospitality and concessions operations, which they moved in-house at the stadium.
“The overwhelming feedback from our fans was that our food and beverage operations needed to change and improve, and I heard them, loud and clear,” Fisher said.
Some of the changes included rebranded and repaired concession stands, which were renamed around New Hampshire-related themes, as well as numerous upgrades to the equipment.
The concession stands also added new digital menus, as well as more diversity in the ordering options, which includes a $5 and under “value” menu and more premium and higher-quality food products.
The Fisher Cats also improved the infrastructure and maintenance inside and out of Delta Dental Stadium.
A new $400,000 LG LED video board, installed by ANC, was added in left field, and the organization also invested $110,000 in IT infrastructure upgrades that provided faster Wi-Fi connections and quicker free internet for fans while at the ballpark.
“The new board also gives us a renewed reliability of space for us to digitally display our partners’ logos,” said Media Relations Manager and Fisher Cats broadcaster Chris Jared.
But Fisher said one of the biggest differences that he has noticed involves the cleanliness of the facilities. The organization doubled its cleaning budget from last season and partnered with the Canadian company Scandinavian Building Services, who specializes in cleaning professional sports stadiums.
Delta Dental Stadium, home of the Fisher Cats, opened in April 2005. The 6,500-seat ballpark is a major entertainment draw in Manchester. (Courtesy photo)
“The difference is night and day from last season,” said Fisher, who added that fans have also noticed positive changes in the concourses and seating bowl.
However, any fan who has ever attended a minor league baseball game — or seen the film “Bull Durham” — knows that a big part of that experience of attending a “bus league” game includes promotions, the introduction of the teams’ alternate identities, and various other activities outside of the game itself.
“At the end of the day, it is Minor League Baseball, a sporting event, but it is also a community event, and I want to make sure that there is something for everyone,” Marais said.
For the 2026 season, the Fisher Cats are celebrating its Queen City lineage by rebranding as the Manchester Chicken Tenders every Tuesday, while also unveiling the Coconut Tenders and ushering back the return of the Buffalo Tenders on select games throughout the season.
Fans will also have the opportunity to catch The New Hampshire Space Potatoes, who are named after the Granite State’s eerie preponderance of UFO sightings and abductions.
More than 40% of people who attend Minor League Baseball games don’t identify as baseball fans, so the Fisher Cats focus on entertainment and promotions, like T-shirt giveaways (below). (Courtesy photo)
Fisher said that one of the team’s top priorities going into the season was to focus on its promotions.
Along with celebrating various cultural heritages and New Hampshire’s 10 counties on select games, the Fisher Cats have also spent money procuring the necessary licensing for events that include characters from the movie “Toy Story” and the television show “Blippi and Meekah,” which both appeal largely to children.
The organization also reserved the rights for a WWE Night in July, which included a jersey giveaway for the first 1,000 fans through the gates.
“I believe you need to spend money to make money,” Fisher said. “I wanted to put an emphasis on the promotions, and this is the first time we really leaned into rights agreements, which can cost a substantial amount of money.”
As far as looking forward in the front office, Fisher said he was taught a lesson by the general manager of the Nashville Sounds, Adam Nuse, when Fisher was working in a business development position with the organization before taking the job with the Fisher Cats. It is a lesson he still carries with him and hopes to impart with his colleagues in the front office.
“Nuse taught me that you always need to be improving every aspect of the fan experience,” Fisher said. “You should never be content, because your fans will never be fully content. It should always include constant improvement.”
When New Hampshire Fisher Cats General Manager Taylor Fisher was hired on Halloween of 2024, his bosses at Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) advised him to use his first year on the job to observe and evaluate the organization, and figure out what needed to be tackled.
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