THE DREAM
Bringing Major League Baseball to Orlando
For generations, baseball has brought communities together across America. We've seen it first-hand here in Orlando through our rich baseball history. Now, the Orlando Dreamers believe that Central Florida is ready to become the next great home for Major League Baseball.
Orlando has grown into a world-class city known for innovation, tourism, and global connectivity. With a passionate sports culture and a rapidly expanding population, the region represents one of the most exciting opportunities for baseball’s future.
Through community support, partnerships, and the passion of fans throughout Central Florida, the Dreamers are creating a package for Major League Baseball that is unrivaled by their peers.
The vision for Major League Baseball in Orlando is gaining momentum. Together, we can create the next great chapter of baseball in Orlando.
For generations, baseball has brought communities together across America. We've seen it first-hand here in Orlando through our rich baseball history. Now, the Orlando Dreamers believe that Central Florida is ready to become the next great home for Major League Baseball.
Orlando has grown into a world-class city known for innovation, tourism, and global connectivity. With a passionate sports culture and a rapidly expanding population, the region represents one of the most exciting opportunities for baseball’s future.
Through community support, partnerships, and the passion of fans throughout Central Florida, the Dreamers are creating a package for Major League Baseball that is unrivaled by their peers.
The vision for Major League Baseball in Orlando is gaining momentum. Together, we can create the next great chapter of baseball in Orlando.
Lead by MLB Legends
Character. Community. Greatness. Orlando's rich baseball history is exemplified by the people involved with the Dreamers. World Series champions Barry Larkin (Cincinnati Reds, 1990) and Johnny Damon (Boston Red Sox, 2004 and New York Yankees, 2009) know what it takes to win at the highest levels. Both raised their families in Orlando because they love the city. They exemplify the passion, the vision and the world-class standards with which the Orlando Dreamers operate.
MLB Ambassador
Barry Larkin
Cincinnati Reds legend and Baseball Hall-of-Famer, Barry Larkin, serves as the MLB Ambassador for the Orlando Dreamers. A 12-time All-Star who spent his entire 19 seasons in Cincinnati, Barry is the co-founder of an international baseball league, Baseball United. He served as the coach of the American team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and managed the Brazilian team in the 2013 Classic. Barry's role with the Dreamers will focus on energizing the community, uniting Orlando leaders and convincing Major League Baseball that Orlando will be an extraordinarily successful a big-league city. Barry has been married for 35 years to his wife, Lisa, and has three adult children, all who grew up in Orlando.
Johnny Damon
MLB Strategic Advisor
Homegrown two-time World Series champion, Johnny Damon, contributes to the Orlando Dreamers' efforts to bring Major League Baseball to Orlando as an MLB Strategic Advisor. A graduate of Orlando's Dr. Phillips High School, Johnny was rated the #1 high school prospect in the country by Baseball America and was named the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year before going on to star for both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. As an MLB Strategic Advisor for the Orlando Dreamers, Johnny is actively involved in community engagement as well as advising on baseball-related strategies. Johnny is the Founder/CEO of A-GAME Beverages, Inc. and still lives in Orlando full-time.
Co-founder & COO
Jim Schnorf
Jim Schnorf is the Chief Operations Officer for the Orlando Dreamers. He has coordinated all the formational documents and financial arrangements for the organization, including team ownership structuring and financial strategies for stadium financing, as well as negotiations with prospective investors. Jim is the Founder and President of Wall Street Strategic Capital, Inc., a firm that specializes in institutional investor relationships, and structuring large, complex financial transactions, among other services. He is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant.
Chief Marketing Officer
Andrew Herdliska
Andrew Herdliska has been a sports executive for over two decades, specializing in sales, publicity, development, and special projects. Most notably, Andrew spent 20 years under the discipleship of Pat Williams, and he continues to keep the Pat Williams spirit alive with a focus on leadership, teamwork and fun. Andrew brings expertise in strategic partnerships, sales and marketing, and innovative solutions to project management, and will be a key leader promoting and selling Orlando’s MLB initiative.
Director of Community Affairs
Jessie Eisner
Jesse Eisner is a philanthropist and former energy executive with more than 20 years of experience in the natural gas and energy markets. He is the retired Co-Owner and Chief Operating Officer of Spotlight Energy, a company he co-founded in 2015 and helped grow into a respected player in the energy sector. Today, Jesse focuses full-time on philanthropy, civic leadership, and nonprofit development. He serves on multiple nonprofit boards and has made transformational contributions to organizations that reflect his values of education, opportunity, and environmental stewardship.
“Orlando has proven in the years since the Magic began playing in 1989 that it is every bit a big league sports town.” - Pat Williams, Orlando Dreamers co-founder
With great excitement and anticipation, Pat Williams, the man who brought NBA basketball to Orlando, announced in November 2019, a renewed effort to make the City Beautiful a Major League Baseball town.
Williams revealed that the group heading up the Orlando MLB effort will be called the Dreamers, “a nod to Walt Disney and Arnold Palmer and the many other visionaries who helped develop this area into the special place it has become,” said Williams.
Seizing on news that Major League Baseball plans to expand by two cities in the near future, Williams enacted a plan to get community support from Central Florida baseball fans, a plan similar to the one he successfully implemented in order to land NBA basketball here in the late 1980s. Less than a month later, over 15,000 people requested information about purchasing season tickets.
“Orlando has proven in the years since the Magic began playing in 1989 that it is every bit a big league sports town,” said Williams. “The Orlando Magic is as popular as ever, soccer fans have embraced the Orlando City Lions, and now it’s time to step up to the plate and make baseball happen, too." Though Pat passed away in July 2024, he was instrumental in helping the Dreamer's leadership team advance the initiative to its final phase.
With great excitement and anticipation, Pat Williams, the man who brought NBA basketball to Orlando, announced in November 2019, a renewed effort to make the City Beautiful a Major League Baseball town.
Williams revealed that the group heading up the Orlando MLB effort will be called the Dreamers, “a nod to Walt Disney and Arnold Palmer and the many other visionaries who helped develop this area into the special place it has become,” said Williams.
Seizing on news that Major League Baseball plans to expand by two cities in the near future, Williams enacted a plan to get community support from Central Florida baseball fans, a plan similar to the one he successfully implemented in order to land NBA basketball here in the late 1980s. Less than a month later, over 15,000 people requested information about purchasing season tickets.
“Orlando has proven in the years since the Magic began playing in 1989 that it is every bit a big league sports town,” said Williams. “The Orlando Magic is as popular as ever, soccer fans have embraced the Orlando City Lions, and now it’s time to step up to the plate and make baseball happen, too." Though Pat passed away in July 2024, he was instrumental in helping the Dreamer's leadership team advance the initiative to its final phase.
With great excitement and anticipation, Pat Williams, the man who brought NBA basketball to Orlando, announced in November 2019, a renewed effort to make the City Beautiful a Major League Baseball town.
Williams revealed that the group heading up the Orlando MLB effort will be called the Dreamers, “a nod to Walt Disney and Arnold Palmer and the many other visionaries who helped develop this area into the special place it has become,” said Williams.
Seizing on news that Major League Baseball plans to expand by two cities in the near future, Williams enacted a plan to get community support from Central Florida baseball fans, a plan similar to the one he successfully implemented in order to land NBA basketball here in the late 1980s. Less than a month later, over 15,000 people requested information about purchasing season tickets.
“Orlando has proven in the years since the Magic began playing in 1989 that it is every bit a big league sports town,” said Williams. “The Orlando Magic is as popular as ever, soccer fans have embraced the Orlando City Lions, and now it’s time to step up to the plate and make baseball happen, too." Though Pat passed away in July 2024, he was instrumental in helping the Dreamer's leadership team advance the initiative to its final phase.
With great excitement and anticipation, Pat Williams, the man who brought NBA basketball to Orlando, announced in November 2019, a renewed effort to make the City Beautiful a Major League Baseball town.
Williams revealed that the group heading up the Orlando MLB effort will be called the Dreamers, “a nod to Walt Disney and Arnold Palmer and the many other visionaries who helped develop this area into the special place it has become,” said Williams.
Seizing on news that Major League Baseball plans to expand by two cities in the near future, Williams enacted a plan to get community support from Central Florida baseball fans, a plan similar to the one he successfully implemented in order to land NBA basketball here in the late 1980s. Less than a month later, over 15,000 people requested information about purchasing season tickets.
“Orlando has proven in the years since the Magic began playing in 1989 that it is every bit a big league sports town,” said Williams. “The Orlando Magic is as popular as ever, soccer fans have embraced the Orlando City Lions, and now it’s time to step up to the plate and make baseball happen, too." Though Pat passed away in July 2024, he was instrumental in helping the Dreamer's leadership team advance the initiative to its final phase.
Local Business Leader Board
Cari Coats
Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Accendo Leadership Advisory Group
Dr. John Evans
Board of Trustees of the University of Central Florida
Latria Graham
President & CEO at GLB Media Group
C.T. Hsu
President and Managing Principle at C.T. Hsu + Associates
Joanie Schirm
Chairman Bid and Host Committees for World Cup Orlando 1994
Ralph Veerman
President at Veerman & Associates
Sports Advisory Board
Murray Cook
Former General Manager of the New York Yankees, Montreal Expos and Cincinnati Reds
John Hart
Former President of Baseball Operations for the Atlanta Braves and General Manager for the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers
Clint Hurdle
Former Manager of the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates
Jim Kaat
National Baseball Hall-of-Famer
Brook Lopez
Center for the Los Angeles Clippers
AJ Pierzynski
Two-Time MLB All-Star and World Series Champion
Oscar Robertson
NBA Hall-of-Famer
FAQs
Will the baseball team be called the Dreamers?
No, not necessarily. We have named our group that is bringing Major League Baseball to Orlando the Orlando Dreamers. But the baseball team is going to be the community’s team, and when the time is right, we want the community to be involved in choosing the baseball team’s name, colors, and mascot.
Where will the team come from?
There are several possibilities, including Orlando acquiring and relocating a team from another city or Major League Baseball selecting Orlando as a destination for an expansion team.
When will Orlando have a team?
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has indicated that he’d like the expansion cities to be chosen prior to his 2029 retirement.
Where will the Stadium be located?
We have identified a 35.5-acre parcel located near International Drive attractions as our preferred option for
a state-of-the-art domed facility. For more information about the stadium, visit here.
How will this impact Orlando’s Economy?
According to independent analysis by a national firm, bringing Major League Baseball will create nearly 25,000 new, permanent jobs as well as over $40 billion of economic impact over a 30-year period.
How can the Dreamers come to my event?
Contact us via our community interest form on our In the Community page.