| Wilmington Blue Rocks Founded in 1993 Wilmington, Delaware | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | High-A | ||||
| League | High-A East (from 2021) | ||||
| Division | North Division | ||||
Previous leagues | Carolina League (1993–2020) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Washington Nationals (from 2021) | ||||
| Previous teams |
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| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (5) |
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| Division titles (6) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Name | Wilmington Blue Rocks (1993–present) | ||||
| Ballpark | Daniel S. Frawley Stadium (1993–present) | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Clark Minker, Main Street Baseball | ||||
| General Manager | Vince Bulik[2] | ||||
| Manager | Tommy Shields[1] | ||||
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The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team located in Wilmington, Delaware. Beginning in 2021, they will play in the High-A East as the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.
Franchise history
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The Blue Rocks played in the Carolina League, an advanced Single-A league in minor league baseball, from 1993 to 2020. The name "Blue Rocks" was chosen because of the blue granite found along the Brandywine River in Wilmington. The Blue Rocks play at Judy Johnson Field at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium in Wilmington's growing Riverfront district and was instrumental in bringing commerce and public attention to the once ignored and dilapidated area of the city.
The Blue Rocks played their first season in 1993 when the Peninsula Pilots were purchased and relocated to the riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware. Principal owner Frank Boulton and co-owner Bud Harrelson bought the franchise in 1992, moved the team from Hampton, Virginia, and changed their affiliation from the Seattle Mariners' farm system to the Kansas City Royals'.[3] When the franchise moved to Wilmington in 1993, the ballpark was known as Legends Stadium, after the sports legends of Delaware. After Frawley, the Wilmington mayor who played a major role in the creation of the team, died while playing a recreational basketball game, the stadium was renamed Daniel S. Frawley Stadium in his honor.
The Blue Rocks have always been a Kansas City farm team, except for the 2005 and 2006 seasons when the team was affiliated with the Boston Red Sox.
In 2005, the Blue Rocks were featured in SportsCenter's 50 States in 50 Days. Matt Winer reported from a set in left field where Sportscenter did stories on the many mascots of the Blue Rocks. The Aug. 19 game featuring SportsCenter drew the Blue Rocks' largest crowd in team history.
The Blue Rocks played host to the 2014 California/Carolina League All Star Game, having previously hosted the game last 12 years earlier in 2002. The California League All Stars ousted the Carolina League All Stars 3-2. Kyle Waldrop of the Bakersfield Blaze took home the game's MVP award.
On July 15, 2019; Jonathan Bowlan pitched the second no-hitter in franchise history against the Carolina Mudcats. He struck out nine batters, walking none on 97 pitches.
The Blue Rocks won the 2019 Mills Cup Championship for the first time since 1999, closing a five-game series with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers with a 2-0 victory on September 14, 2019.
In December 2020, the Blue Rocks were officially invited to become an affiliate of the Washington Nationals, joining the Nationals' minor league system beginning with the 2021 season.[4] In further conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Blue Rocks were organized into the 12-team High-A East.[5]
The Blue Rocks have three mascots. One is Rocky Bluewinkle, a blue moose. Another is Mr. Celery, a stalk of celery that comes out to "Song 2" by Blur when Wilmington scores a run, and dances and tosses stalks of celery into the crowd whenever a Blue Rocks player scores a run. Finally, there is Rubble, a giant blue rock.
Roster
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| Players | Coaches/Other | |||
| Pitchers
| Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
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Playoffs
| Season | Semifinals | Finals |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | W, 2-0, Frederick | L, 3-1, Winston-Salem |
| 1994 | - | W, 3-0, Winston-Salem |
| 1995 | W, 2-0, Prince William | L, 3-0, Kinston |
| 1996 | - | W, 3-1, Kinston |
| 1997 | - | - |
| 1998 | - | W, 3-1, Winston-Salem |
| 1999 | - | T, 2-2, Myrtle Beach |
| 2000 | - | - |
| 2001 | W, 2-1, Frederick | L, 3-2, Salem |
| 2002 | L, 2-1, Lynchburg | - |
| 2003 | L, 2-0, Lynchburg | - |
| 2004 | W, 2-1, Potomac | L, 3-2, Kinston |
| 2005 | - | - |
| 2006 | L, 2-1, Frederick | - |
| 2007 | L, 2-0, Frederick | - |
| 2008 | L, 3-0, Potomac | - |
| 2009 | L, 3-2, Lynchburg | - |
| 2010 | - | - |
| 2011 | - | - |
| 2012 | L, 2-1, Lynchburg | - |
| 2013 | - | - |
| 2014 | - | - |
| 2015 | W, 2-0 Lynchburg | L, 3-0, Myrtle Beach |
| 2016 | - | - |
| 2017 | - | - |
| 2018 | - | - |
| 2019 | W, 3-2 Salem | W, 3-2, Fayetteville |
Players of note
More than 130 Blue Rocks have gone on to the major leagues, including All-Stars Carlos Beltrán, Lance Carter, Johnny Damon, Zack Greinke, Jon Lieber, Jed Lowrie, José Rosado, and Mike Sweeney. Other former Blue Rock players of note include:
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- Jeremy Affeldt
- Ángel Berroa
- Carlos Beltrán
- Brandon Berger
- Ryan Bukvich
- Tim Byrdak
- Dee Brown
- Clay Buchholz
- Kiko Calero
- Lance Carter
- Johnny Damon
- David DeJesus
- Danny Duffy
- Chad Durbin
- Mark Ellis
- Jacoby Ellsbury
- Sal Fasano
- Carlos Febles
- Mike Fyhrie
- Byron Gettis
- Jason Gilfillan
- Jimmy Gobble
- Alexis Gomez
- Raúl González
- Zack Greinke
- Rubén Gotay
- Shane Halter
- Ken Harvey
- Runelvys Hernández
- Norris Hopper
- Eric Hosmer
- Kila Ka'aihue
- Jon Lieber
- Mendy López
- Jed Lowrie
- Ramon E. Martinez
- Mike MacDougal
- Sean Manaea
- Mike Moustakas
- Wes Obermueller
- Kit Pellow
- Paul Phillips
- Mark Quinn
- José Rosado
- Rudy Rufer
- Glendon Rusch
- Brian Sanches
- Aníbal Sánchez
- José Santiago
- Shawn Sedlacek
- Andy Stewart
- Larry Sutton
- Mike Sweeney
- Matt Treanor
- Michael Tucker
Retired numbers
- 18 Johnny Damon
- 33 Mike Sweeney
- 36 Robin Roberts, played for the earlier Blue Rocks team [6]
- 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball)
See also
- Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame
- Daniel S. Frawley Stadium
- Wilmington Quicksteps
- Wilmington Park
- List of professional sports teams in Delaware
References
- ^ Mears, Steve (December 15, 2020). "Washington Nationals hold ZOOM calls today for the media!". TalkNats. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ "Personnel news: Frisco, Wilmington". Ballpark Digest. January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Delaware Gets Carolina League Team". Roanoke Times. 2009-10-30. p. B9.
- ^ "Nationals extend invitations to Minor League affiliates". Curly W Live. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ http://m.milb.com/news/article/201005069844624