Bluefield Blue Jays

Bluefield Blue Jays Founded in 1937 Bluefield, West Virginia
Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Current	Advanced Rookie (1963–present)
Previous	Class D- (1957–1962) Class D (1946–1955) Class C (1942) Class D (1937–1940)
Minor league affiliations
League	Appalachian League (1946–1955, 1957–present)
Division	East Division
Previous leagues	Mountain State League (1937–1942)
Major league affiliations
Current	Toronto Blue Jays (2011–present)
Previous	Baltimore Orioles (1958–2010) Brooklyn Dodgers (1957) Boston Red Sox (1954–1955) Washington Senators (1953) Boston Braves (1946–1951)
Minor league titles
League titles (14)	1949 1950 1954 1957 1962 1963 1967 1970 1971 1982 1992 1996 1997 2001
Division titles (11)	1971 1974 1976 1982 1992 1995 1996 1997 2001 2002 2011
Team data
Nickname	Bluefield Blue Jays (2011–present)
Previous names	Bluefield Orioles (1958–2010) Bluefield Dodgers (1957) Bluefield Blue-Grays (1937–1942, 1946–1955)
Colors	Blue, White
Ballpark	Bowen Field (1946–1955, 1957–present)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	Bluefield Baseball Club, Inc.
Manager	Dennis Holmberg
General Manager	Jeff Gray

The Bluefield Blue Jays are a minor league baseball team of the Rookie Appalachian League representing the twin cities of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Bluefield, Virginia, affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays.^[1] The team plays their home games at Bowen Field, a historic stadium (opened in 1939) in Bluefield's city park. The park, which straddles the West Virginia–Virginia state line, is operated by the West Virginia city; however, Bowen Field lies entirely within Virginia.

History

On August 28, 2010, Andy MacPhail, then-president of baseball operations for the Baltimore Orioles announced that Baltimore was ending their affiliation with Bluefield and the Appalachian League, effective at the end of the 2010 Appalachian League season.^[2][3] Bluefield's 53 season affiliation with the Orioles, which lasted from 1958 to 2010, had been the oldest continuous affiliation with the same major league franchise in Minor League Baseball.^[3]

The Orioles were sometimes known as the "Baby Birds" or the "Baby O's", a reference to their major league parent club. One of the best known players to have played in Bluefield is Cal Ripken, Jr., who played with Bluefield in 1978 when he was 17 years old. Another famous former Baby Bird is Boog Powell, who played there in 1959, also as a 17-year-old.

Bluefield became an affiliate organization with Toronto for the 2011 season.

Outfielder Kevin Pillar played for the Bluefield Blue Jays in 2011, and batted .347, winning the Appalachian League batting title and leading the organization in batting average.^[4][5] He holds the team's all-time records for batting average, on-base percentage (.377), and slugging percentage (.534).^[6] In August 2013, Pillar became the first Bluefield Blue Jays alumnus to play in the major leagues for Toronto.^[7]

Roster

Bluefield Blue Jays roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 23 Miguel Burgos  9 Christian Cox 16 Geno Encina 17 Alberto Guzman 41 Juliandry Higuera 19 Grayson Huffman 18 Jackson Lowery 37 Zach Rodgers 22 Dalton Rodriguez  8 Jordan Romano 35 Luis Sanchez 46 Matt Smoral  6 Zak Wasilewski		Catchers -- Garrett Custons (Military leave)  7 Matt Morgan 21 Andres Sotillo  4 Brett Wellman Infielders 13 Deiferson Barreto 36 Gabriel Clark  2 Yeltsin Gudino 28 Mattingly Romanin 10 Christian Williams Outfielders -- Alex Azor (Military leave) -- Jesus Gonzalez ‡  8 DJ McKnight 15 Freddy Rodriguez 32 Nick Sinay 45 Juan Tejada		Manager 34 Dennis Holmberg Coaches -- Aaron Matthews (hitting) 11 Antonio Caceres (pitching) 7-day disabled list * On Toronto Blue Jays 40-man roster # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporary inactive list Roster updated April 4, 2016 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → Toronto Blue Jays minor league players

References

1. "Blue Jays fly into Bluefield to replace the Orioles". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. September 7, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
2. "Orioles leaving Bluefield". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. August 28, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
3. "Orioles out of Bluefield". Orioles Insider: Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
4. Eric Sondheimer (November 9, 2011). "Baseball: Ex-Chaminade player Kevin Pillar to receive honor". latimes.com. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
5. "2013 Prospect Watch". mlb.com. May 24, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
6. "2012 Bluefield Blue Jays Media Guide". Retrieved August 19, 2013.
7. http://backinblue.kc-media.net/?p=7488

External links

• Official Site of Minor League Baseball – Bluefield Blue Jays Homepage
• Bluefield Blue Jays at Appalachian League site
• Announcement of Blue Jays replacing the Orioles