Bluefield Blue Jays

Bluefield Blue Jays Founded in 1946 Bluefield, Virginia
Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Advanced Rookie
Minor league affiliations
Appalachian League (1946–1955, 1957–present) East Division
Major league affiliations
Toronto Blue Jays (2011–present) Baltimore Orioles (1958–2010) Brooklyn Dodgers (1957) Boston Red Sox (1954–1955) Washington Senators (1953) Boston Braves (1946–1951)
Name
Bluefield Blue Jays (2011-present) Bluefield Orioles (1958–2010) Bluefield Dodgers (1957) Bluefield Blue-Grays (1946–1955 Colors= Blue, White
Colors
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Ballpark
Bowen Field (1946–1955, 1957–present)
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)
Owner(s)/Operated by: Bluefield Baseball Club, Inc.
Manager: Dennis Holmberg
General Manager: George McGonagle

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. 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, 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. Bluefield's fifty-three season affiliation with the Orioles, which lasted from 1958 to 2010, is the oldest continuous affiliation with the same major league franchise in Minor League Baseball.

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.

Roster

Bluefield Blue Jays roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 50 Julio Carmona 35 Brandon Dorsett -- Myles Duvall ‡  6 Deivy Estrada 21 Jeremy Gabryszwski 29 Justin James -- Tucker Jensen -- Carlos Pina 15 Tom Robson  5 Joe Spano 32 Alberto Tirado		Catchers Infielders  1 Justin Atkinson  9 Matthew Dean -- Jason Leblebijian 24 Jordan Leyland 17 Dickie Thon 26 Jorge Vega-Rosado Outfielders 10 Jacob Anderson  4 Eric Arce -- Melvin Garcia ‡ -- Angel Gomez 20 Nico Taylor		Manager 34 Dennis Holmberg Coaches 11 Antonio Caceres (pitching) 7-day disabled list * On Toronto Blue Jays 40-man roster ∞ Reserve list § Suspended list ‡ Restricted list # Rehab assignment Roster updated May 13, 2013 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → Toronto Blue Jays minor league players

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