Wilmington Blue Rocks

For the 1940-1952 Interstate League Wilmington Blue Rocks, see Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940-1952)

Wilmington Blue Rocks Founded in 1993 Wilmington, Delaware
Team Logo Cap Insignia
Class-level
Advanced-A
Minor league affiliations
Carolina League Northern Division
Major league affiliations
Kansas City Royals (1993-2004, 2007-present) Boston Red Sox (2005-2006)
Name
Wilmington Blue Rocks (1993-present)
Ballpark
Daniel S. Frawley Stadium
Minor league titles
League titles	1994, 1996, 1998 & 1999
Division titles	1993, 1995, 2001, 2004
Owner(s)/Operated by: Tom Palmer, Jack Minker, Bob Stewart
Manager: Brian Rupp
General Manager: Chris Kemple

The Wilmington Blue Rocks' alternate logo

Rocky Bluewinkle, mascot of the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team located in Wilmington, Delaware. The Blue Rocks play in the Northern Division of the Carolina League.

Franchise history

The Blue Rocks play in the Carolina League, an advanced Single-A league in minor league baseball. 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'. 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 have three mascots. One is Rocky Bluewinkle, a blue moose. Another is Mr. Celery, a stalk of celery that comes out to "CEL"-a-brate when Wilmington scores a run. Finally, there is Rubble, a giant blue rock.

Roster

Wilmington Blue Rocks roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 29 Ryan Dennick 27 Edgar Garcia -- Ivor Hodgson 17 Brendan Lafferty 18 Michael Mariot 14 Justin Marks 40 Timothy Melville 32 Dusty Odenbach 45 Bryan Paukovits 25 Elisaul Pimentel 31 Julio César Pimentel 34 Tyler Sample		Catchers  9 Jose Bonilla Infielders 11 Deivy Batista  6 Gerard Hall 22 Joey Lewis  8 Alex McClure 28 Kurt Mertins  7 Ryan Stovall 30 John Whittleman Outfielders 16 Tim Ferguson 13 Whit Merrifield 12 Yem Prades 44 Carlo Testa 19 Nick Van Stratten		Manager -- Vance Wilson Coaches -- Damon Hollins (hitting) 46 Steve Luebber (pitching) 7-day disabled list * On Kansas City Royals 40-man roster ∞ Reserve list § Suspended list ‡ Restricted list # Rehab assignment Roster updated January 9, 2012 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → Kansas City Royals minor league players

Players of note

Frawley Stadium

More than 100 Blue Rocks have gone on to the major leagues, including All-Stars Carlos Beltrán, Lance Carter, Johnny Damon, Zack Greinke, Jon Lieber, José Rosado, and Mike Sweeney. Other former Blue Rock players of note include:

• Jeremy Affeldt
• Angel Berroa 2003 American League Rookie of the Year
• Carlos Beltran 1999 American League Rookie of the Year
• Brandon Berger
• Ryan Bukvich
• Tim Byrdak
• Dee Brown
• Clay Buchholz
• Kiko Calero
• Lance Carter 2003 MLB All Star
• Johnny Damon 2-time World Series champion, author of "IDIOT", 2-time MLB All Star
• David DeJesus
• Chad Durbin
• Mark Ellis
• Jacoby Ellsbury Boston Red Sox 2005 first round draft pick, 2007 World Series Champion
• Sal Fasano
• Carlos Febles
• Mike Fyhrie
• Raul Gonzalez
• Zack Greinke 2009 MLB All Star, 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner, 2009 "The Sporting News" AL Pitcher of the Year
• Rubén Gotay
• Lance Jennings
• Shane Halter Became only the 4th person to play all nine positions in a Major League game on October 1, 2000
• Ken Harvey 2004 MLB All Star
• Runelvys Hernández
• Eric Hosmer 3rd overall pick in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft
• Jon Lieber first modern Blue Rock to appear in the Major Leagues, 20 game winner with the Chicago Cubs
• Mendy Lopez
• Jed Lowrie
• Ramon E. Martinez
• Mike MacDougal
• Wes Obermueller
• Kit Pellow
• Paul Phillips
• Mark Quinn
• José Rosado winning pitcher in 1997 MLB All-Star Game
• Rudy Rufer
• Glendon Rusch
• Brian Sanches
• Aníbal Sánchez Threw no hitter for Florida Marlins in 2006
• José Santiago
• Shawn Sedlacek
• Andy Stewart
• Larry Sutton 1994 Carolina League MVP
• Mike Sweeney Royals All-Star
• Michael Tucker
• Hugh Walker

Retired numbers

• 33 Mike Sweeney
• 36 Robin Roberts (played for the original Blue Rocks franchise)
• 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

External links

• Official website