Jump to content

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Silvercoindinerman (talk | contribs) at 22:14, 30 September 2012 (Changed order to make room for alumni photos). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
File:Swb-yanks.png File:SWBYankeesCap.png
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassTriple-A (1919–Present)
LeagueInternational League
DivisionNorth Division
Major league affiliations
TeamNew York Yankees (2007–Present)
Previous teamsPhiladelphia Phillies (1987–2006)
Minor league titles
League titles 2008
Division titles 1992, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Team data
NameScranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (2007–Present)
Previous names
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (1989–2006)
BallparkMultiple locations (2012)
Previous parks
PNC Field (1989–2011, 2013–)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
SWB Yankees, LLC (New York Yankees and Mandalay Baseball Properties)
General managerRob Crain
ManagerDave Miley

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the International League. The team is sanctioned in the Northern Division. The SWB Yankees are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees and they play their home games at PNC Field in Moosic, Pennsylvania which is in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.

The SWB Yankees were established in 1919 in Reading, Pennsylvania as the Reading Coal Barons. The franchise has been based in its current location of Moosic, Pennsylvania since 1989.

During the 2012 season, while their stadium is being renovated, they are playing home games at various sites, primarily in New York state. For this season, while the team is still officially the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, they are using an alternative name which is "Empire State Yankees" for promotional purposes.[1][2][3]

With the transition from ownership by a public authority to private hands, the new owners have expressed an intent to change the name of the team for the 2013 season, including a possible change from "Scranton/Wilkes-Barre" to some other location identifier.[4] After narrowing it down from more than 2,700 suggestions, six potential names were chosen for fans to vote on from August 10–24, 2012: "Blast," "Black Diamond Bears," "Fireflies," "RailRiders," "Porcupines," and "Trolley Frogs." The winning name is scheduled to be announced in November.[5]

Before playing in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area (1919–1988)

Playing in Reading and Albany (1919–1936)

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees were founded in 1919 in Reading, Pennsylvania as the Reading Coal Barons. The team changed names to Marines in 1920, Aces in 1921, and Keystones in 1923. The team played in Reading from 1919–1932. The team's struggled all year in its first season, going 51–93 and finishing last in the IL. Red Dooin and Pop Kelchner both managed the team during the year. Second baseman John Hummel took over as manager in 1920 and the team improved from last to 5th in the 8-team league with a 65–85 record. In 1921, the team went 56–110 under Dick Hoblitzel, the worst record in the IL. In 1922, the team went 71–93 under new player-manager Chief Bender. The team finished third behind manager Spencer Abbott with an 85–79 record in 1923. The team slipped to 7th and 63–98 the next year.

The team recovered somewhat in 1925 with a 78–90 record, 5th in the IL. The team fell fast and hard, with a last-place 31-129 in 1926. They finished 75 games behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, the all-time record in Organized Baseball. Frank Shaughnessy, Byrd Lynn and Hooks Wiltse all tried to manage the team that year. In 1927, the team improved slightly to 43–123 and 68 games behind the Buffalo Bisons. Fred Merkle, George Maisel and Harry Hinchman all took their hand at the helm. William Wrigley bought the franchise and the team improved drastically in 1928, finishing fourth at 84–83 under Hinchman. The team was 80–86 in 1929, but only finished 7th of the 8 teams. The team finished seventh in 1930, but with a much worse record of 68–98. The team moved up one slot with a 79–88 record in 1931 to sixth with Pants Rowland as manager.

The team relocated to Albany, New York to become the International League incarnation of the Albany Senators and played in Albany from August 1932 – 1936.[6] Rowland continued to manage the team for the rest of the 1932 season and the team finished 7th at 71–97. Bill McCorry managed the team and the team went 80–84 in 1933, 7th in a close 8-team league. The team improved in 1934 winning one more game, losing 12 less and advancing to 4th place and a playoff appearance. The team did horribly the next year as an affiliate of the Washington Senators. With Al Mamaux and Johnny Evers both taking a hand at the reigns, the team was 49–104, last in the IL by 12 and a half games. With Mamaux in charge in 1936, the team finished last once again, going 56–98.

Playing in Jersey City (1937–1950)

Roosevelt Stadium, one of the team's former stadiums. The stadium was located in Jersey City, New Jersey and it has been domolished since 1985.

The team then relocated to Jersey City, New Jersey to become the Jersey City Giants and played in Jersey City from 1937–1950. The Jersey City Giants are one of the most historic teams of minor league baseball. Managed by Travis Jackson in 1937, the team was the worst in the IL, going 50–100 and finishing 58 games behind the Newark Bears. In 1938, the team improved to 68–85 and the helm switched over to Hank DeBerry. The team dazzled in 1939 under manager Bert Niehoff. The team went 89–64, best in the IL, but the team failed to win the Governors' Cup after falling in the playoffs. Niehoff remained in charge of the team in 1940, but the team slipped to 81–78. In 1941, the team fell back to the second division with a 74–76 finish under player-manager Tony Cuccinello. That year the team set a minor league attendance record when they drew 56,391 fans on April 17. The record has since been broken.

The team returned to the playoff picture with a 4th-place 77–75 record in 1942 under manager Frank Snyder. The team made the Governors Cup finals for the only time that season, but lost to the Syracuse Chiefs. In 1943 witnessed the team's return to last place. The team went 60–93 with new manager Gabby Hartnett. Hartnett returned in 1944 and steered the team to a 5th-place 74–79 record. The team finished fifth again a year later, at 71–82. The team almost lost 100 in 1946, going 57–96 under manager Bruno Betzel and finishing last for the third time in their first decade. In 1947, Betzel returned and the team went worst-to-first with a 94–60 mark before again falling in the first round of the playoffs. The team fell back to 7th with a 69–83 record in 1948. Joe Becker became manager of the team in 1949 and he piloted the team to a 83–71, 4th-place finish. The team's final season as the Jersey City Giants was almost a repeat of 1949 — 4th place under Joe Becker, this time with an 81–70 record. For attendance, the team's attendance record suffered and when it went down from 337,000 in 1947 to 63,000 in 1950 because of the radio and television broadcasts for New York City area baseball teams increased.

Playing in Ottawa and Columbus (1951–1970)

The team was purchased by Tommy Gorman and moved again to Ottawa, Ontario to become the Ottawa Giants in 1951 and the team finished with a 62–88 record in seventh place for that season.[7] The team still had attendance issues, but the team was renamed Ottawa Athletics (Ottawa A's) in 1952. The team went 65–85 and finished seventh place in 1952. The team improved to 71–83 and 6th place in 1953. In 1954, the team fell to 58–96 and last place under managers Les Bell and Taft Wright. The team played in Ottawa from 1951–1954. The team moved again to Columbus, Ohio to become the Columbus Jets and played in Columbus from 1955–1970. The team won league pennants in 1961 and 1965 while based in Columbus.

Playing in Charleston (1971-1983)

In 1971, the team was purchased by Bob Levine and the team relocated again to Charleston, West Virginia, and became the Charleston Charlies in response to the city of Columbus's refusal to refurbish the aging then 39 year old Jets Stadium.[8] The team played in Charleston from 1971-1983. Levine renamed the team Charlies in honor of his father, Charlie Levine, who was an avid baseball fan who later died in 1981 at age 89. Bob Levine died at age 87 in 2011.

Success came quickly as the Charlies posted a 78–62 record and won the Governors' Cup trophy in 1977 while sharing prospects from the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays. In 1973 and in 1978, the team won the league's regular-season title. Levine announced in August 1981 that he would sell the franchise. The team was then purchased by a group led by Carl Steinfeldt. In December 1982, Jordan Kobritz purchased the team from Steinfelt. Korbitz kept the team in Charleston in 1983. The Charlies followed with four below average finishes before reaching the postseason in 1983 and after the season, Korbitz moved the team to Old Orchard Beach, Maine, ahead of the 1984 season, renaming the franchise the Maine Guides. Sportscaster Gary Thorne became a co-owner of the team in 1984.[9][10][11][12][13]

Playing in Maine and Preparing to relocate to Lackawanna County (1984-1988)

The Ball Park, one of the team's former stadiums. The stadium is located in Old Orchard Beach, Maine and it is now home to the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide collegiate summer baseball team of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

Doc Edwards managed the team in its first two seasons in Maine. The team was successful in their maiden season in the resort town of Old Orchard Beach with fourth overall in the International League. The team finished second in the standings and the runners-up in the IL playoffs which the team posted a 77–59 record before losing to the Pawtucket Red Sox in the final round.[14] The team again placed second in 1985 with a 76–63 record and finished second in the IL to the Syracuse Chiefs, as they left them 2 and a half games back (but just 1 and a half up on fifth in a close race). From the team's first season in Maine, the team found itself at the bottom of attendance figures due to a seasonal fan base and a serious mosquito problem. The team drew the fewest fans in the circuit at 135,965 fans in 1984 and 136,000 in total attendance — last in the eight-team league in 1985.

Jim Napier replaced Edwards as the manager in 1986. The team again was last in attendance at 105,578 and also finished last in the standings at 58-82. In October 1986, a group from Scranton, Pennsylvania, called Northeast Baseball, Inc. that was headed by John McGee, had intention of purchasing the team and moving them to Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. Maine ownership blamed the media and lack of fan support. Maine ownership later sued NBI, claiming violation of the purchase contract. NBI also filed suit, and after a lengthy court battle, Northeast Baseball, Inc. won control of the franchise through a ruling of a three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. After NBI purchased the team, the new stadium in Lackawanna County would not be ready until 1989. McGee chose to keep the team Old Orchard Beach for two more seasons.

The team later drew even less with 105,578 fans in 1986, good for last in the IL and which at the end of the season the team was placed last in the league, and last at the gate (105,600). In 1987, the team switched their affiliation from the Indians to the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1987, Bill Dancy managed the team and the team went 60–80, 7th in the 8-team IL. The Philadelphia Phillies stepped in to manage the operations of the team. The team was then renamed Maine Phillies. George Culver replaced Dancy as manager and the team finished last in the eastern division of the International League with a 62–80 record. The team's attendance went down to 80,064 fans in 1988, less than half of the 7th-place Toledo Mud Hens while finishing last in their division. The team played in Maine from 1984–1988. The team relocated to Pennsylvania for the 1989 season and were renamed the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.

Playing in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area (1989–Present)

Playing as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (1989–2006)

The team finally moved to the Lackawanna County in 1989 and were renamed Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. The name was chosen as a reference to the early minor league franchises in the area, the Scranton Red Sox and the Wilkes-Barre Barons, both members of the Eastern League.

Despite early on-field struggles, the team enjoyed great popularity in the community. The Red Barons drew over 500,000 fans for their first five seasons. Led by .310 hitter Rick Schu and Jay Baller's 22 saves, the club drew 598,067 fans and finished 84–58 in 1992, good for first place in the IL Eastern Division. The Barons would eventually fall to the Columbus Clippers in the championship series.[15] After six mediocre seasons, Marc Bombard took over as manager in 1997, and led the club to their second postseason appearance in 1999. The Barons reached the playoffs in four straight seasons from 1999–2002, losing in the finals in both 2000 and 2001. Bombard would manage the team for eight seasons, posting the best finish in Red Barons' history, a 91–53 record in 2002, led by Joe Roa's perfect 14–0 record.[16]

Despite an increase in talent featuring many future major leaguers such as Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, and Cole Hamels, attendance began to decline through the middle part of the decade. Following the 2006 season, the Phillies ended their affiliation with the Red Barons and signed a player development contract with the Ottawa Lynx in anticipation of that team's move to Allentown's new Coca-Cola Park as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs for the 2008 season.

Playing as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (2007-Present)

Members of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees take batting practice before the Opening Day 2009 game versus the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

On September 21, 2006, the Red Barons announced an affiliation agreement with the New York Yankees, ending the Yankees' 28-year relationship with the Columbus Clippers.[17] The Red Barons sold 47,000 tickets on the day of the announcement. On December 12, 2006, the team was renamed "Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Yankees," and unveiled new team logos and uniforms.[18]

The club has enjoyed much success in their first four seasons as the Yankees. In 2007, the SWB Yankees finished with a record of 84–59 and captured the IL North Division title for the fourth time in team history before losing to Richmond in the semi finals. The 2008 season was the most successful in franchise history as the Yankees finished 88–56, won another division championship, and earned their first league title. After defeating the Pawtucket Red Sox 3–1 in the semi finals, the Yankees beat the Durham Bulls 3–1 in the final round to earn the Governors' Cup trophy. The team would again finish in first place in 2009 and advance to the championship before being swept by Durham, 3–0.

The team made history in 2010 as they became the first club in the 126 years of International League play to win five consecutive division championships. Since 2006, S/W-B has compiled a record of 424–289 (.595 winning %) and has finished atop the Northern Division. In the 2010 postseason, the Yankees were beaten by the Columbus Clippers three games to one in the semi final round.

On November 9, 2010, the Lackawanna County Multipurpose Stadium Authority voted to sell the franchise to Mandalay Baseball Properties. The following day, SWB Yankees, LLC, announced plans to move ahead with a $40 million renovation to PNC Field which would dramatically alter the current layout of the stadium.[19]

On April 26, 2012, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees were officially sold to SWB Yankees, LLC, which is a joint venture between the New York Yankees and Mandalay Baseball Properties.[20] The $43.3 million renovation project officially began on April 27, 2012 beginning with the removal of seats in the stadium's upper deck. The architect of the renovation to PNC Field is EwingCole while the general contractor is Alvin H. Butz, Inc. The renovation is expected to be completed by opening day 2013 and will take one season to completed.

For the 2012 season, the SWB Yankees were forced to play as a travelling while their stadium undergoes renovations. The reason for the team playing on the road is because major renovations to PNC Field will take over two to three years to complete if the team played at the stadium. The team also chose to temporarily relocate their operations to Rochester, New York and will base itself in that city. The team's home games were at various sites, primarily in New York state. The team's 2012 home sites were Frontier Field in Rochester (home of the IL's Rochester Red Wings, playing over half its games there), Dwyer Stadium in Batavia, New York (home of the short-season Class A Batavia Muckdogs), Alliance Bank Stadium in Syracuse, New York (all games against the regular tenant Syracuse Chiefs, plus two against the Buffalo Bisons), Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo, New York (all other games against the Bisons), Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania (all games against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs), and McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island (one series against the Pawtucket Red Sox).[1][21][22]

The team announced that they will use an alternative name which is "Empire State Yankees" for promotional purposes on the road while the team is still officially the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Empire State Yankees is the SWB Yankees' first alternate promotional name in franchise history. The team is not the only minor league team to use an alternate promotional name as other minor league teams for example the Lakewood BlueClaws, their alternate promotional name is "Lakewood BruceClaws" and the BlueClaws only use this name when the team promotes Bruce Springsteen Night at their stadium.

Leadership of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees changed on July 9, 2012, when Rob Crain, the former assisant general manager of the Omaha Storm Chasers, was named the new president and general manager of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Crain replaced former president Kristen Rose, who resigned from her position in April 2012.[23]

Uniform design

Raúl Chávez in 2007
File:SWBYanksHomeCap.jpg
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees home cap

The team's two home uniforms are white with navy blue pinstripes, mirroring those of the parent club. The primary home jersey features the cap logo on the left chest. The home cap is navy blue.[24] There is also an alternate cap, which is navy blue and features the scripted "Y" from the home cap, but without the bat and Uncle Sam hat.[25]

The team's road uniforms are grey with navy blue and white trim, with the Yankees wordmark across the chest. In 2008, the team began wearing their navy blue batting practice jerseys for a majority of their road games. The road cap is navy blue with the "Y" logo.[26]

Alumni

As the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons

All Star Mike Lieberthal

As the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees

Season By Season Records in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area

Year Record League Finish Manager Playoffs
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
1989 64–79 7th Bill Dancy
1990 68–78 5th Bill Dancy
1991 65–78 7th Bill Dancy
1992 84–58 2nd Lee Elia Lost League Finals
1993 62–80 8th George Culver
1994 62–80 10th Mike Quade
1995 70–72 8th Mike Quade
1996 70–72 5th (tied) Butch Hobson (13–14)/Ramon Aviles (57–58)
1997 66–76 8th Marc Bombard
1998 67–75 11th Marc Bombard
1999 78–66 5th Marc Bombard Lost Semi Finals
2000 85–60 2nd Marc Bombard Lost League Finals
2001 78–65 4th Jerry Martin (33–32)/Marc Bombard (45–33) Lost League Finals
2002 91–53 1st Marc Bombard Lost Semi Finals
2003 73–70 4th (tied) Marc Bombard
2004 69–73 8th Marc Bombard
2005 69–75 9th (tied) Gene Lamont
2006 84–58 1st John Russell Lost Semi Finals
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
2007 84–59 1st Dave Miley Lost Semi Finals
2008 88–56 1st Dave Miley League Champions
2009 81–60 3rd Dave Miley Lost League Finals
2010 87–56 2nd Dave Miley Lost Semi Finals
2011 73-69 7th Dave Miley
Total 1710-1568

Titles as other names

As the Maine Guides, they played in the championship series once.

As the Charleston Charlies, they won the Governors' Cup once, and played in the championship series 2 times.

Radio

Mike Vander Woude is the current radio play-by-play announcer. Vander Woude joined the team after leaving the Cincinnati Reds single-A team the Dayton Dragons.

The team's former radio play-by-play announcer, Kent Westling, retired prior to the 2008 season and had been with the franchise since it moved to Pennsylvania in 1989. While he cut back his schedule in later years, Westling, a former local television sportscaster who once worked on telecasts of St. Louis Blues hockey team, had been behind the microphone for more than 2,000 games until announcing his resignation after the 2007 season.[27] Bill Savage, a sports writer for The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, covered the team for its first six seasons, and during that stretch, from 1989 to 1994, missed only about 10 of the team's games.

Roster

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders


Manager

Coaches

  • 34 Trevor Amicone (hitting)
  • 55 Gerardo Casadiego (bullpen)
  • 23 Jose Javier (defense)
  • 33 Graham Johnson (pitching)

60-day injured list

7-day injured list
* On New York Yankees 40-man roster
~ Development list
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporarily inactive list
Roster updated July 1, 2024
 Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB • International League
 → New York Yankees minor league players

References

  1. ^ a b Empire State Yankees name, logos revealed
  2. ^ Triple-A Scranton Yankees will wander without home by Ronald Blum, Associated Press via Yahoo! News, Mar 13, 2012; accessed April 5, 2012
  3. ^ Local baseball team temporarily renamed; permanent change might come in 2013 by Donnie Collins and Rebekah Brown, The (Scranton) Times-Tribune, Mar 8, 2012; accessed May 23, 2012
  4. ^ http://golackawanna.com/stories/SWB-Yankees-to-change-name,166120?category_id=5&town_id=7&sub_type=stories
  5. ^ Help Us Name The Team | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Promotions
  6. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8s9kAAAAIBAJ&sjid=t24NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5186,3241448&dq=reading+keystones+relocate&hl=en
  7. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DkVAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7v8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=4003,714653&dq=jersey+city+giants+relocate&hl=en
  8. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2_BOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ygEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7200,1235188&dq=columbus+jets+relocate+to+charleston&hl=en
  9. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e9E8AAAAIBAJ&sjid=PC4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4816,5786873&dq=charleston+charlies+relocate+to+maine&hl=en
  10. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nZMgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mGcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3917,3154723&dq=charleston+charlies+relocate+to+maine&hl=en
  11. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o3IzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OSMIAAAAIBAJ&pg=5690,2922963&dq=charleston+charlies+relocate+to+maine&hl=en
  12. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6ohGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=l_IMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1629,59745&dq=charleston+charlies+relocate+to+maine&hl=en
  13. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zzxHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qPIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2620,783003&dq=charleston+charlies+relocate+to+maine&hl=en
  14. ^ "1984 Maine Guides Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  15. ^ "1992 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  16. ^ "2002 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  17. ^ "Yankees Farm Team To Play Here".
  18. ^ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (December 12, 2006). "Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees: News: Article". Minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  19. ^ "SWB Yankees, LLC welcome Stadium Authority decision on renovation | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees News". Scrantonwilkesbarre.yankees.milb.com. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  20. ^ "Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Triple-A franchise sold". citizensvoice.com. April 26, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  21. ^ "Red Wings to host SWB Yankees games in '12".
  22. ^ "SWB Yankees announce home sites for 2012" (PDF).
  23. ^ "Sox fan hired to lead Yankees". GO Lackawanna. July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  24. ^ "MLB.com Shop". Shop.mlb.com. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  25. ^ "Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Logos". SportsLogos.net. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  26. ^ "MLB.com Shop". Shop.mlb.com. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  27. ^ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. "Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees: News: Article". Minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved February 20, 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Template:Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees roster navbox

Template:MLB Yankees franchise

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scranton/Wilkes-Barre_RailRiders&oldid=515377191"