Columbus Clippers

The Columbus Clippers are a professional Minor League Baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio.

Columbus Clippers
Founded in 1977
Columbus, Ohio
Team logoCap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassTriple-A (1977–present)
LeagueInternational League (1977–present)
DivisionWest Division
Major league affiliations
TeamCleveland Indians (2009–present)
Previous teams
Minor league titles
Class titles (2)
  • 2010
  • 2011
League titles (11)
  • 1979
  • 1980
  • 1981
  • 1987
  • 1991
  • 1992
  • 1996
  • 2010
  • 2011
  • 2015
  • 2019
Division titles (17)
  • 1979
  • 1980
  • 1981
  • 1983
  • 1984
  • 1990
  • 1991
  • 1992
  • 1996
  • 1997
  • 1999
  • 2004
  • 2011
  • 2014
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2019
Wild card berths (1)
  • 2010
Team data
NameColumbus Clippers (1977–present)
ColorsNavy, light blue, gray, white
       
MascotsKrash and Lou Seal[1]
BallparkHuntington Park (2009–present)
Previous parks
Cooper Stadium (1977–2008)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Franklin County Government
General ManagerKen Schnacke[2]
ManagerAndy Tracy[3]

The Clippers began play in 1977 as an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, changing its affiliation to the New York Yankees in 1979, beginning a 28-year relationship that ended in 2006. An affiliation with the Washington Nationals lasted from 2007 to 2008. A four-year affiliation with the Cleveland Indians was announced on September 18, 2008.[4] That working agreement with the Indians has since been extended four times, now through the 2020 season.[5][6][7] Coincidentally, the major/minor league sports connection between Cleveland and Columbus is duplicated, but with reverse roles, in ice hockey, as the Cleveland Monsters are the top-level minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League's Columbus Blue Jackets.

In 2011, the team won back-to-back Governors' Cup championships for the first time since 1992 by defeating the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 3 games to 1 in the best-of-five series.[8] They went on to defeat the Omaha Storm Chasers in the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game to win their second consecutive Triple-A baseball title.[9]

From 1977 to 2008, the Clippers played in Cooper Stadium, which was known as Franklin County Stadium until 1984. The final game at "The Coop" was played on September 1, 2008, in front of a sellout crowd of 16,777. It was the third largest audience in stadium history. In 2009, the Clippers began playing in Huntington Park, located at the corner of Neil Ave. and Nationwide Blvd. in the Arena District of Columbus.

The 1992 Clippers were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time.[10] In 2016, Forbes listed the Clippers as the fifth-most valuable Minor League Baseball team with a value of $41 million.[11]

Ballparks
Huntington Park in Columbus

The Clippers have played at Columbus' Huntington Park since 2009. Construction on the $70 million facility began in 2007. The stadium can seat 10,100 people. This ballpark includes 32 suites, 42 loge boxes, and 650 club seats.[12] In addition to baseball, the stadium has also hosted concerts. From 1977 to 2008, Cooper Stadium was the team's home ballpark.

Playoffs

The Clippers have won the Governors' Cup, the International League championship, 11 times, and played in the championship series 14 times.

Roster
Columbus Clippers roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

  • 13 Angel Lopez Álvarez
  • 85 Mike Rivera

Infielders

  • 64 José Fermin
  • 73 Tyler Friis
  • 89 Marcos González
  • 67 Tyler Krieger

Outfielders

  • 86 Will Benson
  • 62 Trenton Brooks
  • 71 Alex Call
  • 87 Oscar González
  • 76 Mitch Longo
  • 24 Connor Marabell
  • 91 Mitch Reeves
  • -- Chris Roller

Manager

Coaches


7-day injured list
* On Cleveland Indians 40-man roster
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporary inactive list
Roster updated February 3, 2021
 Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB • International League
 → Cleveland Indians minor league players

Notable alumni
Brad Ausmus
Derek Jeter

Broadcast alumni
The Columbus Clippers in action at their former home, Cooper Stadium.

Columbus has been the former home of many current MLB broadcasters. Below is Clippers broadcast alumni and the MLB teams they were with after they left Columbus and in parentheses are the years that the broadcaster broadcast games for the team.

Before the Clippers

Except for six seasons (1971–76), professional baseball has been played in Columbus since 1894. It has been represented in the highest levels of minor league baseball for all but six years since 1902, at first in the American Association (1902–54) by the Columbus Senators and Columbus Red Birds, and since then in the International League. The first IL team in Ohio's capital, the Columbus Jets, was the transplanted Ottawa Athletics which moved to Columbus in 1955. While playing for its first two seasons as the top farm club of the Kansas City Athletics, the Jets spent the next 14 years as a top affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates (whose owner, John Galbreath, hailed from Columbus). The franchise moved to Charleston, West Virginia, as the Charleston Charlies in 1971.

See also

References
  1. Lunden, Mike (March 9, 2015). "Captain Clipper, mascot of the Columbus Clippers". Dispatch. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  2. "Clippers Front Office Staff". MiLB.com. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. Hoynes, Paul (28 December 2019). "Andy Tracy will replace Tony Mansolino as Class AAA manager for Columbus Clippers". cleveland.com. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  4. Castrovince, Anthony (September 18, 2008). "Indians' Triple-A affiliate now Columbus". MLB.com. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  5. "Indians, Clippers extend agreement through 2014". USA Today. September 23, 2010.
  6. "Tribe-Columbus Clippers extend contract through 2016". Cleveland.com. September 3, 2012.
  7. Hoynes, Paul (8 November 2017). "Cleveland Indians, Columbus Clippers extend player development contract through 2020". cleveland.com. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  8. "Clippers 4, IronPigs 1: Back-to-back championships". Columbus Dispatch. 2011-09-16. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
  9. Massie, Jim (2011-09-21). "Clippers are Triple-A champs with 8-3 win over Omaha". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
  10. "Top 100 Teams". MiLB.com. 2001. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  11. Klebnikov, Sergei (July 8, 2016). "Minor League Baseball's Most Valuable Teams – 5. Columbus Clippers". Forbes. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  12. Cooke, Andrew (July 1993). "Deriving leisure time values for visitors to urban sports centres". Leisure Studies. 12 (3): 221–231. doi:10.1080/02614369300390211. ISSN 0261-4367.
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