Pensacola Blue Wahoos

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team relocated to Pensacola from Zebulon, North Carolina, where they were known as the Carolina Mudcats.

Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Founded in 2012
Pensacola, Florida
Team logoCap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassDouble-A (2012–present)
LeagueSouthern League (2012–present)
DivisionSouth Division
Major league affiliations
TeamMiami Marlins (from 2021)
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles (1)
  • 2017
Division titles (1)
  • 2017
First half titles (2)
  • 2016
  • 2017
Second half titles (2)
  • 2015
  • 2016
Team data
NamePensacola Blue Wahoos (2012–present)
ColorsGulf Coast royal blue, Blue Angel navy, coral pink, tin roof tin
       
MascotKazoo
BallparkAdmiral Fetterman Field (2012–present)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Quint Studer, Rishy Studer, and Bubba Watson
PresidentJonathan Griffith[1]
ManagerTBD

History

The franchise began in 1959 as the Charleston White Sox of the South Atlantic League (now the Southern League); it subsequently moved several times, playing in Charleston, South Carolina, (1959–1961); Savannah, Georgia, (1962); Lynchburg, Virginia, (1963–1965); and Evansville, Indiana, (1966–1968), before moving to Columbus, Georgia, in 1969 to play in Golden Park. The team was known as the Columbus Astros from 1970 to 1988, when it became an affiliate of the Houston Astros. Following the 1988 season, new owner Steve Bryant held a contest among season ticket holders to rename the team, and as a result, in 1989 the team became the Columbus Mudcats. In 1991, Bryant moved the club to Zebulon, North Carolina, and renamed them the Carolina Mudcats.[2][3]

In Zebulon, the team played in Five County Stadium and won Southern League championships in 1995 and 2003. In 2010, Quint Studer, owner of the Pensacola Pelicans independent baseball team, acquired the Mudcats franchise in a complicated series of moves and purchases designed to bring affiliated Double-A baseball to Pensacola. First, he sold the Pelicans to a group in Amarillo, Texas, where they became the Amarillo Sox in 2011. General manager of the Pelicans, J. C. Evers, provided the success that would prove Pensacola a viable minor league town. Studer then bought the Carolina Mudcats franchise. However, to settle this purchase, he had to facilitate the move of the Kinston Indians to Zebulon, where they assumed the Carolina Mudcats name and branding. Additionally, as Pensacola is within the franchise territory of the Mobile Bay Bears, Studer paid that team a sum. The arrangements cost a total of $2 million.[4][5]

The Blue Wahoos nickname was decided in a fan contest run by Wendy's in conjunction with the Pensacola News Journal. It refers to the wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), a local fish species. Their team colors are Neon red, Gulf Coast royal, Blue Angel navy, and Tin Roof tin. It was officially announced on May 23, followed by the logo and colors on November 18.[6][7]

Following the inaugural season that saw Billy Hamilton break the all-time professional baseball single season stolen base record, the team was named the Southern League's Organization of the Year. Two-time Masters Champion Bubba Watson became co-owner in January 2015.[8]

In 2016, the Blue Wahoos were chosen by Baseball America as the Double-A winner of the prestigious Bob Freitas Award as the best overall franchise among the nation's 30 affiliates at this level. It was announced at the Baseball Winter Meetings at the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.

They entered into a two-year PDC with the Minnesota Twins that runs from 2019 to 2020.[9]

The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.[10][11]

Starting in 2021, the Blue Wahoos will be affiliated with the Miami Marlins.[12]

Television and radio

All Pensacola Blue Wahoos games are televised live on MiLB.TV. The Blue Wahoos are also televised on delay Monday through Thursday on Cox Sports and Friday through Sunday on Blab-TV (WFBD). All Blue Wahoos games are broadcast on radio on 97.1 The Ticket and TuneIn Radio.

Season-by-season record

Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Southern League)
YearRegular SeasonPost-season
RecordWin %Finish*RecordWin %Result
201268–70.4937th
201359–79.428T-8th
201460–80.429T-7th
201563–75.4298th0–3.000Lost South Division Championship Series vs Biloxi Shuckers, 0–3
Won South Division Second Half
201681–59.5792nd1–3.250Lost South Division Championship Series vs Mississippi Braves, 1–3
Won South Division First & Second Half
201774–66.5293rd3–01.000Won South Division Championship Series vs Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimps, 3–0
Southern League Championship Cancelled
Won South Division First Half
Southern League Co-Champions
201869–68.5044th1–3.250Lost South Division Championship Series vs Biloxi Shuckers, 1–3
201976-63.5474th2–3.400Lost South Division Championship Series vs Biloxi Shuckers, 2–3
2020Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)[13]
Totals550–5604957–12.3681 Southern League Championship
Note: * Finish denotes their position in the overall league standings.
Legend Made playoffs Division champions Won championship series

Roster

Pensacola Blue Wahoos roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

  • 29 Taylor Grzelakowski
  • 11 Caleb Hamilton
  •  8 Brian Navarreto
  •  1 Ben Rortvedt

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

  • 13 Ramon Borrego

Coaches

  • -- Nat Ballenberg (pitching)
  • -- Joe Mangiameli (coach)
  • -- Luis Ramirez (pitching)
  • -- Ryan Smith (hitting)


7-day injured list
* On Minnesota Twins 40-man roster
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporary inactive list
Roster updated January 14, 2020
Transactions
More MiLB rosters
Minnesota Twins minor league players

References

  1. "Blue Wahoos Staff". Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Minors League Baseball. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  2. "Mudcats celebrate 15th year in Five County". Wilson Daily Times. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
  3. Seaton, Ned (March 28, 1996). "Minor league caps; major league profits". St. Petersburg Times.
  4. "Top 10 Sports Stories of 2010". Pensacola News Journal. January 2, 2011. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  5. "Carolina to Pensacola, Kinston to Zebulon in 2012". Ballpark Digest. December 16, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  6. "Blue Wahoos it is! Pensacola's new pro baseball team named". Pensacola News Journal. May 23, 2011. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  7. "Blue Wahoos unveil logos in Pensacola". Southern League Official Website. Pensacola Blue Wahoos. November 18, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  8. "Bubba Watson Purchases Ownership in Pensacola Blue Wahoos". Blue Wahoos Official Website. Pensacola Blue Wahoos. January 19, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  9. "Blue Wahoos Announce New Affiliation Partnership with Minnesota Twins". Pensacola Blue Wahoos. October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  10. "A Message From Pat O'Conner". Minor League Baseball. March 13, 2020.
  11. "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020.
  12. "Report: Wahoos losing Twins as MLB parent club". WKRG. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  13. "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
Preceded by
Carolina Mudcats
Cincinnati Reds
Double-A affiliate

2012–2018
Succeeded by
Chattanooga Lookouts
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