Hartford Yard Goats

Hartford Yard Goats Founded in 2016 Hartford, Connecticut
100px 100px Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Current	Double-A (1983–present)
Minor league affiliations
League	Eastern League (1983–present)
Division	Eastern Division
Major league affiliations
Current	Colorado Rockies (2015–present)
Previous	Minnesota Twins (1995–2014) Boston Red Sox (1983–1994)
Minor league titles
League titles	2 1983, 2001 (Co-Champion)
Division titles	2 1998, 2001
Team data
Nickname	Hartford Yard Goats
Previous names	New Britain Rock Cats (1996–2015) Hardware City Rock Cats (1995–1996) New Britain Red Sox (1983–1994)
Colors	Navy blue, green, gray, khaki, white
Ballpark	Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium (May-June 2016) Dunkin' Donuts Park (Sometime after June 20, 2016)
Previous parks	New Britain Stadium (1996–2015) Beehive Field (1983–1995)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	Art Solomon
Manager	Darin Everson
General Manager	Tim Restall

The Hartford Yard Goats are a Double-A minor league baseball team in the Eastern League. The team was founded in 2016, when the New Britain Rock Cats, a Colorado Rockies affiliate, relocated to Hartford, Connecticut. The Yard Goats currently play at Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium but are scheduled to move to Dunkin' Donuts Park when construction is completed, possibly as soon as May 31, 2016.

History

The franchise's timeline can be traced back to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where they were a Boston Red Sox Double-A affiliate from 1965 to 1969. The franchise then moved to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1970, where they spent three years. The Pawtucket Red Sox became a Triple-A team in 1973, and the Red Sox moved their Double-A franchise to Bristol, Connecticut. Known as the Bristol Red Sox, the team played at Muzzy Field for ten seasons from 1973 to 1982. Starting with the 1983 season, the team was moved ten miles east to New Britain, Connecticut. Then known as the New Britain Red Sox, the team played its home games at Beehive Field, which stands next to New Britain Stadium.

The nickname "Yard Goats" was selected as part of a "Name the Team" contest which drew over 6,000 submissions. Although the name references a railroad slang term for a switch engine, which moves trains around a railyard to prepare them for another locomotive, the logo features a goat chomping on a baseball bat and the team makes heavy use of animal imagery and symbolism.

The team has two mascots, a green goat named Chompers and a blue goat named Chew Chew. The names were selected as part of a "Name the Mascot" contest. Chew Chew's name is designed to reflect both the railroad meaning of the nickname (as in choo choo train) and the goat logo, which is chewing on a baseball bat.

Current roster

Hartford Yard Goats roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 35 Shane Broyles 11 Matt Carasiti 22 Kyle Freeland 33 Rayan Gonzalez 51 Carlos Hernandez 17 Zach Jemiola 30 Johendi Jiminian 54 Germán Márquez * 53 Luis Niebla 39 Matt Pierpont  9 Antonio Senzatela * 40 Konner Wade		Catchers  0 Ashley Graeter  6 Jan Vazquez 20 Jackson Williams Infielders  2 Juan Ciriaco 13 Ryan McMahon  5 Zach Osborne 27 Correlle Prime 10 Pat Valaika Outfielders  1 David Dahl  7 Rosell Herrera 15 Raimel Tapia * 25 Dillon Thomas		Manager 41 Darin Everson Coaches 40 Dave Burba (pitching) 19 Jeff Salazar (hitting) 10px 7-day disabled list * On Colorado Rockies 40-man roster # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporary inactive list Roster updated May 26, 2016 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → Colorado Rockies minor league players

External links

• Hartford Yard Goats Official Site