Pensacola Blue Wahoos

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Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Founded in 1959
Pensacola, Florida
100px 100px
Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Current AA
Minor league affiliations
League Southern League
Division South
Major league affiliations
Current Cincinnati Reds (2009–present)
Previous <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Minor league titles
League titles (2)
  • 1995
  • 2003
Division titles (1) 2008
Team data
Nickname Pensacola Blue Wahoos (2012–present)
Previous names
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Colors Gulf Coast Royal Blue, Blue Angel Navy Blue, Coral pink
Mascot Kazoo Blue Wahoo
Ballpark Blue Wahoos Stadium (2012–present)
Previous parks
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Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Quint Studer and Rishy Studer/Bubba Watson
Manager Pat Kelly
General Manager Bruce Baldwin

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a minor league baseball team based in Pensacola, Florida. The team plays in the Southern League and are the Class Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team. They play their home games at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The team, formerly the Southern League version of the Carolina Mudcats, began play in Pensacola in the 2012 season.

History

The franchise was founded 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.[1][2]

In Zebulon the team played in Five County Stadium and won Southern League championships in 1995 and 1996. 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.[3][4]

The Blue Wahoos nickname was decided in a fan contest run by Wendy's in conjunction with the Pensacola News Journal. 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.[5][6]

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 of 2015.[7]

Season-by-season record

Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Southern League)
Year Regular Season Post-season
Record Win % Finish* Record Win % Result
2012 68–70 .493 7th
2013 59–79 .428 T-8th
2014 60–80 .429 T-7th
2015 63–75 .429 8th 0–3 .000 Lost South Division Championship Series vs Biloxi Shuckers, 0–3
Won South Division Second Half
Totals 250–304 .451 0–3 .000
Note: * Finish denotes their position in the overall league standings.

Roster

Pensacola Blue Wahoos roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches


10px 7-day disabled list
* On Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporary inactive list
Roster updated May 24, 2016
Transactions
More MiLB rosters
Cincinnati Reds minor league players

References

  1. "Mudcats celebrate 15th year in Five County" (2006). The Wilson Daily Times. Retrieved February 2007
  2. Seaton, Ned (March 28, 1996). "Minor league caps; major league profits". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
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  7. http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20150119&content_id=106844888&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t4124&sid=t4124

External links

Preceded by Cincinnati Reds
Double-A affiliate

2011–
Succeeded by
Current affiliate