Aberdeen IronBirds

Aberdeen IronBirds
Aberdeen IronBirds
Founded in 1977 ; Aberdeen, Maryland ;
Minor league affiliations
Class	High-A (2021–present)
Previous classes	Class A-Short Season (2002–2020)
League	South Atlantic League (2021–present)
Division	North Division
Previous leagues	New York–Penn League (1977–2020)
Major league affiliations
Team	Baltimore Orioles (2002–present); Florida Marlins (1996–2001); Boston Red Sox (1993–1995); Chicago White Sox (1988–1992); Philadelphia Phillies (1986–1987); Independent (1981–1985); Toronto Blue Jays (1977–1980);
Minor league titles
League titles (1)	1983
Division titles (2)	2013; 2022;
First-half titles (1)	2022;
Team data
Name	Aberdeen IronBirds (2002–present); Utica Blue Sox (1981–2001); Utica Blue Jays (1977–1980);
Colors	Royal blue, light blue, orange, white;
Ballpark	Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium (2002–present)
Previous parks	Donovan Stadium at Murnane Field (1977–2001)
Owner(s)/; Operator(s)	Attain Sports and Entertainment / Cal Ripken Jr. and Billy Ripken
General manager	Jack Graham
Manager	Ryan Goll
Website	milb.com/aberdeen

The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in the city of Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland. They are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and compete in the South Atlantic League. They were previously members of the New York–Penn League from 1977 to 2020, and of the High-A East in 2021.

Quick Facts Team logo, Cap insignia ...

The team is owned by Attain Sports with retired Orioles player Cal Ripken Jr maintaining a minority stake in the team after having purchased the team, then known as the Utica Blue Sox, and moved them to his hometown of Aberdeen in time for the 2002 season. The IronBirds play their home games at ^[2]Ripken Stadium, which is visible from I-95. On August 16, 2006, the IronBirds played host to the New York–Penn League All-Star Game. They also hosted the New York-Penn League All-Star Game on August 18, 2015.^[3] Ripken Stadium was also used for the Cal Ripken World Series in 2003 and 2004, forcing the team to go on extended road trips, 20 or more games, during the youth competition. The Cal Ripken World Series moved across the street to Cal Sr.'s Yard in 2005.

The name "IronBirds" was chosen for two reasons: Cal Ripken's "Ironman" streak of 2,632 consecutive baseball games played and the team's affiliation with the Orioles (the Baltimore team is often referred to as "The Birds").^[4] The former team logo featured a silver airplane marked with Ripken's number 8, which also refers to the nearby Aberdeen Proving Ground U.S. Army installation. The team mascots are gray birds named Ferrous and Ripcord.

The record of most RBIs in a single month was set by Robbie Widlansky in July 2008. On August 26, 2013, Conor Bierfeldt hit his 12th home run of the season, setting a new IronBirds single-season record. He broke the previous record held by David Anderson set in the 2010 season. On September 2, 2013, The IronBirds clinched their first McNamara Division Title.

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the IronBirds were organized into the 12-team High-A East.^[5] In 2022, the High-A East became known as the South Atlantic League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.^[6]

The IronBirds' 2012 and 2013 seasons were the subject of a book written by the team's former clubhouse attendant, Greg Larson. Clubbie: A Minor League Baseball Memoir was released in 2021.^[7]

In October 2024, Cal Ripken Jr. and his brother Billy Ripken sold their majority stake to Attain Sports Partners, owners of the Chesapeake Baysox, the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate, and the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League.^[8] In August 2025, it was announced that the Frederick Keys would replace the IronBirds as the Orioles' High-A affiliate, with the IronBirds moving to the MLB Draft League.^[9]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 43 Cohen Achen 53 Wellington Aracena 45 Zane Barnhart 24 Carter Baumler 11 Ryan Cabarcas 56 Yeiber Cartaya -- Eccel Correa 50 Jacob Cravey 59 Jack Crowder 62 Luis De León 35 Michael Forret 21 Raimon Gomez 40 Sebastian Gongora 36 Christian Herberholz 32 Chandler Marsh 58 Rodolfo Martinez ^# 48 Alejandro Méndez 2 Walter Pennington ^# 61 Juan Rojas 27 Trent Turzenski 30 Ben Vespi 29 Ty Weatherly 31 Evan Yates		Catchers 34 Ethan Anderson 23 Yasmil Bucce 9 Ryan Stafford Infielders -- Leandro Arias 49 Elis Cuevas 37 Anderson De Los Santos 44 Victor Figueroa 12 Maikol Hernández 14 Griff O'Ferrall 13 Alfredo Velásquez Outfielders 41 Enrique Bradfield Jr. ^# 16 Jake Cunningham 1 Vance Honeycutt 38 Thomas Sosa		Manager 52 Ryan Goll Coaches 26 Zach Cole (hitting) 6 Daniel Fajardo (fundamentals) 25 Jeremy Hileman (pitching) 10 Adonis Smith (development) 60-day injured list -- Holden deJong (full season) 46 Daniel Federman 15 Hayden Nierman (full season) -- Grabiel Salazar -- Luis Sánchez (full season) -- Teddy Sharkey (full season) 7-day injured list * On Baltimore Orioles 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated August 9, 2025 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB • South Atlantic League → Baltimore Orioles minor league players

Aberdeen IronBirds

Playoffs

Notable franchise alumni

Roster

See also

Notes

External links

Wikiwand - on