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Tri-City ValleyCats

Frontier League baseball franchise in Troy, New York From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tri-City ValleyCats
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The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Troy, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the Aberdeen IronBirds, when the New York–Penn League expanded to 14 teams. The ValleyCats have played their home games at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium since 2002, but were previously members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Houston Astros. With MLB's reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season, the ValleyCats were not selected to continue in affiliated baseball.

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A Tri-City ValleyCats game

The team has won three times the New York–Penn League Championship, in 2010, 2013 and 2018. The ValleyCats, along with the Ottawa Titans, were both added to the Frontier League during the 2021 expansion. The ValleyCats have had nine playoff berths in their history, which stands as an NYPL record.

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History

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Before Tri-City

Prior to their arrival in Albany, the club was based first in Little Falls, New York, as the Little Falls Mets (1977–1988), and then in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as the Pittsfield Mets (1989–2000) and Pittsfield Astros (2001).

2002 season

The ValleyCats played their first game on the road in Lowell, Massachusetts, on June 18, 2002, against their former rivals, the Lowell Spinners. The Spinners had a 3–1 lead going into the eighth inning, but a triple by Aneudi Cuevas down the right field line drove in three runs leading the ValleyCats to a 5–4 victory.

2006 season

In their 2006 season, the ValleyCats registered an attendance of 129,126 in 37 contests, averaging 3,489 fans per game. On July 4, 2006, the ValleyCats set a new all-time home attendance mark as 6,123 people attended a game against the Lowell Spinners which was later broken in the following years.

2008 season

All-Star game

The Valley Cats hosted the fourth annual New York–Penn League All-Star Game at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in 2008. The game was played between teams made up of the affiliates of National League (NL) and American League (AL) teams. The ValleyCats, affiliates of the National League's Houston Astros, were part of the NL squad. Four ValleyCats were voted to play in the game: first baseman Phil Disher, left fielder Jack Shuck, pitcher Philip Rummel, and center fielder Thomas Steele. However, Steele was injured two weeks before the game and was replaced by Tri-City third baseman David Flores. The NL All-Stars won the game on a walk-off RBI by Tri-City's David Flores. Flores was also voted MVP of the game.[1]

No-hitter

On June 21, 2008, pitchers Shane Wolf, David Miller, and Ashton Mowdy combined to throw the first no-hitter in the franchise's history. Wolf is a native of nearby Lansing. The ValleyCats won, 10–0, over the Oneonta Tigers.[2]

2009 season

The ValleyCats once again broke attendance records in 2009. Their single-game attendance record was broken again on July 4 against the Brooklyn Cyclones. A crowd of 6,838 fans attended the 2–1 ValleyCats loss.[3] They also set a new single season attendance record, attracting 145,976 fans to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium that season.[4] Tri-City finished the season in fourth place in the Stedler Division, 18 games behind first-place Lowell.[5]

2010 Championship season

After three losing seasons, the ValleyCats finally turned around to be one of the front runners in the Stedler Division. Led by manager Jim Pankovits, they were the underdog in the 2010 NYPL playoffs with a 38–36 record, and having won their division by only a half game over the Connecticut Tigers. They reached the championship series for the third time in their short history, and beat the heavy favorite Brooklyn Cyclones (51–24), two games to none.

2015 season

The second no-hitter in ValleyCats history was thrown on August 6, 2015. Pitchers Kevin McCanna, Ralph Garza, and Zac Person combined for the road win against the Aberdeen IronBirds at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium, 5–0.[6]

2021 and beyond

After the cancelled 2020 minor league season, Major League Baseball took direct control of Minor League Baseball and discontinued short-season play. The ValleyCats were not among the teams invited to continue in affiliated baseball.[7] On January 7, 2021, the team announced that it would be joining the Frontier League, an independent MLB Partner league, for the 2021 season.[8] The 2021 and 2022 seasons were disappointing for the ValleyCats as they missed the playoffs both years. In the 2023 season, the ValleyCats attempted to get into the playoffs. However, they were beaten by the Sussex County Miners for the third and final playoff spot. Despite both clubs having the same record in the East Division, the Miners had a longer winning streak than the Valley Cats. This meant that the ValleyCats missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. In 2024, the Valley Cats clinched the playoffs for the first time since 2018, placing second in the East Division. However, they lost to the Ottawa Titans in the Wild Card game 5-2.

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Mascots

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Left to right: Sammy, Ribbie, and SouthPaw

The ValleyCats have several mascots, the three most prominent being SouthPaw, his grandfather, Pappy, and his best friend, Ribbie. SouthPaw is a jersey-wearing cat, representing the "ValleyCat", the team's nickname. Another fan-favorite is Sammy Baseball who wears a patriotic costume and resembles Uncle Sam, reputedly derived from Samuel Wilson who operated a meat packing plant in Albany. The Tri-City Mayors, large caricature heads representing the current Mayors of Troy, Albany, and Schenectady, race (and dance) on a nightly basis at the ballpark. Ketchup, Mustard, and Relish mascots participate in a hot dog race. Other mascots include Spiedie the Chicken, Zoggy the Dinosaur, and Rowdy the River Rat, obtained when the Albany River Rats moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.[9]

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Season results

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NY–Penn League champions (‡) NY–Penn League finalists (†) Stedler Division champions (§) Wild Card winner (*)

Postseason results

  • 2004: Defeated Brooklyn Cyclones, 2 games to 1; lost to Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 2 games to 0, in championship round.
  • 2006: Defeated Auburn Doubledays, 2 games to none; lost to Staten Island Yankees, 2 games to 1, in championship round.
  • 2010: Defeated Batavia Muckdogs, 2 games to 1; defeated Brooklyn Cyclones, 2 games to 0, in championship round.
  • 2012: Defeated Auburn Doubledays, 2 games to 1; lost to Hudson Valley Renegades, 2 game to 1, in championship round.
  • 2013: Defeated Aberdeen IronBirds, 2 games to 0; defeated State College Spikes, 2 games to 1, in championship round.
  • 2014: Defeated the Connecticut Tigers, 2 games to none; lost to the State College Spikes, 2 games to 1.
  • 2015: Lost semi-finals to Staten Island Yankees, 2 games to 0.
  • 2018: Defeated Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 2 games to 0; defeated Hudson Valley Renegades, 2 games to 0, in championship round.
  • 2024: Lost East Division Wild Card Game to Ottawa Titans 5-2.
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Fast facts

  • Total Attendance
    • Joseph L. Bruno Stadium
      • 2002 – 108,409
      • 2003 – 103,984
      • 2004 – 110,497
      • 2005 – 116,674
      • 2006 – 129,126
      • 2007 – 136,809
      • 2008 – 140,631 (7th most in NY–Penn League).[10]
      • 2009 – 145,976 (6th most in NY–Penn League).[11]
      • 2010 – 155,315 (5th most in NY–Penn League).[12]
      • 2011 – 156,297 (6th most in NY–Penn League).[13]
      • 2012 – 159,966 (5th most in NY–Penn League).[14]
      • 2013 – 156,712 (4th most in NY–Penn League).[15]
      • 2014 – 161,171 (3rd most in NY–Penn League).[16]
      • 2015 – 153,692 (3rd most in NY–Penn League).[17]
      • 2016 – 149,847 (3rd most in NY–Penn League).[18]
      • 2017 – 142,922 (3rd most in NY–Penn League).[19]
      • 2018 – 140,036 (3rd most in NY–Penn League).[20]
      • 2019 - 131,529 (3rd most in NY-Penn League).[21]
      • 2020 - SEASON CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19.[22]
      • 2021 - 100,519 (2nd most in Frontier League).[23]
      • 2022 - 134,617 (5th most in Frontier League).[24]
      • 2023 - 136,231 (4th most in Frontier League).[25]
  • Ballpark Dimensions
    • LF – 325 feet (99 m)
    • CF – 400 feet (122 m)
    • RF – 325 feet (99 m)
  • First Game
    • Tuesday, June 18, 2002 vs Lowell Spinners (at LeLacheur Park, Lowell, Massachusetts – W 5–4)
  • Season Records (2002–present)
    • Hits
      • 2022 – Brantley Bell (138)
    • Doubles
      • 2022 – Brantley Bell (30)
    • Triples
      • 2015 – Aaron Mizell (7)
      • 2017 – Andy Pineda (7)
    • Home runs
    • Runs Batted In
    • Stolen Bases
      • 2023 – Jaxon Hallmark (33)
    • Wins
      • 2004 – Ronnie Ventura (11)
    • Saves
      • 2021 – Trey Cochran-Gill (24)
    • Strikeouts
      • 2022 – Joey Gonzalez (128)
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Current roster

Tri-City ValleyCats roster
Active roster Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 22 Wes Albert
  • -- Brayahns Barreto
  • -- Duke Brotherton
  • 29 Chas Cywin
  • 35 Nick DeCarlo
  • 21 Austin Dill
  • -- Hollis Fanning
  • -- Liu Fuenmayor
  •  6 Rolando Heredia-Bustos
  • 27 Easton Klein
  • -- Mikell Manzano ‡
  • 26 Arlo Marynczak
  • 18 Nathan Medrano ‡
  • -- Caden O'Brien
  • -- Tom Peltier
  • 32 Gino Sabatine
  • -- Stephen Still
  • -- Brenton Thiels
  • -- Luke Trueman
  • -- Paul Turelli
  • 17 Connor Wilford



  

Catchers

  • 12 Oscar Campos ‡
  • -- Miguel Useche

Infielders

  • -- Tyson Gingerich ‡
  • -- Brody Harding
  • -- Drew Holderbach
  • -- Cam Jones
  • -- Amani Larry
  • -- Josh Leslie
  • -- John McHenry
  • 16 Kyle Novak
  • -- Cedric Rose
  • -- Santino Rosso
  • -- Josue Urdaneta
  •  8 Ian Walters
  • -- Cooper Weiss

Outfielders

  • -- Julian Boyd
  • 11 Dylan Broderick
  •  1 Jaxon Hallmark ‡
  • 10 Demias Jimerson
  • -- Ethan Martini
  • -- Bobby Peirce
  • -- Jake Reinisch
  • -- RJ Stinson
  •  3 Javeyan Williams
  

Manager

Coaches

  • 30 Tom Thornton (pitching)

Disabled list
‡ Inactive list
§ Suspended list

 updated May 4, 2025
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Notable alumni

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Former/Current notable baseball players who played for the ValleyCats as a minor league affiliate, the year they played for the ValleyCats, and the team they debuted with (If debuted yet).

Former/Current notable baseball players who played for the ValleyCats in the Frontier League, the year they played for the ValleyCats, and the team they returned with.

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See also

References

External links

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