This article is about the baseball team, for the electric utility serving southeast West Virginia from 1986-99, see Allegheny Energy.
The West Virginia Power
is a minor league baseball team of the South Atlantic League, and is the Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Charleston, West Virginia. The team plays their home games at Appalachian Power Park; opened in 2005, the park currently seats 4,500 fans.
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CHARLESTON DIRTY BIRDS TICKETS
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Team history
Before current era (1910–83)
The history of professional baseball in
Charleston dates back to
1910, and a team known as the
Charleston Statesmen
of the long-forgotten
Class D Virginia Valley League. In
1911, the Statesmen moved to the Class D Mountain State League, and them folded after that year. A new team, the
Charleston Senators
was formed in 1914 and lasted three seasons in the Class D Ohio State League. In
1931, a new Senators team joined the
Class C Mid-Atlantic League as an affiliate of the
Cincinnati Reds. This team lasted until
1943. In
1949, the Senators were reformed as a member of the
Class A Central League. In
1952, the city was granted a franchise in the
Triple-A American Association. This team was affiliated with first the
Chicago White Sox, then the
Detroit Tigers, and finally the
Washington Senators. In
1958, the Senators won the American Association championship. The franchise ceased operations after the
1960 season.
In
1961, the city had no team, but the Triple-A
International League San Juan Marlins
, affiliated with the
St. Louis Cardinals, moved to the city at mid-season due to a
hurricane which destroyed their ballpark. The team returned to
Puerto Rico after the season. In
1962, the
Charleston Indians
, affiliated with the
Cleveland Indians, moved to the city in the Class A
Eastern League, and in
1963 that league was elevated to
Double-A. The team folded after the
1964 season.
Baseball returned to the city in
1971 with the
Charleston Charlies
of the International League. The Charlies played in the International League from 1971-76 as the relocated
Columbus Jets franchise (the franchise returned to
Columbus in 1977 and were renamed the
Columbus Clippers), and from 1977-83 as the former Memphis Blues. They were affiliated with the
Pittsburgh Pirates for their first six seasons, then the
Houston Astros,
Texas Rangers, and finally the Cleveland Indians. The team won the league championship in
1973 and
1977. The Charlies left for
Maine following the
1983 season, and, after several moves, is today located in
Moosic, Pennsylvania.
Today the Power sell nostalgic "throwback" merchandise from the Pittsburgh affiliated era of the Charlies, which is generally considered the pinnacle of the baseball in the city. However, neither the Senators, Charlies, nor the Wheelers championships are acknowledged in the park in any way.
Current era (1987–present)
In
1987, the city resumed minor league baseball after a three year absence. The new team was first called the
Charleston Wheelers,
so named for the city's history of stern- and side-wheeled boats. The Wheelers began as a co-op team, with players from several
Major League Baseball franchises including the
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Detroit Tigers,
Chicago White Sox,
Chicago Cubs,
Philadelphia Phillies, and
Atlanta Braves.
In 1988, the franchise became the Chicago Cubs' third full-season Class A franchise (the other two being Peoria in the Midwest League and Winston-Salem in the Carolina League). The only two players on that 1988 squad to reach the Major Leagues were SS Alex Arias and C Matt Walbeck.
The Wheelers won the Class A
South Atlantic League championship in
1990, the only league title for the franchise. By that point, they had changed affiliation to the Cincinnati Reds.
In late
1993, the Wheelers were purchased from then-owner Dennis Bastien by a conglomerate of owners. The team changed its name to the
Charleston Alley Cats
in 1995 and switched colors from blue and white, with green trim, to grey and red, with black trim. The team was purchased in
2001 by Tom Dickson and Sherrie Myers. In
1995, the team changed affiliation to the
Kansas City Royals, again in
2001 to the
Toronto Blue Jays, and finally to the
Milwaukee Brewers after the
2004 season. Prior to the
2005 season, they adopted their current
West Virginia Power
name. To quote the team's announcement following their decision to change the team name:
"West Virginia is and will continue to be recognized as one of the leading energy providers for the country. The energy production from coal, natural gas, and hydro-electric sources, combined with the fact that Charleston serves as the center for the state's political and economic powers led us to the name of the team. We felt it was extremely important that the name reflect the entire region and are excited about the tremendous marketing opportunities that will go along with the name."
The Power won the 2007 SAL Northern Division title, but lost in the league championship series to the
Columbus Catfish in three-straight games.
Logos
Season-by-season record
| Charleston Wheelers (South Atlantic League)
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| Year
| Regular Season
| Post-season
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| Record
| Win %
| Finish*
| Record
| Win %
| Result
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| 1987
| 66–73
| .475
| 7th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 1988
| 51–86
| .372
| 11th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 1989
| 58–76
| .433
| 10th
| —
| —
| —
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| 1990
| 77–66
| .538
| ??
| 5–0
| 1.000
| Won North Division Championship vs Fayetteville Generals, 2–0
Won SAL Championship vs Savannah Cardinals, 3–0
|
| 1991
| 92–50
| .648
| 1st
| 0–3
| .000
| Lost SAL Championship vs Columbia Mets, 0–3
|
| 1992
| 77–64
| .546
| 3nd
| 2–3
| .400
| Won North Division Championship vs Spartanburg Phillies, 2–0
Lost SAL Championship vs Myrtle Beach Hurricanes, 0–3
|
| 1993
| 76–64
| .543
| 4th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 1994
| 65–75
| .464
| 8th
| —
| —
| —
|
| Sub-Totals
| 562–554
| .504
| —
| 7–6
| .636
| 1 SAL Championships
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| Charleston AlleyCats (South Atlantic League)
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| Year
| Regular Season
| Post-season
|
| Record
| Win %
| Finish*
| Record
| Win %
| Result
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| 1995
| 77–65
| .542
| 6th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 1996
| 58–84
| .408
| 12th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 1997
| 76–62
| .551
| 2nd
| 3–2
| .600
| Won Quarterfinal vs Cape Fear Crocs, 2–0
Lost Semifinal vs Delmarva Shorebirds, 1–2
|
| 1998
| 44–96
| .314
| 14th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 1999
| 61–80
| .433
| 13th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 2000
| 53–80
| .398
| 14th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 2001
| 51–87
| .370
| 16th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 2002
| 61–79
| .436
| 15th
| —
| —
| —
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| 2003
| 57–76
| .429
| 12th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 2004
| 84–56
| .600
| 3rd
| 0–2
| .000
| Lost North Division Championship vs Capital City Bombers, 0–2
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| Sub-Totals
| 622–765
| .448
| —
| 3–4
| .429
| 0 SAL Championships
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| West Virginia Power (South Atlantic League)
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| Year
| Regular Season
| Post-season
|
| Record
| Win %
| Finish*
| Record
| Win %
| Result
|
| 2005
| 60–78
| .435
| 6th
| —
| —
| —
|
| 2006
| 74–62
| .544
| 3rd
| —
| —
| —
|
| 2007
| 82–54
| .603
| 3rd
| 2–4
| .333
| Won Northern Division Championship vs Hickory Crawdads, 2–1
Lost SAL Championship vs Columbus Catfish, 0–3
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| 2008
| 77–62
| .554
| 6th
| 3–3
| .500
| Won Northern Division Championship vs Lake County Captains, 3–0
Lost SAL Championship vs Augusta GreenJackets, 0–3
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| Sub-Totals
| 293–256
| .534
| —
| 5–7
| .417
| 0 SAL Championships
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| Totals
| 1,477–1,575
| .484
| —
| 15–17
| .469
| 1 League Championship
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| Note: * Finish denotes their position in the overall league standings.
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Current roster
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| Players
| Coaches/Other
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Starting rotation
Bullpen
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| Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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| Manager
Coaches
† Disabled list
‡ Reserve list
§ Suspended list
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Ballparks
The Alley Cats and their predecessors played in
Watt Powell Park in the Kanawha City neighborhood of Charleston. Seating approximately 4,500 fans, Watt Powell Park was bordered by MacCorkle Avenue on the front (north) side, 35th Street on the east, and South Park Road on the west. On the south side of the park, a ridge of hills formed a natural boundary. Fans who would otherwise have had to pay to see the games periodically watched the action from a
CSX railroad line hard up against the south wall of the stadium.
The Power now plays its home games in
Appalachian Power Park at the east edge of downtown Charleston, a little more than a mile and across the
Kanawha River from Watt Powell Park. Most of the financing for the $23 million stadium came from the state and the city, although the ownership team put up approximately $5 million. The city's share came mostly from the sale of Watt Powell Park to the nearby
University of Charleston, which immediately sold two-thirds of the land to
Charleston Area Medical Center, the region's largest
hospital. Originally, the new park was to be completed for the 2004 season, but politically induced delays in securing state funds forced construction to be put off for a year. The new park opened in April 2005.
Notable former players
- Ryan Braun - On May 24 2007, Braun became the first former West Virginia Power player to get to the majors, and later in the year he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award after leading the league in slugging percentage. In 2008 he was an NL All Star.
- Carlos Corporan Got his first major league hit strangely off Cincinnati Reds shortstop Paul Janish.
- Robinzon Díaz(former Alley Cats player)
- Alcides Escobar - He picked up his first hit in his first career at-bat in the same game, a single against Scott Schoeneweis of the New York Mets.
- Yovani Gallardo - The former Power pitcher made his Major League debut on June 18 2007.
- Mat Gamel - He recorded hist first career hit, a double, on September 7, 2008 off of Chris Young of the San Diego Padres.
- Trevor Hoffman - Major League Baseball all-time save leader. Played for the Wheelers in 1990.
- Hernan Iribarren - Infielder/outfielder who made his debut on April 12, 2008.
- Matt LaPorta
- Jason LaRue (former Alley Cats player)
- Pokey Reese (former Wheelers player)
- Alex Ríos (former Alley Cats player)
- Angel Salome - He was called up to the majors for the first time on September 1, 2008, and made his debut two days later with a fly out as a pinch-hitter.
- Joe Thatcher - The left-handed pitcher made his Major League debut for the San Diego Padres on July 26 2007.
- Dan Wilson (former Wheelers player)
SAL records
- Six Power home runs in one inning versus the Lexington Legends (South Atlantic League record)
- Ten home runs in one game versus the Lexington Legends (Seven home runs by Power, also a SAL record)