The Delmarva Shorebirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Salisbury, Maryland. They are members of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Their home games are played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shorebirds were members of the Class A South Atlantic League (SAL) from 1996 to 2020 and the Low-A East in 2021, though this was renamed the Carolina League and reclassified as Single-A in 2022. They won two SAL championships, in 1997 and 2000. Also in 1997, the Shorebirds received Baseball America's Bob Freitas Award for Class A baseball.
| Delmarva Shorebirds | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Single-A (2021–present) | ||||
| Previous classes | Class A (1996–2020) | ||||
| League | Carolina League (2021–present) | ||||
| Division | North Division | ||||
Previous leagues | South Atlantic League (1996–2020) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Baltimore Orioles (1997–present) | ||||
| Previous teams | Montreal Expos (1996) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (2) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Name | Delmarva Shorebirds | ||||
Previous names | Albany Polecats (1992–1995)[1] Sumter Flyers (1991) | ||||
| Colors | Black, orange, white | ||||
| Ballpark | Arthur W. Perdue Stadium | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | 7th Inning Stretch LP | ||||
| General manager | Chris Bitters | ||||
| Manager | Felipe Alou Jr. | ||||
| Website | milb.com/delmarva | ||||
History
editFrank Perdue's desire for a professional baseball team based in Maryland's Eastern Shore was the driving force in bringing a franchise to Salisbury. Joining the Maryland Baseball Limited Partnership, owners of the Bowie Baysox and Frederick Keys, set the concept in motion.[2] By Autumn 1995 Maryland Baseball purchased the Albany Polecats from Richard M. Holtzman, relocated the franchise to Salisbury and renamed it the Delmarva Shorebirds.[1] The name "Shorebirds" refers to the marine waterfowl of the Delmarva Peninsula. The team name was chosen by 7-year-old Katie Duffy of Newark, Delaware.[3] The team's geographic appellation is a portmanteau of the states that govern counties on the peninsula: Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (abbreviated VA).
The Shorebirds' first-ever game at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium was a 4–2 win over the Columbus RedStixx before a crowd of 5,787 on April 17, 1996. After fulfilling its two-year Player Development Contract with the Montreal Expos, it officially became an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles on September 26, 1996.[2]
The Shorebirds hosted the 2011 South Atlantic League "Strike Out Hunger" All-Star Game on June 21, 2011.[4] The Shorebirds partnered with Perdue Farms, the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore and Delmarva's three food banks: Eastern Shore Branch of the Maryland Food Bank, the Food Bank of Delaware, and the Eastern Shore Branch of the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia; to help "Strike Out Hunger".[5] Perdue and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore donated $20 to the food banks for each strike out by a Shorebirds pitcher during the Shorebirds 2011 season.[6]
The Kyle Moore-managed Shorebirds in 2019 clinched their first postseason berth since 2005 by winning the SAL Northern Division first-half title with the minors' best midseason record at 48–21. A franchise-best 90–48 finish made them the 14th SAL team since 1980 to reach 90 wins in a regular season and the first since the Augusta GreenJackets in 2006.[7][8] The season ended when the Shorebirds were swept by the Hickory Crawdads in the best-of-three SAL Northern Division Championship Series.[9]
In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Shorebirds were organized into the Low-A East at the Low-A classification.[10] In 2022, the Low-A East became known as the Carolina League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization, and was reclassified as a Single-A circuit.[11]
Radio
editThe Shorebirds can be found on Fox Sports 960 AM, the Shorebirds' Flagship Station since 2005.[12] Will DeBoer has been the radio voice of the Shorebirds since 2017[13] but is being replaced for the 2021 season by Sam Jellinek. Former announcers include Randy Scott, Bret Lasky and Brendan Gulick.
Roster
edit| Players | Coaches/Other | |||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
60-day injured list
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Notable alumni
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- Michael Barrett (1996)
- Erik Bedard (2005)
- Mike Bordick (2001) MLB All-Star
- Zach Britton (2008) 2 x MLB All-Star
- Orlando Cabrera (1996)
- Manny Machado (2011)
- Endy Chavez (2012)
- Delino DeShields (1999)
- Mike Guerra (1938)
- Pat Hentgen (2002) 3 x MLB All-Star; 1996 AL Cy Young Award
- Ty Kelly (2010–11)
- Nick Markakis (2004) MLB All-Star
- Stu Miller (1949) 2 x MLB All-Star; 1958 NL ERA Leader
- Brian Roberts (1999, 2012) 2 x MLB All-Star
- Jayson Werth (1998) MLB All-Star
- Scott Williamson (2007) MLB All-Star; 1999 NL rookie of the Year
References
edit- ^ a b Baker, Kent (September 21, 1995). "South Atlantic League will have Delmarva Shorebirds next season; Kirk group buying team, will move it to Salisbury". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ a b Northam, Mitchell (September 13, 2015). "20 Years: The Delmarva Shorebirds". The Daily Times. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ "Delmarva Shorebirds celebrate 20th anniversary this season | Nate Sounds Off | Coconut Times OCMD". www.coconuttimes.com. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ "2011 All-Star Game". Delmarva Shorebirds. MiLB. October 13, 2010. Archived from the original on April 11, 2011.
- ^ "Plans Announced to "Strike Out Hunger"". Delmarva Shorebirds. MiLB. February 2, 2011. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012.
- ^ "Perdue, CFES to Donate $20 Per Strike Out". Delmarva Shorebirds. MiLB. April 13, 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
- ^ Melewski, Steve (June 12, 2019). "Division champs: Delmarva celebrates clinching a playoff berth". Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Jellinek, Sam (September 2, 2019). "Shorebirds Rally for 90th Win". MiLB.com. Delmarva Shorebirds. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Jellinek, Sam. "'Birds Season Ends in Sweep to Hickory," Delmarva Shorebirds, Friday, September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019
- ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ "Shorebirds Renew Partnership with 960 The Sports Animal". www.wboc.com. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ Northam, Mitchell (October 21, 2016). "Shorebirds hire new radio voice, front office staff". The Daily Times. Retrieved November 8, 2018.