Bowling Green Hot Rods

Bowling Green Hot Rods
Founded in 2009
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Team logoCap insignia
Class-level
Current Class A
Minor league affiliations
League Midwest League (2010–present)
Division Eastern Division
Previous leagues
 South Atlantic League (2009)
Major league affiliations
Current Tampa Bay Rays (2009–present)
Minor league titles
League titles (1) 2018
Division titles (2)
  • 2007
  • 2018
First half titles (2)
  • 2011
  • 2018
Team data
Nickname
  • Bowling Green Hot Rods (2009–present)
Ballpark Bowling Green Ballpark (2009–present)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
 Jack Blackstock
Manager Craig Albernaz
General Manager Eric C. Leach

Axle
Roscoe
Axle and Roscoe, the Hot Rods' mascots

The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the Class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark which opened in 2009. The team is named for the city's connections to the automotive and racing industries such as the National Corvette Museum, Holley Carburetor, Beech Bend Raceway, and the Bowling Green Assembly Plant.

History

The Hot Rods began life as the Wilmington Waves, one of two South Atlantic League expansion teams for the 2001 season. However, the Waves' stay at Brooks Field in Wilmington, North Carolina, lasted but a single season. They became the South Georgia Waves when the team was moved to the Paul Eames Sports Complex in Albany, Georgia, for the 2002 season. The team retained the moniker name when it again moved to Golden Park in Columbus, Georgia, just before the 2003 campaign. One year later, in 2004, the franchise changed names and became the Columbus Catfish.

In April 2008, ownership moved the team to Bowling Green effective for the 2009 season under the new nickname "Hot Rods." Their first manager as the Hot Rods was Matt Quatraro.[1]

In 2010, the Hot Rods and the Lake County Captains moved from the South Atlantic League to the Midwest League,[2] a plan meant to alleviate travel expenses associated with routine road trips as well as player movement within the teams' respective organizations.

In December 2013, Art Solomon, owner of the Hot Rods for five years, sold the team to Manhattan Capital Sports headed by Stuart Katzoff.[3]

The Hot Rods have been widely recognized for their promotional efforts. In 2009, the team's "What Could've Been Night" was named Promotion of the Year by MiLB.com.[4] In 2010, Hot Rods Assistant General Manager Greg Coleman was honored as Marketer of the Year by the Professional Marketing Association.

In September 2018, the team was sold to Jack Blackstock who had previously been a minority investor in the team.[5]

Playoffs

Roster

Bowling Green Hot Rods roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 22 Tyler Day
  • 11 Jose Disla
  • 27 Josh Fleming
  • 34 Austin Franklin
  • 17 Kyle Goodbrand
  • 30 Resley Linares
  • 19 Tobias Myers
  • 36 Orlando Romero
  • 29 Tommy Romero
  • 43 Jhonleider Salinas
  • 14 Phoenix Sanders
  • 37 Drew Strotman
  • 33 Alex Valverde
  • -- Stephen Woods
  • -- Angel Yepez
  •  7 Mikey York
  • 28 Tyler Zombro

Catchers

  • 4 Alexander Alvarez
  • 24 Ronaldo Hernandez

Infielders

  •  2 Vidal Brujan
  • 32 Devin Davis
  •  5 Trey Hair
  • 20 Jim Haley
  • 15 Zach Rutherford
  • 10 Taylor Walls

Outfielders

  • 25 Eleardo Cabrera
  •  9 Carl Chester
  • 21 Moises Gomez
  • 13 Emilio Gustave

Manager

  •  1 Craig Albernaz

Coaches


7-day disabled list
* On Tampa Bay Rays 40-man roster
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporary inactive list
Roster updated June 27, 2018
 Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB • Midwest League
 → Tampa Bay Rays minor league players

Notable Alumni

References

  1. ↑ "Bowling Green Daily News". Nl.newsbank.com. January 8, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  2. ↑ Czerwinski, Kevin T. "Lake County, Bowling Green shifting to MWL." Minor League Baseball. September 2, 2008. Retrieved on September 20, 2008.
  3. ↑ Fuerst, Hank "It's Official: BG Hot Rods Sold" Archived January 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. WBKO. December 11, 2013. Retrieved on January 7, 2014
  4. ↑ Hill, Benjamin "Hot Rods claim year's best promo." Minor League Baseball. October 14, 2009. Retrieved on December 10, 2010.
  5. ↑ Spedden, Zach (September 28, 2018). "Sale of Bowling Green Hot Rods Approved". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
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