Kingsport Mets

Kingsport Mets Founded in 1921 Kingsport, Tennessee
Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Current	Rookie (1963, 1969–1982, 1984–present)
Previous	Class D- (1957, 1960–1962) Class D (1955) Class C (1954) Class D (1921–1925, 1938–1953)
Minor league affiliations
League	Appalachian League (1955, 1957, 1960–1963, 1969–1982, 1984–present)
Division	West Division
Previous leagues	Mountain States League (1953–1954) Appalachian League (1921–1925, 1938–1952)
Major league affiliations
Current	New York Mets (1980–1982, 1984–present)
Previous	Atlanta Braves (1974–1979) Kansas City Royals (1969–1973) Pittsburgh Pirates (1960–1963) Baltimore Orioles (1957) New York Giants (1952) Chicago White Sox (1948) Washington Senators (1943, 1946–1947) Brooklyn Dodgers (1942)
Minor league titles
League titles (7)	1944 1945 1951 1973 1977 1988 1995
Division titles (5)	1973 1977 1988 1995 1996
Team data
Nickname	Kingsport Mets (1980–1982, 1984–present)
Previous names	Kingsport Braves (1974–1979) Kingsport Royals (1969–1973) Kingsport Pirates (1960–1963) Kingsport Orioles (1957) Kingsport Cherokees (1943–1955) Kingsport Dodgers (1942) Kingsport Cherokees (1938–1941) Kingsport Indians (1921–1925)
Colors	Blue, orange, white
Mascot	Slider
Ballpark	Hunter Wright Stadium (1995–present)
Previous parks	Dobyns-Bennett High School (1969–1982, 1984–1994)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	New York Mets/S&H Baseball
Manager	Delwyn Young
General Manager	Brian Paupeck

The Kingsport Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League and the Rookie affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and are named for the team's major league affiliate. The team plays its home games at Hunter Wright Stadium which opened in 1995 and has a seating capacity of 2,500. The Mets previously played at Dobyns-Bennett High School. In 1983, while Dobyns-Bennett's field was being renovated, the team temporarily moved to Sarasota, Florida, and played in the Gulf Coast League as the Gulf Coast League Mets.

Team history

The first professional team to hail from Kingsport was the Kingsport Indians who played in the Appalachian League from 1921 to 1925. From 1938 to 1941, the Kingsport team was known as the Cherokees, but changed to the Dodgers in 1942 when the team became a farm team of Major League Baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers. They reverted to the Cherokees name in 1943 and continued to play under this moniker through 1955. The Kingsport Cherokees competed in the Mountain States League from 1953 to 1954, before returning to the Appalachian League in 1957 as the Kingsport Orioles after two years of dormancy. After another two years on hiatus, Kinsport returned as the Pirates from 1960 to 1963. From 1969 to 1970, they competed as the Kingsport Royals. Notable players during this period include Al Cowens and U L Washington.

From 1974 to 1979, they were known as the Braves. As an Atlanta Braves affiliate, multiple future major leaguers played for them, including Matt Sinatro, Rick Behenna, Jose Alvarez, Steve Bedrosian, Paul Runge, Brad Komminsk, Milt Thompson, Brook Jacoby, and Mike Payne. Additionally, National League MVP Dale Murphy and Cy Young Award winner Steve Bedrosian played in Kingsport.

In 1980, the team became known as the Kingsport Mets, the name under which the team has competed since then—with the exception of playing the 1983 season in Sarasota, Florida, as the Gulf Coast League Mets while their home stadium underwent renovations. Players Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Kevin Mitchell, José Reyes, David Wright, Lastings Milledge, and A. J. Burnett made their professional debuts in Kingsport. The Mets won the Appalachian League Championship in 1988 and 1985.

All Silver Anniversary Team

In 2005, the team selected 14 former players and a manager for its All Silver Anniversary Team in commemoration of 25 years as a Mets affiliate.

Year-by-year record

(from Baseball Reference)

Playoffs

• 2015: Lost to Greeneville 2-1 in semifinals.
• 2013: Lost to Greeneville 2-1 in semifinals.
• 1996: Lost to Bluefield 2-1 in finals.
• 1995: Defeated Bluefield 2-1 to win league championship.
• 1998: Defeated Burlington 2-0 to win league championship.

Roster

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

Hoyt Wilhelm

• Hoyt Wilhelm (1974, MGR) Inducted, 1985

Notable alumni

• Steve Bedrosian (1978) MLB All-Star; 1987 NL Cy Young Award

• Heath Bell (1998) 3 x MLB All-Star

• Bruce Benedict (1976) 2 x MLB All-Star

• Steve Blass (1960) MLB All-Star

• Dick Bosman (1963) 1969 AL ERA Leader

• A.J. Burnett (1996) MLB All-Star

• Rick Camp (1974)

• Joey Cora (2001, MGR) MLB All-Star

• Al Cowens (1969)

• Jacob deGrom (2010) MLB All-Star; 2014 NL Rookie of the Year

• Mike Difelice (2009-2010, MGR)

• Tim Foli (1998, MGR)

• Dwight Gooden (1982) 4 x MLB All-Star; 1984 NL Rookie of the Year; 1985 NL Cy Young Award

• Carlos Gomez (2004) 2 x MLB All-Star

• Glenn Hubbard (1975-1976) MLB All-Star

• Jason Isringhausen (1992) 2 x MLB All-Star

• Brook Jacoby (1979) 2 x MLB All-Star

• Gregg Jeffries (1985) 2 x MLB All-Star

• Dennis Leonard (1972)

• Jerry May (1961)

• Kevin Mitchell (1981) 2 x MLB All-Star; 1989 NL Most Valuable Player

• Dale Murphy (1974) MLB All-Star; 2 x NL Most Valuable Player (1982-1983)

• Daniel Murphy (2006) 3 x MLB All-Star

• Randy Myers (1982) 4 x MLB All-Star

• Angel Pagan (2000)

• Jose Reyes (2000) 3 x MLB All-Star; 2011 NL Batting Title

• Josh Satin (2008)

• Pete Schourek (1987)

• Darryl Strawberry (1980) 8 x MLB All-Star; 1983 NL Rookie of the Year

• Milt Thompson (1979)

• U.L. Washington (1973)

• Mookie Wilson (2003-2004, MGR)

• Preston Wilson (1993) MLB All-Star

• David Wright (2001-2002) 7 x MLB All-Star

• Jacob deGrom (2010) 2 x MLB All-Star; 2014 NL Rookie of the Year

External links

• Official Kingsport Mets website
• Statistics at TheBaseballCube.com
• Statistics at Baseball-Reference.com