Bowling Green Hot Rods
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.
| Bowling Green Hot Rods Founded in 2009 Bowling Green, Kentucky | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
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| Class | Class A | ||||
| League | Midwest League (2010–present) | ||||
| Division | Eastern Division | ||||
Previous leagues | South Atlantic League (2009) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Tampa Bay Rays (2009–present) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (1) | 2018 | ||||
| Division titles (2) |
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| First half titles (2) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Nickname |
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Previous names | Columbus Catfish (2003-2008) | ||||
| Ballpark | Bowling Green Ballpark (2009–present) | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Jack Blackstock | ||||
| Manager | Blake Butera | ||||
| General Manager | Eric C. Leach | ||||
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]
That year, the Hot Rods won 90 games and captured their first ever Midwest League title, under then manager Craig Albernaz.
Season records
| Season | Affiliation | Manager | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Rays | Matt Quatraro | 64-75, 3rd place South |
| 2010 | Rays | Brady Williams | 61-78, 6th place East |
| 2011 | Rays | Brady Williams | 77-63, 3rd place East |
| 2012 | Rays | Brady Williams | 80-60, 2nd place East |
| 2013 | Rays | Jared Sandberg | 82-56, 1st place East |
| 2014 | Rays | Michael Johns | 61-77, 8th place East |
| 2015 | Rays | Reinaldo Ruiz | 69-69, 6th place East |
| 2016 | Rays | Reinaldo Ruiz | 84-55, 1st place East (tie) |
| 2017 | Rays | Reinaldo Ruiz | 72-65, 3rd place East |
| 2018 | Rays | Craig Albernaz | 90-49, 1st place East |
| 2019 | Rays | Reinaldo Ruiz | 81-58, 2nd place East |
Playoffs
| Season | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | - | - | - |
| 2010 | - | - | - |
| 2011 | L, 2-0, Fort Wayne | - | - |
| 2012 | L, 2-0, Lake County | - | - |
| 2013 | L, 2-0, Fort Wayne | - | - |
| 2014 | - | - | - |
| 2015 | - | - | - |
| 2016 | L, 2-1, Great Lakes | - | - |
| 2017 | L, 2-0, Fort Wayne | - | - |
| 2018 | W, 2-0, Lansing | W, 2-0, West Michigan | W, 3-1, Peoria |
| 2019 | L, 2-0, South Bend | - | - |
Bowling Green Ballpark
- Address: 300 E 8th Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101
- Opened: April 17, 2009
- Seating capacity: 4,559
- Dimensions: LF – 318 ft, CF – 400 ft, RF – 326 ft
Media coverage
Shawn Murnin broadcasts Hot Rods' home and away games on WBGN locally.
Mascots
Axle
One of the Hot Rods' mascots is an anamorphic bear named Axle. Debuting in 2009, he wears an orange Hot Rods uniform, number 00. The Hot Rods' furry, fun-loving bear has captivated crowds at Bowling Green Ballpark while making good on his promise to become a true community ambassador. When he does take a rare day off, Axle continues to pursue his favorite non-baseball passions. He fishes for salmon with the Grizzlies in Alaska's Katmai National Park and continues to work on his classic car hobby. Axle loves to play around so much, he built Axle's Adventureland in the right field concourse for kids to play on.
Roscoe
Roscoe is the Hot Rods' second mascot, debuting during the 2010 season. He is a Grease Monkey who wears a navy Hot Rods jersey. The lifelong baseball fan was a grease monkey working for a local auto shop when Axle the Bear invited him to join the team. The fluffy, fan-friendly primate accepted immediately, suited up in his Hot Rods gear, and became a household name in South Central Kentucky. He enjoys climbing trees and taking tropical vacations (he doesn't get enough) and he still takes pleasure in fixing up old cars. He loves reading so much, he encourages kids in the community to read through his Roscoe Rewards Program.
Turbo
Turbo is a Golden Retriever who was adopted into the Hot Rods family on December 13, 2019, becoming the newest member of the Hot Rods' front office[6]. He is currently training to become a "batdog", retrieving bats and balls and returning them to the Hot Rods dugout, as well as delivering balls to the home plate umpire, for the 2021 season. Turbo is one of a few bat dogs in Minor League Baseball.
Roster
| Players | Coaches/Other | |||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Alumni
The following are players in Major League Baseball who played, at one time, for the Hot Rods. Players are listed under the team they debuted for.
Tampa Bay Rays
- Matt Moore
- Alex Colome
- Tim Beckham
- Enny Romero
- Kevin Kiermaier
- CJ Riefenhauser
- Kirby Yates
- Ryan Brett
- Andrew Bellatti
- Luke Maile
- Blake Snell
- Taylor Motter
- Ryan Garton
- Dylan Floro
- Juniel Querecuto
- Austin Pruitt
- Jose Alvarado
- Ryne Stanek
- Hunter Wood
- Jacob Faria
- Yonny Chirinos
- Johnny Field
- Willy Adames
- Jaime Schultz
- Diego Castillo
- Justin Williams
- Brandon Lowe
- Nick Ciuffo
- Nate Lowe
- Michael Brosseau
- Brendan McKay
- Ian Gibaut
- Kean Wong
San Francisco Giants
- Albert Suarez
- Roberto Gomez
- Enderson Franco
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Oscar Hernandez
- Merrill Kelly
Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles Angels
Texas Rangers
Miami Marlins
Kansas City Royals
- Wilking Rodriguez
San Diego Padres
Washington Nationals
- Felipe Vazquez
Baltimore Orioles
Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Dodgers
Colorado Rockies
- German Marquez
Toronto Blue Jays
Seattle Mariners
St. Louis Cardinals
- Genesis Cabrera
References
- "Bowling Green Daily News". Nl.newsbank.com. January 8, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
- Czerwinski, Kevin T. "Lake County, Bowling Green shifting to MWL." Minor League Baseball. September 2, 2008. Retrieved on September 20, 2008.
- 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
- Hill, Benjamin "Hot Rods claim year's best promo." Minor League Baseball. October 14, 2009. Retrieved on December 10, 2010.
- Spedden, Zach (September 28, 2018). "Sale of Bowling Green Hot Rods Approved". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- minorleaguebaseball (December 13, 2019). "Bowling Green Gets Bat Dog - Meet Turbo!". Youtube. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
External links
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