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Bowling Green Hot Rods

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Bowling Green Hot Rods
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass A
LeagueMidwest League (2010–present)
DivisionEastern Division
Previous leagues
South Atlantic League (2009)
Major league affiliations
TeamTampa Bay Rays (2009–present)
Minor league titles
League titles (1)2018
Division titles (2)
  • 2007
  • 2018
First-half titles (2)
  • 2011
  • 2018
Team data
Name
  • Bowling Green Hot Rods (2009–present)
Previous names
Columbus Catfish (2003-2008)
BallparkBowling Green Ballpark (2009–present)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Jack Blackstock
General managerEric C. Leach
ManagerBlake Butera
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]

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

Main article: 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 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

Bowling Green Hot Rods roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 33 Jackson Baumeister
  • 36 Adam Boucher
  • 28 Seth Chavez
  •  9 Jake Christianson
  • 38 Derrick Edington
  • 16 T.J. Fondtain
  • 20 Garrett Gainey
  • 29 Roel Garcia III
  • 18 JJ Goss
  • 34 Brody Hopkins
  • 21 Ty Johnson
  • 79 Marcus Johnson
  • 15 Jackson Lancaster
  • 18 Dylan Lesko ~
  • 32 Chandler Murphy
  • 23 Jack Snyder
  • 44 Drew Sommers
  • 31 Owen Wild

Catchers

  • 17 Bryan Broecker
  • 12 Tatem Levins
  • 22 Raudelis Martinez

Infielders

  •  3 Gregory Barrios
  •  2 Hunter Haas
  • 19 Mac Horvath
  •  6 Kamren James
  •  8 Cooper Kinney
  • 24 Émilien Pitre
  • 13 Ryan Spikes
  •  1 Gionti Turner

Outfielders


Manager

  • 10 Rafael Valenzuela

Coaches

  • 26 Braxton Martinez (hitting)
  • 14 Jim Paduch (pitching)
  •  4 Perry Roth (bench)

60-day injured list

  • 47 Alex Cook
  • 71 Angel Galarraga (full season)
  • -- Over Galue (full season)

7-day injured list
* On Tampa Bay Rays 40-man roster
~ Development list
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporarily inactive list
Roster updated September 19, 2024
 Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB • South Atlantic League
 → Tampa Bay Rays minor league players

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

San Francisco Giants

Arizona Diamondbacks

Detroit Tigers

Los Angeles Angels

Texas Rangers

Miami Marlins

Kansas City Royals

San Diego Padres

Washington Nationals

Baltimore Orioles

Philadelphia Phillies

Los Angeles Dodgers

Colorado Rockies

Toronto Blue Jays

Seattle Mariners

St. Louis Cardinals

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. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  6. ^ minorleaguebaseball (December 13, 2019). "Bowling Green Gets Bat Dog - Meet Turbo!". Youtube. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
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