The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in the city of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

in Harford County, Maryland. They are the

High-A High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

affiliate of the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

and compete in the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

. They were previously members of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

from 1977 to 2020, and of the

High-A East The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

in 2021. The team is currently owned by retired Oriole player

Cal Ripken Jr. Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...

Ripken Jr. purchased the team, then known as the

Utica Blue Sox The Utica Blue Sox was the name of two minor league baseball teams based in Utica, New York. In the 2010s, the ''Utica Blue Sox'' is the name of a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) based in ...

, and moved them to his hometown of Aberdeen in time for the 2002 season. The IronBirds play their home games at

Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium is the home of the Aberdeen IronBirds, an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles in the South Atlantic League. The stadium is located in Aberdeen, Maryland. The 6,300-seat Ripken Stadium held its first game on June 18, 2 ...

, which is visible from

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

. On August 16, 2006, the IronBirds played host to the

All-Star Game. They also hosted the New York-Penn League All-Star Game on August 18, 2015.

was also used for the Cal Ripken World Series in 2003 and 2004, forcing the team to go on extended road trips, 20 or more games, during the youth competition. The Cal Ripken World Series moved across the street to Cal Sr.'s Yard in 2005. The name "IronBirds" was chosen for two reasons: Cal Ripken's "Ironman" streak of 2,632 consecutive baseball games played and the team's affiliation with the Orioles (the Baltimore team is often referred to as "The Birds"). The former team logo featured a silver airplane marked with Ripken's number 8, which also refers to the nearby

Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work a ...

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

installation. The team mascots are gray birds named Ferrous and Ripcord. The record of most RBIs in a single month was set by

Robbie Widlansky Robert Eric Widlansky (born November 6, 1984) is a former professional baseball outfielder who played internationally for the Israel national baseball team. In college, he won the Sun Belt Conference batting title his senior season, with a Flor ...

in July 2008. On August 26, 2013, Conor Bierfeldt hit his 12th home run of the season, setting a new IronBirds single-season record. He broke the previous record held by David Anderson set in the 2010 season. On September 2, 2013, The IronBirds clinched their first McNamara Division Title. In conjunction with

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the IronBirds were organized into the 12-team High-A East. The IronBirds' 2012 and 2013 seasons were the subject of a book written by the team's former clubhouse attendant, Greg Larson. ''Clubbie: A Minor League Baseball Memoir'' was released in 2021.

Playoffs

*2013 season: Lost to Tri-City 2–0 in semifinals. *2022 Season: Won against

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island Boar ...

2-1 in Division Series. Lost to

Bowling Green Hot Rods The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which open ...

2-1 in Championship Series.

Notable franchise alumni

Andy Ashby Andrew Jason Ashby (born July 11, 1967) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. ...

(1987) 2x MLB All-Star * James Baldwin (1991) MLB All-Star *

Jesse Barfield Jesse Lee Barfield (born October 29, 1959) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an right fielder from 1981 to 1992 for the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees. A two-time Gold ...

(1977) MLB All-Star *

Zack Britton Zackary Grant Britton (born December 22, 1987), known professionally as Zach Britton until February 2019, is a professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles an ...

(2007) *

Ken Brett Kenneth Alven Brett (September 18, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and the second of four Brett brothers who played professional baseball, the most notable being the youngest, George Brett. Ken played for ...

(1985, MGR) MLB All-Star *

Mike Cameron Michael Terrance Cameron (born January 8, 1973) is an American former professional Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, B ...

(1992) MLB All-Star *

Ray Durham Ray Durham (born November 30, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He is a 14-year major league veteran owning a .277 lifetime batting average with 1,249 runs scored, 2,054 hits, 440 doubles, 79 triples, 192 home runs, 875 ...

(1991) 2x MLB All-Star *

Jason Grimsley Jason Alan Grimsley (born August 7, 1967) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for seven teams during a 15-year career. He was a member of both the 1999 and 2000 World Series champion New York Yankees. Major League career J ...

(1986) * David Hernandez (2005) *

Fred Kendall Fred Lyn Kendall (born January 31, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and coach who appeared in 877 games, primarily as a catcher, in Major League Baseball from to for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians and Boston Red ...

(1992, MGR) * Manny Machado (2010) 4x MLB All-Star * Trey Mancini (2013) *

Nick Markakis Nicholas William Markakis ( ) (born November 17, 1983) is a Greek-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves. Markakis was the Orioles ...

(2003) MLB All-Star * Chuck McElroy (1986) * Tony Taylor (1986–1987, MGR) *

Larry Walker Larry Kenneth Robert Walker (born December 1, 1966) is a Canadian former professional baseball right fielder. During his 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. I ...

(1985) 5x MLB All-Star; 1997 NL Most Valuable Player

Roster

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aberdeen Ironbirds New York–Penn League teams Professional baseball teams in Maryland Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliates Baseball teams established in 2002 Aberdeen, Maryland 2002 establishments in Maryland High-A East teams South Atlantic League teams

Playoffs

Notable franchise alumni

Roster

See also

Notes

External links