The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would be ...

, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

(1985–2000, 2003–2018) and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

(1978–1983). Among the best-known players to play in Helena are Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who started his career with the Phillies in Helena,

Gary Sheffield Gary Antonian Sheffield (born November 18, 1968) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for eight teams from 1988 to 2009. He is a sports agent. For most of his career, Sheffield played rig ...

, who started his career with the Helena Gold Sox in 1986,

Jeff Cirillo Jeffrey Howard Cirillo (born September 23, 1969) is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball. In a 14-season career, Cirillo was a .296 hitter with 112 home runs and 727 RBI in 1617 games. He was named an All-Star in and . He ...

and Mark Loretta who began their careers with the 1991 and 1993 Helena Brewers, respectively; and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder

Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and fi ...

History

The Helena Phillies joined the Pioneer League in 1978, giving Helena a professional baseball team for the first time in 64 years. In 1984, the Helena Gold Sox won the Pioneer League Championship, a rarity for an independent club. The team hooked on with the

in 1985 and changed its name to the Helena Brewers in 1987. Helena won the league championship in back-to-back seasons in 1995 and 1996. The franchise moved to

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Utah, fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County, Utah, Utah County and is home to Bri ...

, as the Provo Angels after the 2000 season. In 2003, the Medicine Hat Blue Jays moved to Helena, and the team once again became a Brewers affiliate. The franchise left Helena for

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, after the 2018 season, where it would play as the Rocky Mountain Vibes.

Season-by-season record

Major leaguers

The following is a list of Helena players by year that later played in

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 (A ...

: * 1978: George Bell, Carmelo Castillo, Wil Culmer,

Bob Dernier Robert Eugene Dernier (born January 5, 1957), also known as "Bobby", is an American former professional baseball center fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, in the 1980s. The fleet-afoo ...

, Ed Hearn, Alejandro Sánchez, Ryne Sandberg * 1979: Jay Baller, Roy Smith * 1980:

Rocky Childress Rodney Osborne "Rocky" Childress (born February 18, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1985 until 1988, for the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston A ...

Darren Daulton Darren Arthur Daulton (January 3, 1962 – August 6, 2017), nicknamed "Dutch", was an American professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (, –) and Florida Marlins (1997). While with ...

, Marty Decker, Ken Dowell, Tony Ghelfi * 1981:

Johnny Abrego Johnny Ray Abrego (born July 4, 1962) is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Base ...

, Charles Hudson, Jim Olander,

Jose Segura Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galil ...

* 1982: Ken Jackson,

Lance McCullers Lance Graye McCullers Sr. (born March 8, 1964) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and Texa ...

Johnny Paredes Johnny Alfonso Paredes Isambert (2 September 1962 – 5 November 2020) was a Venezuelan second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Montreal Expos (1988; 1990) and Detroit Tigers (1990–1991). He also played in Japan in ...

, Wilfredo Tejada * 1983:

Ricky Jordan Paul Scott "Ricky" Jordan (born May 26, 1965)Ricky Jordan
Baseball Reference, access date August 28, ...

, Tom Magrann, Tom Newell * 1984: Jack Daugherty, John Trautwein * 1985:

John Jaha John Emil Jaha (born May 27, 1966) is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 10-year career from 1992 to 2001. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics, playing in both the American League and National League. ...

, Russ McGinnis, Randy Veres * 1986:

George Canale George Anthony Canale (born August 11, 1965) is a retired Major League Baseball first baseman. He played Major League Baseball for three seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. George Canale graduated from Cave Spring High School (Roanoke, Virgini ...

Brian Drahman Brian Stacy Drahman (born November 7, 1966) is a former right-handed baseball pitcher, born in Kenton, Kentucky but raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Career He was selected in the second round of the 1986 amateur draft by the Milwaukee Brewe ...

, Darryl Hamilton,

Greg Vaughn Gregory Lamont Vaughn (born July 3, 1965) is an American former baseball left fielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1989–1996), San Diego Padres (1996–1998), Cincinnati Reds (1999), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000–2002) and Colorado ...

* 1987:

Frank Bolick Frank Charles Bolick (born June 28, 1966) is a former Major League Baseball player from Ashland, Pennsylvania. He was an infielder for the Montreal Expos and Anaheim Angels. He also played four seasons in Japan with the Chiba Lotte Marines. He thr ...

, Oreste Marrero,

Ángel Miranda Ángel Luis Miranda Andújar (born November 9, 1969 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico), is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1993 until 1997, for the Milwaukee Brewers. Career ...

, Charlie Montoyo, Jaime Navarro,

Dave Nilsson David Wayne Nilsson (born 14 December 1969) is an Australian retired professional baseball catcher and current manager of the Australia national baseball team and the Brisbane Bandits. He played for Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers ...

, Troy O'Leary, Steve Sparks, Bill Spiers * 1988: Bert Heffernan, Mike Ignasiak,

Mark Kiefer Mark Andrew Kiefer (born November 13, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played in parts of four seasons in the majors, from until , for the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched a total of 44 games, all in relief. He also played for fou ...

* 1991:

, Mike Matheny, Marshall Boze * 1992: Bobby Hughes,

Danny Perez Danny Perez is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Perez was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the twenty-first round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft The 1992 Major League Baseball draft took place on June 1, 1992, through a ...

, Tim Unroe; Danan Hughes played minor league baseball for the 1992 and 1993 seasons in the Pioneer League for the Helena Brewers. He decided to make football his full-time profession when the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the 7th round of the 1993 NFL Draft. Hughes played for the Chiefs from 1993 to 1998 as a wide receiver and special teams player. * 1993: Brian Banks, Todd Dunn,

Danny Klassen Daniel Victor Klassen (born September 22, 1975) is a Canadian former professional baseball infielder. He played four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks and one season with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Early life Klassen w ...

, Mark Loretta,

Sean Maloney Sean or Shaun Maloney may refer to: * Seán Maloney (Irish politician) (born 1945), Irish politician * Sean Patrick Maloney (born 1966), American Democratic Party politician in New York state * Sean Maloney (baseball) (born 1971), former American ...

Greg Martinez Gregory Alfred Martinez (born January 27, 1972) is a former professional outfielder. Martinez was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the twenty-fourth round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft. He played with the team at the Major League Ba ...

* 1994:

Antone Williamson Anthony Joseph "Antone" Williamson (born July 18, 1973) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1997. Amateur career Williamson attended Arizona State University, and in 1992 he ...

Kelly Wunsch Kelly Douglas Wunsch (born July 12, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers from 2000 to 2005. Amateur career A native of Houston, Texas, Wunsch attended Texas ...

* 1995:

Robinson Cancel Robinson Cancel Castro (born May 4, 1976) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher. He made his Major League Baseball debut for the Milwaukee Brewers on September 3, 1999. He would not appear at the major league level again until J ...

Geoff Jenkins Geoffrey Scott Jenkins (born July 21, 1974) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers (1998–2007) and Philadelphia Phillies (2008). He is fourth on the Brewers ...

, Mike Kinkade, Mickey Lopez, Greg Mullins * 1996:

Allen Levrault Allen Harry Levrault (born August 15, 1977) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Marlins. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 13th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. Levrault grad ...

Mark Watson Mark Andrew Watson (born 13 February 1980) is a British comedian and novelist. Early life Watson was born in Bristol to a Welsh mother and English father. He has younger twin sisters and a brother, Paul. He attended Bristol Grammar School, ...

* 1997:

Jason Childers Jason Lee Childers (born January 13, 1975) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He is the brother of Matt Childers. Career He appeared in only 5 games for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006. Childers played for the Sultanes ...

, Brian Mallette * 1998:

Matt Childers Matthew Wilkie Childers (born December 3, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Career He has made a total of 11 appearances in Major League Baseball (MLB) games: eight with the Milwaukee Brewers in and three with the Atla ...

, Bill Hall, Luis Martinez * 2003: Drew Anderson, Carlos Corporán, Tim Dillard, Dana Eveland, Vinny Rottino,

Mitch Stetter Mitchel Blake Stetter (born January 16, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers. College Stetter attended Indiana State University, where he ...

Ty Taubenheim Ty Andrew Taubenheim (born November 17, 1982) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is 6'6", ., and throws and bats right-handed. Taubenheim features a sinking fastball, a slider, and a changeup. Playing career Taubenheim was drafted ...

* 2004: Alcides Escobar * 2005:

Michael Brantley Michael Charles Brantley Jr. (born May 15, 1987) is an American professional baseball left fielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians. The son of former MLB player and ...

, Lorenzo Cain, Darren Ford, Matt Gamel, Ángel Salomé, Joe Thatcher * 2006:

Zach Braddock William Zachary Braddock (born August 23, 1987) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers Professional career Milwaukee Brewers Braddock was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in ...

, Cole Gillespie,

Taylor Green Taylor William Andrew Green (born November 2, 1986) is a Canadian former professional baseball infielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). After retiring, Green became a scout for the Brewers. Amateur career ...

, Mike McClendon * 2007: Dane De La Rosa, Eric Farris, Eric Fryer, Caleb Gindl, Donovan Hand,

Matt LaPorta Matthew Vincent LaPorta (born January 8, 1985) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and left fielder who played for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2009 to 2012. LaPorta played college baseball for t ...

, Jonathan Lucroy, Zelous Wheeler * 2008: Erik Komatsu,

Lucas Luetge Lucas Lester Luetge ( born March 24, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees Career Early career Lue ...

, Wily Peralta,

Logan Schafer Logan Edward Schafer (born September 8, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins. Professional career Milwaukee Brewers Schafer was draf ...

Rob Wooten Robert Davis Wooten (born July 21, 1985) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers from 2013 to 2015. College career Wooten earned a bachelor's degree in exercise and sport science from the Uni ...

* 2009:

Chris Capuano Christopher Frank Capuano (born August 19, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher whose professional playing career spanned from 2000 through 2016. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwauk ...

, Khristopher Davis, Michael Fiers, Sean Halton, Jake Odorizzi,

Josh Prince Joshua Cole Prince (born January 26, 1988) is an American former professional baseball utility player who is currently a minor league hitting coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2013. Playing career A ...

* 2010:

Hiram Burgos Hiram Burgos (born August 4, 1987) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers. Early life When he was three years old his parents, Hiram Burgos Delgado and Ivette Ir ...

, Jimmy Nelson, Caleb Thielbar, Tyler Thornburg * 2011:

Tyler Cravy Tyler Jay Cravy (born July 13, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers. Amateur career Cravy graduated from Hogan High School in Vallejo, California, in 2007. He also spent ...

, David Goforth, Yadiel Rivera, Jason Rodgers * 2012: Michael Reed, Tyler Wagner

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Helena Brewers website

Helena Brewers statistics at The Baseball Cube

Defunct Pioneer League (baseball) teams Baseball teams established in 1978 Sports clubs disestablished in 2000 Baseball teams established in 2003 Baseball teams disestablished in 2018 Helena, Montana Professional baseball teams in Montana Milwaukee Brewers minor league affiliates Philadelphia Phillies minor league affiliates 1978 establishments in Montana 2000 disestablishments in Montana 2003 establishments in Montana 2018 disestablishments in Montana Defunct baseball teams in Montana