The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama ...

, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

(1997–2006),

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

(2007–2016), and

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

(2017–2019). The BayBears played in

Hank Aaron Stadium Hank Aaron Stadium is a baseball park in Mobile, Alabama. From 1997 to 2019, it hosted the Mobile BayBears, a minor league baseball, minor-league professional team in the Southern League (1964–2020), Southern League. The stadium opened in 1997 a ...

, which opened in 1997 and is named after baseball's former all-time home run king and Mobile native

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. One of the gre ...

. In 2020, the BayBears relocated to

Madison, Alabama Madison is a city located primarily in Madison County, near the northern border of the U.S. state of Alabama. Madison extends west into neighboring Limestone County. The city is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, the second-largest ...

, where they are now called the

Rocket City Trash Pandas The Rocket City Trash Pandas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Madison, Alabama, and play their home games at Toyota Field. History In November 2 ...

History

The BayBears franchise originated in 1976 in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

, first as the Charlotte Orioles and then as the first incarnation of the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

. When Charlotte moved up to become a Triple-A franchise in 1993, the team found a temporary home in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, as the

Nashville Xpress The Nashville Xpress were a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins from 1993 to 1994. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Herschel Greer Stadi ...

from 1993 to 1994. It existed as the Port City Roosters in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

, from 1995 to 1996. The franchise landed in Mobile in 1997. The team's name was announced in July 1996, having been selected in a name-the-team contest. Mobile mayor Mike Dow announced the name at that year's Mobile Fourth of July fireworks display. In September 1996, the BayBears signed an affiliation agreement with the

. In November 2017, BayBears owners Michael Savit and HWS Group, closed on the sale of the team to BallCorps LLC. The team will continue to play in Mobile through the 2019 season, but will relocate to

, in 2020, where they will play in a newly-built ballpark. Upon relocation, the team will be called the

. The name is a reference to both the area's association with the

space industry Space industry refers to economic activities related to manufacturing components that go into Earth's orbit or beyond, delivering them to those regions, and related services. Owing to the prominence of the satellite-related activities, some sour ...

and the determination and ingenuity of

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...

s. The BayBears played their final game on September 2, 2019. They were defeated by the

Tennessee Smokies The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off ...

, 5–4, before a crowd of 1,554 people.

BayBears Hall of Fame

Dusty Allen Dustin R. Allen (born August 9, 1972) is a retired Major League Baseball (MLB) player who primarily played first base in 2000. He played for the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres. Early life Allen was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He attende ...

* Ben Davis * Buddy Carlyle *

Matt Clement Matthew Paul Clement (born August 12, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Clement played for the San Diego Padres (–), Florida Marlins (), Chicago Cubs (–) and Boston Red Sox (–). While on the Red Sox active roster, he ...

* Kevin Nicholson * Brian Tollberg * Wiki González *

Jake Peavy Jacob Edward Peavy (born May 31, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw r ...

Other notable alumni

Emilio Bonifacio Emilio may refer to: * Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio" * Emilio Piazza Memorial School, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State * Emilio (given name) * ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen See also * Emílio (dis ...

Craig Breslow Craig Andrew Breslow (pronounced BREHZ-loh; born August 8, 1980) is an American baseball executive and former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently the Assistant General Manager/Vice President, Director of Pit ...

Max Scherzer Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and L ...

Justin Upton Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "J-Up", he has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Detroit Ti ...

Paul Goldschmidt Paul Edward Goldschmidt (born September 10, 1987) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Lightly recruited out of The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, Golds ...

* Mark Reynolds * Trevor Bauer *

Tyler Skaggs Tyler Wayne Skaggs (July 13, 1991July 1, 2019) was an American left-handed professional baseball starting pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels from 2012 until his death in 201 ...

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://web.archive.org/web/20190905195045/https://www.milb.com/mobile, Mobile BayBears official website Baseball teams established in 1997 Baseball teams disestablished in 2019 Defunct Southern League (1964–present) teams Professional baseball teams in Alabama Sports in Mobile, Alabama Arizona Diamondbacks minor league affiliates San Diego Padres minor league affiliates Los Angeles Angels minor league affiliates 1997 establishments in Alabama 2019 disestablishments in Alabama Defunct baseball teams in Alabama