The Charleston RiverDogs are a

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. They are located in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, and are the

Single-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams cl ...

affiliate of the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

. The RiverDogs' home stadium is

Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park is a baseball stadium located in Charleston, South Carolina. The stadium is named after Charleston's longest-serving mayor, Joseph P. Riley Jr., who was instrumental in its construction. The stadium replaced College Pa ...

. Charleston is the only team in league history to win three consecutive Carolina League championships (2021, 2022, and 2023).

History

Early success as the Royals

The RiverDogs were founded in 1980 as the ''Charleston Royals'' and were a farm team of the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. In their first season as the Royals, they won the South Atlantic League's Southern Division championship, but fell in the playoffs against Greensboro. Like the Pirates, the Royals were known for their pitching, because in 1981 pitcher Jeffery Gladden led the league with a 2.09 ERA. In 1982 batting may have caught up with the pitching as pitcher

Danny Jackson Danny Lynn Jackson (born January 5, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1997. He played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirat ...

led the league with a 10–1 record and slugger

Cliff Pastornicky Clifford Scot Pastornicky (born November 18, 1958) is an American former Major League Baseball player. Pastornicky was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 8th round of the 1980 draft. He made his debut on June 14, 1983 with the Royals, and ...

paced the South Atlantic League with a .343 batting average. In 1983 Mark Pirruccello set a single-season team record with 25 home runs. 1984 was an exciting season for Charleston as the city hosted the all-star game in which

Tom Glavine Thomas Michael Glavine (born March 25, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, for the Atlanta Braves (1987–2002, 2008) and New York Mets (2003–2007). With 164 victories durin ...

and

Pat Borders Patrick Lance Borders (born May 14, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player and current minor league manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to . He was the Most Valuable Player of the 1992 World Series ...

played. On the field the Royals went on to win the Southern Division and

Kevin Seitzer Kevin Lee Seitzer (; born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who is currently the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee ...

was named league MVP.

Rainbows era

In 1985, the team was renamed the ''Charleston Rainbows'' and became affiliated with 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

. From 1985 to 1987 were the building years as the Rainbows improved each season under a great pitching staff until 1988 when they won the Southern Division title but were bounced in the first round of the playoffs. The 1988 season was powered by a pitching staff whose combined ERA equaled 2.07. 1988 was the last of the "good ol' days", because starting in 1989 the team suffered 11 consecutive losing seasons. Poor play on the field translated into a South Atlantic League record, when in 1990 pitcher Charles Thompson registered 17 losses. In 1994 the team was renamed ''Charleston RiverDogs'' after a name-the-team contest was held by the

Piggly Wiggly Piggly Wiggly is an American supermarket chain operating in the American Southern and Midwestern regions run by Piggly Wiggly, LLC, an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers. Its first outlet opened in 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is notable ...

supermarket chain. Despite the name change, the losing continued. In 1997 saw the RiverDogs leave the 84-year-old College Park and move into the brand-new 5,500-seat

. The team also began its eight-year affiliation with the

in 1997. The move to the "Joe" helped to spur a rise in total attendance, as the team set a record with an increase in over 100,000 fans. In 1998, the RiverDogs were the first professional baseball team to broadcast live video on the internet, and the first team to broadcast video of their entire home season. Finally, in 2000 the 'Dogs posted their first winning season since 1988.

Return to the playoffs

In 2003 saw the beginning of a new era as the RiverDogs played well on the field and posted a winning season for the first time since 2000. In 2004 the RiverDogs secured the wildcard spot in the playoffs bringing Charleston a playoff series for the first time in 16 years. Charleston faced the hated rival Capital City in the first round but were swept two games to none. The RiverDogs became the Class Single-A affiliate of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

on September 15, 2004. 2005 was another great season as the Riverdogs jumped out winning the first-half Southern Division Championship qualifying them for the playoffs for the first consecutive seasons in franchise history. The 2005 playoffs weren't as good to the RiverDogs as fans had hoped, because the RiverDogs fell to eventual champion the

Kannapolis Intimidators Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan Counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte, and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. ...

two games to none. At the end of the 2005 season, Charleston was making an attempt to attract a Class Double-A team by expanding their stadium by a few hundred seats. 2006 saw a good performance on the field, but no playoffs as the RiverDogs posted a 78–62 record. 2007 saw a record year for winning seasons when they finished the season with a 78–62 record and securing their fifth consecutive winning season tying a Charleston professional baseball record with the Sea Gulls (1914–1917, 1919) (No team in 1918). A downside to the record tying season was that the 'Dogs failed to make the playoffs for the second straight season. 2008 brought a memorable year to Charleston, as the Riverdogs recorded their final record at 80–59 bringing their sixth consecutive winning season, breaking a record for the most consecutive winning seasons (a record that stood since 1919) in Charleston baseball history. The downside to 2008 was the third straight season the Riverdogs failed to make the playoffs – despite having the best record in the Southern Division each season, they never held the division lead at the end of a half-season to claim a playoff spot. The 2009 season saw the Riverdogs finish with a winning record again. In the first half the Riverdogs came up a game short to their arch-rival

Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West E ...

, who are affiliated to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

and never posed as a threat in the second half failing to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

Colbrunn era

After posting a 232–186 record, Riverdogs manager Torre Tyson was named the Tampa Yankees manager in High A baseball. The RiverDogs were quick to name hitting coach Greg Colbrunn as the new manager for the 2010 season. With the RiverDogs on the verge of making the playoffs each of the last four seasons, expectations were high for Colbrunn. The day following the 2015

Charleston church shooting An Anti-Black racism, anti-black mass shooting and hate crime occurred on June 17, 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine people were killed, and one was injured, during a Bible study (Christianity), Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist ...

, the RiverDogs decided to proceed with their regularly scheduled game, with Dave Echols, the team's

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

, saying: "We feel it is our duty not to let the acts of one radical human being dictate our lives". The RiverDogs donated the proceeds of the night's game to the charity set up for the

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, colloquially Mother Emanuel, is a church in Charleston, South Carolina, founded in 1817. It is the oldest AME church in the Southern United States; founded the previous year in Philadelphia, Pennsy ...

2021 restructuring

On November 7, 2020, the Yankees announced that Charleston would not be part of their minor league organization under the restructuring of Minor League Baseball for 2021. Instead, they were organized into the

Low-A East The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

as the

Low-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for ...

affiliate of the

. In 2022, the Low-A East became known as the Carolina League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization, and was reclassified as a Single-A circuit.

Before the Riverdogs

Seagulls, Sea Gulls, and Gulls

Baseball has a long history in the Palmetto State dating back to 1862. Union soldiers from the 165th New York Infantry competed against soldiers of the 47th and 48th New York Infantries on Christmas Day 1862. After the Civil War the game of baseball exploded in Charleston. From 1866 to 1886 the Holy City would be home to over 100 individual black and white baseball clubs. The first organized team in Charleston was the Palmetto Baseball Club of Charleston with Mr. A.W. Wardell selected as president. The first official game took place at the Citadel Green (Marion Square) on May 23, 1866, when the club split into separate teams to play. The Charleston Seagulls became the first professional baseball team to play in Charleston. The team was part of the newly formed Southern League and had a 22-man roster. The Seagulls first game was an exhibition game against the Louisville Colonels of the America Association on March 16, 1886. This was the first game ever to be played on their newly constructed "Ball Park Field" located at the corner of Meeting Street and Shepherd Street. The Seagulls ended up losing 5 to 7. The first official Southern League game took place on April 15, 1886, against the 1885 Southern League Champions, the Atlanta Atlantas. The Seagulls would lose this game as well 4 to 6. The 1886 season ended after the earthquake that occurred on August 31. The Seagulls would finish just under 50% with a 44–49 record.

Palmettos and Pals

Starting in 1920, the ''Gulls'' became the ''Palmettos'', however, later that year that name was shortened to the ''Pals'' while Charleston was promoted to "Class B". In 1922, the Pals created excitement around Charleston as they won 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 h ...

title, but for unknown reasons the Pals folded at the end of the season, and that lead to a 16-year baseball drought in Charleston.

Rebels

Finally in 1940, a new team began play in the South Atlantic League known as the ''Charleston Rebels''. Just two years later, in 1942, the Rebels won the

Championship ending a 20-year championship drought. However, the next year, the Rebels posted a losing record. 1947 started out with a bang as the Rebels were promoted to Class A and drew 184,851 fans in the season, a Charleston baseball record that stood until 1997. After all the excitement from the 1947 season, the Rebels went out and won the South Atlantic League Championship for the second time in seven years in 1948, the last time Charleston won a championship. After that memorable season, the Rebels declined and couldn't post a winning season. With fans losing interest the Rebels folded at the end of the 1953 season.

ChaSox and White Sox experiment with affiliation

In 1959, baseball returned to Charleston, but this time the team was affiliated with a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

Team, the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. The experiment failed horribly as attendance was down by more than 50% and the ''White Sox'' failed to post consecutive winning seasons.

New team, new league

In 1973, the ''Charleston Pirates'' were born, who were affiliated with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

, and for the first time since 1893 were playing in a league other than the South Atlantic League, they were in the

Western Carolinas League The Western Carolinas League was a Class D level (1948–52; 1960–62) and a low Class A level (1963–79) full-season league in American minor league baseball. The Western Carolinas League changed its name prior to the 1980 season and has been ...

. As the Pirates, Charleston excelled in pitching as in 1973

John Candelaria John Robert Candelaria (born November 6, 1953) is a Puerto Rican-American former Major League Baseball pitcher. Nicknamed "the Candy Man", he played in MLB during the years 1975–1993 for eight teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, ...

led the league with a 10–2 record. The following year, the Pirates pitcher Randy Sealy set a team record with a 1.97 ERA. However, after those promising years, the Pirates set a league record by losing 22 straight games. In 1976 and 1977, the ''Pirates'' became the ''Patriots'', but the name change still had no effect on the team's play as the team failed to post a winning record and watched attendance plunge. Finally, in 1978 the Pirates left town.

Season-by-season records

, - , 1980 (Royals) , , 78 , , 61 , , Southern Division Champions , , WON First Round (Spartanburg), 2–0
Lost SAL Championship Series (Greensboro), 1–3 , - , 1981 (Royals) , , 75 , , 67 , , 2nd Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1982 (Royals) , , 74 , , 66 , , 2nd Southern Division , , Lost First Round (Florence) 0-2 , - , 1983 (Royals) , , 64 , , 80 , , 5th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1984 (Royals) , , 78 , , 64 , , First Half Southern Division Champions , , WON First Round (Columbia), 3–1
Lost SAL Championship Series (Asheville), 2–3 , - , 1985 (Rainbows) , , 78 , , 61 , , 3rd Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1986 (Rainbows) , , 63 , , 69 , , 3rd Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1987 (Rainbows) , , 68 , , 71 , , 5th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1988 (Rainbows) , , 85 , , 53 , , Southern Division Champions , , WON First Round (Myrtle Beach), 3–1
Lost SAL Championship Series (Spartanburg), 0–3 , - , 1989 (Rainbows) , , 72 , , 68 , , 3rd Southern Division , , Lost First Round (Augusta), 0–3 , - , 1990 (Rainbows) , , 46 , , 96 , , 6th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1991 (Rainbows) , , 69 , , 72 , , 4th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1992 (Rainbows) , , 55 , , 85 , , 7th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1993 (Rainbows) , , 65 , , 77, , 5th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1994 (RiverDogs) , , 56 , , 81 , , 6th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1995 (RiverDogs) , , 50 , , 89 , , 7th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1996 (RiverDogs) , , 63 , , 78 , , 4th Central Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1997 (RiverDogs) , , 60 , , 82 , , 6th Central Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1998 (RiverDogs) , , 67 , , 74 , , 5th Central Division , , Did not qualify , - , 1999 (RiverDogs) , , 65 , , 77 , , 5th Central Division , , Did not qualify , - , 2000 (RiverDogs) , , 73 , , 66 , , 3rd Central Division , , Did not qualify , - , 2001 (RiverDogs) , , 64 , , 76 , , 7th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 2002 (RiverDogs) , , 60 , , 76 , , 7th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 2003 (RiverDogs) , , 77 , , 62 , , 3rd Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 2004 (RiverDogs) , , 76 , , 63 , , 2nd Southern Division , , Lost First Round (Capital City), 0–2 , - , 2005 (RiverDogs) , , 80 , , 58 , , Southern Division Champions , , Lost First Round (Kannapolis), 0–2 , - , 2006 (RiverDogs) , , 78 , , 62 , , 2nd Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 2007 (RiverDogs) , , 78 , , 62 , , 4th Southern Division , , Did not qualify , - , 2008 (RiverDogs) , , 80 , , 59 , , Southern Division Champions , , Did not qualify (Were not leading division at the end of each half season) , - , 2009 (RiverDogs) , , 74 , , 65 , , ''2nd Southern Division'' , , ''Did not qualify'' , - , 2010 (RiverDogs) , , 65 , , 74 , , ''6th Southern Division'' , , ''Did not qualify'' , - , 2011 (RiverDogs) , , 55 , , 85 , , ''6th Southern Division'' , , ''Did not qualify'' , - , 2012 (RiverDogs) , , 76 , , 63 , , ''2nd Southern Division'' , , ''Did not qualify'' , - , 2013 (RiverDogs) , , 75 , , 63 , , ''3rd Southern Division'' , , ''Did not qualify'' , - , 2014 (RiverDogs) , , 71 , , 69 , , ''3rd Southern Division'' , , ''Did not qualify'' , - , 2015 (RiverDogs) , , 66 , , 74 , , ''4th Southern Division'' , , ''Did not qualify'' , - , 2016 (RiverDogs) , , 76 , , 63 , , ''2nd Southern Division'' , , Lost First Round (Rome), 1-2 , - , 2017 (RiverDogs) , , 76 , , 63 , , ''2nd Southern Division'' , , Lost First Round (Greenville), 1-2 , - , 2018 (RiverDogs) , , 64 , , 72 , , ''5th Southern Division'' , , ''Did not qualify'' , - , 2019 (RiverDogs) , , 73 , , 66 , , ''2nd Southern Division'' , , ''Did not qualify'' , - , 2021 (RiverDogs) , , 82 , , 38 , , Southern Division Champions , , Won Finals (Down East), 3-2 , - , 2022 (RiverDogs) , , 88 , , 44 , , Southern Division Champions , , Won Finals (

Bank of the James Stadium Bank of the James Stadium, formerly Calvin Falwell Field at City Stadium and originally named "City Stadium", is a ballpark located in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, and the current home of the minor league Lynchburg Hillcats team. The b ...

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...

), 2-0 , - , 2023 (RiverDogs) , , 66 , , 65 , , Southern Division Champions , , Won Finals (

Grainger Stadium Grainger Stadium is a baseball stadium located in Kinston, North Carolina. It is the home ballpark for the Down East Bird Dawgs who competes in the Frontier League (FL), as well as the annual Freedom Classic between Navy and Air Force. It has a ...

Kinston, North Carolina Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 19,900 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is located in the ...

), 2-0 , - , Overall (Regular Season) , , 2976 , , 2984 , , , , , - , Overall (Playoffs) , , 24 , , 27 , , , , , - , Overall , , 3000 , , 3011 , , , ,

Roster

Notable players

A number of ex-RiverDogs have gone on to make a name for themselves in

, including:

B. J. Upton Melvin Emanuel "B. J." Upton Jr. (born August 21, 1984) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue ...

Carl Crawford Carl Demonte Crawford (born August 5, 1981), nicknamed "the Perfect Storm", is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He ba ...

Rocco Baldelli Rocco Daniel Baldelli (; born September 25, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and coach who is the manager of the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, Baldelli quickly progressed through the m ...

Delmon Young Delmon Damarcus Young (born September 14, 1985) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Philade ...

Seth McClung Michael Seth McClung (born February 7, 1981), nicknamed "Big Red", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his career, he pitched as a starting pitcher and as a relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tamp ...

Josh Hamilton Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 2007 to 2015, most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers teams ...

Toby Hall Toby Jason Hall (born October 21, 1975) is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher who is currently the interim manager and bench coach for the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League. He played in Major League Baseball ...

Aubrey Huff Aubrey Lewis Huff III (born December 20, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Huff played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, ...

Aaron Judge Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a six-time MLB All-Star and two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP ...

Danny Burawa Daniel James Burawa (born December 30, 1988) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves in 2015, and also played internationally for the Israel national baseball team. Early l ...

, Phil Hughes, David Robertson,

Gary Sánchez Gary Sánchez Herrera (born December 2, 1992) is a Dominican professional baseball catcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, San D ...

, Austin Jackson,

John Axford John Berton Axford (born April 1, 1983), nicknamed "Ax Man", is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colo ...

Phil Coke Phillip Douglas Coke (born July 19, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Pitching primarily in relief, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, and ...

Eduardo Núñez Eduardo Michelle Núñez Méndez (born June 15, 1987) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and the New Y ...

and

Fernando Tatís Fernando Gabriel Tatís Medina Sr. (; born January 1, 1975) is a Dominican former professional baseball third baseman who is the manager of the Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Professional Baseball League. Over his 11-year Major League ...

who all played for the RiverDogs;

Sandy Alomar Jr. Santos Alomar Velázquez (, ; born June 18, 1966), known as Sandy Alomar Jr., is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher between 1988 and 2007, most notably as a me ...

Roberto Alomar Roberto Alomar Velázquez (; ; born February 5, 1968) is a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican former second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seventeen seasons. He is regarded as one of the greatest second basemen and all-around pla ...

Carlos Baerga Carlos Obed Ortiz Baerga (; ; born November 4, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball player. Baerga was known for his superb hitting abilities during his first stint with the Cleveland Indians in the early-to-mid-1990s, accumulati ...

Homer Bush Homer Giles Bush (born November 12, 1972) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played for the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2002 and in 2004. He was a pa ...

Joey Hamilton Johns Joseph Hamilton (born September 9, 1970) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played professionally for nine seasons, recording a 74–73 win–loss record, a 4.44 earned run average (ERA) and 894 strikeouts. He attended ...

, and

Rich Loiselle Richard Frank Loiselle (born January 12, 1972) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates over parts of six seasons spanning 1996–2001. Listed at 6' 5", 225 l ...

, who played for the Rainbows; and

David Cone David Brian Cone (born January 2, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, and current color commentator for the New York Yankees on the YES Network and Amazon Prime as well as for ESPN on Sunday Night Baseball.

and

who played for the Charleston Royals. Notable players who have worn the Charleston uniform prior to the current incarnation of the franchise include Baseball Hall of Famer

Kiki Cuyler Hazen Shirley Cuyler (; August 30, 1898 – February 11, 1950), nicknamed "Kiki", was an American professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Brooklyn ...

as well as Maurice "Flash" Archdeacon,

, Larry Cheney;

Dave Dravecky David Francis Dravecky (born February 14, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player, motivational speaker, and author. A left-handed pitcher, Dravecky played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres (1982–87) and the ...

Steve Farr Steven Michael Farr (born December 12, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player who pitched primarily as a closer in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1984 to 1994. Biography Farr graduated from DeMatha High School outside Wash ...

, Sam Hairston, Odell Jones,

Junior Ortiz Adalberto "Junior" Ortiz Colón (born October 24, 1959) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher. He played all or part of thirteen seasons in the majors from 1982 to 1994. He was a member of the 1991 World Champion Minnesota Twin ...

, Tony Pena, Pascual Perez,

George Pipgras George William Pipgras (December 20, 1899 – October 19, 1986) was an American right-handed starting pitcher and umpire in Major League Baseball. Known as "The Danish Viking", he spent most of his playing career with the New York Yankees, break ...

, Don Robinson,

Willie Randolph William Larry Randolph (born July 6, 1954) is an American former professional baseball second baseman, coach, and manager. During an 18-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played from 1975 to 1992 for six different teams, most notabl ...

Rip Sewell Truett Banks "Rip" Sewell (May 11, 1907 – September 3, 1989) was a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played 13 years in the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers (1932) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1938–1949). Sewell was ...

Frank Thomas Frank Edward Thomas Jr. (born May 27, 1968), nicknamed "the Big Hurt," is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for three American League (AL) teams from 1990 to ...

Al Weis Albert John Weis (born April 2, 1938) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder from 1962 to 1971 for the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets. A light-hitting batter with only seve ...

, and

Ed Whitson Eddie Lee Whitson (born May 19, 1955) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees from 1977 to 19 ...

References

External links

*
Statistics from Baseball-Reference
* http://www.charlestonrainbows.com {{South Carolina Sports 1980 establishments in South Carolina Baseball teams established in 1980 Carolina League teams Defunct South Atlantic League teams Kansas City Royals minor league affiliates New York Yankees minor league affiliates Professional baseball teams in South Carolina San Diego Padres minor league affiliates Sports in Charleston, South Carolina Tampa Bay Rays minor league affiliates Texas Rangers minor league affiliates