The Welland Pirates were 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 located in

Welland Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750. The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. The team played in the Short-Season A classification

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 1989 to 1994, and 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 ...

. Their home stadium was

Welland Stadium Welland Stadium is a stadium in Welland, Ontario, Canada. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home of the Welland Jackfish of the Intercounty Baseball League. Previously, the ballpark was the home of the Welland Pirates of the Short ...

. When the Welland Pirates relocated to

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...

, in 1995, they were renamed the

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

, who exist today as a member of the Double-A Eastern League.

Notable alumni

Jeff Banister Jeffery Todd Banister (born January 15, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He is the bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before that, he was a special assistant for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League ...

(1994, MGR) 2015 AL Manager of the Year *

Jason Christiansen Jason Samuel Christiansen (born September 21, 1969) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher. Biography Christiansen was born in Omaha, Nebraska and attended Elkhorn High School. He is an alumnus of Cameron Universi ...

(1991) * Jason Johnson (1993) *

Tim Wakefield Timothy Stephen Wakefield (August 2, 1966 – October 1, 2023) was an American professional baseball knuckleball pitcher. Wakefield began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is most remembered for his 17-year ...

(1989) MLB All-Star; 200 MLB Wins * U L Washington (1989, MGR) *

Tony Womack Anthony Darrell Womack (born September 25, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in 13 seasons of Major League Baseball (MLB), with most of his career spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Diamondbacks, t ...

(1991) MLB All-Star * Kevin Young (1991)

Season records

References

Baseball Reference -Welland, Ontario
Defunct New York–Penn League teams Sport in Welland Baseball teams in Ontario Defunct baseball teams in Canada Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates 1989 establishments in Ontario 1994 disestablishments in Ontario Baseball teams established in 1989 Baseball teams disestablished in 1994 {{Canada-baseball-team-stub