Lowell Spinners
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Lowell Spinners Founded in 1996 Lowell, Massachusetts since 1996 | |||||
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| Class-level | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Short-Season A | ||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | New York–Penn League | ||||
| Division | Stedler Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Current | Boston Red Sox (1996–present) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (1) | 1976 | ||||
| Division titles (3) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Nickname | Lowell Spinners (1996–present) | ||||
Previous names | Elmira Pioneers (1973–1995) | ||||
| Mascot | Canaligator, Allie-Gator, Millie-Gator | ||||
| Ballpark | Edward A. LeLacheur Park (1998–present) | ||||
Previous parks | Stoklosa Alumni Field (1996–1997) | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Drew Weber | ||||
| Manager | Iggy Suarez | ||||
| General Manager | Tim Bawmann | ||||
The Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
History
Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York–Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a year, 38 of which are at home.
The official mascots of the Spinners are Canaligator, Allie-Gator, and Millie-Gator. They were introduced on January 19, 1996, July 8, 1999, and Opening Day 2006, respectively.[1]
For the 1996 and 1997 seasons, the Spinners played at Stoklosa Alumni Field. Since 1998, they have played at Edward A. LeLacheur Park in Lowell.[2]
Drew Weber was the team owner from 1997 until June 2016, when it was purchased by Dave Heller.[2]
The Spinners set a minor-league record in the 2000 season, as they sold every home ticket for every home game.[3] This began a streak of sold-out home games. The streak was broken on August 30, 2010, at 413 games.[2] [3]
On August 21, 2003, the Spinners sponsored a Jack Kerouac bobblehead giveaway.[4] Kerouac was a Lowell native, and played football for Lowell High School.[5] The bobblehead was accepted by Cooperstown in 2005, the first time a literary icon was accepted there.[6] The bobbleheads were so popular that many more were made than originally intended, raised $10,000 for the Jack Kerouac Scholarship Fund.[6] The enshrinement also made media headlines as far away as Los Angeles.[7]
The giveaway was repeated on August 7, 2012 when the film adaptation of On the Road was released.[5] The dolls had a bobble head as well as a "bobble arm."[8] The bobbleheads were also available online for ordering, and as the game was sponsored by the UMass Lowell English Department, their departmental scholarships received the proceeds from the online orders.[9] A third Kerouac bobblehead, featuring Kerouac in his Lowell High football uniform, was given out on July 25, 2013.[10]
In 2005, the Spinners created the "Yankees Elimination Program." They offered to pay for the uniforms to all Little Leagues and youth softball teams in New England so that they would change all teams named "Yankees" into "Spinners". Over the next five years, 150 teams in New England made the switch. The Spinners also invited the youth teams to play at LaLecheur Park, and assisted in other fundraising initiative for those teams. In 2010, the program was limited to 75 teams on first-come, first-served basis, and it was estimated that over $70,000 had been donated into youth baseball and softball programs through the initiative. Spinners VP and GM Tim Bawmann said,“The Yankees Elimination Promotion was originally built as a fun promotion in response to parents' stories of children losing interest in the game after facing taunts simply for playing in a Yankees uniform.”[11]
Spinners games are currently broadcast on Lowell talk station WCAP. For the 2007 season they were on WLLH, another Lowell AM radio station, which at the time was an ESPN Radio affiliate. The games returned to WCAP the next season.[12][13][14]
On September 1, 2008, the Spinners reached the New York–Penn League playoffs for the first time capturing the Stedler Division title. They reached the playoffs again in 2009.
In October 2014 the Red Sox agreed to extend their player development contract with the Spinners for two more years through the 2016 season.[15] In November 2015, the contract was extended again through the 2018 season.[16]
In the 2016 season, the Spinners ended with a franchise-best record of 47 wins, and tied their record for home wins (25). RF Tyler Hill won the NYPL batting title, and he and third baseman Bobby Dalbec became the first Spinners players to win Player of the Month awards. The Spinners won the Stedler Division title, but were swept by the Hudson Valley Renegades in the semifinals 2-0.[17] Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Jason Groome also made his first start for the team in the playoffs after being promoted from the Gulf Coast League.[18]
Playoffs
- 2008: Lost to Batavia 2-1 in semifinals.
- 2009: Lost to Staten Island 2-1 in semifinals.
- 2016: Lost to Hudson Valley 2-0 in semifinals.
Notable Spinners alumni
A full list of Spinners players who played in the major leagues, with their debut dates, is maintained on the team website.[19]
- Abe Alvarez - on 2003 roster, earned World Series ring for spot start in 2004 for Boston.[2]
- Mookie Betts - selected to 2016 MLB All-Star Game with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- Jackie Bradley, Jr. - selected to 2016 MLB All-Star Game with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- Drake Britton - won the 2013 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- Clay Buchholz - won the 2007 and 2013 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- Felix Doubront- won the 2013 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- David Eckstein - first Spinner to play in a World Series (2002, with the Anaheim Angels), and first to be named world Series MVP (2006, with the St. Louis Cardinals).[2]
- Jacoby Ellsbury- won the 2007 and 2013 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- Adam Everett - on the 1998 roster. Won a gold medal with the US Olympic Baseball Team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
- Shea Hillenbrand - on the 1996 roster, first Spinner to be an All-Star selection (AL, 2002 MLB All-Star Game).[2]
- José Iglesias - American League Rookie of the Month (June 2013) with the Boston Red Seox, selected to 2015 MLB All-Star Game with the Detroit Tigers.
- Ryan Kalish - NYPL All-Star (2007) and Harry Agganis Award as Red Sox Rookie of the Year (2010)[20]
- Ryan Lavarnway - won the 2013 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- Jed Lowrie - pre-season grand slam on April 4, 2009, was the first major league home run at Citi Field.[21]
- Justin Masterson - 2013 MLB All-Star Game with Cleveland Indians.
- Will Middlebrooks - won the 2013 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- Yamaico Navarro - 2014 Korean Series winner and MVP and 2015 KBO All-Star with the Samsung Lions.
- Jonathan Papelbon - won the 2007 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- Hanley Ramírez - 2006 NL Rookie of the Year.[2]
- Aníbal Sánchez - on 2004 roster, first Spinner to throw a no-hitter (2006 for the Florida Marlins). Also won the AL ERA title in 2013.[2]
- Freddy Sanchez - won NL Batting title in 2006 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.[2]
- Wilton Veras - on 1996 roster, first Spinner to make the Red Sox roster in 1999.[2] Current hitting coach for the Spinners.
- Alex Wilson - won the 2013 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- Brandon Workman - won the 2013 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- Kevin Youkilis - on the 2001 roster, second Spinners player to win a World Series ring (2004 with the Boston Red Sox), and won a second in 2007.[2]
Roster
| Lowell Spinners roster | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches/Other | |||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager Coaches
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References
- ↑ "Meet the Spinners Mascot Family".MiLB.com. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "Franchise History". MiLB.com. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- 1 2 "Spinners' sellout streak ends at 413". The Lowell Sun. September 1, 2010. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ McConville, Christine. "Kerouac fans hit road for free dolls". Boston.com. August 22, 2003. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- 1 2 Shanahan, Mark, and Meredith Goldstein. "Jack Kerouac gets a new bobblehead in Lowell".Boston Globe. June 27, 2012. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- 1 2 Perry, David. "He's on the Road...to Cooperstown!". Umass Lowell. Originally published by The Lowell Sun Online, May 5, 2005. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ Ulin, David L."On the Road to Cooperstown". Los Angeles Times. May 23, 2005. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Jack is BACK: Kerouac Double Bobble August 7". MiLB.com. June 26, 2012. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Kerouac Bobble Head Night: Lowell Spinners vs. Brooklyn Cyclones". Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!. August 21, 2012. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Spinners Bobble Head History".MiLB.com. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ Civin, Todd (March 2, 2010). "Lowell Spinners Enter Fifth Year Of Yankee Elimination Program". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Spinners radio broadcast returns: The entire 2008 season to be broadcast on the new 980 WCAP Radio". New York–Penn League. November 2, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
- ↑ Fybush, Scott (February 12, 2007). "Barber out, DePetro in at WPRO". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ↑ Fybush, Scott (November 5, 2007). "C&K Out, Imus In at WABC". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ↑ Bollinger, Rhett. RedSoxMLB.com – Red Sox, Lowell extend player development deal through '16 "Red Sox, Lowell extend player development deal through '16".MLB.com. October 2, 2014. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Spinners, Red Sox extend affiliation deal". Ballparkdigest.com. November 10, 2015. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Renegades Sweep Ends Spinners Season".MiLB.com. September 8, 2016. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ Smith, Christopher. "Jason Groome, Michael Kopech, Boston Red Sox two top pitching prospects, to make playoff starts".Masslive.com. September 7, 2016. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Major League Spinners". MiLB,.com. Accessed September 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Kalish Red Sox Rookie of Year". Telegram. October 10, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
- ↑ Schwarz, Alan (April 4, 2009). "Perez Falters in Tune-Up, but Achieves Citi Field Milestone". The New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
External links
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