| Washington Wild Things | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| |||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Independent (1997–present) | ||||
| League | Frontier League (1997–present) | ||||
| Conference | Midwest Conference | ||||
| Division | Central Division | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles(1) | 1997 | ||||
| Division titles(10) |
| ||||
| Team data | |||||
| Name | Washington Wild Things (2002–present) | ||||
Previous names |
| ||||
| Colors | Black, red, periwinkle, white, tan[1] | ||||
| Ballpark | EQT Park | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Stu and Francine Williams | ||||
| General manager | Tony Buccilli | ||||
| Manager | Tom Vaeth | ||||
| Media | Observer–Reporter HomeTeam Network | ||||
| Website | washingtonwildthings.com | ||||
TheWashingtonWild Things are a professionalbaseball team based inWashington, Pennsylvania. The Wild Things compete in theFrontier League (FL) as a member of the Central Division in the Midwest Conference.The team is owned by Stu and Francine Williams, and initially played its home games at theThurman Munson Memorial Stadium inAkron, Ohio, before moving toEQT Park in Washington, Pennsylvania, in 2002.
The franchise was founded in 1997 as an expansion team as theCanton Crocodiles, and have won their only Frontier Cup in history during their inaugural season. They have the most playoff appearances in all Frontier League teams, with 15 since their founding, including nine division championships.[2]
| Canton Crocodiles (Frontier League) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | W–L | Win % | Place | Postseason |
| 1997 | 45–35 | .562 | 2nd in FL East |
|
| 1998 | 41–38 | .519 | 2nd in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs.Chillicothe Paints 2–1. |
| 1999 | 33–51 | .393 | 5th in FL East | Did not qualify |
| 2000 | 38–46 | .452 | 5th in FL East | Did not qualify |
| 2001 | 47–37 | .560 | 3rd in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs.Chillicothe Paints 2–1. |
| Total | 204–207 | .496 | — | |
| Playoffs | 6–4 | .600 | — | 3 Playoff appearances, 1 championship. |
| Washington Wild Things (Frontier League) | ||||
| 2002 | 56–28 | .667 | 1st in FL East |
|
| 2003 | 54–34 | .614 | 2nd in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs.Gateway Grizzlies 2–0. |
| 2004 | 62–34 | .646 | 1st in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs.Evansville Otters 3–0. |
| 2005 | 63–32 | .663 | 1st in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs.Chillicothe Paints 3–2. |
| 2006 | 59–37 | .615 | 1st in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs.Chillicothe Paints 3–1. |
| 2007 | 55–40 | .579 | 1st in FL East |
|
| 2008 | 48–48 | .500 | 3rd in FL East | Did not qualify |
| 2009 | 43–53 | .448 | 4th in FL East | Did not qualify |
| 2010 | 38–57 | .400 | 5th in FL East | Did not qualify |
| 2011 | 42–52 | .447 | 5th in FL East | Did not qualify |
| 2012 | 44–52 | .458 | 6th in FL East | Did not qualify |
| 2013 | 41–55 | .427 | 6th in FL East | Did not qualify |
| 2014 | 57–39 | .593 | 3rd in FL East | Frontier League Playoffs: Defeated Evansville Otters in wildcard game. Lost in 2nd round toRiver City Rascals 2–0. |
| 2015 | 42–54 | .437 | T-9th in FL | Did not qualify |
| 2016 | 46–49 | .484 | 6th in FL | Did not qualify |
| 2017 | 53–43 | .552 | 3rd in FL | Frontier League Playoffs: Lost in 1st round toFlorence Freedom 3–1. |
| 2018 | 54–42 | .563 | 1st in FL East |
|
| 2019 | 37-59 | .385 | 5th in FL | Did not qualify |
| 2020 | -- | -- | -- | Season not played due toCOVID-19 |
| 2021 | 56-40 | .583 | 1st in FL |
|
| 2022 | 62-34 | .646 | 1st in FL West | Frontier League Division Series: Lost toSchaumburg Boomers 2–0. |
| 2023 | 47-49 | .490 | 4th in FL | Did not qualify |
| 2024 | 67-28 | .705 | 1st in FL West | Frontier League Division Series: DefeatedLake Erie Crushers 2–0. Frontier League Championship Series: Lost toQuebec Capitales 3–1. |
| 2025 | 54-42 | .563 | 1st in FL West | Lost Frontier League Division Wild Card Round toGateway Grizzlies 2–0. |
| Total | 835–676 | .541 | — | |
| Playoffs | 16–25 | .390 | — | 10 Division titles, 13 Playoff appearances. |
| Active roster | Coaches/Other |
|---|---|
Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
|
Following the 2003 season, Jeff Isom resigned as manager and moved to theJoliet Jackhammers of theNorthern League. After the 2007 season, Massarelli and the Wild Things parted ways. He took 2008 off and was named the first manager in Lake Erie Crushers history. In 2008, Greg Jelks was named the new manager of the Wild Things, but failed to lead them to the playoffs and finished the season at 48–48.
Mark Mason returned to the Wild Things in 2009 as manager after coaching the Paints for two seasons. In November 2009, Mason left the Wild Things to become pitching coach of theAtlantic League'sYork Revolution. On February 16, 2010, they announced Darin Everson as their new manager. After the 2011 season, Darin Everson and the Wild Things parted ways following an 80–110 record over two seasons. On October 18, 2011, the Wild Things hired former MLB catcher andTriple-A coach Chris Bando as the 6th manager in Wild things history. In March 2013, Bando announced that due to complications from hip surgery in January he would resign as manager. Recently hired Bench coach Bart Zeller, who had managed the Joliet Slammers the last two seasons and won a championship, was promoted to manager. During the 2014 season at 31–19 headed into the All-Star break, manager Bart Zeller resigned due to health concerns. He was scheduled to manage the Eastern All-Stars. After the break, Bob Bozzuto took over as manager.