| Louisville Bats | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Triple-A (1982–present) | ||||
| League | International League (1998–present) | ||||
| Division | West Division | ||||
Previous leagues | American Association (1982–1997) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Cincinnati Reds (2000–present) | ||||
| Previous teams |
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| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles(4) |
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| Division titles(8) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Name | Louisville Bats (2002–present) | ||||
Previous names |
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| Colors | Red, navy, white[1] | ||||
| Mascot | Buddy Bat | ||||
| Ballpark | Louisville Slugger Field (2000–present) | ||||
Previous parks |
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Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Diamond Baseball Holdings[2] | ||||
| President | Greg Galiette[3] | ||||
| Manager | Pat Kelly | ||||
| Website | milb.com/louisville | ||||
TheLouisville Bats are aMinor League Baseball team of theInternational League (IL) and theTriple-A affiliate of theCincinnati Reds. They are located inLouisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to thewinged mammal andbaseball bats, such as those manufactured locally under theLouisville Slugger brand. The team plays their home games atLouisville Slugger Field, which opened in 2000. The Bats previously played atCardinal Stadium from 1982 to 1999.
The club began play as theLouisville Redbirds in the Triple-AAmerican Association (AA) in 1982. Louisville won threeAA championships: in 1984, 1985, and 1995 as the top affiliate of theSt. Louis Cardinals. They joined the Triple-A International League in 1998 following the dissolution of the AA after the 1997 season. The Redbirds rebranded as theLouisville RiverBats in 1999; this was shortened to Bats in 2002. In conjunction withMajor League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Bats were shifted to theTriple-A East, but this was renamed the International League in 2022. Their loneIL championship was won in 2001 with Cincinnati.
In 1982, theSt. Louis Cardinals moved theirTriple-A team of theAmerican Association (AA), the Springfield Redbirds, fromSpringfield, Illinois, toLouisville, Kentucky, where they became the Louisville Redbirds. They played their home games atCardinal Stadium, which was located at theKentucky Exposition Center and seated over 30,000 people.[4] The stadium previously hosted theLouisville Colonels from 1957 to 1972.[4]
During their inaugural 1982 season, the Redbirds broke the minor league attendance record by drawing 868,418 people to Cardinal Stadium.[5] On the field, the team narrowly missed the playoffs when they finished in second place, just one-and-a-half games out of first at 73–62.[6] In 1983, the Redbirds became the first minor league team to draw over one million fans in a single season (1,052,438).[4] The team improved to league-best 78–57 and won the Eastern Division title, which qualified them for the postseason. Though Louisville won the semifinals versus theOklahoma City 89ers, 3–2, they lost theAA championship to theDenver Bears, 4–0, in the finals.[7]ManagerJim Fregosi was selected as theAA Manager of the Year.[8] The franchise was awarded the 1983John H. Johnson President's Award, recognizing them as the "complete baseball franchise—based on franchise stability, contributions to league stability, contributions to baseball in the community, and promotion of the baseball industry."[9]
Fergosi led the Redbirds to win back-to-back American Association championships in 1984 and 1985. The 1984 squad won the semifinals against theIndianapolis Indians, 4–2, before winning their first league title over theDenver Zephyrs, 4–1.[10] Their second came the next season after winning the 1985 Eastern Division title and defeating Oklahoma City, 4–1, in the only round of playoffs.[11] Fergosi won his second Manager of the Year Award for the 1985 campaign.[8]
The 1987 team made a return to the postseason, but they were eliminated by Indianapolis, 3–2, in the semifinals.[12]OutfielderLance Johnson was honored with both the AAMost Valuable Player (MVP) Award andRookie of the Year Award.[8] Louisville regularly finished third or fourth in their four-team division over the next six seasons. A pair of Redbirds won league awards, however, during this period.René Arocha was selected as the 1992Most Valuable Pitcher, andcatcherTodd Zeile was the 1989 Rookie of the Year.[8] The team qualified for a playoff spot in 1994, but they were quickly swept out of the semifinals, 3–0, by Indianapolis.[13] The Redbirds came back in 1995 to sweep Indianapolis in the semis before winning a third AA championship versus theBuffalo Bisons, 3–2, behind managerJoe Pettini.[14]
Louisville experienced a number of changes around the turn of the millennium. The American Association, of which the Redbirds had been members since 1982, disbanded after the 1997 season. Its teams were absorbed by the two remaining Triple-A leagues—theInternational League (IL) andPacific Coast League (PCL), with Louisville joining the IL. Their 16-year relationship with the St. Louis Cardinals also ended after the 1997 season when the Cardinals chose to move their Triple-A affiliation to theMemphis Redbirds, a PCL expansion team. Louisville then became the topfarm club of theMilwaukee Brewers in 1998. They started their time in the IL by winning the Western Division title, but in theGovernors' Cup playoffs, they were eliminated in the semifinals by theDurham Bulls, 3–0.[15] In 1999, the team rebranded as the Louisville RiverBats.[16] The name was a dual reference to Louisville's location on theOhio River andbaseball bats, such as those manufactured locally under theLouisville Slugger brand. Their new logos incorporated abat (the animal) swinging a baseball bat.[17] After a second season with the Brewers, Louisville entered into a new affiliation with theCincinnati Reds in 2000. They also left Cardinal Stadium for the new US$27.8 millionLouisville Slugger Field.[18] Located in downtown Louisville, the new ballpark seats 13,131 people with a more intimate setting than their previous facility.[19]
In 2001, managerDave Miley led the RiverBats to an 84–60 record and the Western Division title. They defeated theNorfolk Tides, 3–2, in the semifinals to advance to the final round against theScranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. Louisville won the first game of the series, 2–1, before theSeptember 11 terrorist attacks resulted in the cancellation of the rest of the playoffs. The RiverBats were declared theInternational League champions for 2001.[20]
Louisville dropped "River" from its name to become simply the Louisville Bats in 2002.[16] OutfielderRaúl González won that season'sIL MVP Award.[21] The team returned to the playoffs in 2003, with another division title, but they were ousted in the semifinals by Durham, 3–1.[22] In 2007,first basemanJoey Votto was selected for theIL Rookie of the Year Award.[21] The Bats made three consecutive trips to the postseason from 2008 to 2010 with back-to-back-to-back division titles, but they were eliminated by Durham each time in the semifinals.[23][24][25]Rick Sweet won theIL Manager of the Year Award in 2008 and 2009, andJustin Lehr won theMost Valuable Pitcher Award in 2009.[21] Typically finishing third or fourth out of four teams in the Western Division, Louisville did not again qualify for the Governors' Cup playoffs after 2010.
Right fielderAristides Aquino was selected as the 2019 IL Rookie of the Year.[21] The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic before being cancelled on June 30.[26][27]
Following the 2020 season, Major League Baseball assumed control of Minor League Baseball in a move to increase player salaries, modernize facility standards, and reduce travel. The Cincinnati Reds retained Louisville as their Triple-A affiliate, but the International League disbanded, and the Bats followed the other IL teams into theTriple-A East.[28] Louisville ended the season in sixth place in the Midwestern Division with a 51–68 record.[29] No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner.[30] However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage.[30] Louisville finished the tournament tied for 18th place with a 4–5 record.[31] In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as the International League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[32] In December 2023, the team was purchased byDiamond Baseball Holdings.[2]
| Season | League | Regular-season | Postseason | MLB affiliate | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record | Win % | League | Division | GB | Record | Win % | Result | ||||
| 2020 | IL | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)[27] | Cincinnati Reds | [33] | |||||||
| 2021 | AAAE | 51–68 | .429 | 15th | 6th | 17+1⁄2 | 4–5 | .444 | Won series vs.Toledo Mud Hens, 3–2 Lost series vs.Columbus Clippers, 3–1 Placed 18th (tie) in the Triple-A Final Stretch[31] | Cincinnati Reds | [29] |
| 2022 | IL | 60–90 | .400 | 19th | 10th | 31+1⁄2 | — | — | — | Cincinnati Reds | [34] |
| 2023 | IL | 75–73 | .507 | 9th | 4th | 9 | — | — | — | Cincinnati Reds | [35] |
| 2024 | IL | 67–82 | .450 | 20th | 10th | 22+1⁄2 | — | — | — | Cincinnati Reds | [36] |
| Totals | — | 253–313 | .447 | — | — | — | 4–5 | .444 | — | — | — |
The Louisville Redbirds based their original visual identity on that of their major league parent, the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1982 to 1998. The team's uniforms were of red and white, while their logo featured acardinal preparing to swing a baseball bat.[37] When they rebranded as the RiverBats in 1999, their color scheme became purple and green, while the logo depicted a bat swinging a baseball bat.[38] When this moniker was shortened to "Bats" in 2002, the palette was switched to purple, black, and gold, and the logo to an abstract bat shape.[39] The Bats' current color scheme of red, navy blue, and white was adopted in 2016. Additionally, the rebranding updated the logo to depict a flying bat in front of a moon, which resembled a baseball, while gripping a baseball bat in its talons.[40]
Since 2019,Jim Kelch has been theplay-by-play announcer for Bats radio broadcasts. He previously served in the role from 1989 to 2009 before leaving to work for the Cincinnati Reds broadcast team from 2010 to 2017.[41] Other Louisville broadcasters that went on to broadcast for MLB teams includeJoe Buck (1989–1990),Todd Kalas (1991), andMark Neely (1992–1994).
As of 2019, all Bats home and road games were broadcast onWKRD 790 AM. Live audio broadcasts are also available online through the team's website and the MiLB First Pitch app.[41] Games can be viewed through theMiLB.TV subscription feature of the official website of Minor League Baseball, with audio provided by a radio simulcast.[42]
| Players | Coaches/Other | |||
Pitchers
| Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager Coaches
60-day injured list
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The franchise has been awarded these honors by Minor League Baseball.
| Award | Season | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| John H. Johnson President's Award | 1983 | [9] |
Seven players, two managers, and two executives have won league awards in recognition for their performance with Louisville.[8][21]
| Award | Recipient | Season | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Lance Johnson | 1987 | [8] |
| Most Valuable Pitcher | René Arocha | 1992 | [8] |
| Rookie of the Year | Lance Johnson | 1987 | [8] |
| Rookie of the Year | Todd Zeile | 1989 | [8] |
| Manager of the Year | Jim Fregosi | 1983 | [8] |
| Manager of the Year | Jim Fregosi | 1985 | [8] |
| Award | Recipient | Season | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Raúl González | 2002 | [21] |
| Most Valuable Pitcher | Justin Lehr | 2009 | [21] |
| Rookie of the Year | Joey Votto | 2007 | [21] |
| Rookie of the Year | Aristides Aquino | 2019 | [21] |
| Manager of the Year | Rick Sweet | 2008 | [21] |
| Manager of the Year | Rick Sweet | 2009 | [21] |
| Executive of the Year | Gary Ulmer | 2007 | [21] |
| Spirit of the IL | Lois Estridge | 2014 | [21] |
The Louisville Bats have honored three players who played in Louisville (for the Bats or another franchise) byretiring theiruniform numbers, as well as number 42. The retired uniform numbers are displayed inside Louisville Slugger Field. The Bats also honor Minor League Baseball's The Nine platform with the number 9.[citation needed]
Louisville has had 17managers since their inaugural 1982 season.
| Manager | Season(s) |
|---|---|
| Joe Frazier | 1982 |
| Jim Fregosi | 1983–1986 |
| Dave Bialas | 1986 |
| Mike Jorgensen | 1987–1989 |
| Gaylen Pitts | 1990 |
| Mark DeJohn | 1991 |
| Jack Krol | 1992–1993 |
| Joe Pettini | 1994–1996 |
| Gaylen Pitts | 1997 |
| Gary Allenson | 1998–1999 |
| Dave Miley | 2000–2003 |
| Rick Burleson | 2003–2004 |
| Rick Sweet | 2005–2011 |
| David Bell | 2012–2013 |
| Jim Riggleman | 2014 |
| Delino DeShields | 2015–2017 |
| Pat Kelly | 2018 |
| Jody Davis | 2019 |
| Pat Kelly | 2020–present |
Specific
General
