| Pensacola Blue Wahoos | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Double-A (2012–present) | ||||
| League | Southern League (2012–present) | ||||
| Division | South Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Miami Marlins (2021–present) | ||||
| Previous teams |
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| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles(2) |
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| Division titles(3) |
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| First-half titles(4) |
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| Second-half titles(2) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Name | Pensacola Blue Wahoos (2012–present) | ||||
| Colors | Gulf Coast royal blue, Blue Angel navy, coral pink, tin roof tin | ||||
| Mascot | Kazoo | ||||
| Ballpark | Admiral Fetterman Field (2012–present) | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Quint Studer, Rishy Studer, andBubba Watson | ||||
| President | Jonathan Griffith[1] | ||||
| Manager | Kevin Randel | ||||
| Website | milb.com/pensacola | ||||
ThePensacola Blue Wahoos are aMinor League Baseball team of theSouthern League and theDouble-A affiliate of theMiami Marlins. They are based inPensacola, Florida, and play their home games atAdmiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team relocated to Pensacola fromZebulon, North Carolina, where they were known as theCarolina Mudcats.
The franchise began in 1959 as theCharleston White Sox of theSouth Atlantic League (now theSouthern League); it subsequently moved several times, playing inCharleston, South Carolina, (1959–1961);Savannah, Georgia, (1962);Lynchburg, Virginia, (1963–1965); andEvansville, Indiana, (1966–1968), before moving toColumbus, Georgia, in 1969 to play inGolden Park. The team was known as theColumbus Astros from 1970 to 1988, when it became an affiliate of theHouston Astros. Following the 1988 season, new owner Steve Bryant held a contest among season ticket holders to rename the team, and as a result, in 1989 the team became theColumbus Mudcats. In 1991, Bryant moved the club toZebulon, North Carolina, and renamed them the Carolina Mudcats.[2][3]
In Zebulon, the team played inFive County Stadium and won Southern League championships in 1995 and 2003. In 2010,Quint Studer, owner of thePensacola Pelicansindependent baseball team, acquired the Mudcats franchise in a complicated series of moves and purchases designed to bring affiliated Double-A baseball toPensacola. First, he sold the Pelicans to a group inAmarillo, Texas, where they became theAmarillo Sox in 2011. Studer then bought the Carolina Mudcats franchise. To settle this purchase, he had to facilitate the move of theKinston Indians to Zebulon, where they assumed the Carolina Mudcats name and branding. Additionally, as Pensacola is within the franchise territory of theMobile Bay Bears, Studer paid that team an undisclosed sum of money. The arrangements cost a total of $2 million.[4][5]
The Blue Wahoos nickname was decided in a fan contest run byWendy's in conjunction with thePensacola News Journal. It refers to thewahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), a local fish species. Their team colors are Neon red, Gulf Coast royal, Blue Angel navy, and Tin Roof tin. It was officially announced on May 23, followed by the logo and colors on November 18.[6][7]
Following the inaugural season that sawBilly Hamilton break the all-time professional baseball single season stolen base record, the team was named the Southern League's Organization of the Year. Two-time Masters Champion Bubba Watson became co-owner in January 2015.[8]
In 2016, the Blue Wahoos were chosen by Baseball America as the Double-A winner of the prestigious Bob Freitas Award as the best overall franchise among the nation's 30 affiliates at this level. It was announced at the Baseball Winter Meetings at the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.
They entered into a two-year PDC with the Minnesota Twins that ran from 2019 to 2020.[9] The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.[10][11]
Starting in 2021, the Blue Wahoos were affiliated with theMiami Marlins.[12] In a further result ofMajor League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Blue Wahoos were organized into the eight-teamDouble-A South.[13] In 2022, the Double-A South became known as the Southern League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[14]
All Pensacola Blue Wahoos games are televised live onMiLB.TV. The Blue Wahoos are also televised on delay Monday through Thursday on Cox Sports and Friday through Sunday on Blab-TV (WFBD). All Blue Wahoos games are broadcast on radio onWTKE/1490 andTuneIn Radio.
| Pensacola Blue Wahoos | |||||||||
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| Year | Regular Season | Postseason | |||||||
| Record | Win % | Finish* | Record | Win % | Result | ||||
| 2012 | 68–70 | .493 | 7th | – | – | – | |||
| 2013 | 59–79 | .428 | T-8th | – | – | – | |||
| 2014 | 60–80 | .429 | T-7th | – | – | – | |||
| 2015 ¤ | 63–75 | .429 | 8th | 0–3 | .000 | Won South Division Second Half Lost South Division Championship Series vsBiloxi Shuckers, 3–0 | |||
| 2016 ¤ | 81–59 | .579 | 2nd | 1–3 | .250 | Won South Division First & Second Half Lost South Division Championship Series vsMississippi Braves, 3–1 | |||
| 2017 † | 74–66 | .529 | 3rd | 3–0 | 1.000 | Won South Division First Half Won South Division Championship Series vsJacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 3–0 Southern League Championship cancelled Southern League Co-Champions | |||
| 2018 ¤ | 69–68 | .504 | 4th | 1–3 | .250 | Lost South Division Championship Series vs Biloxi Shuckers, 3–1 | |||
| 2019 ¤ | 76-63 | .547 | 4th | 2–3 | .400 | Lost South Division Championship Series vs Biloxi Shuckers, 3–2 | |||
| 2020 | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)[15] | ||||||||
| 2021 | 57–54 | .514 | 5th | – | – | – | |||
| 2022 † | 68–63 | .519 | 3rd | 4–2 | .667 | Won South Division First Half Won South Division Championship Series vsMontgomery Biscuits, 2–1 Won Southern League Championship vsTennessee Smokies, 2–1 Southern League Champions | |||
| 2023 ^ | 79–57 | .581 | 1st | 2–2 | .500 | Won South Division First Half Won South Division Championship Series vsMontgomery Biscuits, 2–0 Lost Southern League Championship vsTennessee Smokies, 2–0 | |||
| 2024 | 71–65 | .522 | T-3rd | – | – | – | |||
| Totals | 825–799 | .508 | – | 16–16 | .500 | 2 Southern League Championships | |||
| Note: * Finish denotes their position in the overall league standings. | |||||||||
| Legend | ¤Made playoffs | ^Division champions | †Won championship series | ||||||
| Players | Coaches/Other |
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Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
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| Preceded by | Cincinnati Reds Double-A affiliate 2012–2018 | Succeeded by |
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