The Flying Squirrels mark affiliated baseball's return to Richmond after a one-year absence prompted by the relocation of the formerTriple-AInternational League'sRichmond Braves toLawrenceville, Georgia, in 2009, where they are now called theGwinnett Stripers. The Squirrels hold the current record for the longest distance from their major league affiliate, at 2,872.5 miles fromOracle Park.
On September 23, 2009, it was announced that theConnecticut Defenders would leaveNorwich for their current home atThe Diamond inRichmond, Virginia, where they will continue seeking proposals for a new ballpark in the Richmond metropolitan area. The team name was changed to the "Flying Squirrels".[2]
The name the Richmond Flying Squirrels was chosen through aRichmond Times-Dispatch readers' "name-the-team-contest," which ended on October 15, 2009.[2] The name was submitted by Brad Mead of Prince George, Virginia. Other finalists were the Rock Hoppers, Hambones, Rhinos, Flatheads, and Hush Puppies. (The name Hambones was later ruled out of the contest after the city's uproar and the NAACP finding that "the Hambones" could be seen as a derogatory term directed towards the African-American community.)
In conjunction withMajor League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Flying Squirrels were organized into theDouble-A Northeast.[3] In 2022, the Double-A Northeast became known as the Eastern League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[4]
The new Flying Squirrels logo was unveiled on December 1, 2009.[5] It is a black, red, and grey flying squirrel meant to look like the outline ofVirginia with a patch in the shape of an "R" (for Richmond) on top of an acorn over its heart, roughly whereRichmond is located in Virginia. The logo was designed by San Diego-based sports branding firmBrandiose. It was named the logo of the year by Ballpark Digest in 2010[6] and the best minor-league logo by Baseball America in 2015.[7]
