Charlotte Stone Crabs

History

Founded in 1980, the Vero Beach Dodgers were the Advanced A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1980–2006. Their games were played at Holman Stadium, which also hosted Dodgers spring training from 1953–2008.

In 2007 the franchise's affiliation changed to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the team was renamed the Vero Beach Devil Rays. Under their new name they won the 2007 Florida State League championship. On August 25, 2008, it was announced that the Vero Beach franchise was sold to Ripken Baseball, which resulted in a relocation of the franchise to Port Charlotte, Florida and another name change, becoming the Charlotte Stone Crabs.

In preparation for the new team's arrival, Charlotte County Stadium, which last housed the Charlotte County Redfish of the now defunct South Coast League, underwent a $27 million renovation, which was completed in January 2009. Renamed Charlotte Sports Park, it became the spring training home of the Tampa Bay Rays as well as the regular season home of the Stone Crabs.

On April 9, 2009, with the Ft. Myers Miracle as opponents, Alex Cobb threw the first pitch in Stone Crabs history. A rehabbing B.J. Upton was the first Stone Crabs batter, but Matt Fields belted a homerun to lead off the 2nd inning, laying claim to the first Stone Crabs hit, homerun, and RBI. After starting the season 0-3, the franchise notched its first win on April 13 in Ft. Myers.

The Stone Crabs won the Florida State League South Division title in 2009, but lost the league championship to the Tampa Yankees three games to two. In 2010 and 2013, they again won the FSL South and returned to the league championship series, but lost to the Tampa Yankees ('10) and Daytona Cubs ('13).

In 2012, the Stone Crabs hosted the Florida State League All-Star Game. The South came from behind for a 6-3 win over the North with Stone Crabs pitchers bookending the game. C.J. Riefenhauser started the evening with a perfect inning and Chris Rearick threw a scoreless 9th for the save. St. Lucie Mets third baseman Wilmer Flores took home MVP honors and Lakeland Flying Tigers outfielder Avisail García won the Homerun Derby.

Uniform

The Stone Crabs have four jerseys and two hats that they wear during the season. The uniforms are manufactured by Rawlings and the hats are made by New Era. Navy socks are worn high with all uniforms, per team policy. Player names are not worn on the jersey backs.

Jerseys

The home white has "Stone Crabs" across the chest with navy piping around the neck, down the center of the jersey, and around the two sleeves. There is also a thin navy line down both white pant legs. The number on the back is navy with a light blue outline.

The road grays have "Charlotte" written across the chest with navy piping around the neck, down the center of the jersey, and around the two sleeves. There is also a thin navy line down both gray pant legs. The number on the back is navy with a white outline. There is also a crab patch on the left sleeve.

The alternate uniform is light blue with the alternate logo (a crab claw grasping a capital C) on the left side of the chest. Parallel navy stripes run along the shoulders, navy piping circles each sleeve, and navy bars run from the armpits down the side of the jersey to the base. The number on the back is navy with a white outline. New for the 2014 season and made of a lightweight material, these jerseys were worn nearly every game.

The fourth jersey was the alternate prior to 2014, but is now used exclusively for warm-ups. Made of a mesh material, these navy blue, two button pullovers have "Stone Crabs" across the chest with light blue piping that runs from the collar bone down both sleeves. There is also a light blue semi-circle that runs from the shoulders under each armpit. The numbers on the back are light blue with a white outline.

Hats

The primary hat is navy blue with a matching navy brim and button, the "SC" logo on the front, and a white New Era flag logo on the left side.

The alternate hat is light blue with a navy blue brim and button, the alternate crab claw logo on the front, and a navy New Era flag logo on the left side.

2014 saw a new hat added to the rotation, which is used exclusively for warm-ups. It is made of a navy blue, lightweight material with the crab logo on the front, a light blue brim and button, and a light blue New Era flag logo on the left side.

Team managers and coaches

On December 20, 2008, the team announced that current Vero Beach manager Jim Morrison would follow the team to Port Charlotte and become the first skipper of the Stone Crabs, a position he would retain through the 2012 season. In 2013, managing duties were passed to Brady Williams, who had managed the class A affiliate Bowling Green Hot Rods for the previous 3 seasons. Williams was promoted to the AA Montgomery Biscuits for the 2014 season and a Hot Rods manager was again called on to fill the vacancy, this time former Tampa Bay Devil Ray Jared Sandberg.

No-hitter

Offensive

Hits: 145.....Tyler Bortnick '11
Doubles: 38.....Mike Sheridan '11
Triples: 11.....Hak-Ju Lee '11
Homeruns: 14.....Alejandro Segovia & Jeff Malm '13
RBIs: 73.....Richie Shaffer '13
Walks: 79.....Tyler Bortnick '11
Stolen Bases: 43.....Tyler Bortnick '11

Pitching

Wins: 14.....Jeremy Hall '09
Strikeouts: 208.....Matt Moore '10
Saves: 25.....Zach Quate '10

Florida State League All-Stars

The following players were named to the Florida State All-Star team in each particular season. An asterisk (*) indicates the player participated in the Homerun Derby. A cross (†) indicates the player won the Homerun Derby.

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Notable Stone Crabs alumni