West Virginia Black Bears | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| |||||
Minor league affiliations | |||||
Class | Collegiate summer (2021–present) | ||||
Previous classes | Class A Short Season (2015–2020) | ||||
League | MLB Draft League (2021–present) | ||||
Previous leagues | New York–Penn League (2015–2020) | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Team | Unaffiliated (2021–present) | ||||
Previous teams | Pittsburgh Pirates (2015–2020) | ||||
Minor league titles | |||||
League titles (3) |
| ||||
First-half titles (1) |
| ||||
Second-half titles (1) |
| ||||
Team data | |||||
Colors | Black, gold, blue, white | ||||
Ballpark | Monongalia County Ballpark (2015–present) | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Bob Rich, Jr. (Rich Baseball Operations) | ||||
General manager | Leighann Sainato | ||||
Manager | David Carpenter (baseball, born 1985) |
The West Virginia Black Bears are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Granville, West Virginia, and play their home games at Monongalia County Ballpark, which is across the Monongahela River from Morgantown and West Virginia University. From 2015 to 2020, they were a Minor League Baseball team of the New York–Penn League. They were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates from their inception until MLB's reorganization of the minors after the 2020 season. [1]
In August 2014, it was announced that the Jamestown Jammers would cease operations and move to Morgantown. [2] On October 22, the team announced that they would be named the "Black Bears" following a fan vote, as the American black bear is the state animal of West Virginia. [3] Other finalists included Black Diamonds, Canaries, Coal Kings, Coal Sox, Energy, Moonshiners, Muskets, Wild Ones, and Wonder. [4]
In January 2015, Wyatt Toregas was named as their inaugural manager. [5] The Black Bears won the New York–Penn League wild card in their inaugural season. [6] The team then defeated the Williamsport Crosscutters and the Staten Island Yankees to win the 2015 New York–Penn League Championship. [7] On February 24, 2022, Leighann Sainato was named general manager. [8]
Players | Coaches/Other | |||
Pitchers
| Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager Coaches
~ Development list |
West Virginia Black Bears (New York–Penn League) | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Regular season | Post-season | |||||||
Record | Win % | Finish | Record | Win % | Result | MLB | |||
2015 | 42-34 | .553 | 2nd Pinckney Division | 4-1 | .800 | Won Semifinals vs. Williamsport Crosscutters, 2–1 Won Championship vs. Staten Island Yankees, 2-0 | Pirates | ||
2016 | 38-38 | .500 | 3rd Pinckney Division | — | — | Did not qualify for playoffs | Pirates | ||
2017 | 40-35 | .533 | 3rd Pinckney Division | — | — | Did not qualify for playoffs | Pirates | ||
2018 | 32-44 | .421 | 5th Pinckney Division | — | — | Did not qualify for playoffs | Pirates | ||
2019 | 40-36 | .526 | 2nd Pinckney Division | — | — | Did not qualify for playoffs | Pirates | ||
2020 | - | - | None | — | — | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Pirates | ||
Totals | 192-182 | .506 | — | 4-1 | .800 | ||||
MLB Draft League
Season | W | L | T | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 30 | 19 | 6 | 2nd |
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ended in early September.
The Williamsport Crosscutters are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. From 1994 to 2020, they were a Minor League Baseball team of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League until MLB's reorganization of the minors after the 2020 season. Prior to this, they were affiliates of the Chicago Cubs (1994–1998), Pittsburgh Pirates (1999–2006), and Philadelphia Phillies (2007–2020).
The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team played all of their home games at Russell Diethrick Park.
The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city of Batavia.
Wyatt Reeder Toregas is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher who played for the Cleveland Indians in 2009 and for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011. He is also the former manager of the Mississippi Braves, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, and previously managed the West Virginia Black Bears, West Virginia Power, and Bradenton Marauders.
Below are the rosters of the minor league affiliates of the Pittsburgh Pirates:
Tyler Allen Glasnow is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the franchise's 134th season overall, the 129th season as a member of National League, and 15th season at PNC Park.
Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark is a baseball stadium in Granville, West Virginia. The stadium, opened April 10, 2015, is the home of the baseball team of West Virginia University (WVU), a member of the Big 12 Conference, and the West Virginia Black Bears, a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League.
Ke'Bryan Kobe Hayes is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020.
Kevin Bradley Newman is an American professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds. Newman played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats of the University of Arizona, before the Pirates selected him in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft.
Oliver Jose Marmol is an American professional baseball manager of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). As of the 2023 season, he is the youngest manager of an MLB team.
Luis Alberto Escobar Hernandez is a Colombian professional baseball pitcher for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Kevin Lowell Kramer is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018 and 2019.
Travis Wade Swaggerty Jr. is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Jonathan Trey Brubaker is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020.
Tristan Colby Gray is an American professional baseball infielder for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Blake Gerald Weiman is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization.
Jared Cole Oliva is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Los Angeles Angels organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Adam Samuel Oller is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2016 MLB draft.