Bluefield Orioles

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Bluefield Orioles
Founded in 1946
Bluefield, West Virginia

Team Logo

Cap Insignia
Class-Level
  • Rookie
Minor League affiliations
Major League affiliations
Name
  • Bluefield Orioles (1958-present)
  • Bluefield Dodgers (1957)
  • Bluefield Blue-Grays (1946-1955)
Ballpark
Minor League titles
League titles 1949, 1950, 1954, 1957, 1962, 1963, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1982, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2001
Division titles 1971, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002
Owner(s)/Operated by:
Manager:
General Manager:

The Bluefield Orioles, a professional baseball team, are a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, representing the twin cities of Bluefield, West Virginia and Bluefield, Virginia. The club plays in the Appalachian League, a Rookie League whose players are mostly newly-signed professionals.

Bluefield's link with the Orioles, which started in 1946, is currently the oldest continuous affiliation with the same major-league franchise in Minor League Baseball.

The Bluefield Orioles play their home games at Bowen Field, a historic stadium (opened in 1939) in Bluefield's city park. The park, which straddles the West Virginia-Virginia state line, is operated by the West Virginia city; however, Bowen Field lies entirely within Virginia.

The team's nicknames are the "Baby Birds" or the "Baby O's." Their most famous former player is Cal Ripken, Jr., who played with the club in 1978 when he was 17 years old. Another famous former Baby Bird is Boog Powell, who played in Bluefield in 1959, also as a 17 year-old.

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