Visalia Rawhide

The Visalia Rawhide are a minor league baseball team in Visalia, California, U.S. They are a Class A - Advanced team of the Arizona Diamondbacks operating in the California League and have recently agreed to renew their affiliation through 2012.

The Rawhide play their home games at Recreation Park which opened in 1946 and seats approximately 2,700 fans. In 2009, the City of Visalia completed a multimillion dollar renovation and expansion of Recreation Ballpark supported by a 10 year lease with the ballclub, the longest lease in franchise history.

After two years of fan surveys, polls, focus groups, and direction by players, the team announced a name change to the Visalia Rawhide, representing one of the richest agricultural regions in the world and the top dairy-producing area in the country.

The Visalia Ballclub also keeps alive the tradition of Casey at the Bat and the Mudville Nine, even wearing the old-fashioned Mudville Nine uniforms once per season as part of a turn back the clock promotion.

Mascot

The Visalia Rawhide mascot is a Holstein Bull named Tipper. Tipper was introduced on October 15, 2008. Tipper represents the tens of thousands of Holsteins in Tulare County, the top dairy-producing area in the country. Tipper's home is a ballpark barn - a 40' x 20' red barn which is part of the outfield fence - doubles carom off the side of the barn, and home runs land on the roof, leading to a new twist on the old baseball adage "couldn't hit the broadside of the barn" which now represents weak hitters instead of wild pitchers. The traditional red barn is being built as a "community barn raising" to raise awareness for Habitat for Humanity and stand as an icon for the agricultural heritage of the valley.

Major League Affiliates

The Rawhide has been affiliated with numerous Major League franchises. The most recent are the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Oakland A's, Tampa Bay Rays, and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Radio Broadcast

The Rawhide are heard terrestrially on KJUG AM 1270 and over the internet through their website in association with MILB.com.

Pop Culture

As a minor league teams for the Oakland A's, the Visalia Oaks were mentioned twice during the 2011 movie Moneyball.

Roster

Alumni

• Visalia Oaks
• Central Valley Rockies
• Visalia Mets
• Visalia Redlegs

External links

• Visalia Rawhide Official Site
• FutureBacks.com - In-depth Rawhide coverage