Wikipedia

Hickory Crawdads

The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened in 1993 and has roughly 4,000 fixed seats.

Hickory Crawdads
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassSingle-A (2025–present)
Previous classes
LeagueCarolina League (2025–present)
DivisionSouth Division
Previous leagues
South Atlantic League (1993–2024)
Major league affiliations
TeamTexas Rangers (2009–present)
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles (3)
  • 2002
  • 2004
  • 2015
Division titles (4)
  • 2002
  • 2004
  • 2015
  • 2019
First-half titles (4)
  • 2002
  • 2003
  • 2011
  • 2015
Second-half titles (5)
  • 1994
  • 2004
  • 2007
  • 2019
  • 2023
Team data
NameHickory Crawdads (1993–present)
ColorsRed, black, Crawdad blue, white
       
BallparkL. P. Frans Stadium (1993–present)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Diamond Baseball Holdings
General managerDouglas Locascio
ManagerChad Comer
Websitemilb.com/hickory

Established in 1993 as members of the South Atlantic League (SAL), the Crawdads were affiliated with the Chicago White Sox through 1998. They became a farm club of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1999 and won the South Atlantic League championship in 2002 and 2004. Hickory has been affiliated with the Texas Rangers since 2009. The Crawdads won a third SAL championship in 2015. They moved to the High-A East in 2021, but this was renamed the South Atlantic League in 2022. They will be joining the Carolina League in 2025.

History

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Several minor league baseball teams known as the Hickory Rebels played in Hickory, North Carolina, intermittently from 1936 to 1960.[1] Local businessman Don Beaver purchased the Gastonia Rangers and relocated them from Gastonia, North Carolina, to Hickory for the 1993 season.[2] Prior to the move, the Gastonia team had served as a minor league affiliate of both the Rangers and the Montreal Expos.

Fans were invited to submit suggestions for the team's name. Among the finalists were "Woodchucks", "River Rats", "Valley Cats", and "Hound Dogs".[3] The chosen name, "Crawdads", was selected because of the animals' strength and presence in local waterways.[3]

The Crawdads played in the South Atlantic League as the Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox in their inaugural 1993 season. The six-year affiliation regularly saw Hickory at or near the bottom of the standings, though they did qualify for the playoffs twice. On both occasions, however, they were eliminated without winning any games. The affiliation ended after the 1998 season with team accumulating a 374–464 record over that period.[1]

Hickory entered into a new affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1999. The Crawdads reached the postseason in five of ten seasons with Pittsburgh. They won two South Atlantic League championships, the first in 2002 and the second in 2004.[4] The affiliation ended after the 2008 season with Hickory going 705–677 over a span of 10 years.[1]

The Crawdads became an affiliate of the Texas Rangers in 2009.[1] Since then, they reached the SAL finals on two occasions and won the championship in 2015.[4] Following the 2017 season, the Rangers purchased the team from Beaver.

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Crawdads were organized into the High-A East.[5] In 2022, the High-A East became known as the South Atlantic League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[6]

In July 2024, MiLB announced that the Crawdads, while remaining an affiliate of the Texas Rangers, will be demoted to class Single-A and join the Carolina League in 2025.[7]

Season-by-season results

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Season Regular season Postseason MLB affiliate Ref.
Record Win % League Division GB Record Win % Result
1993 52–88 .371 13th 6th 32+1⁄2 — — — Chicago White Sox [8]
1994 86–54 .614 2nd 1st — 0–2 .000 Won Second Half Northern Division title
Lost Northern Division title vs. Hagerstown Suns, 2–0[9]		 Chicago White Sox [10]
1995 49–89 .355 14th 7th 35+1⁄2 — — — Chicago White Sox [11]
1996 55–85 .393 14th 6th 31 — — — Chicago White Sox [12]
1997 76–64 .543 4th 2nd 1 0–2 .000 Lost quarterfinals vs. Delmarva Shorebirds, 2–0[13] Chicago White Sox [14]
1998 56–84 .400 13th 6th 33+1⁄2 — — — Chicago White Sox [15]
1999 70–70 .500 6th 3rd 12+1⁄2 3–2 .600 Won quarterfinals vs. Macon Braves, 2–0
Lost semifinals vs. Augusta GreenJackets, 2–1[16]		 Pittsburgh Pirates [17]
2000 75–66 .532 4th (tie) 3rd 17 — — — Pittsburgh Pirates [18]
2001 67–73 .479 10th 5th 25 — — — Pittsburgh Pirates [19]
2002 83–56 .597 1st 1st — 5–2 .714 Won First Half Northern Division title
Won Northern Division title vs. Delmarva Shorebirds, 2–0
Won SAL championship vs. Columbus RedStixx, 3–2[20]		 Pittsburgh Pirates [21]
2003 82–54 .603 2nd 1st — 1–2 .333 Won First Half Southern Division title
Lost Southern Division title vs. Rome Braves, 2–1[22]		 Pittsburgh Pirates [23]
2004 85–55 .607 2nd 1st — 5–0 1.000 Won Second Half Northern Division title
Won Northern Division title vs. Charleston Alley Cats, 2–0
Won SAL championship vs. Capital City Bombers, 3–0[24]		 Pittsburgh Pirates [25]
2005 54–80 .403 15th (tie) 7th (tie) 24+1⁄2 — — — Pittsburgh Pirates [26]
2006 67–70 .489 10th 5th 16 — — — Pittsburgh Pirates [27]
2007 70–66 .515 6th 2nd 12 1–2 .333 Won Second Half Northern Division title
Lost Northern Division title vs. West Virginia Power, 2–1[28]		 Pittsburgh Pirates [29]
2008 52–87 .374 15th 7th 27+1⁄2 — — — Pittsburgh Pirates [30]
2009 63–76 .453 15th 7th 19 — — — Texas Rangers [31]
2010 75–64 .540 4th (tie) 2nd 9 0–2 .000 Lost Northern Division title vs. Lakewood BlueClaws, 2–0[32] Texas Rangers [33]
2011 79–58 .577 1st 1st — 0–2 .000 Won First Half Northern Division title
Lost Northern Division title vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers, 2–0[34]		 Texas Rangers [35]
2012 74–65 .532 5th 3rd 9 — — — Texas Rangers [36]
2013 76–63 .547 5th 3rd 5+1⁄2 — — — Texas Rangers [37]
2014 80–59 .576 5th 3rd 6+1⁄2 — — — Texas Rangers [38]
2015 81–57 .587 3rd 2nd 5+1⁄2 5–1 .833 Won First Half Northern Division title
Won Northern Division title vs. West Virginia Power, 2–1
Won SAL championship vs. Asheville Tourists, 3–0[39]		 Texas Rangers [40]
2016 74–66 .529 5th 3rd 9 — — — Texas Rangers [41]
2017 64–76 .457 11th 6th 13 — — — Texas Rangers [42]
2018 70–68 .507 6th (tie) 4th (tie) 17 — — — Texas Rangers [43]
2019 83–52 .615 2nd 2nd 5+1⁄2 3–3 .500 Won Second Half Northern Division title
Won Northern Division title vs. Delmarva Shorebirds, 2–0
Lost SAL championship vs. Lexington Legends, 3–1[44]		 Texas Rangers [45]
2020 Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)[46] Texas Rangers [47]
2021 46–68 .404 11th 6th 34 — — — Texas Rangers [48]
2022 66–65 .504 6th 3rd 12+1⁄2 — — — Texas Rangers [49]
2023 70–55 .560 2nd 1st — 0–2 .000 Won Second Half Southern Division title

Lost Southern Division title vs. Greenville Drive 0-2[50]

Texas Rangers [51]
Totals 2,080–2,033 .506 — — — 23–22 .511 3 league titles, 4 division titles, 9 half division titles — –
Franchise totals by affiliation
Affiliation Regular season Postseason Composite
Record Win % Apps. Record Win % Record Win %
Chicago White Sox (1993–1999) 374–464 .446 2 0–4 .000 374–468 .444
Pittsburgh Pirates (1999–2008) 705–677 .510 5 15–8 .652 720–685 .512
Texas Rangers (2009–present) 1,001–892 .529 5 8—10 .444 1,009–902 .528
All-time 2,080–2,033 .504 11 23–22 .535 2,103–2,055 .506

Mascot

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Conrad the Crawdad has been the official mascot of the Crawdads since 1993. Conrad, along with his wife Candy, entertain fans during games. The two got engaged on Mother's Day weekend in 2018 and were married in an on-field ceremony on June 24, 2018.

Roster

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Hickory Crawdads roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 35 Paul Bonzagni
  • 33 Aidan Curry
  • 19 David Davalillo
  • 22 Jose Gonzalez
  • 21 Nick Lockhart
  • -- Leandro Lopez
  • 38 Jacob Maton
  • 41 D. J. McCarty
  • 14 Brayan Mendoza
  • 40 Josh Mollerus
  • 16 Ivan Oviedo
  • 44 Luis Ramirez
  • 13 Adrian Rodriguez
  • 23 Florencio Serrano
  • 43 Victor Simeon
  • 15 Izack Tiger

Catchers

Infielders

  •  4 Cam Cauley
  • 17 Danyer Cueva
  • 30 Arturo Disla
  •  5 Gleider Figuereo

Outfielders

  •  8 Dylan Dreiling
  •  6 Yosy Galan
  • 25 Anthony Gutierrez
  • 11 Yeison Morrobel
  • 32 Quincy Scott

Manager

  • 21 Chad Comer

Coaches

  • 12 Justin Jacobs (development)
  • 31 Drew Sannes (hitting)
  •  9 Jay Sullenger (development)
  • 28 Julio Valdez (pitching)


  7-day injured list
* On Texas Rangers 40-man roster
~ Development list
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporarily inactive list
Roster updated November 9, 2024
 Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB • South Atlantic League
 → Texas Rangers minor league players

Awards

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Jurickson Profar won the SAL Most Valuable Player Award in 2011.

Four players and two managers have won South Atlantic League awards in recognition for their performance with the Crawdads.

Award Recipient Season Ref.
Most Valuable Player J. R. House 2000 [52]
Most Valuable Player Walter Young 2002 [53]
Most Valuable Player Jorge Cortes 2003 [52]
Most Valuable Player Jurickson Profar 2011 [54]
Most Outstanding Prospect Walter Young 2002 [53]
Manager of the Year Fred Kendall 1994 [55]
Manager of the Year Tony Beasley 2002 [53]

Notable alumni

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Joey Gallo batting for the Crawdads in 2013

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Hickory, North Carolina Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  2. ^ "Conrad & The Hickory Crawdads" (PDF). At the Yard. January 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Pollack, Lisa (December 3, 1992). "Fans Cheer, Cry Foul Over Baseball Team's Name". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Playoff Champions". South Atlantic League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  5. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  7. ^ "South Atlantic, Carolina Leagues to realign in 2025". Minor League Baseball (Press release). July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  8. ^ "1993 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "1994 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. ^ "1994 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  11. ^ "1995 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  12. ^ "1996 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "1997 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  14. ^ "1997 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  15. ^ "1998 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "1999 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "1999 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  18. ^ "2000 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  19. ^ "2001 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  20. ^ "2002 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  21. ^ "2002 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  22. ^ "2003 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  23. ^ "2003 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  24. ^ "2004 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  25. ^ "2004 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  26. ^ "2005 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  27. ^ "2006 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  28. ^ "2007 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  29. ^ "2007 South Atlantic League (A)". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  30. ^ "2008 South Atlantic League (A)". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  31. ^ "2009 South Atlantic League (A)". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  32. ^ "2010 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  33. ^ "2010 South Atlantic League (A)". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  34. ^ "2011 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  35. ^ "2011 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  36. ^ "2012 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  37. ^ "2013 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  38. ^ "2014 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  39. ^ "2015 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  40. ^ "2015 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  41. ^ "2016 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  42. ^ "2017 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  43. ^ "2018 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  44. ^ "2019 South Atlantic League (SAL) Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  45. ^ "2019 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  46. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  47. ^ "2020 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  48. ^ "2021 High-A East". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  49. ^ "2022 South Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  50. ^ "2023 South Atlantic League (SAL) Minor League Baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  51. ^ "2023 South Atlantic League". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  52. ^ a b Parker, Mark (June 27, 2017). "25th Anniversary All-Crawdads Team: A Look Back at Players' Success in Hickory". Hickory Record. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  53. ^ a b c Cichalski, Dan (August 24, 2002). "Righty Floyd Left Off All-Star Team". Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, New Jersey. p. C5. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  54. ^ "Profar Voted Sal MVP, 'Dads Have Three All-Stars". Hickory Crawdads. Minor League Baseball. August 30, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  55. ^ "Crawdads Alumni Report February 4". Hickory Crawdads. Minor League Baseball. January 29, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
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