West Virginia Power

The West Virginia Power are a Minor League Baseball team, formerly a member of the South Atlantic League and previously the Class A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Charleston, West Virginia, and play their home games at Appalachian Power Park, which opened in 2005 and seats 4,500 people.

This article is about the baseball team. For the electric utility serving southeast West Virginia from 1986 to 1999, see Allegheny Energy.
West Virginia Power
Founded in 1987
Charleston, West Virginia
Team logoCap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass A (1987–2020)
LeagueTBD (from 2021)
DivisionNorthern Division
Previous leagues
South Atlantic League (1987–2020)
Major league affiliations
TeamTBD (from 2021)
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles (1)1990
Division titles (6)
  • 1990
  • 1991
  • 1992
  • 1997
  • 2007
  • 2008
Team data
NameWest Virginia Power (2005–present)
Previous names
  • Charleston Alley Cats (1995–2004)
  • Charleston Wheelers (1987–1994)
ColorsBlack, gold, yellow, white
MascotChuck
BallparkAppalachian Power Park (2005–present)
Previous parks
Watt Powell Park (1987–2004)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
West Virginia Baseball LLC
General ManagerJeremy Taylor[1]
ManagerTBD

Team history

Before current era (1910–1983)

The history of professional baseball in Charleston, dates back to 1910, and a team known as the Charleston Statesmen of the long-forgotten Class D Virginia Valley League. In 1911, the Statesmen moved to the Class D Mountain State League, and then folded after that year. A new team, the Charleston Senators was formed in 1914 and lasted three seasons in the Class D Ohio State League. In 1931, a new Senators team joined the Class C Mid-Atlantic League as an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. This team lasted until 1943. In 1949, the Senators were reformed as a member of the Class A Central League. In 1952, the city was granted a franchise in the Triple-A American Association. At first, this team was affiliated with the Chicago White Sox, then the Detroit Tigers, and finally the Washington Senators. In 1958, the Charleston Senators won the American Association championship. The franchise ceased operations after the 1960 season.

In 1961, the city had no team, but the Triple-A International League San Juan Marlins, affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals, moved to the city in on May 19 when the team was deemed not financially viable. In 1962, the Charleston Indians, affiliated with the Cleveland Indians, moved to the city in the Class-A Eastern League, and in 1963 that league was elevated to Double-A. The team folded after the 1964 season.

Baseball returned to the city in 1971 with the Charleston Charlies of the International League. The Charlies played in the International League from 1971 to 1983. The team was the relocated Columbus Jets. The Charlies were affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, and finally the Cleveland Indians. The team won the league championship in 1973 and 1977. The Charlies left for Maine following the 1983 season, and, after several moves, the team today is now known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Today, the Power sell nostalgic "throwback" merchandise from the Pittsburgh-affiliated era of the Charlies, which is generally considered the pinnacle of the baseball in the city.

Revival era (1987–2020)

In 1987, the city resumed minor league baseball after a three-year absence. The new team was first called the Charleston Wheelers, so named for the city's history of stern- and side-wheeled boats. The Wheelers began as a co-op team, with players from several Major League Baseball franchises including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves.

In 1988, the franchise became the Chicago Cubs' third full-season Class A franchise (the other two being Peoria in the Midwest League and Winston-Salem in the Carolina League). The only two players on that 1988 squad to reach the Major Leagues were SS Alex Arias and C Matt Walbeck.

The Wheelers won the Class A South Atlantic League championship in 1990, the only league title for the franchise. By that point, they had changed affiliation to the Cincinnati Reds.

In late 1993, the Wheelers were purchased from then-owner Dennis Bastien by a conglomerate of owners. The team changed its name to the Charleston Alley Cats in 1995 and switched colors from blue and white, with green trim, to grey and red, with black trim. The team was purchased in 2001 by Tom Dickson and Sherrie Myers. In 1995, the team changed affiliation to the Kansas City Royals, again in 2001 to the Toronto Blue Jays, to the Milwaukee Brewers after the 2004 season, and finally joined the Pirates in 2009. Prior to the 2005 season, they adopted their current West Virginia Power name. To quote the team's announcement following their decision to change the team name:

West Virginia is and will continue to be recognized as one of the leading energy providers for the country. The energy production from coal, natural gas, and hydro-electric sources, combined with the fact that Charleston serves as the center for the state's political and economic powers led us to the name of the team. We felt it was extremely important that the name reflect the entire region and are excited about the tremendous marketing opportunities that will go along with the name.

The Power won the 2007 SAL Northern Division title, but lost in the league championship series to the Columbus Catfish in three-straight games.

In 2019, the Power—under a new affiliation with the Seattle Mariners—announced a coaching staff of Dave Berg as manager, Alon Leichman as pitching coach, and Eric Farris as hitting coach.[2]

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minors after the 2020 season, the Mariners opted to discontinue their affiliation with West Virginia, leaving them in need of a new affiliate for 2021.[3] It was later confirmed that the Power would be dropped from organized baseball. [4] Nonetheless, the team, as of January 2021, is seeking a place in an independent league.[5]

Season-by-season records
Charleston Wheelers (South Atlantic League)
YearRegular SeasonPost-season
RecordWin %Finish*RecordWin %ResultMLB
198766–73.4757th———co-op
198851–86.37211th———Cubs
198958–76.43310th———Cubs
199077–66.5385th5–01.000Won North Division Championship vs Fayetteville Generals, 2–0
Won SAL Championship vs Savannah Cardinals, 3–0		Reds
199192–50.6481st0–3.000Lost SAL Championship vs Columbia Mets, 0–3Reds
199277–64.5462nd2–3.400Won North Division Championship vs Spartanburg Phillies, 2–0
Lost SAL Championship vs Myrtle Beach Hurricanes, 0–3		Reds
199376–64.5434th———Reds
199465–75.4648th———Reds
Sub-Totals562–554.504—7–6.6361 SAL Championships
Charleston AlleyCats (South Atlantic League)
YearRegular SeasonPost-season
RecordWin %Finish*RecordWin %ResultMLB
199577–65.5426th———Reds
199658–84.40812th———Reds
199776–62.5512nd3–2.600Won Quarterfinal vs Cape Fear Crocs, 2–0
Lost Semifinal vs Delmarva Shorebirds, 1–2		Reds
199844–96.31414th———Reds
199961–80.43313th———Royals
200053–80.39814th———Royals
200151–87.37016th———Blue Jays
200261–79.43615th———Blue Jays
200357–76.42912th———Blue Jays
200484–56.6003rd0–2.000Lost North Division Championship vs Capital City Bombers, 0–2Blue Jays
Sub-Totals622–765.448—3–4.4290 SAL Championships
West Virginia Power (South Atlantic League)
YearRegular SeasonPost-season
RecordWin %Finish*RecordWin %Result
200560–78.4356th———Brewers
200674–62.5443rd———Brewers
200782–54.6033rd2–4.333Won Northern Division Championship vs Hickory Crawdads, 2–1
Lost SAL Championship vs Columbus Catfish, 0–3		Brewers
200877–62.5546th3–3.500Won Northern Division Championship vs Lake County Captains, 3–0
Lost SAL Championship vs Augusta GreenJackets, 0–3		Brewers
200967–70.4894th———Pirates
201065–74.46810th———Pirates
201169–69.5008th———Pirates
201261-79.43613th———Pirates
201382-58.5862nd1-2.333Lost Northern Division Championship vs Hagerstown Suns, 1-2Pirates
201454-81.5862nd———Pirates
201587-52.6261st1-2.333Lost Northern Division Championship vs Hickory Crawdads, 1-2Pirates
201671-68.5115th———Pirates
201769-67.5074th———Pirates
2018 71-62 .534 3rd Pirates
Sub-Totals989–936.514—7–11.3890 SAL Championships
Totals2,173–2255.491—17–21.4471 League Championship
Note: * Finish denotes their position in the overall league standings.

Ballparks

The Alley Cats and their predecessors played in Watt Powell Park in the Kanawha City neighborhood of Charleston. Seating approximately 4,500 fans, Watt Powell Park was bordered by MacCorkle Avenue on the front (north) side, 35th Street on the east, and South Park Road on the west. On the south side of the park, a ridge of hills formed a natural boundary. Fans who would otherwise have had to pay to see the games periodically watched the action from a CSX railroad line hard up against the south wall of the stadium.

The Power now plays its home games in Appalachian Power Park at the east edge of downtown Charleston, a little more than a mile across the Kanawha River from the former site of Watt Powell Park. Most of the financing for the $25 million stadium came from the state, and the city, although the ownership team put up approximately $5 million. The original cost of the ballpark was supposed to be $20 million but cost overruns put the figure at $25 million. The city's share came mostly from the sale of Watt Powell Park to the nearby University of Charleston, which immediately sold two-thirds of the land to Charleston Area Medical Center, the region's largest hospital. Originally, the new park was to be completed for the 2004 season, but politically induced delays in securing state funds forced construction to be put off for a year. The new park opened in April 2005.

Notable Charleston/West Virginia alumni
Ryan Braun

SAL records
  • Six Power home runs in one inning versus the Lexington Legends (South Atlantic League record)
  • Ten home runs in one game versus the Lexington Legends (Seven home runs by Power, also a SAL record)

References
  1. "Personnel News: West Virginia, Pittsfield, Victoria". Ballpark Digest. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  3. Cooper, J.J. (November 19, 2020). "2021 Minor League Affiliation Chart". Baseball America. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  4. https://www.wvgazettemail.com/sports/west_virginia_power/west-virginia-power-among-11-minor-league-teams-not-invited-back-for-2021-season/article_31fa19d2-52b5-519a-a466-664be7274eee.html,
  5. https://www.wsaz.com/2020/12/10/we-arent-going-anywhere-wv-power-promises-a-2021-baseball-season/
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