| Tri-City ValleyCats | |
| Founded: | 2002 |
| City: | Troy, New York |
| Cap Logo: | TC ValleyCats cap.PNG |
| Colors: | Scarlet, black, tan, silver, white |
| League: | Frontier League (2021–present) |
| Division: | East Division |
| Former Leagues: | New York–Penn League (2002–2020) |
| Nickname: | Tri-City ValleyCats (2002–present) |
| Ballpark: | Joseph L. Bruno Stadium (2002–present) |
| Owner: | Bill Gladstone |
| General Manager: | Matt Callahan |
| Manager: | Greg Tagert |
The Tri-City ValleyCats (colloquially known as the ‘Cats) are a professional baseball team based in Troy, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the East Division, and play their home games at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.
From 2002 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Houston Astros. With MLB's reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season, the ValleyCats were not selected to continue in affiliated baseball. They joined the independent Frontier League for the 2021 season, which was designated as an MLB Partner League that year.
Prior to their arrival in Troy, the club was based first in Little Falls, New York, as the Little Falls Mets (1977–1988), and then in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as the Pittsfield Mets (1989–2000) and Pittsfield Astros (2001).
The ValleyCats played their first game on the road in Lowell, Massachusetts, on June 18, 2002, against their rival the Lowell Spinners. The Spinners had a 3–1 lead going into the eighth inning, but a triple by Aneudi Cuevas down the right field line drove in three runs leading the ValleyCats to a 5–4 victory.
In their 2006 season, the ValleyCats registered an attendance of 129,126 in 37 contests, averaging 3,489 fans per game. On July 4, 2006, the ValleyCats set a new all-time home attendance mark as 6,123 people attended a game against the Lowell Spinners which was later broken in the following years.
The Valley Cats hosted the fourth annual New York–Penn League All-Star Game at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in 2008. The game was played between teams made up of the affiliates of National League (NL) and American League (AL) teams. The ValleyCats, affiliates of the National League's Houston Astros, were part of the NL squad. Four ValleyCats were voted to play in the game: first baseman Phil Disher, left fielder Jack Shuck, pitcher Philip Rummel, and center fielder Thomas Steele. However, Steele was injured two weeks before the game and was replaced by Tri-City third baseman David Flores. The NL All-Stars won the game on a walk-off RBI by Tri-City's David Flores. Flores was also voted MVP of the game.[1]
On June 21, 2008, pitchers Shane Wolf, David Miller, and Ashton Mowdy combined to throw the first no-hitter in the franchise's history. Wolf is a native of nearby Lansing. The ValleyCats won, 10–0, over the Oneonta Tigers.[2]
On July 4, 2008, The ValleyCats broke their single-game attendance record drawing 6,630 to the ballpark, 2,130 more than the listed capacity. The ValleyCats won, 9–2, against the Jamestown Jammers.[3] The team also set a season attendance record in 2008 with 140,631 fans in attendance despite missing many games due to rain.
The ValleyCats once again broke attendance records in 2009. Their single-game attendance record was broken again on July 4 against the Brooklyn Cyclones. A crowd of 6,838 fans attended the 2–1 ValleyCats loss.[4] They also set a new single season attendance record, attracting 145,976 fans to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium that season.[5] Tri-City finished the season in fourth place in the Stedler Division, 18 games behind first-place Lowell.[6]
After three losing seasons, the ValleyCats finally turned around to be one of the front runners in the Stedler Division. Led by manager Jim Pankovits, they were the underdog in the 2010 NYPL playoffs with a 38–36 record, and having won their division by only a half game over the Connecticut Tigers. They reached the championship series for the third time in their short history, and beat the heavy favorite Brooklyn Cyclones (51–24), two games to none.
The second no-hitter in ValleyCats history was thrown on August 6, 2015. Pitchers Kevin McCanna, Ralph Garza, and Zac Person combined for the road win against the Aberdeen IronBirds at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium, 5–0.[7]
After the cancelled 2020 minor league season, Major League Baseball took direct control of Minor League Baseball and discontinued short-season play. The ValleyCats were not among the teams invited to continue in affiliated baseball.[8] On January 7, 2021, the team announced that it would be joining the Frontier League, an independent MLB Partner league, for the 2021 season.[9] The 2021 and 2022 seasons were disappointing for the ValleyCats as they missed the playoffs both years. In the 2023 season, the ValleyCats attempted to get into the playoffs. However, they were beaten by the Sussex County Miners for the third and final playoff spot. Despite both clubs having the same record in the East Division, the Miners had a longer winning streak than the Valley Cats. This meant that the ValleyCats missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.
The ValleyCats have several mascots, the three most prominent being SouthPaw, his grandfather, Pappy, and his best friend, Ribbie. SouthPaw is a jersey-wearing cat, representing the "ValleyCat", the team's nickname. Another fan-favorite is Sammy Baseball who wears a patriotic costume and resembles Uncle Sam, reputedly derived from Samuel Wilson who operated a meat packing plant in Troy. The Tri-City Mayors, large caricature heads representing the current Mayors of Troy, Albany, and Schenectady, race (and dance) on a nightly basis at the ballpark. Ketchup, Mustard, and Relish mascots participate in a hot dog race. Other mascots include Spiedie the Chicken, Zoggy the Dinosaur, and Rowdy the River Rat, obtained when the Albany River Rats moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.[10]
| Season | League | Manager | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | NYPL | Iván DeJesús | 27–48, 4th place Stedler |
| 2003 | NYPL | Iván DeJesús | 44–32, 2nd place Stedler |
| 2004 | NYPL | Gregg Langbehn | 50–25, 1st place Stedler |
| 2005 | NYPL | Gregg Langbehn | 34–42, 3rd place Stedler |
| 2006 | NYPL | Gregg Langbehn | 43–31, 1st place Stedler |
| 2007 | NYPL | Pete Rancont | 27–47, 4th place Stedler |
| 2008 | NYPL | Pete Rancont | 28–45, 4th place Stedler |
| 2009 | NYPL | Jim Pankovits | 27–48, 4th place Stedler |
| 2010 | NYPL | Jim Pankovits | 38–36, 1st place Stedler |
| 2011 | NYPL | Stubby Clapp | 33–42, 3rd place Stedler |
| 2012 | NYPL | Stubby Clapp | 51–25, 1st place Stedler |
| 2013 | NYPL | Ed Romero | 44–32, 1st place Stedler |
| 2014 | NYPL | Ed Romero | 48–28, 1st place Stedler |
| 2015 | NYPL | Ed Romero | 42–33, 1st place Stedler |
| 2016 | NYPL | Lamarr Rogers | 38–38, 3rd place Stedler |
| 2017 | NYPL | Morgan Ensberg | 34–39, 3rd place Stedler |
| 2018 | NYPL | Jason Bell | 42–33, 1st place Stedler |
| 2019 | NYPL | Ozney Guillen | 32–42, 4th place Stedler |
| 2020 | Season not played due to COVID-19 | ||
| 2021 | Frontier | Pete Incaviglia | 50–46, 2nd place Atlantic |
| 2022 | Frontier | Pete Incaviglia | 54–41, 5th place East |
| 2023 | Frontier | Pete Incaviglia | 55–40, 4th place East |
| 2024 | Frontier | Greg Tagert | |
| NY–Penn League champions | NY–Penn League finalists | Stedler Division champions (§) | Wild Card winner (*) |
Former/Current notable baseball players who played for the ValleyCats as a minor league affiliate, the year they played for the ValleyCats, and the team they debuted with (If debuted yet).
Former/Current notable baseball players who played for the ValleyCats in the Frontier League, the year they played for the ValleyCats, and the team they returned with.