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McGonagle named 2012 King of Baseball

A well-deserved honor: Bluefield Blue Jays President George McGonagle, who has been with the rookie Appalachian League club for more than 50 years, was named 2012 “King of Baseball” tonight at the annual Baseball Winter Meetings Banquet. The “King of Baseball” is a long-standing tradition in which Minor League Baseball salutes a veteran from the […]

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Front-office changes in Bluefield, Bridgeport

Some front-office changes to report today: Jeff Gray is the new GM of the Bluefield Blue Jays (rookie; Appalachian League), while Ken Shepard is new GM of the Bridgeport Bluefish (independent; Atlantic League). Gray has front-office experience with the Dunedin Blue Jays (High Class A; Florida State League) and was associate general manager of the U.S. […]

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The Year That Was: 2011

It was a quirky year in baseball: a season that saw limited franchise activity, reflecting the general economic malaise in the United States. Looking back, here are the most popular stories posted on Ballpark Digest in the past year, as measured by page views. 20: It’s Truck Day!The traditional beginning to the reason happens when […]

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Baby Blue Jays set to fly tomorrow

Baseball didn’t change much in Bluefield up to now, but 2011 sees some huge changes at Bowen Field: the Bluefield Blue Jays (rookie; Appalachian League) are now in town after 53 seasons of the Bluefield Orioles occupying the ballpark. The Orioles maintained an Appy League team in Bluefield from 1957 to 2010 before pulling out […]

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Maxwell new GM in Bluefield

Chris Maxwell, the former general manger of the Casper Ghosts (rookie; Pioneer League) is moving southeast: he’s the new general manager of the Bluefield Bue Jays (rookie; Appalachian League), overseeing the first season for Toronto as parent of a Bluefield team. The city had been home to the Baltimore Orioles for 53 years prior to […]

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Toronto extends with Lansing, takes over in Bluefield

The Toronto Blue Jays made two announcements today regarding its farm system, signing an extension of its player-development contract with the Lansing Lugnuts (Low Class A; Midwest League) and taking over from Baltimore with the Appalachian League’s Bluefield team, to be known as the Bluefield Blue Jays. The Bluefield Blue Jays will begin play with […]

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Appalachian League

The Appalachian League has deep roots as a Class D league before and after World War II; it was one of the few minor leagues to keep playing during wartime. The modern Appalachian League launched in 1957 and moved to a rookie classification in 1963. Class D / 1911-1914, 1921-1925, 1937-1955, 1957-1962 Rookie / 1963-present […]

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