The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at Carmax Park, the newly developed stadium next to their old ground, the Diamond. The Flying Squirrels have been affiliated with the Giants since 2010, making it the longest-running active affiliation in the Giants organization among teams not owned by the Giants. The Squirrels were previously known as the Connecticut Defenders.
The Flying Squirrels mark affiliated baseball's return to Richmond after a one-year absence prompted by the relocation of the former Triple-A International League's Richmond Braves to Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 2009, where they are now called the Gwinnett Stripers. The Squirrels hold the current record for the longest distance from their major league affiliate, at 2,872.5 miles from Oracle Park.
History
On September 23, 2009, it was announced that the Connecticut Defenders would leave Norwich for their current home at The Diamond in Richmond, Virginia, where they would continue seeking proposals for a new ballpark in the Richmond metropolitan area. The team name was changed to the "Flying Squirrels".
The name the "Richmond Flying Squirrels" was chosen through a Richmond Times-Dispatch readers' "name-the-team-contest," which ended on October 15, 2009. The name was submitted by Brad Mead of Prince George, Virginia. Other finalists were the Rock Hoppers, Hambones, Rhinos, Flatheads, and Hush Puppies. (The name Hambones was later ruled out of the contest after the city's uproar and the NAACP finding that "the Hambones" could be seen as a derogatory term directed towards the African-American community.)
In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Flying Squirrels were organized into the Double-A Northeast. In 2022, the Double-A Northeast became known as the Eastern League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.
Logo The new Flying Squirrels logo was unveiled on December 1, 2009. It is a black, red, and grey flying squirrel meant to look like the outline of Virginia with a patch in the shape of an "R" (for Richmond) on top of an acorn over its heart, roughly where Richmond is located in Virginia. The logo was designed by San Diego-based sports branding firm Brandiose. It was named the logo of the year by Ballpark Digest in 2010 and the best minor-league logo by Baseball America in 2015.
Season records As Norwich Navigators 1995: 70–71 (3rd), manager Jimmy Johnson 1996: 71–70 (3rd), manager Jim Essian 1997: 73–69 (2nd), manager Trey Hillman 1998: 66–76 (4th), manager Trey Hillman 1999: 78–64 (2nd), manager Lee Mazzilli 2000: 76–66 (3rd), manager Dan Radison 2001: 83–59 (2nd), manager Stump Merrill 2002: 76–64 (1st), manager Luis Sojo 2003: 62–79 (6th), manager Shane Turner 2004: 69–74 (5th), manager Shane Turner 2005: 71–72 (3rd), manager Dave Machemer As Connecticut Defenders 2006: 64–77 (5th), manager Dave Machemer 2007: 63–78 (5th), managers Dave Machemer (through July 21) and Shane Turner 2008: 68–73 (4th), manager Bien Figueroa 2009: 83–59 (1st), manager Steve Decker As Richmond Flying Squirrels 2010: 68–73 (5th), manager Andy Skeels 2011: 76–66 (2nd), manager Dave Machemer 2012: 70–71 (4th), manager Dave Machemer 2013: 70–72 (4th), manager Dave Machemer 2014: 79–63 (1st), manager Russ Morman 2015: 72–68 (3rd), manager José Alguacil 2016: 62–79 (5th), manager Miguel Ojeda 2017: 63–77 (5th), manager Kyle Haines 2018: 62–76 (6th), manager Willie Harris 2019: 55–84 (6th), manager Willie Harris 2020: Season canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2021: 57–56 (4th), manager Jose Alguacil 2022: 66–71 (5th), manager Jose Alguacil 2023: 74–64 (2nd), manager Dennis Pelfrey 2024: 64–74 (4th), manager Dennis Pelfrey 2025: 56–79 (6th), manager Dennis Pelfrey 2026: 74–61 (2nd), manager Dennis Pelfrey
Playoffs 1997 season: Lost to Portland, 3–2, in first round 1999 season: Defeated Trenton 3–2, in first round; lost to Harrisburg 3–2, in championship round. 2001 season: Lost to New Britain, 3–1, in first round 2002 season: Defeated New Haven, 3–0, in first round; defeated Harrisburg 3–2 to win Eastern League title. 2009 season: Defeated New Britain, 3–1, in first round; lost to Akron 3–1, in championship round. 2014 season: Defeated Akron, 3–1, in first round; lost to Binghamton 3–0, in championship round. 2022 season: Lost to Erie SeaWolves 2–0 in first round 2023 season: Lost to Erie SeaWolves 2–0 in first round 2026 season: TBA vs. Erie SeaWolves
Roster
References Notes
Sources
Eastern League Announces Relocation to Richmond for the 2010 Season – Official Eastern League Press Release Defenders relocating to Richmond – Minor League Baseball news story
External links
Official website