Charlotte Orioles
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Charlotte Knights Founded in 1976 Charlotte, North Carolina |
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| Class-level | |||||
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| Current | Triple-A (1993–present) | ||||
| Previous | Double-A (1976–1992) | ||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | International League | ||||
| Division | South Division | ||||
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Previous leagues
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Southern League (1976–1992) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Current | Chicago White Sox (1999–present) | ||||
| Previous |
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| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (4) |
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| Division titles (3) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Nickname | Charlotte Knights (1989–present) | ||||
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Previous names
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Charlotte Orioles (1976–1988) | ||||
| Colors | Black, Gold, Silver, White |
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| Ballpark | BB&T Ballpark (2014–present) | ||||
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Previous parks
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Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Don Beaver | ||||
| Manager | Mark Grudzielanek | ||||
| General Manager | Rob Egan | ||||
The Charlotte Knights are a minor league baseball team in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox of the American League. The Knights play at BB&T Ballpark located in Uptown Charlotte.
Professional baseball in Charlotte dates to 1892, with the formation of the Charlotte Hornets. The 1892 Hornets played in the South Atlantic League, but only lasted one season. A new team, the Charlotte "Presbyterians" played in 1900, but just a year later, a new "Charlotte Hornets" baseball team formed. They were an independent team until 1935, when they became the Class B Piedmont League affiliate of the Boston Red Sox during that year only. Later in 1937, the Washington Senators, now the Minnesota Twins, purchased the team. The Hornets would remain affiliated with the Senators/Twins for 35 years. In 1940, Calvin Griffith, the son of Senators owner Clark Griffith and future owner of the Senators/Twins, built a 3,200-seat park in Charlotte's Dilworth neighborhood, Calvin Griffith Park. It would be the home of Charlotte baseball for the next half-century.
After several years on the lower rungs of the minor league totem pole, the Hornets joined the Class A South Atlantic League in 1954. They had previously been members of the South Atlantic League in the 1920's while they were still independent. The South Atlantic League became a Double-A league in 1963 and renamed itself the Southern League in 1964. In 1972, the Minnesota Twins tried to bring their "Single A" ball club to Charlotte as the new Charlotte Twins which played in the Western Carolinas League. The new "Charlotte" Twins however did not play that well, and after the 1972 season, they were relocated to Orlando Fl. as the new Orlando Twins. As for the Hornets, the Minnesota Twins turned their back on the team, and the Hornets disbanded, now leaving the city with no professional baseball. There was talk that Charlotte might get baseball again, but a new team to be called the "Charlotte Pines" never came to fruition.
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Wikipedia