Frederick Keys
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Frederick Keys Founded in 1989 Frederick, Maryland |
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| Class-level | |||||
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| Current | A-Advanced | ||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | Carolina League | ||||
| Division | Northern Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Current | Baltimore Orioles (1982–present) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (5) |
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| Division titles (7) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Nickname | Frederick Keys (1989–present) | ||||
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Previous names
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| Mascot | Keyote | ||||
| Ballpark | Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium (1990–present) | ||||
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Previous parks
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McCurdy Field (1989) Hagerstown Municipal Stadium (1981–1988) Rocky Mount Municipal Stadium (1980) |
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Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Maryland Baseball Holding, LLC | ||||
| Manager | Keith Bodie | ||||
| General Manager | Dave Zidelis | ||||
The Frederick Keys minor league baseball team is the "Class A-Advanced" affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for Star Spangled Banner poet Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team mascot "Frank Key", short for Francis Scott Key, joined the current mascot, a coyote named Keyote, at the beginning of the 2011 baseball season. The team is currently owned by Maryland Baseball Holding LLC, after being purchased in 2006 from Comcast Spectacor. Home games are played at Harry Grove Stadium.
Frederick was one of the founding members of the Blue Ridge League, which existed from 1915 to 1930. The team, which went by the names of Hustlers, Champs and Warriors, won league championships in 1915 and 1921. Games were played at the Frederick Fairgrounds until 1924 when McCurdy Field was built. With the collapse of the Blue Ridge League in 1931, it would be several decades before professional baseball returned to Frederick.
Frederick players from this era who were major leaguers:
The team was founded in 1989 when the Baltimore Orioles decided to move their Class A affiliate from Hagerstown, Maryland. The city of Frederick convinced the owners of the then-Hagerstown Suns to move the team to Frederick and promised a 4,000-seat stadium to be built for the 1990 season. For the 1989 season, the Keys played at McCurdy Field, a Babe Ruth League stadium, while waiting for the construction of the new stadium to be completed. The Keys opened by losing both ends of a doubleheader (including a seven-inning perfect game by Dennis Burlingame) against the Durham Bulls. Their first win came on April 11, 1989, with a 3–1 victory over the Kinston Indians in the Keys' first-ever home game.
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