Idaho Falls Braves
|
Idaho Falls Chukars Founded in 1940 Idaho Falls, Idaho |
|||||
|
|||||
| Class-level | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Rookie Advanced (1964–present) | ||||
| Previous | Class – C (1940–1963) | ||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | Pioneer League (1946–present; 1940–42) | ||||
| Division | South Division | ||||
|
Previous leagues
|
Utah–Idaho League (1926–28) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Current | Kansas City Royals (2004–present) | ||||
| Previous |
|
||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (3) |
|
||||
| Division titles (7) |
|
||||
| Team data | |||||
| Nickname | Idaho Falls Chukars (2004–present) | ||||
|
Previous names
|
|
||||
| Colors | Burgundy, black, silver, white |
||||
| Mascot | Charlie the Chukar | ||||
| Ballpark | Melaleuca Field (2007–present) | ||||
|
Previous parks
|
McDermott Field (1978–2006) | ||||
|
Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Elmore Sports Group | ||||
| Manager | Justin Gemoll | ||||
| General Manager | Kevin Greene | ||||
The Idaho Falls Chukars are a professional baseball club based in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The Chukars are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They play their home games at Melaleuca Field, which has a seating capacity of 3,400. The dimensions of the ballpark are 340' to left field, 400' to center field, and 350' to right field. The playing surface is natural grass (Kentucky bluegrass).
The team plays in the Pioneer League, a short-season league operating from June to early September, which is designated as Rookie Advanced League. They adopted the name the Chukars following a fan vote when the major league affiliation changed after the 2003 season. A Chukar is a game bird found in the region.
After fielding a team in the Utah–Idaho League from 1926 to 1928, the franchise restarted in 1940 and were called the Russets, playing in the Pioneer League. Some famous baseball alumni of the Idaho Falls ball club are Billy Martin, Joe Maddon, Jose Canseco, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler.
All 76 regular season games and every postseason game can be heard on KSPZ (ESPN Radio affiliate) 980 AM - 105.1 FM and 94.5 FM throughout Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls and Pocatello. Logan Ratick is the Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations, serving as the solo play-by-play voice for all road games and working in the booth with longtime broadcaster John Balginy for all home games.
Numerous Idaho Falls alumni advanced to Major League baseball, some alumni of note include:
Jose Canseco 1989
Jake Peavy, 2007
Kansas City Royals Billy Butler, 2011
Mike Moustakas, Game 1, 2015 World Series
...
Wikipedia