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Visalia Rawhide

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox Minor League Baseball

| name = Visalia Rawhide

| founded = 1946

| city = Visalia, California

| misc =

| logo = VisaliaRawhide.PNG

| uniformlogo = VisaliaRawhidecap.PNG

| class level = Single-A (2021–present)

| past class level = {{Plainlist|

}}

| current league = California League (1946–present)

| division = South Division

| past league =

| majorleague = {{plainlist|

}}

| pastmajorleague =

| nickname = {{plainlist|

  • Visalia Rawhide (2009–present)
  • Visalia Oaks (1995–2008, 1977–1992)
  • Central Valley Rockies (1993–1994)
  • Visalia Mets (1968–1975)
  • Visalia White Sox (1962)
  • Visalia Athletics (1960–1961)
  • Visalia Redlegs (1957–1959)
  • Visalia Cubs (1954–1956, 1946–1952)
  • Visalia Stars (1953)

}}

| pastnames =

| ballpark = Valley Strong Ballpark

| pastparks =

| mascot = Tipper

| leaguenum = 3

| leaguechamps = {{hlist|1971|1978|2019}}

| divnum = 3

| divisionchamps = {{hlist|2015|2018|2019}}

| firsthalfnum = 1

| firsthalfchamps = {{hlist|2016}}

| secondhalfnum = 1

| secondhalfchamps = {{hlist|2024}}

| wildcardnum = 1

| wildcardberths = {{hlist|2024}}

| owner = First Pitch Entertainment, LLC

| gm = Mike Candela & Julian Rifkind{{cite web|title=Personnel News: Visalia, Charleston|url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2020/02/14/personnel-news-visalia-charleston/|website=Ballpark Digest|publisher=August Publications|date=February 14, 2020|access-date=February 14, 2020}}

| manager = Darrin Garner

| website = {{URL|https://www.milb.com/visalia|milb.com/visalia}}

}}

The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since their inception in 1946.

The team has had nine names, most of which reflected its changing major-league affiliates, most recently the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Oakland A's, Tampa Bay Rays, and Diamondbacks. They took the name Rawhide in 2009.

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Rawhide were organized into the Low-A West at the Low-A classification.{{cite web|last=Mayo|first=Jonathan|title=MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/new-minor-league-baseball-structure|website=Major League Baseball|date=February 12, 2021|access-date=June 27, 2024}} In 2022, the Low-A West became known as the California League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization, and was reclassified as a Single-A circuit.{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/news/minor-league-baseball-historical-league-names-to-return-in-2022|title=Historical League Names to Return in 2022|website=Minor League Baseball|date=March 16, 2022|access-date=June 27, 2024}}

Casey Jones/Casey at the Bat

Once per season, the team wears old-fashioned uniforms recalling Mighty Casey, the main folklore hero of "Casey at the Bat" and the "Mudville Nine", based on the Stockton Ports in Stockton.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Visalia is one of the four oldest cities of the Cal League, along with San Jose (the San Jose Giants/Bees); and Modesto (the Modesto Nuts/A's).

Mascot

The Visalia Rawhide mascot is a Holstein Bull named Tipper, introduced on October 15, 2008. Tipper represents the tens of thousands of Holsteins in Tulare County, the top dairy-producing area in the country. Tipper's home is a ballpark barn – a 40' x 20' red barn which is part of the outfield fence – doubles carom off the side of the barn, and home runs land on the roof, leading to a new twist on the old baseball adage "couldn't hit the broad side of the barn" which now represents weak hitters instead of wild pitchers. The traditional red barn was built as a "community barn raising" to raise awareness for Habitat for Humanity and stands as an icon for the agricultural heritage of the valley.

Radio broadcast

The Rawhide are heard terrestrially on KJUG AM 1270 and over the internet through their website www.rawhidebaseball.com.

Notable Visalia alumni

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

Notable alumni

{{Div col end}}

Pop culture

As a minor league affiliate of the Oakland A's at the time, the Visalia Oaks were prominently mentioned in the Michael Lewis Book 'Moneyball', and also featured a few times during the 2011 movie Moneyball (which took place in 2002). In one scene, Billy Beane is driving to see the Visalia Oaks during the A's winning streak, and another shows Billy watching video of Visalia Oaks catcher Jeremy Brown tripping and then diving back to first on a ball that turned out to be a home run.

In the 1988 film Bull Durham, Visalia was mentioned as a potential managing job for aging catcher Crash Davis, played by Kevin Costner.

In the 1994 film Little Big League, a Visalia Oaks pennant can be seen hanging on the wall in the main character’s bedroom.

Roster

{{Visalia Rawhide roster}}

Alumni

Minor league affiliations

{{Main|List of Arizona Diamondbacks minor league affiliates}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
scope="col" style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|Arizona Diamondbacks|border=2}};"|Level

!scope="col" style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|Arizona Diamondbacks|border=2}};"|Team

!scope="col" style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|Arizona Diamondbacks|border=2}};"|League

!scope="col" style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|Arizona Diamondbacks|border=2}};"|Location

!scope="col" style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|Arizona Diamondbacks|border=2}};"|Manager

scope="row"|Triple-A

|Reno Aces

|Pacific Coast League

|Reno, Nevada

|Blake Lalli

scope="row"|Double-A

|Amarillo Sod Poodles

|Texas League

|Amarillo, Texas

|Shawn Roof

scope="row"|High-A

|Hillsboro Hops

|Northwest League

|Hillsboro, Oregon

|Vince Harrison

scope="row"|Single-A

|Visalia Rawhide

|California League

|Visalia, California

|Dee Garner

scope="row" rowspan=4|Rookie

|ACL D-backs

|Arizona Complex League

|Scottsdale, Arizona

|Rolando Arnedo

DSL D-backs 1

|rowspan=2|Dominican Summer League

|rowspan=2|Boca Chica, Santo Domingo

|Jaime Del Valle

DSL D-backs 2

|Ronald Ramirez

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Official website|http://www.milb.com/visalia}}
  • [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Visalia&state=CA&country=US Statistics from Baseball-Reference]

{{Arizona Diamondbacks}}

{{California League}}

{{San Joaquin Valley Sports}}

{{California sports}}

Category:Baseball teams established in 1946

Category:Arizona Diamondbacks minor league affiliates

Category:Tampa Bay Rays minor league affiliates

Category:Colorado Rockies minor league affiliates

Category:Oakland Athletics minor league affiliates

Category:Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates

Category:New York Mets minor league affiliates

Category:Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates

Category:Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliates

Category:Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates

Category:California League teams

Category:Sports in Visalia, California

Category:Professional baseball teams in California

Category:1946 establishments in California