Helena Brewers
The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in Helena, Montana, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers (1985–2000, 2003–2018) and Philadelphia Phillies (1978–1983).
| Helena Brewers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes | Rookie (1978–2000, 2003–2018) |
Previous leagues | Pioneer League (1978–2000, 2003–2018) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams |
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| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (4) |
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| Division titles (10) |
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| Team data | |
Previous names |
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| Colors | Navy blue, gold, white |
| Mascot | Wally the Mammoth (2015-2018) Lewis the Lion and Clark the Cougar (2003-2015)[1] Brewinkle (1996-2000) |
Previous parks | Kindrick Legion Field (1978–2000, 2003–2018) |
Among the best-known players to play in Helena are Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who started his career with the Phillies in Helena, Gary Sheffield, who started his career with the Helena Gold Sox in 1986, Jeff Cirillo and Mark Loretta who began their careers with the 1991 and 1993 Helena Brewers, respectively; and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun.
History
The Helena Phillies joined the Pioneer League in 1978, giving Helena a professional baseball team for the first time in 64 years. In 1984, the Helena Gold Sox won the Pioneer League Championship, a rarity for an independent club. The team hooked on with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1985 and changed its name to the Helena Brewers in 1987. Helena won the league championship in back-to-back seasons in 1995 and 1996. The franchise moved to Provo, Utah, as the Provo Angels after the 2000 season. In 2003, the Medicine Hat Blue Jays moved to Helena, and the team once again became a Brewers affiliate.
The franchise left Helena for Colorado Springs, Colorado, after the 2018 season, where it would play as the Rocky Mountain Vibes.[2]
Season-by-season record
| Helena Brewers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Regular Season | Post-season | ||||||
| Record | Win % | Finish* | Record | Win % | Result | |||
| 1978 | 30–38 | .441 | 6th | — | — | — | ||
| 1979 | 43–26 | .623 | 2nd | 0–2 | .000 | Lost PL Championship vs Lethbridge Dodgers, 0–2 | ||
| 1980 | 32–38 | .457 | 3rd | — | — | — | ||
| 1981 | 22–44 | .371 | 4th | — | — | — | ||
| 1982 | 29–41 | .414 | 4th | — | — | — | ||
| 1983 | 16–54 | .229 | 4th | — | — | — | ||
| 1984 | 44–24 | .647 | 1st | 3–1 | .750 | Won PL Championship vs Billings Mustangs, 3–1 | ||
| 1985 | 42–26 | .618 | 2nd | — | — | — | ||
| 1986 | 38–32 | .543 | 3rd | — | — | — | ||
| 1987 | 46–24 | .657 | 1st | 1–3 | .250 | Lost PL Championship vs Salt Lake City Trappers, 1–3 | ||
| 1988 | 41–29 | .586 | 2nd | — | — | — | ||
| 1989 | 38–30 | .559 | 2nd | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | 37–28 | .569 | 3rd | — | — | — | ||
| 1991 | 44–26 | .629 | 2nd | — | — | — | ||
| 1992 | 50–26 | .658 | 2nd | — | — | — | ||
| 1993 | 43–30 | .589 | 1st | 1–2 | .333 | Lost PL Championship vs Billings Mustangs, 1–2 | ||
| 1994 | 44–28 | .611 | 1st | 2–3 | .400 | Lost PL Championship vs Billings Mustangs, 2–3 | ||
| 1995 | 49–22 | .690 | 1st | 4–1 | .800 | Won Northern Division Championship vs Idaho Falls Braves, 2–1 Won PL Championship vs Medicine Hat Blue Jays, 2–0 | ||
| 1996 | 43–29 | .597 | 2nd | 4–1 | .800 | Won Northern Division Championship vs Lethbridge Black Diamonds, 2–1 Won PL Championship vs Ogden Raptors, 2–0 | ||
| 1997 | 37–34 | .521 | 5th | — | — | — | ||
| 1998 | 21–55 | .276 | 4th | — | — | — | ||
| 1999 | 47–28 | .627 | 1st | 0–2 | .000 | Lost Northern Division Championship vs Missoula Osprey, 0–2 | ||
| 2000 | 26–50 | .342 | 4th | — | — | — | ||
| 2003 | 48–28 | .632 | 2nd | 1–2 | .333 | Lost Northern Division Championship vs Billings Mustangs, 1–2 | ||
| 2004 | 39–37 | .513 | 2nd | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 | 46–30 | .605 | 1st | 2–2 | .500 | Won Northern Division Championship vs Billings Mustangs, 2–0 Lost PL Championship vs Orem Owlz, 0–2 | ||
| 2006 | 34–42 | .447 | 3rd | — | — | — | ||
| 2007 | 48–28 | .632 | 2nd | 1–2 | .333 | Lost Northern Division Championship vs Great Falls White Sox, 1–2 | ||
| 2008 | 35–41 | .461 | 6th | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | 32–44 | .421 | 6th | — | — | — | ||
| 2010 | 41–34 | .421 | 3rd | 4–1 | .800 | Won North Division Championship vs Great Falls Voyagers, 2–1 Won PL Championship vs Ogden Raptors, 2–0 | ||
| 2011 | 30–46 | .395 | 7th | — | — | — | ||
| 2012 | 24–52 | .316 | 8th | — | — | — | ||
| 2013 | 43–33 | .566 | 2nd | 3-2 | .600 | Won North Division Championship vs Great Falls Voyagers, 2–0 Lost PL Championship vs Idaho Falls Chukars, 1–2 | ||
| 2014 | 27–49 | .355 | 8th | — | — | — | ||
| 2015 | 32–42 | .432 | 8th | – | – | — | ||
| 2016 | 28–46 | .378 | 8th | – | – | — | ||
| 2017 | 28–48 | .368 | 8th | – | – | — | ||
| 2018 | 36–40 | .474 | 6th | – | – | — | ||
| Totals | 1,433–1,402 | .505 | – | 29–26 | .509 | 4 League Championships | ||
| Note: * Finish denotes overall position in the league standings. | ||||||||
Major leaguers
The following is a list of Helena players by year that later played in Major League Baseball:
- 1978: George Bell, Carmelo Castillo, Wil Culmer, Bob Dernier, Ed Hearn, Alejandro Sánchez, Ryne Sandberg
- 1979: Jay Baller, Roy Smith
- 1980: Rocky Childress, Darren Daulton, Marty Decker, Ken Dowell, Tony Ghelfi
- 1981: Johnny Abrego, Charles Hudson, Jim Olander, Jose Segura
- 1982: Ken Jackson, Lance McCullers, Johnny Paredes, Wilfredo Tejada
- 1983: Ricky Jordan, Tom Magrann, Tom Newell
- 1984: Jack Daugherty, John Trautwein
- 1985: John Jaha, Russ McGinnis, Randy Veres
- 1986: George Canale, Brian Drahman, Darryl Hamilton, Gary Sheffield, Greg Vaughn
- 1987: Frank Bolick, Oreste Marrero, Ángel Miranda, Charlie Montoyo, Jaime Navarro, Dave Nilsson, Troy O'Leary, Steve Sparks, Bill Spiers
- 1988: Bert Heffernan, Mike Ignasiak, Mark Kiefer
- 1991: Jeff Cirillo, Mike Matheny, Marshall Boze
- 1992: Bobby Hughes, Danny Perez, Tim Unroe; Danan Hughes played minor league baseball for the 1992 and 1993 seasons in the Pioneer League for the Helena Brewers. He decided to make football his full-time profession when the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the 7th round of the 1993 NFL Draft. Hughes played for the Chiefs from 1993 to 1998 as a wide receiver and special teams player.
- 1993: Brian Banks, Todd Dunn, Danny Klassen, Mark Loretta, Sean Maloney, Greg Martinez
- 1994: Antone Williamson, Kelly Wunsch
- 1995: Robinson Cancel, Geoff Jenkins, Mike Kinkade, Mickey Lopez, Greg Mullins
- 1996: Allen Levrault, Mark Watson
- 1997: Jason Childers, Brian Mallette
- 1998: Matt Childers, Bill Hall, Luis Martinez
- 2003: Drew Anderson, Carlos Corporán, Tim Dillard, Dana Eveland, Vinny Rottino, Mitch Stetter, Ty Taubenheim
- 2004: Alcides Escobar
- 2005: Michael Brantley, Ryan Braun, Lorenzo Cain, Darren Ford, Matt Gamel, Ángel Salomé, Joe Thatcher
- 2006: Zach Braddock, Cole Gillespie, Taylor Green, Mike McClendon
- 2007: Dane De La Rosa, Eric Farris, Eric Fryer, Caleb Gindl, Donovan Hand, Matt LaPorta, Jonathan Lucroy, Zelous Wheeler
- 2008: Erik Komatsu, Lucas Luetge, Wily Peralta, Logan Schafer, Rob Wooten
- 2009: Chris Capuano, Khristopher Davis, Michael Fiers, Sean Halton, Jake Odorizzi, Josh Prince
- 2010: Hiram Burgos, Jimmy Nelson, Caleb Thielbar, Tyler Thornburg
- 2011: Tyler Cravy, David Goforth, Yadiel Rivera, Jason Rodgers
- 2012: Michael Reed, Tyler Wagner
References
- Shockley, Troy (May 19, 2015). "Brewers introduce team's newest addition". Independent Record. Helena, Montana. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
farewell to old mascots Lewis the lion and Clark the cougar.
- Hill, Benjamin (November 19, 2018). "Colorado Springs feels the Vibes". MILB.com. Retrieved November 19, 2018.