Cleburne Railroaders facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cleburne Railroaders |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Information | |
| League | American Association of Professional Baseball (East Division) |
| Location | Cleburne, Texas |
| Ballpark | The Depot at Cleburne Station |
| Year founded | 2017 |
| Colors | Caboose Red, Steel Rail Blue, Whistle Post White |
| Manager | Logan Watkins |
The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team. They are based in Cleburne, Texas. The team plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball. This league is a partner of Major League Baseball. The Railroaders started playing in 2017. Their home games are played at The Depot at Cleburne Station.
Contents
History of the Railroaders
A long time ago, a different team called the Cleburne Railroaders played baseball. They were part of the Texas League. This older team won a championship in 1906. They also won the Texas-Oklahoma League championship in 1911. Their games were played at a place called Gorman's Park. Today, that area is part of Hulen Park.
The modern Cleburne Railroaders team was announced on October 6, 2016. They joined the American Association league. The team plays in a new stadium called The Depot. This stadium cost about $25 million to build. In 2017, Ballpark Digest magazine said it was the fans' favorite independent stadium.
In 2020, the team did not play. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six teams in their league decided not to play that season.
New Owners Join the Team
In 2021, the Cleburne Railroaders got some new owners. Three people joined the ownership group. They are Neil Leibman, Alan Miller, and Jon Ryan. Neil Leibman is a top manager for the Texas Rangers (baseball) team. He also owns parts of other sports teams. Alan Miller owns a company called COLLiDE Agency. Jon Ryan used to play in the NFL. He and Alan Miller also own the Portland Pickles baseball team. These new owners help the Railroaders get ready for their seasons.
Fresh New Colors
The Railroaders changed their team colors. They used to be orange and blue. Now, their colors are inspired by the flag of Texas. The new colors are:
- Caboose red
- Steel rail blue
- Whistle post white
Cool New Uniforms
The Railroaders have three different uniforms for their games.
- Their home uniform is a white jersey. It has "Railroaders" written across the chest. The pants are white with red and navy stripes. The numbers are red. Patches for Gandy and the American Association are on the sleeves.
- The away uniform is a grey jersey and grey pants. It has the same patches on the sleeves.
- The Heritage uniform is navy blue. It has grey pants with special socks called stirrups. These stirrups look like the ones worn by the original Railroaders team back in 1906.
Meet Gandy, the Mascot!
The Railroaders also have a new mascot named Gandy. Gandy joins Spike, who was the original mascot. Both mascots help represent the team. Gandy's story is that he worked on the Santa Fe railroad tracks. Workers who maintained tracks were called Gandy Dancers. They would sing songs while they worked.
Notable Players from the Past
Many talented players have been part of the Cleburne Railroaders team. Here are some of them:
- Mitch Glasser (2017)
- Shawn Zarraga (2017)
- Winston Abreu (2017)
- Rafael Palmeiro (2018)
- Ryan Brett (2019)
- Nefi Ogando (2019)
- Daniel Robertson (2019)
- Bubby Rossman (2019)
- Ozzie Martínez (2021)
- Nick Gardewine (2021)
- Michael Mariot (2021)
- Logan Verrett (2021)
