Tennessee Smokies

From BR Bullpen

TennesseeSmokies.jpg

Team History[edit]

The Tennessee Smokies, of the Double-A Southern League and briefly in Double-A South, will soon be formerly of Sevier County and again known as the Knoxville Smokies. The Chicago Cubs farmhands play their home games at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, TN.

Smokies owner Randy Boyd, who bought the club from its then-parent Toronto Blue Jays in 2013, is returning the team to Knoxville from the ring county.

In 2021, the state budgeted more than $13 million toward a proposed new municipally owned stadium. The city council then created a sports authority to oversee it and later approved a preliminary stadium plan. At the outset, Boyd had hoped to have the stadium ready for the 2023 season but said at the time that was very ambitious. In July 2021, he pushed it to 2024. However, citing volatility in global supply chains, the Smokies announced in April 2022 that they will play the 2024 campaign in Kodak - conveniently, the last season of the current stadium lease.

The project moved from possible to near-certainty with three key mid-November 2021 votes as the sports authority, the Knox County Commission and Knoxville City Council all, in turn, approved the funding plan. Short of actually breaking ground, the last crucial task happened on May 24, 2023: the sale of $65 million in municipal bonds.

The city and Boyd have agreed that the lease for the team to use the 7,000-seat stadium will require "Knoxville" to be in the team name.

Knoxville hosted many professional baseball teams from 1897 through 1999. Although the Smokies revived their four-decade nickname with their 2000 move to Kodak, they remained in the Blue Jays' system another two seasons. When the K-Jays were planning their move into Sevier County, then-Assistant General Manager Brian Cox said "Tennessee" would refer not to the state but to the Tennessee Smoky Mountains. The Smokies affiliated with the Cubs after the 2006 campaign, starting a long partnership after changing parents in consecutive two-season affiliation cycles: St. Louis Cardinals 2003-2004 and Arizona Diamondbacks 2005-2006.

Year-by-Year Record[edit]

Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs Hitting coach Pitching coach Coach
2000 71-69 4th Rocket Wheeler Hector Torres Craig Lefferts
2001 80-60 2nd (t) Rocket Wheeler Hector Torres Craig Lefferts
2002 69-71 6th Rocket Wheeler Hector Torres Craig Lefferts
2003 72-67 4th Mark DeJohn Lost in 1st round Steve Balboni Blaise Ilsley
2004 69-71 6th Mark DeJohn Co-Champs* Steve Balboni Blaise Ilsley
2005 64-76 7th Tony Perezchica Eric Fox Dan Carlson
2006 70-69 5th Bill Plummer Tony Dello Dan Carlson
2007 73-65 4th Pat Listach Lost in 1st round Barbaro Garbey Dennis Lewallyn
2008 62-77 9th Buddy Bailey Barbaro Garbey Dennis Lewallyn
2009 71-69 3rd Ryne Sandberg Lost League Finals Tom Beyers Dennis Lewallyn
2010 86-53 1st Bill Dancy Lost League Finals Tom Beyers Dennis Lewallyn
2011 83-57 2nd Brian Harper Lost League Finals Mariano Duncan Marty Mason
2012 72-68 4th Buddy Bailey Mariano Duncan Jeff Fassero Nathan Maldonado
2013 76-62 2nd Buddy Bailey Lost in 1st round Desi Wilson Jeff Fassero Carlos Figueroa
2014 66-73 5th Buddy Bailey Desi Wilson Storm Davis Leonel Perez
2015 76-63 4th Buddy Bailey Desi Wilson Storm Davis Guillermo Martinez
2016 58-81 9th Mark Johnson Desi Wilson Terry Clark Osmin Melendez
2017 68-70 7th Mark Johnson Jacob Cruz Terry Clark Ricardo Medina
2018 67-71 5th (t) Mark Johnson Jesus Feliciano Terry Clark Ben Carhart
2019 58-81 9th Jimmy Gonzalez Chad Allen Ron Villone Ben Carhart
2020 Season cancelled
2021 46-63 7th Mark Johnson Chad Allen Jamie Vermilyea Will Remillard
2022 71-66 4th Michael Ryan Lost League Finals Rick Strickland Jamie Vermilyea Walker Gentz, Nick Lovullo
2023 Michael Ryan Rick Strickland Jamie Vermilyea Marco Romero, Tyler Ladendorf

* Due to Hurricane Ivan the finals series was canceled. Tennessee and Mobile were declared co-champions.

Related Sites[edit]

SmokiesBaseball.com