The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity of 3,682. Everett has won three division titles and one Northwest League championship.
Everett AquaSox | |||||
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Minor league affiliations | |||||
Class | High-A (2021–present) | ||||
Previous classes | Class A Short Season (1995–2020) | ||||
League | Northwest League (1995–present) | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Team | Seattle Mariners (1995–present) | ||||
Minor league titles | |||||
League titles (1) |
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Division titles (3) |
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First-half titles | none | ||||
Second-half titles (1) |
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Team data | |||||
Colors | Navy, aqua, light green, orange, white | ||||
Mascot | Webbly | ||||
Ballpark | Funko Field (1995–present) | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | 7th Inning Stretch, LLC[1] | ||||
General manager | Danny Tetzlaff[2] | ||||
Manager | Ryan Scott | ||||
Website | milb.com/everett |
History
editFollowing the 1983 season, Bob and Margaret Bavasi purchased the struggling Walla Walla, Washington, based Blue Mountain Bears.[3] Antiquated facilities compounded by dwindling attendance in Walla Walla prompted the new owners to move the franchise. The Bavasis, who had secured affiliation with the San Francisco Giants, ultimately selected Everett as the relocation destination.[4] Playing as the Everett Giants, the club was affiliated with San Francisco for eleven years until 1994. After the 1994 season, Everett signed a player development contract with the Seattle Mariners as their Class A Short Season affiliate and adopted a new unique name, the AquaSox. Since the 2021 season, the team has played at the High-A classification as a Mariners affiliate, initially in the High-A West.[5][6] In March 2022, the High-A West was rebranded back to the Northwest League, as MLB moved to revert all of its Minor Leagues to their historical names.[7]
Stadium
editDue to the Northwest League's reclassification in 2021 as a High-A league, which included an expanded schedule and new venue requirements, the AquaSox began exploring a replacement for Funko Field. In September 2022, the City of Everett and Snohomish County approved funds to study a new stadium, which is estimated to cost $80 million and seat 3,500 spectators.[8] A site adjacent to Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett was selected for the study; other proposed sites included the Everett Mall, Kasch Park, and a city-owned lot near Interstate 5.[9][10]
On December 18, 2024, the Everett City Council voted to select the downtown Everett site for a new baseball stadium that meets the updated MLB standards and could host a United Soccer League team. The site is between Pacific and Hewitt avenues on the east side of Broadway.[11] The stadium is estimated to cost a minimum of $102 million, of which $10 million would be paid by the AquaSox; up to $95 million in public funding sources were identified in the study, including state grants and municipal bonds.[12][13] The stadium's design is scheduled to be completed in 2025 or 2026, with plans to open in time for the 2027 Northwest League season.[13]
Identity
editOne of the team logos, used on road caps and jerseys, is based on the "trident" insignia used by the Mariners in the early 1980s (rotated to look like the letter "E" for Everett, instead of "M" for Mariners). Their mascot is Webbly, a frog.[14] According to long-time team radio broadcaster Pat Dillon, "The frog is a cross between a Pacific tree frog and a Central American red-eyed tree frog—and Brooks Robinson."[15] Previously, the mascot for the Everett Giants was a giant hot dog named Frank.
Season-by-season record
editNorthwest League (1995–present)
editSeason | PDC | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | Post-season | Manager | Attendance | |
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Everett AquaSox | ||||||||||
1995 | SEA | North | 2nd | 37 | 39 | .487 | Orlando Gomez | 89,950 | ||
1996 | SEA | North | 4th | 33 | 42 | .440 | Roger Hansen | 87,846 | ||
1997 | SEA | North | 3rd | 29 | 47 | .382 | Orlando Gomez | 79,918 | ||
1998 | SEA | North | 3rd | 34 | 42 | .447 | Terry Pollreisz | 119,396 | ||
1999 | SEA | North | 3rd | 41 | 35 | .540 | Terry Pollreisz | 103,455 | ||
2000 | SEA | East | 4th | 37 | 39 | .487 | Terry Pollreisz | 114,024 | ||
2001 | SEA | West | 3rd | 36 | 39 | .480 | Terry Pollreisz | 114,727 | ||
2002 | SEA | West | 1st | 44 | 32 | .579 | Lost to Boise in championship series 0-3 | Roger Hansen | 110,373 | |
2003 | SEA | West | 4th | 32 | 44 | .421 | Pedro Grifol | 110,043 | ||
2004 | SEA | West | 2nd | 41 | 35 | .539 | Pedro Grifol | 104,010 | ||
2005 | SEA | West | 3rd | 42 | 34 | .553 | Pedro Grifol | 108,884 | ||
2006 | SEA | West | 4th | 31 | 45 | .408 | Dave Myers | 106,675 | ||
2007 | SEA | West | 3rd | 35 | 41 | .461 | Mike Tosar | 106,683 | ||
2008 | SEA | West | 4th | 32 | 44 | .421 | Jose Moreno | 95,294 | ||
2009 | SEA | West | 2nd | 39 | 37 | .513 | John Tamargo | 89,929 | ||
2010 | SEA | West | 1st | 48 | 27 | .640 | Defeated Vancouver in division series 2–1 Defeated Spokane in championship series 2-1 |
Jose Moreno | 89,929 | |
2011 | SEA | West | 3rd | 37 | 39 | .487 | Scott Steinmann | 96,345 | ||
2012 | SEA | West | 3rd | 46 | 30 | .605 | Lost to Vancouver in division series 2–0 | Rob Mummau | 95,929 | |
2013 | SEA | North | 1st | 44 | 32 | .579 | Lost to Vancouver in division series 2–0 | Rob Mammau | 92,489 | |
2014 | SEA | North | 4th | 28 | 48 | .368 | Dave Valle | 92,642 | ||
2015 | SEA | North | 1st | 42 | 34 | .553 | Lost to Tri-City in division series 0-2 | Rob Mammau | 100,613 | |
2016 | SEA | North | 1st | 45 | 31 | .592 | Defeated Spokane in division series 2–0 Lost to Eugene in championship series 1-2 |
Rob Mammau | 104,162 | |
2017 | SEA | North | 4th | 36 | 40 | .474 | Jose Moreno | 110,161 | ||
2018 | SEA | North | 2nd | 38 | 38 | .500 | Lost to Spokane in division series 2–1 | Jose Moreno | 111,599 | |
2019 | SEA | North | 3rd | 37 | 39 | .487 | Louis Boyd | 116,630 |
Division winner | League champions |
Roster
editPlayers | Coaches/Other | |||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
60-day injured list
7-day injured list |
References
edit- ^ "7th Inning Stretch, LLC". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ "Everett AquaSox Front Office". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ French, Joan (November 10, 1983). "Walla Walla Pro Baseball Sale Becomes Final". Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. Retrieved July 24, 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
- ^ "Another Bavasi Trying Baseball as a Club Owner". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. United Press International. May 6, 1984. p. 4F. Retrieved March 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Johns, Greg (December 9, 2020). "Mariners invite 4 clubs to return as affiliates". MLB. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Hill, Benjamin (March 16, 2022). "Historical Team Names Return to the Minors". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Watanabe, Ben (September 28, 2022). "City, county studying new outdoor stadium for Everett AquaSox". The Everett Herald. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ Cornfield, Jerry; Watanabe, Ben; Patterson, Nick (March 20, 2023). "Drive to build new AquaSox ballpark gets $7.4M boost from state". The Everett Herald. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ Nash, Ashley (November 30, 2023). "Everett AquaSox stadium upgrade gets $1.1M green light from city". The Everett Herald. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ Halverson, Alex (December 18, 2024). "Everett moves forward with downtown AquaSox stadium". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ Geschke, Will (December 12, 2024). "Everett committee finds downtown AquaSox stadium more viable". The Everett Herald. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Geschke, Will (December 18, 2024). "Everett council chooses downtown site for potential AquaSox stadium". The Everett Herald. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ "Everett Aquasox Mascot Appearances". Everett AquaSox. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ Caputo, Paul (May 2, 2015). "Soggy Froggy, Man: The Story Behind the Everett AquaSox". SportsLogos.net. SportsLogos.net. Retrieved May 23, 2018.