Richmond Flying Squirrels

• Location: Richmond, VA
• League: Eastern League 2010-2019; Double-A Northeast 2021; Eastern League 2022-
• Affiliation: San Francisco Giants 2010-present
• Ballpark: The Diamond

Team History

The Richmond Flying Squirrels, of the Eastern League and briefly in Double-A Northeast, attract not only large crowds but some of the highest-energy fans in minor league baseball - to an outdated stadium. The San Francisco Giants farmhands play their home games at The Diamond in Richmond, VA.

Although the Giants have expressed concern about The Diamond, they did not take a perfect opportunity to leave it to get a geographically closer Double-A club. Proximity was a major focus of MLB's 2021 Minor League Reorganization, but the Giants stood pat with the Squirrels.

However, a new stadium could indirectly end the partnership. In a good playpen, Richmond had proven itself as a Triple-A market - and lost that distinction solely because of what The Diamond had become. If no new stadium is built, Richmond might lose the team - but a large enough, high-quality enough stadium could bring renewed interest from Triple-A.

The Connecticut Defenders moved to Richmond in 2009. The Flying Squirrels nickname was chosen in a "Name the Team" contest. The other finalists were Rock Hoppers, Flatheads, Rhinos and Hush Puppies. A sixth option, Hambones, was eliminated after the NAACP raised some negative connotations. The team intended it as an homage to the famous Virginia Hams.

The Squirrels play Copa de la Diversión Hispanic engagement campaign games as Ardillas Voladoras de Richmond, a straight translation of their name.

Year-by-Year Record

Year	Record	Finish	Manager	Playoffs	Hitting coach	Pitching coach	Coach
2010	68-73	9th	Andy Skeels		Russ Morman	Ross Grimsley
2011	76-66	3rd	Dave Machemer	Lost League Finals	Ken Joyce	Ross Grimsley
2012	70-71	7th	Dave Machemer		Ken Joyce	Ross Grimsley
2013	70-72	6th	Dave Machemer		Ken Joyce	Ross Grimsley
2014	79-63	3rd	Russ Morman	Lost League Finals	Ken Joyce	Ross Grimsley	Jerry Cram
2015	72-68	5th(t)	José Alguacil		Ken Joyce	Steve Kline
2016	62-79	9th (t)	Miguel Ojeda			Steve Kline
2017	63-77	9th	Kyle Haines		Lipso Nava	Steve Kline
2018	62-76	12th	Willie Harris		Francisco Morales	Glenn Dishman	Eliezer Zambrano
2019	55-84	12th	Willie Harris		Francisco Morales	Glenn Dishman	Lipso Nava Eliezer Zambrano
2020	Season cancelled
2021	57-56	6th	José Alguacil		Doug Clark	Steve Kline	Gary Davenport
2022			Dennis Pelfrey		Danny Santin	Paul Oseguera	Gary Davenport

Related Sites

• Official site