South Atlantic League (1992-1995)
Tombstone
Born: 1992 – The Sumter Flyers relocate to Albany, GA
Moved: September 19, 1995 (Delmarva Shorebirds)1Shaffer, Joshua. “Ga. team to take flight as Shorebirds”. The Daily Times (Salisbury, MD). September 20, 1995
First Game: April 9, 1992 (L 3-1 @ Greensboro Hornets)
Last Game: September 3, 1995 (W 6-5 @ Macon Braves)
South Atlantic League Championships: None
Stadium
Paul Eames Sports Complex (4,200)21994 Asheville Tourists Program
Ownership & Affiliations
Owner: Richard Holtzman
Major League Affiliations:
- 1992: Montreal Expos
- 1993-1994: Baltimore Orioles
- 1995: Montreal Expos
Attendance
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Source: The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (3rd ed.), Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, 2007
Background
The Albany Polecats were a Class A farm club of the Montreal Expos and the Baltimore Orioles for four seasons in the early 1990’s. When team owner Richard Holtzman moved his Sumter Flyers ball club to Albany, Georgia in late 1991 it marked the return of pro baseball to the city after more than three decades absence. The city’s last club was the Albany Cardinals (1939-1958) who closed their doors along with the rest of the Georgia-Florida League at the end of the 1958 season.
Several future stars came through Albany during the Polecats era, particularly during the two seasons the club was part of the fertile Montreal Expos farm system. Cliff Floyd and Ugueth Urbina (1992) and Vladimir Guerrero (1995) all became future Major League All-Stars. Reliever Armando Benitez (1993) was the top product of the Orioles years and became a two-time All-Star in the Majors.
The Polecats never played especially well in Albany, posting a winning record only in the 1992 season (72-70). Attendance was consistently disappointing and was the lowest in the South Atlantic League during the Polecats final season in 1995. In September 1995 Richard Holtzman sold the team to a group led by Peter Kirk who were building a new ballpark in Salisbury, Maryland with the financial assistance of poultry baron Frank Perdue. The team moved to Salisbury for the 1996 season and became known as the Delmarva Shorebirds. The Shorebirds continue to operate today.
Trivia
Outfielder Vladimir Guerrero (Polecats ’95) was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Voices
“Those who believe there is no such thing as a bad baseball town need only to examine Albany, Georgia, closely.”
– Richard Holzman, Polecats Owner 1992-19953ASSOCIATED PRESS. “Minor league team raises stink in Georgia”. The Index-Journal (Greenwood, SC). September 20, 1995
Albany Polecats Shop
Links
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